Discussion Readers of isekai/reincarnation novels...

Should an isekai or reincarnated character, use her knowledge of past life in the current timeline?

If not, what methods do you propose the said character use to survive the main challenge: aka don't be dead.

And lastly:
do you prefer a character a reincarnated/isekai character with or no memories of a past life?

 

I would like to see an isekai novel w/o past life memories. Idk any unfortunately

 

In Black Summoner MC doesnt have past memories

 

well. ..
i think it won't be an isekai novel if themc do not have any memory. . . .
oh wait there was one. . .
that renya guy. . .

 

that would be a regular fantasy novel... memories is what makes it isekai

 

I don't think it matters if he uses memories from the previous world. I think the story can be compelling regardless. For example, grow emotionally or overcome a trauma from the previous world in the fantasy world. It probably would be more compelling than know-it-all smith-pharmacist-martial artist-political genius-etc, and all of that at the tender age of 16, because he can't drink.
I cannot describe how much it bothers me that people start just to be experts at strategy and martial arts for no reason at all with no experience. Cut a leaf with a sword in a week and you suddenly is a grandmaster... bleh..

 

With memory but not wikipedia

 

i think they should use them since there's no holding back when it comes to survival.. though "if" by using it they became super op and have nothing to fear already in the current timeline, it'll be somehow boring..
as for 2nd one.. i prefer those who just have bits of their past memories

 

What'd be point of isekai/reincarnation w/o, at least, some past life memories? It can be mostly complete memories or dreamlike/disjointed bits which MC tries to figure out. When a modern person transmigrates, readers can relate to them as such an individual would perceive their new world through modern lenses. U don't need to make them utilize their modern knowledge; just their experiences as they try to adapt to a new world, interact, reconcile their past values with present ones, explore the novel environment is enuf 4 a good story.

They may employ know-how of their past specialisation/jobs, but within limits set by the fantasy world's industrialization/advancement framework. Just use common sense to make them survive. And as someone has already said, don't make them walking encyclopaedias.

 

I’d like to see a reincarnation isekai starting w/ a clean slate or limited knowledge and learning the language of that country/world.
Most of what I’ve read, MC is always reincarnated to a world that has near identical language and mannerism of previous world and already has a built-in infodump on their head.

 

To the first point I would say it heavily depends on the type of world it is in: does it have some kind of system that allows one to get stronger and stuff, is it one with magic and/or tech, are there differing natural laws (physics and stuff) that need to be accounted for (usually with trial and error) to get the knowledge you know to work and most of all is there a need or desire for those things (tech, cooking, etc) or concepts (architecture, math, etc)?

Personally, I think if the Mc (or whomever) is capable of bringing and realizing concepts from their original world or time, good for them and they should do as they will.

After all, you have a set of knowledge at your disposal, why not make use of it? Granted there will be various difficulties and it should be done prudently and keeping in mind the consequences (you want to make fossil fuel burning stuff? Make sure you also educate about pollution and take preventative measures so you don’t have people dying like when the industrial revolution first came around and in certain cities like Hong Kong).

As for if there isn’t a need or if the present difficulties (let’s say a divine and enforced mandate from godly beings) are too massive for the current you to fight, you still have other knowledge and experiences that should be okay to use if discreet and try not to die. As for specific strategies to not die, again that would be highly dependent on the specific situation, but I suppose learning about the current world is always a solid option (especially language if you haven’t already been given that by default or if you are starting as a baby or whatever) and avoid being poisoned, eaten, or suffer from disease (or build gradual immunities if possible).

As for Mc with or without past memories: they have to have some form of prior knowledge and experience for it to be considered an isekai, otherwise it can be considered a new story of a standard genre (which isn’t inherently bad). Even if it is found out that your soul is (or perhaps was would be more accurate) the super soul of the greatest badass around and that supplies you with greater innate talent at a minimum, it doesn’t matter as you lack the knowledge and experiences that made you your past self and you are essentially just a blank slate with a much better start in life than others (talent you could say).

 

It depends on what the story is about. Sometimes the laws of the world are different than our world, so our knowledge can be more of a hindrance if we make assumptions. That said, you would still expect them to use more modern though process (scientific method?)

Isn't second coming of gluttony without past memories? He only gets a dream he mostly forgets and inherits mostly only the feelings.

 

Well kumo desu ga, nani ka? (https://www.novelupdates.com/series/kumo-desu-ga-nani-ka/) Would probably apply as Mc (and others) have little to go on and have to adapt.
And while death mage (https://www.novelupdates.com/series/the-death-mage-who-doesnt-want-a-fourth-time/) isn’t exactly that, it is at least justified in the way things turned out with having a similar language: minor spoiler since it is pretty much explained in the first few chapter, so many people died in the war with the demon king that many of the original pieces of culture were lost (basically a cultural genocide as an indirect consequence of just so many dying and the world being ravaged) and so they had to adopt some of the first heroes (otherworlders) culture like language and such (one good part is that they mention how the various laws/physics differ between worlds and thus they cannot just poof people or tech there with no preparation, and any tech made usually has to go through various trials and error to compensate for the inherent differences).

 

Sometimes they're reincarnated into a world with completely different language(s), but it does not matter to them anyway because the first thing they get is some universal translator skill.

 

That would make it no longer an isekai novel or kinda defeat the purpose.

The fact is most people now days would not bring any relevant skills to a fantasy world. We are advance enough that we operate at the higher level of technology without real understanding of how the lower level stuff works. Like sure you can tell people about the pythagorean theorem but other than how to use it you can't do the proof at all.

However modern thinking can definitely help spark the smart people in that new world to figure stuff out. Some of the stories does get pretty bullshit as the MC is like a walking google search engine.

In regard to only have part of the memory kinda remind me of Upgrade Specialist in Another World where the MC get used with the soul fragment of someone who travel from another world. Although the memory such a mess it basically play no role and just a set up for the MC to gain the upgrade ability from a mmorpg.

 

If the main character need knowledge from their past life just to survive I feel it says more about the current world/timeline than the character itself.
Simple things like simply knowing advanced math or having experience with outdoor camping/survival is fine and all, but what annoys me is when authors deliberately dumb down the setting just to make the mc seem OP, or when the mc is OP from the start because the author made the character a walking wikipedia or something.
I'm fine with the mc reinventing stuff from his past life, as long as it is actually logical for him to succeed with it, but if the character somehow makes something like a nuclear plant in a world without the resources or infrastructure for it to work, then no thanks.
A slightly off-topic but somewhat related thing is that I wish more isekai(more so transported than reincarnated) stories would actually make learning the local language matter, it annoys me most of the time when the mc magically learn the language instantly or when the author ignore the idea of different languages entirely.

As for the second question, for most isekai stories there isn't a point to the story in the first place if the mc have no past memories at all, with the exception being stories that make the recovery of those memories or at least the identity of the mc central to the plot.
If it is a transported story then the mc should have most memories intact unless there is a really good reason to suffer amnesia.
For reincarnation stories on the other hand I prefer if the mc have only limited memory of their past life, it could be in the form of dreams or memories that are gradually recovered with age, even flawed/faulty memories can be interesting.
I'm not exactly a fan of stories with the mc being reborn with perfect memory right from birth, even if there are some exceptions.

 

The problem with making language matter is that its boring. It's not that interesting unless author literally plans out a portion of a fictional language to somehow make the process interesting but even then its difficult. If you put a time skip then its mechanically same as the MC just knows the language.

Also become really difficult to write a story where MC just doesn't understand shit and can barely communicate for a long time. I mean its possible but unless you have actual experience moving to a place where you were forced to learn a new language its not easy to write about well or relate. All in all its easier and probably for the better that part get kinda glossed over with MC just happen to speak the language coz magic or reasons.

 

I realize that others might find it boring, I'm just saying I personally find it even more boring when it is glossed over, depending on how badly the author does it he can lose me right from the start of the story.

 

If a transported character is to use their previous lives knowledge at all they should be exceedingly careful. If you think about it realistically humanity has never reacted well to new knowledge and often tries to kill the messenger, so if you use your knowledge to "survive" it is actually probably more likely that you will end up dead.

I also prefer characters to be natives of their world with little or no knowledge of their past lives. This is because most MC's with knowledge of their past lives tend to have a superiority complex, if not outright treat the world they are currently in as a game. This gets kind of annoying to read. I don't really care for a character who low-key looks down on everyone around him just because he remembers "The Modern World" Or casually dismisses the benefits around him because he cannot let go of "Modern Convenience." The Modern World is not always the better one in my opinion.

 

I would say yes, go right ahead and use the past knowledge. I would be fine with it as long as it's not for doing something morally wrong. The character should also be really careful the the knowledge, to not create too bad of a butterfly affect. I really hate those MCs who get all arrogant because of their knowledge and fail because they keep overestimating themselves.

There are times that I like isekai characters to have no memories of their current life, instead. I feel like it would be a good exchange for their past knowledge.