Code Geass creator blames isekai for ruining creativity

The irony of criticizing the commercial tropes of the anime market when your most famous work defined the standard for giant robots with mental powers is undeniable. This past Friday, March 13, 2026, the renowned director Goro Taniguchi, responsible for the global success of Code Geass, premiered his new original movie, a historical drama titled Paris ni Saku Etoile. The creator took advantage of the theatrical press tour to publicly tear down the alarming lack of creativity stifling the modern industry.

The factory of arrangers

Taniguchi mercilessly attacked the studios' obsession with adapting manga, light novels, or video games instead of financing original ideas. The director argued that relying exclusively on pre-existing works is mutilating the talent of the new generations. In his own words, the medium runs the risk of becoming filled with mere "arrangers" who only know how to modify someone else's rhythm, completely extinguishing true creators capable of structuring stories from scratch.

Fed up with isekai trash

For his new cinematic project, the creator deliberately eliminated the clichés that saturate current listings. The plot follows two young Japanese women seeking success in classical Paris through painting and ballet. Taniguchi stated that to reach a mature audience, the market must move past fleeting fads. The director demanded an end to isekai reincarnation stories, broken protagonists with unfair abilities, and mecha battles.

Hypocrisy on social media

The statements generated a head-on collision within Western and Japanese otaku communities. A fraction of the public supported the urgency of financing original stories to avoid narrative monotony. However, the vast majority of users pointed out the creator's massive hypocrisy. His worldwide consecration with Code Geass depended exactly on the same tropes he criticizes today: a protagonist with an insurmountable magical advantage surrounded by spectacular robot battles.

Considering that production committees prefer to invest in safe bets, do you think the public would really support an original anime focused on art, or does the majority prefer to consume the same reincarnation story every season?