The Uncle from Another World Sega Tangents Remain Amazing

Uncle from Another World is the sort of isekai manga with two draws to it. One is finding out what Takafumi Takaoka’s uncle Yousuke Shibazaki went through in the other world as he attempted to return to his real life. The other is seeing him adapt to the world after being in a coma for 17 years and living that other life. However, after going through volume 10, I also can’t help but be remembered how fantastic it is whenever a Sega tangent comes up in the Uncle from Another World manga, as it really gives Hotondoshindeiru an opportunity to be silly with the series.

Editor’s Note: There will be some Uncle from Another World spoilers related to Uncle’s love for Sega systems and games from volume 10 of the manga.

After sharing a replay of Uncle’s fight against Corpse King for the sake of Elf, a large chunk of Uncle from Another World volume 10 focuses on some real-life advancement. Namely, Uncle is forced to confront the fact that yes, Sega is no longer making video game consoles. It happens innocently enough! Sawae starts talking to Uncle about games! She brings up how she played Oshare Majo Love and Berry on the DS. It’s then that the (unintentionally) fatal blow is struck. She mentions how only Nintendo and Sony make systems. 

The immediate after effect is absolutely perfect, and it provides Hotondoshindeiru so many opportunities to create the exaggerated, occasionally grotesque images of Uncle as he comes to terms with the news. We also get to see Takafumi in rare form in a double act where he’s the foil to Uncle’s silly reactions and responses. (I’m still smiling at the thought of any console being a Sega console if the person is playing a Sega game on it.) The exaggerated responses and over-the-top art results in a fantastic segment going over Sega, its role in the console war, and the Dreamcast. 

At the same time, it means we get both a heartbreaking and heartwarming moment in the Uncle from Another World manga out of this time dedicated to the Sega Dreamcast. We get to see Takafumi bond with Uncle again, giving the two a chance to make memories and connect in a different way. We see how much he appreciates him, as he went out of his way to not only arrange digital copies, but an actual physical copy of the console. 

But at the same time, it’s a reminder of what Uncle constantly does to himself in Uncle from Another World. He erased his memories again to deal with past Sega news. From what we know about his life in another world, he constantly did this to deal with issues there. It makes me wonder about him as a narrator again, as well as consider how healthy it was to so recklessly erase memories of not only traumatic things to help survive, but things that could potentially be important. 

The attention paid to the Sega Dreamcast in Uncle from Another World volume 10, as well as seeing what happens when the Uncle and Takafumi revisit the company’s past and go through the games again, again highlights one of the things that makes this isekai manga so special. It’s funny! It’s touching! It might give the reader pause about how easily Uncle is willing to erase his memories again. It’s a great moment in a series filled with them.

Volume 10 of the Uncle from Another World manga is available now, and Yen Press will release volume 11 on February 18, 2025. You can watch the anime adaptation on Netflix.