Summary
As a subgenre characterized by anunprecedented level of oversaturation, titles of the isekai genre can very easily be lost to time. Each year, brand-new variations, attempted subversions and aspiring pioneers within isekai present the concept, and with so many new isekai being released, unique plotlines and explorations of isekai tropes are particularly hard to come by, especially ones that are well-executed.
Outbreak Companyis a 2013 isekai title that presents such a unique perspective on the isekai subgenre, but unfortunately did not garner the popularity that it deserved. What isOutbreak Company, and why is it such an underrated isekai anime?
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Plot and Background
Outbreak Companyfollows Shinichi Kanou, a shut-in otaku who has an extensive knowledge of all things anime, manga, and video games. He decides to pull himself out of his lifestyle by applying for a job, but the listing was a front. Shinichi is kidnapped and brought to the Eldant Empire, an alternatefantasy world of elves and dragons. His role is to spread otaku culture across the Eldant Empire as an “Otaku Missionary” with the full support of the Japanese government and the half-elf maid Myucel, and Princess Petrarca. While the partnership between Eldant and the Japanese government is maintained by the royals, it isn’t the case that the project has gained the support of the entire kingdom. TheOutbreak Companyanime series is based on the light novel series of the same name created by Ichirō Sakaki, with illustrations by Yūgen.
The light novel was originally published in Kodansha’s Ranobe Bunko imprint from December 2011 to August 2018, running for 18 volumes and two special volumes. AnOutbreak Companymanga by Kiri Kajiya was also published by Kodansha in their Good!Afternoon magazine from November 2012 to November 2014, with the series being compiled into four volumes from September 2013 to January 2015. TheOutbreak Companyanime series was produced by feel., with direction by Kei Oikawa, running for 12 episodes from October to December 2013. The series wasoriginally simulcast by Crunchyroll, with Sentai Filmworks acquiring it for home and video release. After the Sony Pictures Television acquisition of Crunchyroll,Outbreak Companywas removed from Crunchyroll along with other Sentai Filmworks-licensed titles on June 10, 2025.
References Galore
One of the first things that contribute to the overall experience ofOutbreak Companyis the fact that its plot requires that it make a host of references to anime and manga; however, as tends to be the case with titles that do this, the real-life names of other anime titles, video games and manga are varied slightly while the intention remains clear. Given the timing of the anime adaptation ofOutbreak Company, many of the Easter eggs and references made are of the same era, withtitles likeAttack on Titan,The Devil is a Part-Timer,Puella Magi Madoka Magicaand various others that emerged just before and during 2013.
The biggest wayOutbreak Companydrops its references is through its ultra-otaku protagonist Shinichi Kanou, who often likens various situations in his new environment to various anime, manga or video games. With full backing from the government, Shinichi is able to establish a manga and anime library in Eldant, and decorating the room are various posters depicting off-brand versions of popular titles. Over the course of the first couple of episodes, Shinichi actually reads from the early stages ofAttack on Titan, with his voice and face mimicking one Yuki Kaji’s performances as Eren Jaeger. The episode titles themselves are also references to anime and video games, and the slice-of-life atmosphere of the show lends itself to exploring all kinds of references, spoofs and jokes.
Good Concept
Since the release ofOutbreak Companyin 2013, there have been other isekai anime that have set out to do the same thing, with some of the most notable titles includingGATE(2015), which featured a similar arrangement of an otaku sent to another world to establish a cultural connection; and to some extent, 2018’sThat Time I Got Reincarnated As a Slime. With the kind of story that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and the light startOutbreak Companyhas, it can be easy to write it off as a series built onEaster eggs and gagsrevolving around otaku culture, but what makes it particularly interesting is how it explores its main trope. Isekai are a dime a dozen, and whileOutbreak Companyfollows the various expected tropes when it comes to the construction of its isekai story. Shinichi’s journey is unique in how it positions the neo-colonial project of “spreading otaku culture”, especially as Shinichi discovers that such work goes beyond merely distributing manga but upending the very structure of Eldant society to grant its people access to the material.
Shinichi begins by establishing a school-like environment after learning that over 80% of the people in his new world are illiterate, making them incapable of enjoying things like manga in the first place. While undeniably lighthearted, even ridiculous at its core,Outbreak Companyponders, albeit briefly, what the people of an alternate world would make of the sudden arrival of people with strange clothes, and loud machines asking toshare aspects of their advanced culture. The tongue-in-cheek atmosphere ofOutbreak Companylends itself to its humour, although much of it has not aged quite well and the series presents the perverse aspects of the culture with nearly as much enthusiasm as it does the artistry of the various media, which can get uncomfortable. Its big flaw is how it tries to turn itself into a kind of harem romantic comedy, which, together with the sexualization of characters, shows a lack of trust in the strength of the concept. Overall,Outbreak Companyis a fun and light isekai comedy any fan of the genre should try at least once.
