Genzou, better known as “Animal Mask” to his fans, is a professional wrestler who loves animals more than life itself. That’s why, when the princess of a fantasy world summons him to kill the demon beasts threatening her kingdom, he German suplexes her and runs off to raise funds for a pet shop. Genzou’s immense strength and irresistible cuddles win over the demon beasts immediately (just like Maple’s infectious enthusiasm helps her build her own ragtag crew), and soon he has a home full to bursting with new animal and human/animal hybrid friends. He even manages to get the whole town excited about professional wrestling and organizes a tournament that brings them together as a community! Kemono Michi is good, wholesome fun and well worth your time.

The title may give you the impression that this anime is a shallow parody of the isekai trend, but That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime is actually a heartwarming tale about a lonely nobody who is reborn in a new world and gradually builds up a community of friends and followers who truly care about him. Rimuru Tempest starts out as a lowly slime stuck in a cave with a tsundere dragon, but with his friendly attitude and the power to absorb the traits of anything he eats, he grows into a powerful city leader. We think he and Maple would get along famously!

Misato Kurihara just wants to live a normal life, but she’s so gifted that everyone around her treats her like a symbol of perfection rather than as a person. She meets her premature death courtesy of Truck-kun, and her one request to the gods is that she be reborn as a regular person with nothing special to alienate her from others. Of course, that’s not exactly what happens. She reincarnates as a noble girl who’s incredibly talented with magic, so she runs off to become a hunter under the alias “Mile”. There, she forms an adventuring group with new friends she meets at the hunter school and tries to hide her exceptional abilities... with little success. This is a lighthearted, self-aware isekai that thrives on situational comedy and cute girls doing cute things, just like how Bofuri affectionately parodies different types of gamers. Check it out if you need a show to relax to after a hard day.

Okay, so the tone of this anime is on the complete opposite end of the spectrum to Bofuri and the other shows on this list, but it’s such a similar concept that we had to mention it here. Naofumi is sucked into a fantasy world where he becomes the legendary Shield Hero, one of four heroes who are destined to save the kingdom of Melromarc from ruin. Unfortunately, his grand adventure is cut short when the two-faced princess frames him for sexual assault and turns the entire country against him. With only his smarts, a shield, and a burning desire for revenge at his side, he must rise from the ashes to prove the corrupt royalty wrong. If Bofuri wasn’t such a sparkly and happy show, Maple might’ve been in Naofumi’s exact same position…

From the same director as Kemono Michi (although a few years earlier) comes Konosuba, one of the best-known comedy isekai out there. Our adventuring party consists of a smartass otaku named Kazuma, the obnoxious goddess Aqua who reincarnated him into this world, an overconfident mage named Megumin who spams her one magic attack over and over, and a masochistic warrior named Darkness. Together, they bumble their way through their quest to defeat the Demon King, stumbling over hilarious hurdles the whole way through. Bofuri owes a lot to Konosuba for its sitcom-like scenarios and spot-on comedy, so don’t just leave it on your plan to watch list forever!

Even though Sword Art Online has pretty much singlehandedly defined the modern isekai genre as we know it, its questionable quality has kept it from becoming a classic. However, this spinoff about an insecure tall girl finding her calling as an adorable pink player killer in a shooter game is everything that we wish the main series could be and more. The spectacularly animated action scenes and instant camaraderie between Karen and Pitohui make this unique gaming anime a total joy to watch. Karen is much more of a trophy hunter than Maple, but her ability to make friends and create a new life through an escapist fantasy makes us think that she would join the Maple Tree Guild in a heartbeat.