Comments on: Kadokawa cites excessive reliance on the isekai genre as one of the major causes of the decline in profitability in its domestic publishing business   https://automaton-media.com/en/news/kadokawa-cites-excessive-reliance-on-the-isekai-genre-as-one-of-the-major-causes-of-the-decline-in-profitability-in-its-domestic-publishing-business/ AUTOMATON is a website that covers the Japanese gaming world. We bring you the news on video games from Osaka and Tokyo. Wed, 20 May 2026 20:38:09 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 By: Logan Brown https://automaton-media.com/en/news/kadokawa-cites-excessive-reliance-on-the-isekai-genre-as-one-of-the-major-causes-of-the-decline-in-profitability-in-its-domestic-publishing-business/#comment-8457 Wed, 20 May 2026 20:38:09 +0000 https://automaton-media.com/en/?p=66768#comment-8457 Kadokawa just like other anime websites have no new English dubbed animes.

]]> By: The Old Crow https://automaton-media.com/en/news/kadokawa-cites-excessive-reliance-on-the-isekai-genre-as-one-of-the-major-causes-of-the-decline-in-profitability-in-its-domestic-publishing-business/#comment-8456 Wed, 20 May 2026 17:08:43 +0000 https://automaton-media.com/en/?p=66768#comment-8456 The “problem” is Shousetsuka ni Narou (amateur novelist submission site) and its ranking system. High-ranked stories get the eyeballs from Kadokawa and the like. Such a ranking system inevitably leads to trend-chasing, which is how so many “me too” stories get in there. Kadokawa needs to have more discretion in choosing what to adapt.

I am reminded of “Welcome to the NHK” where Yamazaki tries to create a character that will hit all the popular trends and ends up with some moe-catgirl-zombie-maid-frankenthing. When an author tries to hook everyone, they hook no one.

]]> By: Jay https://automaton-media.com/en/news/kadokawa-cites-excessive-reliance-on-the-isekai-genre-as-one-of-the-major-causes-of-the-decline-in-profitability-in-its-domestic-publishing-business/#comment-8450 Wed, 20 May 2026 10:16:10 +0000 https://automaton-media.com/en/?p=66768#comment-8450 Have they considered looking into the general inability to carry an anime project past 2 seasons?

]]> By: Kc https://automaton-media.com/en/news/kadokawa-cites-excessive-reliance-on-the-isekai-genre-as-one-of-the-major-causes-of-the-decline-in-profitability-in-its-domestic-publishing-business/#comment-8446 Wed, 20 May 2026 01:04:17 +0000 https://automaton-media.com/en/?p=66768#comment-8446 Redo Tokyo ghoul in its entirety, Vampire Hunter D ADAPTATION’S, Amagi brilliant park expansion and Rerelease and pick up licensing for Manglobe and other bankrupt studios like Gansta and for rereleases do Jormungand, Darker than Black and others on both streaming and physical media. Ppl are paying hundreds to thousands of dollars for old oops for a reason I’m sure with proper marketing a bunch of title would be a hit like Alderamin on the sky which flopped but shouldn’t have since it was good.

]]> By: Jacob https://automaton-media.com/en/news/kadokawa-cites-excessive-reliance-on-the-isekai-genre-as-one-of-the-major-causes-of-the-decline-in-profitability-in-its-domestic-publishing-business/#comment-8445 Tue, 19 May 2026 23:53:43 +0000 https://automaton-media.com/en/?p=66768#comment-8445 I think anime and manga could really use to get away from the cliche’s, tropes and horribly out of pocket forced emoting from characters. It served a purpose and had cultural implications when it started gaining popularity but has caused people to turn away and is why it fails to attract a broader audience. Just get rid of the cringe and it’ll be easy.

]]> By: Brandon Hager https://automaton-media.com/en/news/kadokawa-cites-excessive-reliance-on-the-isekai-genre-as-one-of-the-major-causes-of-the-decline-in-profitability-in-its-domestic-publishing-business/#comment-8442 Tue, 19 May 2026 21:09:20 +0000 https://automaton-media.com/en/?p=66768#comment-8442 This is sad to see and I really hope they can bounce back and not have to shut their doors. In my opinion, finish up Re:Zero(which I’ve dropped personally), Tanya and Overlord (for the love of all, do something with Overlord!) and then be done with this entire isekai genre as a whole! Nearly every series these past few years have been majority of isekai and they’re all trash.

]]> By: ORLOX https://automaton-media.com/en/news/kadokawa-cites-excessive-reliance-on-the-isekai-genre-as-one-of-the-major-causes-of-the-decline-in-profitability-in-its-domestic-publishing-business/#comment-8441 Tue, 19 May 2026 18:47:55 +0000 https://automaton-media.com/en/?p=66768#comment-8441 Really?? Excessive isekai? Nah, the amount of isekai per season isn’t 100 % yet, i think you guys are clear to keep pumping isekai slop for another decade.

]]> By: Yuni https://automaton-media.com/en/news/kadokawa-cites-excessive-reliance-on-the-isekai-genre-as-one-of-the-major-causes-of-the-decline-in-profitability-in-its-domestic-publishing-business/#comment-8439 Tue, 19 May 2026 15:46:23 +0000 https://automaton-media.com/en/?p=66768#comment-8439 It’s almost like when you grow a hate b*ner for piracy sites and chase away 90% of your non-domestic audience you lose profits when they stop buying merch…weird. You’d think us white folk would keep buying stuff from shows/manga we can’t see/read. Called this would happen last year, now they can figure out how to fix the damage they’ve done.

]]> By: Keegan Johnson https://automaton-media.com/en/news/kadokawa-cites-excessive-reliance-on-the-isekai-genre-as-one-of-the-major-causes-of-the-decline-in-profitability-in-its-domestic-publishing-business/#comment-8437 Tue, 19 May 2026 13:00:47 +0000 https://automaton-media.com/en/?p=66768#comment-8437 Make Highschool DxD Season 5!

]]> By: E https://automaton-media.com/en/news/kadokawa-cites-excessive-reliance-on-the-isekai-genre-as-one-of-the-major-causes-of-the-decline-in-profitability-in-its-domestic-publishing-business/#comment-8436 Tue, 19 May 2026 11:58:49 +0000 https://automaton-media.com/en/?p=66768#comment-8436 Perhaps if they would conclude their products instead leaving them with 1 season cliffhanger more people would be invested in new isekai series

]]> By: KineticMeow https://automaton-media.com/en/news/kadokawa-cites-excessive-reliance-on-the-isekai-genre-as-one-of-the-major-causes-of-the-decline-in-profitability-in-its-domestic-publishing-business/#comment-8434 Tue, 19 May 2026 03:46:01 +0000 https://automaton-media.com/en/?p=66768#comment-8434 Please do mystery, action, sci-fi shoujo and josei please!!!

]]> By: Cantona https://automaton-media.com/en/news/kadokawa-cites-excessive-reliance-on-the-isekai-genre-as-one-of-the-major-causes-of-the-decline-in-profitability-in-its-domestic-publishing-business/#comment-8432 Tue, 19 May 2026 02:17:21 +0000 https://automaton-media.com/en/?p=66768#comment-8432 Not sure this ll affect other country such as malaysia or not…

]]> By: Dodongo https://automaton-media.com/en/news/kadokawa-cites-excessive-reliance-on-the-isekai-genre-as-one-of-the-major-causes-of-the-decline-in-profitability-in-its-domestic-publishing-business/#comment-8431 Mon, 18 May 2026 22:11:48 +0000 https://automaton-media.com/en/?p=66768#comment-8431 And now the Anime industry has finally encountered the final boss: Japan’s Risk-Avoidance Culture!

Dun dun duuuuuuun!

]]> By: Durendal https://automaton-media.com/en/news/kadokawa-cites-excessive-reliance-on-the-isekai-genre-as-one-of-the-major-causes-of-the-decline-in-profitability-in-its-domestic-publishing-business/#comment-8430 Mon, 18 May 2026 21:51:18 +0000 https://automaton-media.com/en/?p=66768#comment-8430 Maybe taking down the biggest library of manga, manhua, and comic collection was a mistake? How many people discovered them through Bato?

]]> By: HM76 https://automaton-media.com/en/news/kadokawa-cites-excessive-reliance-on-the-isekai-genre-as-one-of-the-major-causes-of-the-decline-in-profitability-in-its-domestic-publishing-business/#comment-8429 Mon, 18 May 2026 18:41:30 +0000 https://automaton-media.com/en/?p=66768#comment-8429 ]]> So the question then is, it this a problem that can more easily be fixed because it’s more on Kadokawa’s end for having this bias, or is the problem a lot more tricky to navigate because the bias is on the authors’ end, meaning the opportunity to pick up things that aren’t in the saturated markets might be difficult to find. That being said, even in the latter case, there is still hope if the editors are willing and able to push the writer to changing the genre, as there are a number of isekai that could just as easily not be an isekai with a few alterations to the beginning, though most of them would then just be generic fantasy, so it doesn’t entirely remove the underlying problem 🤔

]]> By: James Hays https://automaton-media.com/en/news/kadokawa-cites-excessive-reliance-on-the-isekai-genre-as-one-of-the-major-causes-of-the-decline-in-profitability-in-its-domestic-publishing-business/#comment-8428 Mon, 18 May 2026 17:14:49 +0000 https://automaton-media.com/en/?p=66768#comment-8428 While some variety would be nice, it isn’t the isekai genre itself that is the issue. Its the 12 episodes of ‘isekai slop’ that they are making for each story. You can’t just pick up every cheap knockoff without a plot of its own and expect it to succeed. A detailed and exciting isekai with a real plot and characters deeper than a cardboard cutout would be just as profitable today as ever.

]]> By: GeeGuy https://automaton-media.com/en/news/kadokawa-cites-excessive-reliance-on-the-isekai-genre-as-one-of-the-major-causes-of-the-decline-in-profitability-in-its-domestic-publishing-business/#comment-8427 Mon, 18 May 2026 16:44:41 +0000 https://automaton-media.com/en/?p=66768#comment-8427 The genre isn’t terrible. The lack of originality in the genre is terrible. Everything is copied and pasted. The settings, the abilities, the characters. Swap em around, and nobody could tell the difference.

]]> By: Lee https://automaton-media.com/en/news/kadokawa-cites-excessive-reliance-on-the-isekai-genre-as-one-of-the-major-causes-of-the-decline-in-profitability-in-its-domestic-publishing-business/#comment-8426 Mon, 18 May 2026 16:00:17 +0000 https://automaton-media.com/en/?p=66768#comment-8426 So fiscal years 2026 to 2031…

Theres also the fact that they actually have to pay their employees now… its not burnout of isekai, its that japanese business models dont work in the 21st century… I dont buy their reasoning at all.

]]> By: LordyGordy https://automaton-media.com/en/news/kadokawa-cites-excessive-reliance-on-the-isekai-genre-as-one-of-the-major-causes-of-the-decline-in-profitability-in-its-domestic-publishing-business/#comment-8425 Mon, 18 May 2026 14:28:10 +0000 https://automaton-media.com/en/?p=66768#comment-8425 Good lord. Only took them a decade to realize it. The average anime and manga enjoyer is suffering for unique pieces of art. Frieren was a rare gem that should set a precedent for quality storytelling and thoughtful world building.

]]> By: Blu https://automaton-media.com/en/news/kadokawa-cites-excessive-reliance-on-the-isekai-genre-as-one-of-the-major-causes-of-the-decline-in-profitability-in-its-domestic-publishing-business/#comment-8424 Mon, 18 May 2026 12:26:43 +0000 https://automaton-media.com/en/?p=66768#comment-8424 One would think that quite obvious after cranking them out for years. A burnout will come of “fast food” visual novels chasing one another in random in premise or competing tropes.

I hope they turn to those of substance as even animators will get tired shonen and isekai. Not much else getting attention.

]]> By: Pmoney5 https://automaton-media.com/en/news/kadokawa-cites-excessive-reliance-on-the-isekai-genre-as-one-of-the-major-causes-of-the-decline-in-profitability-in-its-domestic-publishing-business/#comment-8422 Mon, 18 May 2026 11:02:53 +0000 https://automaton-media.com/en/?p=66768#comment-8422 The isekai genre isn’t the problem as generally the popular ones do well. It could be some of the decisions being made that has hurt them. Such as chasing the western audience and their flirting with censorship. This site just call Megami Tensei a hit and its an Isekai. They alsonhad some of the more popular series ending of close to it. One could argue that the take over attempt also hurt them as well given that groups reputation.

]]> By: Vernon https://automaton-media.com/en/news/kadokawa-cites-excessive-reliance-on-the-isekai-genre-as-one-of-the-major-causes-of-the-decline-in-profitability-in-its-domestic-publishing-business/#comment-8421 Mon, 18 May 2026 10:33:44 +0000 https://automaton-media.com/en/?p=66768#comment-8421 I am sorry to hear that. I actually enjoy the isekai genre. I wish there were new ones to check out right now but I’ve seen all of the good ones already. Every anime fan has a favorite genre after all

]]> By: Mg https://automaton-media.com/en/news/kadokawa-cites-excessive-reliance-on-the-isekai-genre-as-one-of-the-major-causes-of-the-decline-in-profitability-in-its-domestic-publishing-business/#comment-8420 Mon, 18 May 2026 10:02:22 +0000 https://automaton-media.com/en/?p=66768#comment-8420 No sheet.

]]>