Anyone who has watched five or tenanimeseries will probably notice a prevalent pattern in their respective genres. The protagonist being an orphan, wanting to save the world, or wanting to be the very best through the power of friendship gets old fast. Some conventions are simply too standard or overplayed already.RELATED:Anime To Watch If You Liked Rent-A-GirlfriendFor many fans, trying to find a refreshing change of scenery or some subversive gems in a sea of clones can reignite that love for anime again. At the very least,anime that defytheir usual genre tropes tend to make the whole medium more exciting. It just so happens that the very best of them aren’t easy to copy, which is great since that means they won’t get too saturated by derivatives anytime soon.Updated January 18th, 2022:2022 is looking great already for anime as a whole. Some things areending such as Attack on Titanwhile others like Chainsaw Man are taking their chance in the wild west. Some certified classics are also making their comeback in the form of belated new seasons and some anime are heating up well above red-hot, looking to fill the void left behind by the likes of Naruto. Speaking of which, while many anime are sticking to some established formula, others are going bold and veering off from their genre’s usual path. Heck, some old anime have already done this and as a result, have made a name for themselves and become unforgettable in a sea of clones and derivatives. Here are moreanime that defy genre conventionsfor viewing pleasure.
15FLCL
It’s hard to categorizeFLCLsince it only has six episodes in its original season and there’s also the fact that the story is rather trippy. Whatinitially starts out as a boy-meets-girl slice-of-life storyquickly spirals out of control when space police with a weird Vespa bike start appearing. Oh, and the space police girl with an odd Vespa also has a bass guitar which she uses to smack Naota, the aforementioned boy.
Something similar also happens to the"normal" charactersof the anime. So at its core,FLCLis asurrealist dramedythat’s best viewed as a pizza with all the available toppings sprinkled in. It’s still edible — tasty even, which makes the trip to the bathroom afterward totally worth it.
14Higehiro
Some anime romance sub-genres are quite notorious for tiptoeing the line between taboo and illegal adult grooming. That is whyHigehirosteps in to show everyone how to handle such situations when a young and underage person decides to live with a working adult who’s been lonely for too long.
RELATED:Anime Characters That Are Immortal
At times, there are moments whenHigehiroappears to be setting itself up for those alarming ecchi situations, but it quickly fires back at expectations with itsstraight-laced and law-abiding male protagonistwith morals stronger than steel. It’s refreshing to see someone like that for a change.
13Dr. Stone
If one goes by Dr. Stone’s poster alone, it might appear like a run-of-the-millshonen battle animethat’s been done to death before. However, it sets itself apart as soon as the first episode. That’s becauseDr. Stone’s protagonist is a rational and highly-capable genius with little to no physical capabilities— at times he’s even bordering pathetic.
Senku is a scientist and has vowed to bring his primitive world up to speed after an apocalyptic event plunged everyone back to the Stone Age. In this shonen anime,brains triumph over brawnand is actually one of the first in its genre to give nerds a fighting chance — even if they don’t know how to actually fight.
12Revolutionary Girl Utena
Shoujo anime usually don’t like subverting their own tropes and prefer to maintain the genre’dreamy formulathat always works.Revolutionary Girl Utena, on the other hand, deconstructs the whole thing and makes its supposed boy band partners for the female protagonist as a cold-hearted and dysfunctional villain.
RELATED:The Best Shoujo Anime Of 2021, Ranked
The anime starts off withUtena whose goal is even peculiar and almost shonen-like. She wants to be a prince, so she disguises herself as a boy and tries to fight for that ambition. Utena thus embraces theshoujo and magical girl animegenre tropes to later turn them around in a blend of surrealist and political series.
11Yuri!!! On ICE
Speaking of other anime that can’t be pinned down into one genre as they keep incorporating other elements or banking into the other side of the spectrum,Yuri!!! On ICEis a prominent one. At its core, one can consider the anime as amainstay of the sports genreas it’s an ice-skating story, after all.
However, it startsshifting into “boys love” territoryas the protagonist Yuuri commences a romantic liaison with his male coach. Before turning itself into a fully-fledged yaoi anime, it stops on its tracks and gives its characters more nuance and dignity rather than making them out as caricatures, thus giving them better complexity. Regardless, this anime isquite a success in representation, particularly for theLGBTQ community.
10Jujutsu Kaisen
Initially, it might appear as ifJujutsu Kaisenwill commit to the standardshonen pitfalls, however, the show quickly reverses its cards. Despitetaking cues fromNarutoby putting a demon in the protagonist’s consciousness, Sukuna will never become the hero’s friend. In fact, a clear line is drawn between the demon and his host hero’s interaction.
Moreover,Jujutsu Kaisenhasno qualms about making its underdog victim characters die humiliating and horrid deaths. It pays good respect to its power hierarchies, meaning the main character just can’t double his fighting skills by shouting too hard or having some nostalgic flashbacks.
9One Punch Man
One Punch Man’s existence is a gentle and humorous spit at the face of all other anime protagonists striving to become the strongest or the best. Saitama, the anime’s protagonist, isalready at the apex of his own show, making the whole “become powerful” narrative moot.
RELATED:Pokemon: Things The Manga Does Better Than The Anime
Instead,Saitama’s own show throws weaker opponents at himmost of whom are self-proclaimed top-dogs. Yet somehow, Saitama still manages to defeat all of them and with just one punch needed most of the time. He’s a shonen joke that went too far and got a little bit too serious.
8Konosuba
Isekai animeare all the rage these days. The idea that a normal and typically powerless person can be someone special and heroic in another world appeals to a lot of people. Too badKonosubasimply had to satirize all fan expectations bymaking the protagonist a perverted narcissist.
Kazuma fromKonosubais a lovely case study of how most people will probably act in the Isekai world of their choice. Paired with Kazuma’s equally useless and dysfunctional party members,Konosubaturns plenty of failed adventures into hilarious spectacles.
7Death Note
So far, not many anime have been able to score the same level of cultural impact thatDeath Notedid. At most, many simply try to copy the formula but end up failing becauseDeath Noteis one of a kind. It’s an anime wherethe antagonist is also the protagonistof the series and one of the first mainstream shonen anime tochallenge viewers with grey areas.
RELATED:Roblox: Everything You Need To Know About Anime Fighting Simulator
Furthermore, the main character is a far cry from most protagonists who are benevolent and have straight morals. Light Yagami is a chillingly intelligent lead who relies mostly on intellect. The result is an anime with no cheesy positive message or overplayed stereotypes.
6Attack On Titan
One of the most popular anime right now,Attack on Titanis on a rollwhen it comes to dramatic storytelling. Some fans might even be surprised at how this one managed to squeeze itself in the shonen category with all the gruesome deaths and political themes.
While othershonen animeare busy imparting the importance of friendship, perseverance, or staying optimistic,Attack on Titanis a full-blown war drama. More than that, it’s unapologetic andnot concerned with turning its character into stereotypesor symbols.
