Since I can’t keep my online posting to myself, here’s my response to a post on the following Kotaku thread, that brought up how a lot of anime plots are the same: http://ca.kotaku.com/5559926/resident-evil-creator-jrpgs-were-never-popular-in-the-west
@jay13x: Just a quick response to your anime comment; what I like about anime is that there is a show that address EVERY subject matter (fantasy, sci-fi, cooking, sports, playing board games, high school, the work world, etc, basically, something for everyone).
But yes, when you break it down, too many of the key plots are exactly the same. See how many series you can fill in the blanks with these:
- main character wants to be the best at [blank] and goes on a journey challenging various people at [blank] and learning about friendship.
- lone traveler sets out on a journey to [blank], picks up a band of characters / friends along the way, we gradually find out the character’s true intentions, they all stick together and follow through in saving the [blank]
- main character gains the abilities of [blank] and with the help of their new mentor/friend, must defeat many [blanks] that are popping up all over the city.
and finally,
- [blank] happens, then there’s a tournament.
Ha! See what you find when you google your online handle. I don’t remember what I wrote that you are responding to, and I couldn’t find it on the site. I like anime – don’t get me wrong. There are a lot of shows I enjoy, and it’s cool that there is really something for pretty much everyone.
My problem is when something becomes too trope-filled and stops being original. That goes for JRPGs, too which that article seemed to be about. The last decade has been pretty awful for both, they definitely need a renaissance of sorts in the JRPG field to break the stale pattern that has emerged.