Studio Bones President Explains Why the Studio Doesn't Pursue Isekai Series
Studio BONES has become a major player in the anime game. With the studio hosting a panel at this year's Crunchyroll Expo, the president of the studio took the opportunity to discuss the genre of Isekai and why the animation house hadn't dove further into this style of storytelling with its past works. With Isekai continuing to grow by leaps and bounds within anime, series revolving around a protagonist from another world are a hot ticket item.
In chatting with Anime News Network at this year's Crunchyroll Expo, President Masahiko Minami talked about series they have done in the past that skirt the line of Isekai, while also diving into his own background within the medium of anime:
"I'm not really sure what exactly counts as Isekai, what the boundaries of the genre are. For example, we've worked on titles like Scrapped Princess, which blurs the line between fantasy and isekai, and Snow White with the Red Hair, a fantasy, so I'm not really sure if these count. But when I used to work at Sunrise, I worked on Escaflowne, so in my mind, titles like those—where a girl who goes on an adventure in a new world—are the pioneers of the isekai genre. Also, Yoshiyuki Tomino directed Aura Battler Dunbine, which hardly anyone knows about these days."
Minami then mentioned that Bones is not specifically avoiding the genre, but rather, finds itself competing with other studios who have become more familiar with Isekai over time:
"It's not that we don't take on isekai titles on purpose, it's just that the other animation studios do more isekai work so those tend to not really come to us. I would like to give it a shot sometime."
While Bones doesn't have an Isekai arriving this fall, the studio has a lot on its plate as the sixth season of My Hero Academia will arrive this October, as well as the third season of Mob Psycho 100.
Is there an Isekai series that you would love to see Bones tackle in the future? What has been your favorite project from the animation house to date? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of Isekai.