Overused genres.

[Anon_Y_Mousse]

What ya'll think are the most overused popular genres/tags on scribblehub?(Ex: Genderbender, LitRPG, Smut) Bonus: Also the most overused tropes these genres have. Need this for a tribute to a certain novel written on July 25th

 

[Reisinling]

Obviously NOT isekai and LitRPG, because that's what I write

 

[SailusGebel]

Isekai, GL, BL, LitRPG, GB, Smut. I don't know about tropes as I don't check a lot of works with these tags. Probably: 'male to female' tag for GB fiction. I don't think there are more than 10-20 works of the GB genre that don't have this tag. And you can check how many GB stories there are. If I'm not mistaken it's overused.

 

[Derin_Edala]

Obviously NOT isekai and LitRPG, because that's what I write

Take pride in old ground. Not specifictoScribblehub, but I write a magical school fantasy specifically because Harry Potter overplayed the entire genre and I wanted to annoy people.

I have a vampire story lined up next.

 

[Mysticant]

Definitely NOT system novels, I mean there is probably only 1 in 2 novels starring a system, including mine.

 

[Cipiteca396]

Hmmm. The problem is it's only overused if I don't like it. And I'm really not that picky.

 

[Underload]

Death to 2-D girls and Romance

 

[Anon_Y_Mousse]

Hmmm. The problem is it's only overused if I don't like it. And I'm really not that picky.

Eh, that's fine. Overused doesn't mean bad, just that its easier to be ruined by terrible execution.

 

[Jemini]

Thing is, "overused" implies it's unwelcome or burning out the audience due to how frequently it is used. If the demand is there for it, it's not overused, it's popular.

That said, I think that the tropes can easily fall into the category of "overused." For instance, Truck-kun for Isekai. The mere fact I said "truck-kun" and you know what I'm talking about is living proof that this trope is beyond over-used. It is so over-used it has become a joke among even the most ardent supporters of the Isekai genre. It is over-used well beyond the point where any kind of clever or creative take on the implementation can save it. It is the very definition of over-used.

EDIT: Ok, maybe it's not THAT bad. Mushoku Tensei is considered the series that upped the popularity of the truck-kun isekai method, but when I saw MT adapted to anime it was implemented so well that I was too caught up in the moment for the notion of 'truck-kun strikes again' to even enter my head.

 

[NotaNuffian]

I don't have the issue of overused so long as the story itself is good.

I however steers clear from yuri (GL)

 

[Reisinling]

Thing is, "overused" implies it's unwelcome or burning out the audience due to how frequently it is used. If the demand is there for it, it's not overused, it's popular.

That said, I think that the tropes can easily fall into the category of "overused." For instance, Truck-kun for Isekai. The mere fact I said "truck-kun" and you know what I'm talking about is living proof that this trope is beyond over-used. It is so over-used it has become a joke among even the most ardent supporters of the Isekai genre. It is over-used well beyond the point where any kind of clever or creative take on the implementation can save it. It is the very definition of over-used.

EDIT: Ok, maybe it's not THAT bad. Mushoku Tensei is considered the series that upped the popularity of the truck-kun isekai method, but when I saw MT adapted to anime it was implemented so well that I was too caught up in the moment for the notion of 'truck-kun strikes again' to even enter my head.

But that's why it's so good! Truck-kun is now a meta-meme, or maybe even post-ironic meme!
First, truck-kun was just a trope,
Then it was parodied (truck-kun fake outs, truck-kun deaths, isekai transporter, something else i forgot the name of)
Then it was overused
Now it's like a homage to the origin of a genre, a brave statement you don't care about the haters, this novel is trash, and so are you, but you are a proud trash!

 

[melbisbelbis]

BL, GL, Smut, Harem. Always easy popularity for low effort and they burn out astonishingly quickly.
I wouldn't say LitRPG is really overused because it is intentionally designed to be very broad and have a ton of possibilities, thus making it such that it's not overused because so much more of it can be done.
I'm probably just angry because almost every time I see them they're top trending, only popular because of the sexual content and appeals to horny teenagers, and generally has horrible storywriting only accepted because of the sex.

...Yeah, I think I'm just ranting at this point.

 

[sereminar]

Here some probably not super helpful hard numbers (+/-1%)

68% fantasy
59% action
53% adventure
37% romance
28% supernatural
28% Isekai
27% comedy
24% drama
23% mature
23% slice of life
18% adult
17% litrpg
16% psychological
15% mystery
15% tragedy
14% sci-fi
13% harem
13% martial arts
13% school life
12% gender bender
11% fanfiction
10% girls love
10% smut
8% ecchi
8% horror
7% boys love
6% historical
6% seinen
2% josei
2% mecha
1% sports

If you were going for the other extreme a Mecha Sports novel with BL sounds like it would make a legitimately fun story

 

[Anon_Y_Mousse]

Here some probably not super helpful hard numbers (+/-1%)

68% fantasy
59% action
53% adventure
37% romance
28% supernatural
28% Isekai
27% comedy
24% drama
23% mature
23% slice of life
18% adult
17% litrpg
16% psychological
15% mystery
15% tragedy
14% sci-fi
13% harem
13% martial arts
13% school life
12% gender bender
11% fanfiction
10% girls love
10% smut
8% ecchi
8% horror
7% boys love
6% historical
6% seinen
2% josei
2% mecha
1% sports

If you were going for the other extreme a Mecha Sports novel with BL sounds like it would make a legitimately fun story

Almost tempted to make a novel about hot guys in giant robots playing football and some sexy scenes in the locker rooms, but I think I'll pass.

 

[SailusGebel]

Here some probably not super helpful hard numbers (+/-1%)

68% fantasy
59% action
53% adventure
37% romance
28% supernatural
28% Isekai
27% comedy
24% drama
23% mature
23% slice of life
18% adult
17% litrpg
16% psychological
15% mystery
15% tragedy
14% sci-fi
13% harem
13% martial arts
13% school life
12% gender bender
11% fanfiction
10% girls love
10% smut
8% ecchi
8% horror
7% boys love
6% historical
6% seinen
2% josei
2% mecha
1% sports

If you were going for the other extreme a Mecha Sports novel with BL sounds like it would make a legitimately fun story

Imagine how much funnier would be a Josei Mecha Sports novel. A single mother raising three children as a retired athlete who used to do sports(pick whatever suits you). Nowadays, her money income gets reduced so much that the only way for her to earn money is to accept the offer of this shady promoter. He acts as a liaison for the owner of the new league, who tries to promote a new way of doing sport. A MECHA sports league. Now, along with many other moms and dads, she tries to come up with these new sports things. Rivalries of the past, old romances intertwined with new ones. Caring for her children is mixed with the need to train to pilot her giant robot. We see how she goes between pampering them and attending school parent's gatherings and kicking asses in her new sport. She as well rediscovers her sexuality that she abandoned in favor of taking care of her children. This, by the way, makes space for some hetero or homo romance. And you know, there is a lot more of other classic stuff like that to make this story work.

 

[Anon_Y_Mousse]

Imagine how much funnier would be a Josei Mecha Sports novel. A single mother raising three children as a retired athlete who used to do sports(pick whatever suits you). Nowadays, her money income gets reduced so much that the only way for her to earn money is to accept the offer of this shady promoter. He acts as a liaison for the owner of the new league, who tries to promote a new way of doing sport. A MECHA sports league. Now, along with many other moms and dads, she tries to come up with these new sports things. Rivalries of the past, old romances intertwined with new ones. Caring for her children is mixed with the need to train to pilot her giant robot. We see how she goes between pampering them and attending school parent's gatherings and kicking asses in her new sport. She as well rediscovers her sexuality that she abandoned in favor of taking care of her children. This, by the way, makes space for some hetero or homo romance. And you know, there is a lot more of other classic stuff like that to make this story work.

you should xpost this to writing prompts....

 

[SailusGebel]

you should xpost this to writing prompts....

I personally don't think this deserves an individual mention. The thing I wrote is secondary(not sure if this is the right word), it's not as original and fresh, not that this is bad. I firmly believe all of the authors here can come up with something like this. They simply don't put their mind to it as they are busy with the more unique novel premises(and procrastinating ofc).

 

[Deleted member 45782]

Idk since also depends on platform. Some cliches become so common they feel like they have become their own genre: bad boys, mafia ml, or kidnapped by alpha on Wattpad. They're not something I think you would really see here anyway. I don't look for those stories here but you can feel other cliches replace it such as a pokemon collect it all harem, an isekai where mc dies and adapts to new world without much conflict from their previous life (like dealing with adjusting to things and loved ones they left behind, and now they won't see them anymore. Etc etc.)

For me, I'm not really into stories where the synopsis says something along the lines of "Join so and so's journey on..." I mean there are probably great stories out there that use it but I just feel not immersed into the actual story plot and setting. It feels like someone retelling a story versus letting me the reader imagining being right there along with the characters in the story and seeing the plot progress. It also feels like something isekai like (but there tons of stories not isekai that probably do this maybe). Not really into isekai..

Like someone said, its all about how its executed. Popular tropes/cliches can be good, but a lot flock to it bc its popular but don't really bring something else to the table that makes it good. I sort of think the common isekai trope where someone dies and they get transported into another world falls a bit like that. Or transmigration actually. I read a few transmigration stories in the past and it feels a bit similar to how others describe isekai a bit- someone dies and gets transported to another time/another world in a society that operates a bit differently from their previous modern life. A lot of times it feels about dumping someone from modern day to another place to make themselves appear smarter with their modern knowledge. There isn't always an explanation for their sudden random deaths or why they got a new life in another world after dying (if there is, it feels a bit flat. like maybe a deity or system gave them that option, but that's about it - not really revisited in later chapters or have much depth, its just served as a kickstarter). There's also the part where it feels like quick adaptation and not much conflict with their previous life modern day views or things.

 

[K5Rakitan]

There's no such thing as an overused genre if people enjoy reading it.

 

[MajorKerina]

I’d love to see the top genres put into a randomizer and you pick three and try to make them work. There’s so much to be said in every genre, the problem is relying on the familiar when writing. The most boilerplate concept can be made into something cool if you’re willing to write it that way.