Anime/manga (Japanese animation and comics) have been increasing in popularity worldwide for decades. But despite being a global phenomenon, there’s been surprisingly little psychological research formally studying its devoted fanbase. In this book we aim to do just that with an overview of nearly a decade of research by fan psychologists. Otaku and cosplayers, genre preferences, hentai, parasocial connections, motivation, personality, fanship and fandom, stigma, and well-being – this book looks at all of these topics through a psychological lens. Many of these findings are being presented for the first time, without the jargon and messy statistical analyses, but in plain language so it’s accessible to all readers – fans and curious observers alike!

“Hey! I’m an evil god, but I’m not actually evil!” Those were the first words I heard in the afterlife. My name’s Naofumi Kamiya, and my entire class died in a tragic bus accident. The god told my classmates that he would transport all of us to a dangerous new world, but he created skills for us on request, so maybe he was actually a good god? That’s what I thought at first, anyway. But when it sounds too good to be true, it probably is! I feel bad for my classmates who thought that gimmicky skills would make them invincible. I mean, the god did warn them that there were no cheat skills! Oh well. As for myself, I’m enjoying my life with my childhood friends, putting safety first and staying out of trouble. After all, this world might seem like a game, but it’s not. It’s reality.

Rob was an ordinary college sophomore when a pitch-back portal opened up on campus and tried to kidnap his best friend. An act of heroism resulted in him being taken instead, and he was rewarded for his efforts by being transported to another world with nothing but a sword and the clothes on his back. On the first day, he almost died. On the second day, he almost died. On the third, he began to notice a worrying trend. And almost died Whether he encounters wolves, cliffs, dungeons, monsters, or diseases, every day is a struggle to survive. The one advantage he has is his newfound ability to gain Levels and Stats, making himself stronger in order to survive the hostile lands that he was unceremoniously dumped into. He'll have to gain knowledge of the innerworkings of the world and its magic - progressing both his strength and his knowledge - in order to stay alive long enough to get revenge on whoever kidnapped him away from everything he knew and loved. Overcoming the wilds is just the first step in his journey; the locals aren't fond of humans, and discovering the dark past behind this new world's history of war and strife changes everything. As far as isekai adventures go, Rob drew the short straw in many ways, but it'll take more than danger at every corner to keep him down. He'll carve out a place in this world with his bare hands if necessary. He'll survive, and then he'll thrive. Whether anyone wants him to or not. -- An Outcast On Another World puts a great focus on story and characterization, making it perfect for fans of traditional fantasy stories, while still including plenty of skills, stats, classes, and progression for LitRPG-lovers to enjoy. The LitRPG elements are incorporated into the main story to construct a cohesive world that's easy to immerse yourself in. Rob's progression is weak to strong, and victories aren't handed to him on a silver platter. No matter how powerful he gets, mid-combat ingenuity is essential to achieving victory. An Outcast In Another World has dark elements to its narrative, but I've included appropriate humor as a balance, and many readers have told me that some parts made them burst out laughing while other parts tugged at their heartstrings. I truly believe that I've constructed a memorable fantasy RPG story that all types can love, and that you'll enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

An isekai tale about a man reborn into a new world to live out a sexy fantasy! When thirty-year-old office drone Satou Tarou dies in an accident, a god intervenes and transports him to another world. After being granted two cheat powers—maxed-out healing and potion-making magic—Satou Tarou changes his name to Tauro, and begins his new life in this fantastical parallel world. Adventure? World Domination? No, no, he’s not going to do anything dangerous like that. Not when there are brothels to visit!

In this charming tale, a woman gets transported to a fantasy world and pursues her own quest: opening a book cafe! Tsukina is a single, thirty-something office worker whose favorite thing is curling up with a good book. When a god tells her that she must go to another world to become its magical savior, Tsukina isn’t interested. She has zero desire to go on some grand hero’s journey. So when she arrives in this strange new land, she decides to use her magical powers to create a cozy little book café instead. Her first customer is a handsome soldier who loves reading almost as much as she does. But when a fellow “savior” starts causing trouble, Tsukina might have to play the hero after all!

Traveling to another world, either by accident, magic summoning, death, cruel twist of fate, on a research assignment, or just on vacation, means dealing with a whole lot of change all at once. In this compilation, the authors of the SAKKA KEIHAN writing circle explore the ins and outs of what to expect when you’ve been transported to another plane of existence. Six different short stories cover the authors’ ruminations on how to get by in these other worlds, whether you’re headed over voluntarily or finding yourself just trying to survive. You’ll probably want to bring a towel; things are going to get slimy. Don’t think it’ll save you from a fireball, however.