Why Tsukimichi Made Makoto Ugly—And How It Rewrites the Isekai Playbook
Isekai’s pretty-boy norm gets flipped in Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy, where reincarnated misfit Makoto Misumi is mistaken for a kobold—and the creators reveal why they broke the genre’s beauty standard.
Most isekai heroes look like they were scouted out of a boy-band. Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy shrugs at that and puts a kid in the spotlight who, in his new world, is literally mistaken for a goblin. Well, a kobold, as they call it there. It sounds like a gag, but it is 100% intentional, and it ends up being one of the show’s best moves.
Where Makoto’s look came from
Author Kei Azumi has said the idea came from going back to the books and manga they loved as a student. One big touchstone: Shiina Takashi’s GS Mikami: Mission Gokuraku!!, where Tadao Yokoshima is notably not a looker. Azumi wanted to borrow that older vibe at a time when a lot of modern isekai lean into slick, techy settings like VRMMORPGs.
"I thought I’d try incorporating a bit of 'oldness' and write something with the feel of the novels and manga I read when I was a student."
So is Makoto actually ugly?
Not really. Makoto Misumi reads as a totally normal, mid-level-looking guy with a pretty grounded personality. The twist is the world he lands in is stacked with people who look unnaturally attractive by default. Against that curve, he gets labeled as unattractive, and humans even peg him as a kobold/goblin on sight. That disconnect turns into the hook: characters who become close to him do it because of who he is, not his face, which gives their relationships a little more weight than usual for the genre.
Why he works as an isekai lead
- He’s average-looking in a land of supermodels, which refreshes the usual power fantasy and opens the door to fun, offbeat interactions with other species and cultures.
- People who befriend him look past the superficial and connect with him for real, and the show actually lets that matter.
- He handles this new world with a surprisingly mature mindset, but the series doesn’t forget he’s still a high schooler, so he screws up like a teenager would.
- Yes, he’s OP, but he doesn’t go full tyrant. He thinks about how to use his abilities to his advantage without crossing the line.
- He literally starts a business, helps others in ways that help him back, and offers support that’s practical instead of flashy.
- His main driver is personal: he’s chasing answers about his parents, who actually came from this world. That straightforward goal fits his personality and keeps him focused.
- Put all of that together and he stands apart from roughly 99% of the usual isekai mains.
The basics if you want to jump in
Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy premiered on July 7, 2021. Season 1 was produced by C2C, Season 2 moved to J.C.Staff. It’s an action/adventure/comedy/fantasy mix, and both seasons are streaming on Crunchyroll right now.