What can be more otaku than an isekai light novel? How about an isekai light novel about an otaku who has to spread otaku culture in another world? Outbreak Company had an anime adaptation back in 2013, and now the original light novels are being translated by J-Novel Club. Penned by Ichiro Sakaki, a prolific light novel author who wrote such works as Scrapped Princess and Chaika The Coffin Princess, Outbreak Company might seem on the surface to be a silly otaku-centric isekai romp, but there are some interesting things going on with this one…
Synopsis from J-Novel Club:
The year is 20XX, and Shinichi Kanou is a pretty typical otaku: he loves anime, manga, games, and light novels, but his devotion to the two-dimensional hasn’t always made him the most popular guy around. What he doesn’t know is that Japan has discovered a portal to another world in the vicinity of Mount Fuji. The people of the Eldant Empire, though, only have eyes for one of Japan’s traditional exports: pop culture. Enter Amutech, a purveyor of “general entertainment” that’s secretly run by the Japanese government. Shinichi lands a job as the company’s general manager. Now he finally has a chance to put his nerd know-how to good use spreading the otaku gospel in the Eldant Empire. And wait… he has to work with a half-elf maid, an empress, AND a female soldier to get the job done?
…wait a second, “spreading the otaku gospel”? Is there some kind of strange connection between this story and Christian evangelism? You will have to read it to find out, so pick up the ebook and join TWWK and I on April 26th for our discussion of this book!
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