Isekai is everywhere, and it’s involved almost everything. From skeleton knights to slimes, not to mention a whole host of JRPG tropes, all kinds of fantasy have been reborn in another world. With so many fantastic and grandiose concepts already emphasized in this ubiquitous genre, it leaves only the mundane left to be adapted.
Enter In Another World with My Smartphone, an isekai adventure that turns a mobile phone into a magical device. Not one to “phone” things in, it also includes elements of another common anime setup: the harem. Needless to say, with this franchise, fun is just a dial away. Here’s what the series’ story is about, as well as the apps needed to read or watch it.
The Plot of In Another World with My Smartphone
The hero of the series who finds himself reborn in another world with his smartphone is Touya Mochizuki who, strangely enough, is accidentally killed by God. Although he wishes to make amends for his mistake, for some reason, God can’t simply put Touya back in his old world. Instead, he opts to reincarnate the young man into a fantasy one, granting his single request of giving him back his smartphone. This device can’t contact anyone from the other world, but it can otherwise function in the same way, giving Touya access to a plethora of knowledge that those around him lack.
Further boosting his new lease on life is the fact that Touya now has increased “stats,” making him smarter, stronger and more adept at magic than many he encounters. Using these gifts thanks to his handy-dandy cellular device, he travels throughout the land, helping those in need and picking up as many gorgeous women as he can along the way.
Where to Read the In Another World with My Smartphone Light Novels and Manga
Eiji Usatsuka created In Another World with My Smartphone as a web novel in 2013, with the series later being published as a light novel beginning in 2015. So far, there have been 26 volumes, and the success of these books quickly saw a manga adaptation come about. The In Another World with My Smartphone manga began in 2016, with art supplied by Soto. This version of the story has 11 volumes so far, with neither it nor the light novels showing any signs of stopping.
Seven Seas Entertainment has localized the light novels, while Yen Press does the same with the manga. All the former volumes have been brought to the West, but only about half of the manga is currently available outside of Japan. These can be bought wherever manga and light novels are sold, including retailers such as Walmart, Books-a-Million and Barnes & Noble. Digital versions can be read through Kindle and Comixology.
Where to Watch the In Another World with My Smartphone Anime
Production Reed, known for older anime like Macross 7 and entries in the Transformers: Beast Wars franchise, is behind the anime adaptation of In Another World with My Smartphone. The series aired in 2017, lasting for 12 initial episodes. However, a second season has finally been announced, promising that more of the long-lived novel series will be put on screen.
The show so far can be streamed on both Crunchyroll and Funimation, while Apple TV, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video and Google Play all allow viewers to purchase individual episodes. Amazon, Right Stuf Anime, Target and Walmart also carry the Blu-ray of the first season, although it might be more economical in the long run to simply watch through one of the aforementioned streaming services. This way, viewers can themselves watch the series on their smartphones.