I am a fan of anime but I think there's a lot of tepid, derivative or uncreative anime being created that Westerners aren't completely exposed to.

For example, there are six or seven anime released in the past few years where the protagonist went to sleep/died and then woke up in a video game world, either in a game they played IRL or simply somehow were transported to the world of a video game or a world that behaves as if it is a video game.

They range from inventive and interesting to tedious rip-offs.

I think publishers hold contests to find which writers will get their stories serialized and at least according to 4chan isekai stories are banned from those contests now for being too uncreative. So people just posted their stories online and some still got picked up by publishers to get light novelized!

Heck let's take western indie games where a large percentage of all indie games are yet another smash brothers clone or a metroidvania clone. There's probably at most 3 more genres that make up the majority of titles

In other words that there is tons of derivative stuff is not even remotely unique to Japan.

There's tons of anime that doesn't make it out of Japan (or used to be) as well of tons of manga that's seriously creative. Walk through a Village Vanguard store for example.

[0]recommended: Stein's Gate, Psycho Pass, FLCL, Serial Experiments Lain, Tatami Galaxy, Pop Team Epic, Cowboy Bebop, Akame Ga Kill, Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt

1. This quality is unique or more common in Japanese anime

2. This is a feature of all media of which Japanese anime is one

If the answer is #2 then there was no reason to say it. It would be like saying "water is wet in Japan". Of course water is wet everywhere so no point in even bringing it up.

If it's #1 then we need proof that Japanese anime has more clones than other media from other countries. I think that proof will be hard to find. Crunchyroll is not Japan.

There is a lot of anime I would rate much higher than pretty much any other narratives presented in other media formats including my native Hollywood.

Or fantasy genre that is repeating Tolkien tropes over and over and again.

Superhero again and again and again. Detective stories one like another. All vampire stories that kinda copy each other.

Existence of repetition does not cancel out creative inventions.

And I enjoy anime because it more frequently challenges or presents me with a significant and interesting ethical or philosophical problem.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sturgeon%27s_law

Just find what you like and revel in it.

In my opinion when the Japanese are inventive they have some really out-ther stuff, which is a sign they are really extending themselves in creativity.

One of the aspects of non-American narratives I enjoy is the greater likelihood of a tragic or bitter-sweet ending.

Houses are also much more affordable to own in Japan. Interest rates are around 1%. Tokyo is doing a good job of keeping up with demand, and a single family home in Tokyo can be purchased for under $500k compared to millions of dollars in SF or NY.

These things matter when it comes to contentment. I may not be rich, but I can own my own home, my kids can get a good education, crime is very low, we don't have to worry about going bankrupt if we have a medical emergency, there are amazing public parks nearby that I can visit, good service wherever I ago, etc.

Go along get along, and such.

Let's not generalize "the west". There's a huge difference in this regard between US and central/southern europe.