Are there any animes that you think pushed an entire genre forward irrespective of its medium?

[Zetta]

For example, something like Steins;Gate fills that role for me when it comes to the time travel genre and arguably science fiction as a whole. It did something completely new, creative, and pushed the envelope for what time travel stories could be, to the point where I now use it as a benchmark for that genre across all mediums. Likewise I believe it can compete with the most sentimental of science fiction works, whether in literature or movies.

No other animes besides Evangelion comes to mind, tbhngl.

 

[weaselbomber]

Gundam with mecha
Madoka with mahou shoujo
Rose of Versailles with drama
Berserk with dark fantasy
Lucky Star with CGDCT
Haruhi Suzumiya was not genre-forwarding but extremely important to otaku culture so idk if that counts

 

[Fantasea]

Haruhi Suzumiya was not genre-forwarding but extremely important to otaku culture so idk if that counts

It really pushed the highschool club anime genre forward by a lot. also made randomness a popular element to add into anime (Heaven's Lost Property, Arakawa Under the Bridge)

 

[weaselbomber]

It really pushed the highschool club anime genre forward by a lot.

mogged by Hyouka

 

[Fantasea]

mogged by Hyouka

so boring i preferred haruhi

 

[weaselbomber]

so boring i preferred haruhi

shows where it's just people talking need to be flashy (Monogatari, Tatami Galaxy, FLCL) otherwise them adhd niggas will find it boring

 

[Fantasea]

shows where it's just people talking need to be flashy (Monogatari, Tatami Galaxy, FLCL) otherwise them adhd niggas will find it boring

true. but i watched like an episode and a half of FLCL and dropped. I preferred Date a Live and World Only God Knows over Monogatari so I didn't bother with it.

 

[weaselbomber]

Gundam with mecha
Madoka with mahou shoujo
Rose of Versailles with drama
Berserk with dark fantasy
Lucky Star with CGDCT
Haruhi Suzumiya was not genre-forwarding but extremely important to otaku culture so idk if that counts

I'd also add Grave of the Fireflies and Spirited Away to the list

 

[PersonalityChad]

Madoka with mahou shoujo

Sailor Moon too, before SM magical girl shows didn't really have "monsters of the week" and the main characters would use their magic to solve mundane problems or something.

 

[weaselbomber]

Sailor Moon too, before SM magical girl shows didn't really have "monsters of the week" and the main characters would use their magic to solve mundane problems or something.

Never seen it so couldn't comment tbqh
Regardless I think that I was wrong anyways, Madoka was less genre-forwarding about mahou shoujo as it was about deconstruction of popular kid-friendly anime genres, so it led to a bunch of "Madoka clones" like Wixoss that took card fight anime like Yugioh and made it dark and gave it high stakes