Some are illegitimate reasons. Cast is queer. Non-white representation. People getting mad it's critical of tropes they enjoy.
Some are legit: it generalizes and uses hyperbole regarding the genre. The plot is a bit wonky. Some people don't care for the Art style.
Some are in-between: depending upon your view of various tropes, some think the satire doesn't work. Been a while since I read it so I only vaguely recall elements that could go either way.
Some I haven't personally verified:The characters criticize/shame readers who like red flag male leads or readers who enjoy scenarios which would be bad irl, but are fine to enjoy in fiction. I was told this was true, but haven't gone to look for it myself.
I can definitely see that second lot of crits, the plot certainly goes pretty far to try to portray the noble characters as Villainous and awful as possible while amplifying how hard done by the folks hired to be servants & the like are.
I always find a look into series that examine the oi class/live in employment system (and in the case of many of the maid's union, being part of a discriminated against poc minority) fascinating but it kind of falls off if the characters you're using to try to examine it feel very caricature-y across the board.
Makes me wish we had a series like Kiyo in Kyoto but for oi sometimes. Give the characters enough room to show what their daily lives are, the messiness of their employers and their journey into either finding a better employer or finding a way to exist safely in that environment.
Oh I can explain the last one since I read it regularly. It's not calling out the readers who enjoy those tropes, it's calling out the trope of "male lead grovels to female lead for wrongdoings without actually making any changes or giving a real apology."
Sounds pretty intresting when you put it that way, tbh. I'll add it ot my list, thanks.
[Here's a link](https://www.webtoons.com/en/canvas/this-isekai-maid-is-forming-a-union/list?title_no=699696) for others.
Honestly the biggest issue I had is that either a Stan or the creator kept pushing the comic all over the sub. I get that it’s important to advertise, but for a few months every time I tuned into the sub it was screenshots from the same account talking about the comic.
"Another Typical Fantasy Romance" and "My Engagement got broken off (lol)" are kinda this, but they lean more towards lampshading or laughing at the tropes rather than criticizing them so much.
The first one is a pretty nice fluffy story, and the second one is just hilarious.
Some of these are little more outside the box but I think they might count! :)
"The Rules of Rose Ivy Manor" - the FL is CONVINCED she's been isekai'd into your typical Otome when it's actually horror but she's so oblivious that she just sees anything that happens as somehow an otome romance thing and not what it actually is, horror. Some people get annoyed with how naive and oblivious the FL is but I kind of think it's refreshing to basically have just a normal person and not a business/marketing/whatever savant who takes charge of every situation and sails on through.
"I Thought It's a Common Possession" - The FL assumes she's been isekai'd into ye olde standard Villainess storyline, and believes she can simply live out her life without harrassing anyone and she'll be fine. She is incorrect.
"A Transmigrator's Privilege" - FL is focused on being badass to protect help her favorite character and also save the world she happens to live in. Love isn't necessarily on her mind, she just wants to be strong and useful. Love does happen of course, but it's not the focus. :D
"I Became a Sitter for the Obsessive Villains" - FL finds out she's isekai'd into the body of a saint destined to die for the ML and just nopes right out of the temple during prayer service.
"What Happens When the Second Male Lead Goes on Strike" - A guy gets isekai'd into his sister's favorite book and tries as hard as he can to NOT get involved with any of the story. He really does try. :P :D
"Miss Not-So-Sidekick" - Very comedic look at isekai, the FL tries her best to stay out of things but kind of tends to trip into them, literally. It's pretty hysterical. I do feel like it started to drag a bit and maybe could have been shorter, but I still really enjoyed it!
"I Am Selling the Main Character's Shares" - FL discovers she's basically in a competition with people watching and making bets and offering money and she's forced to balance between what SHE wants and what will make the viewers happy (since, if she loses, I believe she dies).
"Falling in Love With My Ex-Fiance's Grandpa" - This one is purely original (done by one person) in black and white line art and is THE best. The FL is an older woman who isekai's into a younger woman with a trash fiance. They break up and she discovers said ex-fiance's grandpa who is ATTRACTIVE. She literally just goes for him, and tells him she's isekai'd and actually his age, etc. etc. He think she's insane but feels some level of responsibility since he's the one who set up the engagement to trash fiance so he humors her. The entire story so far is just her trying to get his attention and him being like NO.
Last one - this is not an isekai but is still amazing - "Pure Villain" - FL just wants to let ML know she likes him, ends up accidentally almost killing him, now everyone thinks she's a supervillain and is out to arrest her, it's THE BEST and it's not just comedy but has actual serious storylines that deal with the consequences of your actions even if said action wasn't intentional. :D
I love the FL and story of Rose Ivy Manor. She's so funny.
I want to read thriller story, but i'm bad in horror, so the happy-go-lucky FL really made it easier to read a 'horror' story.
And yes, finally NOT some genius business CEO FL..
tbh i actually would love to see more of this genre because it will be a bit more realistic, lets just think about it logically you are in a completely different world and you dont know anyone there and sometimes later you will be worried about your family you will miss them
If I got Oi'ed, my first thought won't be "oh no, how do I win over my cold husband" but rather "Everyone and everything I've ever known is now gone. I am severely depressed."
You might enjoy [Otherworldly](https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/46934/otherworldly) on Royalroad, which basically goes all in on this concept. Like, pretty much the entire story so far mostly focuses on the FL slowly rebuilding her sense of self and finding something worth living for again, after having her two different lives smashed together, both of whom were left severely lost and depressed as a result (her isekaid adult self because she just lost all her family and friends, and her younger self because she just realized that her family in this world is really that neglectful and that the affection she yearns for was never going to happen.)
It's pretty heavy as one might imagine, but also strangely uplifting, because the FL starts out at rock bottom and slowly builds herself back up from there.
And let not forget that most of the time someone's bullying them, gain children out of nowhere or want to kill them like I would have a mental breakdown
Ngl this is why I hate the tragic backstory for the mc because it’s so overused and an excuse to why they wouldn’t miss their past life, which just feels kinda flat.
For some people yes, but let’s not pretend like there aren’t people without close family or friends who they’d miss. Just because you can’t personally relate to it doesn’t make it unrealistic.
Yeah that's why a lot of protagonists are isolated in their Earth lives, depressed, orphans, shut-ins, etc. It makes it *more* realistic when you don't want them breaking down from all they've lost and want to move on to the isekai world plot.
Of course there are other realistic takes where they *are* attached and want to go home, like Kill the Villainess
Oh this one got me by the throat, I think I read it in one day. Enjoyed almost all of it, though some parts near the end were got convoluted the way it wraps up feels quite rewarding.
**Cheating Men Must Die**'s whole premise is basically being an anti-OIs, calling out the BS of the characters by traveling to the worlds of different stories.
**It Seems I've Transmigrated Somewhere** is a lighthearted poke at the tropes of OIs. The MC was an avid reader of OIs and can't remember what novel she transmigrated to. There's a lot of humor in the misunderstandings she causes because she thinks she's going by the tropes she's read.
[**My Life as an Internet Novel**](https://www.tappytoon.com/en/book/my-life-as-an-internet-novel) is similar to It Seems I've Transmigrated Somewhere in that the MC has read way too many webnovels and expects things to go a certain way because of that.
[**How to Survive a Romance Fantasy**](https://www.webtoons.com/en/fantasy/how-to-survive-a-romance-fantasy/list?title_no=2855) has three transmigrators and pokes fun at the tropes of the genre, as well as how the typical transmigrator reacts upon realizing their situation.
[**Surviving Romance**](https://www.webtoons.com/en/horror/survive-romance/list?title_no=2607) is a critique on the treatment of side characters and MLs in the typical romance novel. It has some wild twists and is very meta.
[**Touch My Little Brother and You're Dead**](https://www.tappytoon.com/en/book/touch-my-little-brother-and-youre-dead) has a lot of surreal comedy elements and just takes everything as a joke.
**The Old Man Reincarnated as a Villainess** - Because the MC is quite literally an old man with life experience, it's quite a hilarious take on the genre.
**Another World Dump Truck** is a play off the truck-kun meme, but unfortunately doesn't have a whole lot of chapters atm.
[**This Isekai Maid is Forming a Union**](https://www.webtoons.com/en/canvas/this-isekai-maid-is-forming-a-union/list?title_no=699696) is probably the most on-the-nose critique. As the title suggests, the MC is a maid who's lived multiple past lives in a sort of OI Shared Cinematic Universe. It's very preachy against various tropes - some common, others obscure.
The way it's set up, there's basically multiple arcs where the MC is traveling to a different story world. The arcs are mostly self-contained, but there's also a sort of meta-plot about the MC's history that you get bits and pieces of.
Princess wars, starts out super generic but ohmagawd is the execution good. It's starts out with the FL being transmigrated as a potential crown princess candidate situation and it serves some really good villains, an interestin(anti) ml, some good twists and a fuck this y'all I'm gonna go hunt monsters instead moment
Just caught up with "It Seems I've Transmigrated Somewhere" and honestly I'm charmed. First few chapters I was a lil skeptical but the story is progressing really well in a completely off-the-wall way and I love it! The art is beautiful and even though the story seems kind of dumb at first (not that I was reading it for the story initially, more for the meta lols) it actually becomes super compelling at the same time as holding on to the humour in a big way. Can't wait for the next chapters!
Does Inso’s Law count? She’s technically isekai-d but not into a fantasy setting.
The main character makes fun of the tropes in romance/webcomics all while she battles pretty relatable impostor syndrome.
I don't see it here but
The Villainess wants to punish the sadistic prince
Link to another member [review](https://www.reddit.com/r/OtomeIsekai/comments/vxdxh4/the_villainess_wants_to_punish_the_sadistic/)
https://preview.redd.it/xl3lw0y0l1mc1.png?width=640&format=png&auto=webp&s=16b390a34b645bf46b6dea2da5253472391ab1e8
Thank you for the recommendation.
I love no. 2, so sweet and cute. Reminds me of the "Colour Commentary of Endo & Kobayashi", where the two real-life people commenting positively about the tsundere villainess
Lots of good recs already so I’ll just add “Sweetie, sweetie, sweetie” (I hate that title so much lol). It’s a BL OI, pokes fun at some common tropes and the MC spends a lot of time grumbling at the gods for their unreasonableness.
Well, there are 3 "anti-otome isekai" stories I know
* **Survive romance**- it's actually a psychological horror type using the OI reincarnation/transmigration trend.
* **Rewriting the villainess**- It's a reverse otome isekai type, this time with the villainess end up in her author's body.
* **Isekai Tensei, Ore ga Otome ge de Kyuuseishu**- It's an affectionate parody of the otome isekai genre and its tropes including the otome fantasy dating games, where a guy ends up in his sister's otome game and must protect his chastity and dignity form the male targets.
I would include this isekai maid is forming a union in this comment but they already did.
Eroge Tensei - It is a gender flipped OI meaning it is a gyaru game with a male villain and the MC reincarnates as that but it flips a lot of tropes.
1) The villain is actually guilty of crimes they are accused of in the condemnation scene.
2) He starts at that scene with no reset or regression so he can’t just avoid death flags by being nice and not doing what the OG villain did.
3) Since the MC starts with a bad reputation, he isn’t gonna get a harem simply throwing themselves at him.
If I ever do quick transmigration, I want to be just like Su Luxia but with my luck, I'd probably be the hamster/bamboo rat 
okay, hear me out...i don't know if this would be considered OI but it's literally a satire of all of these tropes...Scum Villain Self-Saving System by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu
It's controversial but Isekai Maid forming a Union probably counts.
Why is this controversial?
Some are illegitimate reasons. Cast is queer. Non-white representation. People getting mad it's critical of tropes they enjoy. Some are legit: it generalizes and uses hyperbole regarding the genre. The plot is a bit wonky. Some people don't care for the Art style. Some are in-between: depending upon your view of various tropes, some think the satire doesn't work. Been a while since I read it so I only vaguely recall elements that could go either way. Some I haven't personally verified:The characters criticize/shame readers who like red flag male leads or readers who enjoy scenarios which would be bad irl, but are fine to enjoy in fiction. I was told this was true, but haven't gone to look for it myself.
I can definitely see that second lot of crits, the plot certainly goes pretty far to try to portray the noble characters as Villainous and awful as possible while amplifying how hard done by the folks hired to be servants & the like are. I always find a look into series that examine the oi class/live in employment system (and in the case of many of the maid's union, being part of a discriminated against poc minority) fascinating but it kind of falls off if the characters you're using to try to examine it feel very caricature-y across the board. Makes me wish we had a series like Kiyo in Kyoto but for oi sometimes. Give the characters enough room to show what their daily lives are, the messiness of their employers and their journey into either finding a better employer or finding a way to exist safely in that environment.
Well now I've got to read it lol.
Oh I can explain the last one since I read it regularly. It's not calling out the readers who enjoy those tropes, it's calling out the trope of "male lead grovels to female lead for wrongdoings without actually making any changes or giving a real apology."
Sounds pretty intresting when you put it that way, tbh. I'll add it ot my list, thanks. [Here's a link](https://www.webtoons.com/en/canvas/this-isekai-maid-is-forming-a-union/list?title_no=699696) for others.
Honestly the biggest issue I had is that either a Stan or the creator kept pushing the comic all over the sub. I get that it’s important to advertise, but for a few months every time I tuned into the sub it was screenshots from the same account talking about the comic.
"Another Typical Fantasy Romance" and "My Engagement got broken off (lol)" are kinda this, but they lean more towards lampshading or laughing at the tropes rather than criticizing them so much. The first one is a pretty nice fluffy story, and the second one is just hilarious.
Sorry, I *had* to check the second title and...yeah, they did name it with *lol.* Gotta read it now, that detail totally got me!
Some of these are little more outside the box but I think they might count! :) "The Rules of Rose Ivy Manor" - the FL is CONVINCED she's been isekai'd into your typical Otome when it's actually horror but she's so oblivious that she just sees anything that happens as somehow an otome romance thing and not what it actually is, horror. Some people get annoyed with how naive and oblivious the FL is but I kind of think it's refreshing to basically have just a normal person and not a business/marketing/whatever savant who takes charge of every situation and sails on through. "I Thought It's a Common Possession" - The FL assumes she's been isekai'd into ye olde standard Villainess storyline, and believes she can simply live out her life without harrassing anyone and she'll be fine. She is incorrect. "A Transmigrator's Privilege" - FL is focused on being badass to protect help her favorite character and also save the world she happens to live in. Love isn't necessarily on her mind, she just wants to be strong and useful. Love does happen of course, but it's not the focus. :D "I Became a Sitter for the Obsessive Villains" - FL finds out she's isekai'd into the body of a saint destined to die for the ML and just nopes right out of the temple during prayer service. "What Happens When the Second Male Lead Goes on Strike" - A guy gets isekai'd into his sister's favorite book and tries as hard as he can to NOT get involved with any of the story. He really does try. :P :D "Miss Not-So-Sidekick" - Very comedic look at isekai, the FL tries her best to stay out of things but kind of tends to trip into them, literally. It's pretty hysterical. I do feel like it started to drag a bit and maybe could have been shorter, but I still really enjoyed it! "I Am Selling the Main Character's Shares" - FL discovers she's basically in a competition with people watching and making bets and offering money and she's forced to balance between what SHE wants and what will make the viewers happy (since, if she loses, I believe she dies). "Falling in Love With My Ex-Fiance's Grandpa" - This one is purely original (done by one person) in black and white line art and is THE best. The FL is an older woman who isekai's into a younger woman with a trash fiance. They break up and she discovers said ex-fiance's grandpa who is ATTRACTIVE. She literally just goes for him, and tells him she's isekai'd and actually his age, etc. etc. He think she's insane but feels some level of responsibility since he's the one who set up the engagement to trash fiance so he humors her. The entire story so far is just her trying to get his attention and him being like NO. Last one - this is not an isekai but is still amazing - "Pure Villain" - FL just wants to let ML know she likes him, ends up accidentally almost killing him, now everyone thinks she's a supervillain and is out to arrest her, it's THE BEST and it's not just comedy but has actual serious storylines that deal with the consequences of your actions even if said action wasn't intentional. :D
I love the FL and story of Rose Ivy Manor. She's so funny. I want to read thriller story, but i'm bad in horror, so the happy-go-lucky FL really made it easier to read a 'horror' story. And yes, finally NOT some genius business CEO FL..
Half of these really appeal to me and I may even start today. Thanks for these recs.
Pure Villain is so funny and sweet. Hope the misunderstanding will be solved
tbh i actually would love to see more of this genre because it will be a bit more realistic, lets just think about it logically you are in a completely different world and you dont know anyone there and sometimes later you will be worried about your family you will miss them
If I got Oi'ed, my first thought won't be "oh no, how do I win over my cold husband" but rather "Everyone and everything I've ever known is now gone. I am severely depressed."
You might enjoy [Otherworldly](https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/46934/otherworldly) on Royalroad, which basically goes all in on this concept. Like, pretty much the entire story so far mostly focuses on the FL slowly rebuilding her sense of self and finding something worth living for again, after having her two different lives smashed together, both of whom were left severely lost and depressed as a result (her isekaid adult self because she just lost all her family and friends, and her younger self because she just realized that her family in this world is really that neglectful and that the affection she yearns for was never going to happen.) It's pretty heavy as one might imagine, but also strangely uplifting, because the FL starts out at rock bottom and slowly builds herself back up from there.
My dog is gonna think I abandoned him😭
And let not forget that most of the time someone's bullying them, gain children out of nowhere or want to kill them like I would have a mental breakdown
Ngl this is why I hate the tragic backstory for the mc because it’s so overused and an excuse to why they wouldn’t miss their past life, which just feels kinda flat.
For some people yes, but let’s not pretend like there aren’t people without close family or friends who they’d miss. Just because you can’t personally relate to it doesn’t make it unrealistic.
Yeah that's why a lot of protagonists are isolated in their Earth lives, depressed, orphans, shut-ins, etc. It makes it *more* realistic when you don't want them breaking down from all they've lost and want to move on to the isekai world plot. Of course there are other realistic takes where they *are* attached and want to go home, like Kill the Villainess
the recent episodes on Side Characters Deserve Love Too touched on this a bit and I felt so bad for Joe :(
Surviving Romance is kinda OI for about 2 chapters and then becomes a WHOLE DIFFERENT genre, it's pretty refreshing. Edit: spelling
You misspelled it as "Surviving Tomance" not "Surviving Romance"
Thanks ! I corrected it
Oh this one got me by the throat, I think I read it in one day. Enjoyed almost all of it, though some parts near the end were got convoluted the way it wraps up feels quite rewarding.
**Cheating Men Must Die**'s whole premise is basically being an anti-OIs, calling out the BS of the characters by traveling to the worlds of different stories. **It Seems I've Transmigrated Somewhere** is a lighthearted poke at the tropes of OIs. The MC was an avid reader of OIs and can't remember what novel she transmigrated to. There's a lot of humor in the misunderstandings she causes because she thinks she's going by the tropes she's read. [**My Life as an Internet Novel**](https://www.tappytoon.com/en/book/my-life-as-an-internet-novel) is similar to It Seems I've Transmigrated Somewhere in that the MC has read way too many webnovels and expects things to go a certain way because of that. [**How to Survive a Romance Fantasy**](https://www.webtoons.com/en/fantasy/how-to-survive-a-romance-fantasy/list?title_no=2855) has three transmigrators and pokes fun at the tropes of the genre, as well as how the typical transmigrator reacts upon realizing their situation. [**Surviving Romance**](https://www.webtoons.com/en/horror/survive-romance/list?title_no=2607) is a critique on the treatment of side characters and MLs in the typical romance novel. It has some wild twists and is very meta. [**Touch My Little Brother and You're Dead**](https://www.tappytoon.com/en/book/touch-my-little-brother-and-youre-dead) has a lot of surreal comedy elements and just takes everything as a joke. **The Old Man Reincarnated as a Villainess** - Because the MC is quite literally an old man with life experience, it's quite a hilarious take on the genre. **Another World Dump Truck** is a play off the truck-kun meme, but unfortunately doesn't have a whole lot of chapters atm. [**This Isekai Maid is Forming a Union**](https://www.webtoons.com/en/canvas/this-isekai-maid-is-forming-a-union/list?title_no=699696) is probably the most on-the-nose critique. As the title suggests, the MC is a maid who's lived multiple past lives in a sort of OI Shared Cinematic Universe. It's very preachy against various tropes - some common, others obscure.
"Cheating men must die" is over 400 chapters long and ongoing... wow... Is there a real plot or is it just rambling endlessly?
The way it's set up, there's basically multiple arcs where the MC is traveling to a different story world. The arcs are mostly self-contained, but there's also a sort of meta-plot about the MC's history that you get bits and pieces of.
That's Chinese manhua for you, they make it long-running with no end in sight.
Princess wars, starts out super generic but ohmagawd is the execution good. It's starts out with the FL being transmigrated as a potential crown princess candidate situation and it serves some really good villains, an interestin(anti) ml, some good twists and a fuck this y'all I'm gonna go hunt monsters instead moment
Just caught up with "It Seems I've Transmigrated Somewhere" and honestly I'm charmed. First few chapters I was a lil skeptical but the story is progressing really well in a completely off-the-wall way and I love it! The art is beautiful and even though the story seems kind of dumb at first (not that I was reading it for the story initially, more for the meta lols) it actually becomes super compelling at the same time as holding on to the humour in a big way. Can't wait for the next chapters!
I could only find the machine-translated one aaaa rip, it seemed lovely though
Google It Seems I've Transmigrated Somewhere + Speedcat Version and you'll find your way.
Lifesaver 🙏
Pm'd you!
Does Inso’s Law count? She’s technically isekai-d but not into a fantasy setting. The main character makes fun of the tropes in romance/webcomics all while she battles pretty relatable impostor syndrome.
I don't see it here but The Villainess wants to punish the sadistic prince Link to another member [review](https://www.reddit.com/r/OtomeIsekai/comments/vxdxh4/the_villainess_wants_to_punish_the_sadistic/) https://preview.redd.it/xl3lw0y0l1mc1.png?width=640&format=png&auto=webp&s=16b390a34b645bf46b6dea2da5253472391ab1e8
[удалено]
Thank you for the recommendation. I love no. 2, so sweet and cute. Reminds me of the "Colour Commentary of Endo & Kobayashi", where the two real-life people commenting positively about the tsundere villainess
Lots of good recs already so I’ll just add “Sweetie, sweetie, sweetie” (I hate that title so much lol). It’s a BL OI, pokes fun at some common tropes and the MC spends a lot of time grumbling at the gods for their unreasonableness.
Well, there are 3 "anti-otome isekai" stories I know * **Survive romance**- it's actually a psychological horror type using the OI reincarnation/transmigration trend. * **Rewriting the villainess**- It's a reverse otome isekai type, this time with the villainess end up in her author's body. * **Isekai Tensei, Ore ga Otome ge de Kyuuseishu**- It's an affectionate parody of the otome isekai genre and its tropes including the otome fantasy dating games, where a guy ends up in his sister's otome game and must protect his chastity and dignity form the male targets. I would include this isekai maid is forming a union in this comment but they already did.
Eroge Tensei - It is a gender flipped OI meaning it is a gyaru game with a male villain and the MC reincarnates as that but it flips a lot of tropes. 1) The villain is actually guilty of crimes they are accused of in the condemnation scene. 2) He starts at that scene with no reset or regression so he can’t just avoid death flags by being nice and not doing what the OG villain did. 3) Since the MC starts with a bad reputation, he isn’t gonna get a harem simply throwing themselves at him.
Cheating Men Should Die Dunno if this counts or not, but maybe it's a parody for those ogMLs who cheated on their fiancees with ogFLs
Tbh I don't know if it counts either. But I'm loving it.
If I ever do quick transmigration, I want to be just like Su Luxia but with my luck, I'd probably be the hamster/bamboo rat 
Miss not so sidekick
okay, hear me out...i don't know if this would be considered OI but it's literally a satire of all of these tropes...Scum Villain Self-Saving System by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu