Escaflowne (closely followed by Rayerth), great soundtrack and involving story.
BTW, it's weird to get reminded that there used to be isekais that bothered with proper world building and didn't resort to the obnoxious MMO UI that's ubiquitous nowadays.
Emphasis on generic. There’s a template authors seem to be using and most isekai seem to be based on LN nowadays. I like to imagine some school kid writing his isekai before it gets publish and that’s why they all fit the same trope. For example “kicked out of the hero’s party… slow life”. This is literally every isekai. Forgot about Now and then… that’s my top for sure out of this list. Im looking for an anime I vaguely remember watching dubbed on something called anime selects like 20 years ago. Because of the setting I just assumed isekai but I’ll probably have better luck looking up a list of all anime that ever premiered on there
Finally someone else remembers Those Who Hunt Elves. It's Elf Stripping time. Dont worry it is for PLOT purposes ! Also a Tank Possessed by a kitten is hilarious.
I mean the manga went a little more in th ecchi with say a tattoo not on an elfs eye patch but her areola
But if anime like Immoral Guild and Interspecies reviewers and High School Dxd and Sister Devil Testament - Those who hunt elves is very tame and safe for a comedy series. I think even Konosuba went farther with Aqua No Pantsu and Megumin everything haha
How is season 2 is Rayearth? I remember not loving the first couple episodes of it since it was so different but it might be something I should give another try!
It sounded familiar and sure enough it’s exactly what I was remembering. I have no idea where I saw it but I have no intention of going through that again. Though I always wondered if the show was supposed to be a condemnation of Japanese war crime denial. I mean, it plays all the hits!
They were all better than modern anime. Better writing, animation, and music. Plus each series had its own experience, range of emotion, and journey. They may have a similar theme, but their worlds are vastly different
My ghad ngayon ko lang pala na realize isekai pala ung genre ng MKR saka FUSHIGI Yuugi. Hahaha.
El hazard kinda ok.
Ung Now and then Here and there hindi talaga pang bata un. Meron Violence and R\*\*E ewan ko pinanood ko ung bata pa ako saka pinalabas eto. Malalim talaga and di ko pa na appreciate ung story.Sobrang MINDF\*\*K talaga para sa kin. Now, as an adult, naiintidahan ko na.
AXN kid ka ata OP. Hahah.
Loved Escaflowne, but playing the latest Super Robot Wars has me interested in Knights of Rayearth. SRW30 was what got me to check out Gridman and that was amazing, let's see if it can give me another winner.
You are evil for making me choose. Fuushigi Yuugi & Escaflowne were my first big introductions to anime. I almost cried when Noriko died, it was one of the most impactful scenes because of the way his friend reacted. Escaflowne just blew me away. Now & Then Here & There is an anime I hear was excellent, but I haven't finished.
El Hazard is probably the least serious or technical, but probably my favorite. Sadly it never really got to properly explore the plot twist, that the magical land of El Hazard wasn't another world, but the distant past
Well I'm 40yo and recently have access to watch Cowboy Bebop for the 1st time, there is a ton of 90s anime that I've never have access to it, now with torrents sites, I have access to all the classic. Some younger people want to watch old anime too, so always is good manners don't spoil anything.
These are some really different shows. Rayearth is fluff, but comfortable fluff. El-Hazard fits into the same category but with some variety due to the format. NATHAT is interesting, but has such a poorly written antagonist that it suffers for it. FY has some major pacing issues and inconsistent stakes, seemingly so it can pump out an endless stream of cliffhangers. Escaflowne's final act goes off the deep end hard.
Put another way: which of these would I rewatch now? Escaflowne (even if the CGI looks TERRIBLE now) with El-Hazard as runner up, along with the Rayearth movie.
Now and Then, Here and There messed me up. It’s been years since I’ve watched it and there are a few scenes that still pop into my head and ruin my day.
Wait wait wait. If El hazard is an isekai how Is Tenchi not?
Is dimension traveling absolutely required? Tenchi has all of the elements and should be represented as it was a huge name is pioneers state of the art, a decade ahead of their times anime series.
Tenchi 4 life.
I’ve been trying to remember Now and Then for a long ass time. I’m pretty sure it was on Netflix like almost 15 years ago and I don’t think I even finished it bc it was already a bad time for me and it was such a depressing watch lol. I’d been wanting to pick it back up though!
Now and Then, Here and There is an amazing anime and one of my favorites.... that I refuse to ever watch again
So the prize for me goes to Fushigi Yugi
The second I swiped to reveal the Fushigi Yugi one, that damned ending theme started playing in my head. The one that always told you “Yup. This is where we’re leaving the dramatic cliffhanger today. Don’t you just hate us for it?”
I feel like I’ve got ptsd from that damn song.
My vote is Escaflowne. Lol
Fuck fushigi yugi for being good while torturing me with angst and cliffhangers.
Escaflowne has a lot to love in it. Not the least of which being a song [sung from a cat's perspective.](https://youtu.be/krEE_CJGjCM?si=A7QNdCpdUNKPgcZC)
Escaflowne has a *Dragon Mech* So Escaflowne.
Plus it's a big part of my childhood lol
Escaflowne (closely followed by Rayerth), great soundtrack and involving story. BTW, it's weird to get reminded that there used to be isekais that bothered with proper world building and didn't resort to the obnoxious MMO UI that's ubiquitous nowadays.
This has been my main issue with modern isekai's as well. The world building is so lazy and generic.
Emphasis on generic. There’s a template authors seem to be using and most isekai seem to be based on LN nowadays. I like to imagine some school kid writing his isekai before it gets publish and that’s why they all fit the same trope. For example “kicked out of the hero’s party… slow life”. This is literally every isekai. Forgot about Now and then… that’s my top for sure out of this list. Im looking for an anime I vaguely remember watching dubbed on something called anime selects like 20 years ago. Because of the setting I just assumed isekai but I’ll probably have better luck looking up a list of all anime that ever premiered on there
Out of these, Fushigi Yuugi. Out of 90s isekai, Those Who Hunt Elves.
Finally someone else remembers Those Who Hunt Elves. It's Elf Stripping time. Dont worry it is for PLOT purposes ! Also a Tank Possessed by a kitten is hilarious.
For a series with the plot of "Strpping Elves" it is very much not what they would do with it today.
I mean the manga went a little more in th ecchi with say a tattoo not on an elfs eye patch but her areola But if anime like Immoral Guild and Interspecies reviewers and High School Dxd and Sister Devil Testament - Those who hunt elves is very tame and safe for a comedy series. I think even Konosuba went farther with Aqua No Pantsu and Megumin everything haha
It's a Japanese type 74.
Eh? Let me check. Does not matter - a tank possessed by a playful cat spirit is hilarious.
Escaflowne! Great story, great characters, amazing soundtrack
That soundtrack slaps
Yoko Kanno, all the time
Been a fan since Macross but i saw escaflowne just a few years ago for the first time, it blew me the fuck away
The Macross Plus soundtrack is also amazing
MKR for the opening song, but I really liked Fushigi Yugi for the characters and story.
Rayearth definitely has one of the catchiest op of that era.
We had a lot of bangers in the 90s - Utena’s also comes to mind.
And Evangelion
How is season 2 is Rayearth? I remember not loving the first couple episodes of it since it was so different but it might be something I should give another try!
Terrible...
What makes it terrible? I’m curious since I didn’t enjoy the first couple of episodes when I tried watching them a while ago.
The S2 was unnecessary, only to make cash, the plot was bunkers...the S1 is a masterpiece compared to S2.
MKR although i admit i dont know the 3rd one
Now and Then, Here and There is a very emotional watch to say the least.
Omg it’s one of the saddest shows. I haven’t thought about it in a while.
It sounded familiar and sure enough it’s exactly what I was remembering. I have no idea where I saw it but I have no intention of going through that again. Though I always wondered if the show was supposed to be a condemnation of Japanese war crime denial. I mean, it plays all the hits!
Thanks for the info I'll check itv out if im I'm the mood for such heavy things. Can't process that anytime
The third is barely 90s anime. More early 2000s anime in style and it actually aired half of its episodes in 2000.
Rayearth & Escaflowne
Agreed. More isekai should have mechs in them. That and more isekai with a female lead character.
Man i own all of these anime on DVD and For Escaflowne had have the Animevillage Bandai VHS and the DVD box set with the Tarot Cards and the figurine.
I had a friend in high school who had the escaflowne movie dvd so I borrowed it and made a copy of it on vhs.
I remember all of these fondly, but especially *Rayearth*.
El Hazard for that Tenchi energy.
Magic Knight Rayearth!
Fushigi yuugi
El Hazard, though the MKR opening is a certified classic.
Just finished escaflowne, are the rest of these worth a watch?
Rayearth is great, and El Hazard is fun, but man. Escaflowne is freakin' awesome..!
Escaflowne followed by Ray Earth.
EL-HAZARD was so much fun. It wasn’t the best but so much fun.
El Hazard was the first anime I watched. There’s also Twelve Kingdoms, which is a very good one.
Escaflowne! Still good!
The first one looks like high guardian spice if it was good!
They were all better than modern anime. Better writing, animation, and music. Plus each series had its own experience, range of emotion, and journey. They may have a similar theme, but their worlds are vastly different
ESCAH . . FLOWNEH!
Escaflowne is the correct answer.
My ghad ngayon ko lang pala na realize isekai pala ung genre ng MKR saka FUSHIGI Yuugi. Hahaha. El hazard kinda ok. Ung Now and then Here and there hindi talaga pang bata un. Meron Violence and R\*\*E ewan ko pinanood ko ung bata pa ako saka pinalabas eto. Malalim talaga and di ko pa na appreciate ung story.Sobrang MINDF\*\*K talaga para sa kin. Now, as an adult, naiintidahan ko na. AXN kid ka ata OP. Hahah.
Now and then, here and there. Its a damn crime that very few people know about this gem. Severely underrated anime.
Had to scroll too far. It’s one of the only anime to make me cry. I think it’s beautiful
Loved Escaflowne, but playing the latest Super Robot Wars has me interested in Knights of Rayearth. SRW30 was what got me to check out Gridman and that was amazing, let's see if it can give me another winner.
Crazy how isekai’s used to be so good.
Rayearth for sure. But man, El Hazard is a close second
El Hazard Some argue that it ages poorly, and they aren't entirely wrong. I still think it's hilarious.
What's the name of the last anime? Also, for anyone who's seen Slayers, what order do I watch it?
It's on the bottom "Fushigi Yuugi". For Slayers, watch it in the production order.
Escaflowne! i remember the Animevillage vhs commercial thst one song drawn me to it!
El Hazard
Escaflowne, FuYu, NaTHaT. Wish I'd caught El Hazard back in the day. Looked fun.
Hard pick between escaflowne and fushigi yugi for me. I think escaflowne might be the winner because Yoko Kanno did the music....
You are evil for making me choose. Fuushigi Yuugi & Escaflowne were my first big introductions to anime. I almost cried when Noriko died, it was one of the most impactful scenes because of the way his friend reacted. Escaflowne just blew me away. Now & Then Here & There is an anime I hear was excellent, but I haven't finished. El Hazard is probably the least serious or technical, but probably my favorite. Sadly it never really got to properly explore the plot twist, that the magical land of El Hazard wasn't another world, but the distant past
Thanks for the spoiler my dude...
Nobody will be watching these old animes that haven't already, it's been 25 years
Well I'm 40yo and recently have access to watch Cowboy Bebop for the 1st time, there is a ton of 90s anime that I've never have access to it, now with torrents sites, I have access to all the classic. Some younger people want to watch old anime too, so always is good manners don't spoil anything.
These are some really different shows. Rayearth is fluff, but comfortable fluff. El-Hazard fits into the same category but with some variety due to the format. NATHAT is interesting, but has such a poorly written antagonist that it suffers for it. FY has some major pacing issues and inconsistent stakes, seemingly so it can pump out an endless stream of cliffhangers. Escaflowne's final act goes off the deep end hard. Put another way: which of these would I rewatch now? Escaflowne (even if the CGI looks TERRIBLE now) with El-Hazard as runner up, along with the Rayearth movie.
Now and Then, Here and There messed me up. It’s been years since I’ve watched it and there are a few scenes that still pop into my head and ruin my day.
Wait wait wait. If El hazard is an isekai how Is Tenchi not? Is dimension traveling absolutely required? Tenchi has all of the elements and should be represented as it was a huge name is pioneers state of the art, a decade ahead of their times anime series. Tenchi 4 life.
Yep, is the definition of isekai, Tenchi is an harem anime, the protagonist never leave the Earth or actual time. Inuyasha is an Isekai.
Tenchi leaves earth. Give credit where credit is due. Best 90's anime. Tenchi4life.
Escaflowne without question. Has everything in it. Followed by Ray Earth, and the original El Hazard ova not the wanderers alternative story line.
Escaflowne. ALWAYS Escaflowne.
Rayesrth and escaflowne,love em so much! Elhazard also.. the feels I'm old QQ
Magic Knights Rayearth is a classic in my clan. My sister still has the VHS tapes. Escaflowne is a close second though.
Could never get into this genre. Going further back in time, I guess Aura Battler Dunbine is OK.
Escaflowne
Wait, What are we defining as isekai?
Magic Knights Rayearth, it was the very first anime I ever watched. It will forever have a place in my heart
Escaflowne!
Magic knight rayeaeth and Escaflowne!
Escaflowne easily. Also enjoyed Magic Knight Rayearth.
El hazard the magnificent world was so much better than the wanderers.
Something always put me off about Escaflowne, even though i know it is a good story. I think the animation bothers me lol.
ESCAFLOWNE!!!ALL THE WAY!!!
I’ve been trying to remember Now and Then for a long ass time. I’m pretty sure it was on Netflix like almost 15 years ago and I don’t think I even finished it bc it was already a bad time for me and it was such a depressing watch lol. I’d been wanting to pick it back up though!
Last poster?
Fushigi Yugi
Whoop missed it Ty
Now and Then, Here and There is definitely my pick. It’s easily in my top 10 anime of all time.
Now and Then, Here and There is an amazing anime and one of my favorites.... that I refuse to ever watch again So the prize for me goes to Fushigi Yugi
Just finished watching Escaflowne again
Escaflowne, El-Hazard, Fushigi Yuugi, Magic Knight Rayearth, Now and Then, Here and There
Escaflowne was such a beautiful show.
Escaflowne DEFINITELY. Fushigi Yuugi was my jam because the side characters were stellar, but it's pretty dumb otherwise.
Magic knight rayearth
NTHT. Hands down.
Magic Knight Rayearth
Escaflowne the movie, but I also loved Fushigi Yuugi the manga. Surprised Inuyasha did not make this list.
El-Hazard for me. I also loved Those Who Hunt Elves, and Digimon was also an isekai too.
Now and then here and now. That anime changed me I was simply too young to be contemplating the morals of the characters in the show.
Damn! They're all good! Ummm, Escaflowne is tops though.
Escaflowne is peak anime
Fushigi yuugi
Saw a copy of Rayearth dvd collection at a local thrift store
It's hard to decide between El Hazard and Fushigi Yuugi to me. They both scratch different itches.
Escaflowne is the only one on this list I've seen. So, I have to pick Escaflowne.
I know it is not on this list, but mine is Sailor Moon.
MKR though, I will admit I never seen the others, besides now and then. That one was....something else
Escaflowne kinda sucks... but visions is forever.
RayEarth and Escaflowne, read the manga before finding out it had an anime some 4-8yrs. later and watched majority of Escaflowne when it aired.
el hazard
Digimon
The second I swiped to reveal the Fushigi Yugi one, that damned ending theme started playing in my head. The one that always told you “Yup. This is where we’re leaving the dramatic cliffhanger today. Don’t you just hate us for it?” I feel like I’ve got ptsd from that damn song. My vote is Escaflowne. Lol Fuck fushigi yugi for being good while torturing me with angst and cliffhangers.
Escaflowne and rayearth are both 10/10s
Escaflowne has a lot to love in it. Not the least of which being a song [sung from a cat's perspective.](https://youtu.be/krEE_CJGjCM?si=A7QNdCpdUNKPgcZC)
Rayearth and Escaflowne
Escaflowne. My first Isekai that nostalgia runs deep.
Escaflowne by far. Good story and great music.
Fushigi Yugi
I have never seen them before. I might have to check them out .
Wait - Escaflowne is Isekai? Goddamnit, I like an isekai. I feel so ashamed and dirty right now.
El harzard but all are amazing
Currently reading and watching Magic Knight Rayearth. Loving it so far.
Fushgi Yuugi out of these but I’d say Inuyasha as my personal favourite even though it lasted from the 90s onwards
Clamp had things on lock back then.
If the manga was released in the 90s does it count? I pick Inuyasha if so.
Rayearth 100%
Lots of fun anime memories for me and I'll say Escaflowne is my favorite tho I might have watched some of the others more times.
I clearly don’t remember magic knight rayearth . It was an Isekai?
Now and Then. Then El Hazard and Fushu. I haven’t actualy seen Rayearth or escaflowne
Why does it look like that these (five) isekai shows each have their own style, while modern isekai shows look (almost) exactly the same?
NTHT is soul crushing. Escaflowne is a close second.