The first thing you have to realize is that 80% of all anime really is generic and forgettable. However, that's true of television and films in the west, as well. Brilliance and originality is rare in any medium but it definitely exists in anime.
People will often watch a random anime here or there and think they understand the entirety of what it has to offer. If someone from another country flipped channels on cable for an hour or so, do you think that they would be in a position to declare that all western media is horrible?
There are definitely common factors with the style but there can also be important differences.
Kind of the same thing is true with JRPGs. A lot of them are relatively generic in one way or another, though the art style being uninspired doesn't mean the story or the gameplay cannot be fantastic. Final Fantasy VI is just sprites, after all, yet it's one of the best games I've ever played, period. Suikoden artwork is nothing all that special, yet the games are excellent.
The impression I get is that, with both anime and JRPGs, people are content to sample the ordinary and render their judgement from that. That's fine with me, to be honest, as I'm not the one missing out.
