How different is Trapped in a Dating Sim anime from other romance isekai?

Trapped in a Dating Sim anime had the fandom divided about how good it is or if it was even any good. Similarly, a discussion about anime doesn’t end without the mention of the Isekai genre that the anime broadly belongs to. What cliches does the Isekai trope follow? Is it a good Isekai? How different is it from other romance Isekai?

How different is “Trapped in a Dating Sim” anime from other romance Isekai?

• A romance Isekai generally fluctuates between the romance and the main theme but Trapped in a Dating Sim anime juggles between a lot of other themes such as (spoiler) mecha and school fantasy more than it does with romance. 
• The main character is knowledgeable and unlike your usual overpowered Isekai MC, Leon’s knowledge is well-established and believable. This makes him more likable than the characters.

In a typical romance Isekai, you see the main character as a perfect human or entity who attracts women like a magnet but in Trapped in a Dating Sim, the main character puts effort into getting women to pay attention to him in a romantic sense. The way his love interests get attracted to him is because he helped them.

• The MC isn’t even the main character, he gets reincarnated as a mob character.
• Unlike Sword Art Online (a romance Isekai) which takes itself too seriously, Trapped in a Dating Sim trolls itself at several points almost as a sign of self-awareness.

• It’s also a difference and a criticism that the romantic interests in Trapped are low-effort and fail to spark any feelings in their favor from the fans. The female cast is apt for fan service but beyond that, they’re rarely tolerable and feel very shallow as characters. 

Romance in the anime easily takes the back seat and isn’t enough as per the standards of a generic romance Isekai anime. Leon does have many options as he’s a part of a matriarchal society but his ships easily take a platonic path or a path of animosity. His rising fame is helping the romance but is nowhere near enough.  Similar to other Isekai, the harem factor shines bright among other things.

Hopes can always be attached to an upcoming season in terms of the story getting better and picking up the pace wherever it’s required. The characters will also need to undergo some character development as romance is a character-driven theme. 

Conclusion

Trapped in a Dating Sim anime falls under the Isekai genre and features all the possible cliches included in it. But it also sets itself apart from the isekai family with its unique twists at points. For example how there’s no truck Kun but stairs(san?) instead! The similarities will be visible throughout while the differences will catch you off guard in some moments.