Anime is full of overly abundant tropes, lazy writing, derivative plots, and predictable or formulaic stories. While some anime don't have these issues, many anime just don't impress fans anymore. Some of this stems from the fact that fans have watched most of the anime available.
As a result, finding innovative ways to make an anime stand out is important for writers. That said, there are plenty of ways that writers can make an anime feel fresh and exciting, and they could learn a lot of those tricks by listening to fans.
8 Well-Written Female Characters And Protagonists Are A Must
Some shows have already made the adjustments to creating better written female characters. However, even when some shows try, they have a difficult time delineating between a strong female character and a well-written one, as there is a difference. A prime example would be Sakura Haruno in Naruto: Shippūden. She is brilliant, physically stronger than most people, and is a great shinobi out of context, but the show does nothing to give her good characterization.
On the other hand, Jujutsu Kaisen gives fans the simultaneously strong and compelling Maki Zenin, who overcame her inability to use cursed energy and has a complex story that gives her depth and on-screen character development.
7 Characters That Speak To More Realistic Experiences Is Refreshing
There is only a small subset of people who can truly see themselves in the traditional anime protagonist. These characters are generally compelled to get stronger or be better, are diligent and hardworking, and are focused on lofty goals. No real person is trying to get stronger than everyone else and become the best in the world.
However, shows such as Jujutsu Kaisen have given fans more realistic characters, even amid the fantastical and supernatural setting. Characters like Kento Nanami get at the heart of life's tedium. He shows people the folly of being someone hardworking to the point of self-sacrifice, and he's still a hero.
6 Powerups That Make More Sense Are More Enjoyable
One of the most tired anime tropes is the convenient super-powerup or knowledge breakthroughs amid a crisis or at the last second in a life-or-death battle. While this is a common trope because it is important for suspense, it is a trope that takes fans out of the moment and breaks immersion in the show. Demon Slayer's Nezuko and Tanjiro Kamado discovering blood demon art and Hinokami Kagura respectively is an example of this.
Establishing a characters strength early on, giving them the power from the beginning, or making them try a few times and fail, can circumnavigate this.
5 Relevant Humor Over Uncomfortable Humor
Anime has consistently relied on crude jokes to get cheap laughs. A common way to do this was to have an annoying class pervert relentlessly harass other characters, like Minoru Mineta from My Hero Academia. This is simply not funny, and it's time this was left behind for more relevant and less lazy humor.
Jujutsu Kaisen has done this by making fun of everything from Nanami's salary job and realistic work ethic to including quips about Jennifer Lawrence, which manages to discuss romantic preferences without being overly offensive.
4 Cool Animation Aided By Current And Future Technology Is Welcomed
Fans love to see new or unique art styles. Thanks to the advent of new technology and anime and manga writers looking to more fine-artistic sources for inspiration, there are a plethora of new styles that add flavor to the anime world and help them stand out.
A mix of CGI and traditional animation has been one method, while looking to woodblock and ink paintings for style and form inspiration has been another mode for achieving these looks.
3 Seasons Based Around Entire Arcs Was A Nice Change
There is nothing worse than a cliffhanger that chops up an otherwise contiguous arc. It breaks immersion, makes fans angry, and risks never telling the end of the story if the anime is not picked up for another season. So many great anime have stopped at their first season on a frustrating cliffhanger.
Demon Slayer has combated this by making some of its seasons entire arcs. The "Mugen Train" arc and the "Entertainment District" arc have well paced plots that reach resolution.
2 More Anime Movies Appearing In Theaters Allows For Interesting Ways To Watch
While it is frustrating when an anime is hidden behind a paywall, there is something exhilarating about getting to watch an installment of a favorite anime on the big screen surrounded by likeminded fans and buttery popcorn, which is why the advent of anime movies being shown in theaters is so interesting.
Both Jujutsu Kaisen and Demon Slayer have done this, with the release of Jujutsu Kaisen 0, a prequel to the current series, and Mugen Train. Some of these are broken up into multi-episode seasons that are more readily available than a theater experience.
1 The Subversion Of Common Character Tropes Is Always Exciting
Both Shounen and Shoujo anime have been bogged down by relying on specific tropes. For Shounen, it is the overly optimistic protagonist who wants to get stronger by sheer hard work and a little help from their friends, much like think Naruto Uzumaki. For Shoujo, it is the meek and kind protagonist who is non-confrontational, and therefore sometimes is misunderstood, like Sawako.
These tropes do not reflect the average person, and even if it does reflect some to a degree, it doesn't encourage fans' emotional attachment, making the characters feel painfully two-dimensional.