On Genre Fiction: an outsider's look on the fantasy worlds' narrative qualities
This is one of the few moments that I will touch upon an isekai story, and it all started on a random day when my sibling, who is more of an anime otaku than I am, switched our TV and looked for the international anime channel that our TV network has. During that time, I casually watched with her. And upon watching, I remembered I am planning to write about this topic on my own blog. Which is about this popular Korean webtoon that my sibling had been a fan of back in the day.
Looking back, I absentmindedly paid attention to the anime that’s currently aired on the TV channel with a title called ‘Why Raeliana Ended Up in the Duke’s Mansion,’ and I must say… this isekai story has solid worldbuilding.
It's not that I've read much isekai; there are better experts than me who can recommend the best of isekai stories here. I only touched upon this topic myself since the first episode of this anime already grabbed my attention.
Now, here is what I would like to discuss: as an outsider, I've noticed that even unfamiliar fantasy worlds succeed when they share certain qualities.
And the number one answer would be worldbuilding and immersion.
While I was briefly watching ‘Why Raeliana Ended Up in the Duke’s Mansion,’ one thing worth remarking on is the political system between vieux riche and nouveau riche. It's not because I find it original. Rather, because of my exposure to Western history, I was able to quickly follow what Raeliana was trying to explain.
In the first episode, the story already set the goals on why the protagonist must survive and navigate her way into the society she belongs in. I witnessed Raeliana’s struggle to cut off her engagement that turned out to be a risky partnership after all.
Here's what we were taught in our creative writing class. In the first chapters, writers should already know how to present the world the protagonist lived in and show what goals there are that the protagonist must accomplish in their journey.
This writing advice, however, is usually applicable to plot-driven stories such as action and fantasy. This advice I've learned from YouTube tutorials and MasterClass articles. There are tons available on the internet that teach about writing.
Going back to the anime, what the author of ‘Why Raeliana Ended Up in the Duke’s Mansion’ managed to do is the easy-to-follow explanation of Raeliana’s world while allowing me as a viewer to feel the suspense of the moment when she’s trying to cut off the engagement. Raeliana talking with her ex-fiancé kept me on the edge of my seat; it kept my attention. This is because the author managed to showcase what’s at stake at the very beginning.
Disclaimer: I don’t read fantasy stories, because up until today I haven’t read J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, which I consider essential before tackling fantasy books, before I can move on to George R.R. Martin’s ‘Game of Thrones.’
What the classic fantasy novels give to their readers is a world that weaves a textured tapestry of a different life, done through works of scholarly labor that are rich with history, themes, and allegory. Stories that feel fresh but can take us back to the creative social fabric of an ancient civilization. This is what I think immersion in fantasy feels like: a reimagining of the author's inherited literary heritage.
For J.R.R. Tolkien, it’s his deep scholarly engagement with Anglo-Saxon literature like Beowulf.
And for George R.R. Martin, one of his inspirations is drawn from a period in English history when two dynasties fought for the British throne from the 15th to 16th century, where the stakes lay in the political court of a real kingdom like England. George R.R. Martin only has to add some dragons to his own novel.
If there’s one thing that makes different genres distinct, it would be that there are genres that predominantly center on plot, and there are genres that predominantly center on the characters. Since Raeliana is a romance story, it usually focuses on her romance with Noah. I neither watched nor read Raeliana, but I’ve read another popular webtoon novel titled ‘This Marriage Will Fail Anyway’ set in a Spanish-inspired imaginary kingdom with protagonist Ines and love interest Carcel. Trust me, I haven’t read it completely. I continued reading primarily because I like how Carcel yearns for Ines. It was only because of that plot formula.
Everything else, such as Ines being reincarnated multiple times, is a plot I have to muddle through because by the Webtoon in episode 129, it felt like it was going nowhere.
But here’s one thing I can say about this novel, ‘This Marriage Will Fail Anyway’: Ines as a protagonist is compelling no matter how calculating or self-destructive her plots can be; the story uncovers her past as if the readers are gently urged to focus on her.
That, for me, is a character-focused story.
So, you see, even when I encounter works that fall into the broad category of fantasy, there are qualities that I think are universal for them. Sometimes, I often wonder why they’re popular. But if I give it proper consideration, an understanding always comes to me. I wonder why certain fantasies like isekai remain niche despite their passionate fanbase. Maybe because there are certain kinds of storytelling that we're willing to hear repeatedly, regardless of how familiar the template becomes.
