Why do so many North American anime fans think that? High-qualitied anime certainly did NOT start with Cowboy Bebop. Cowboy Bebop was like any other anime OVA/movie, it had a large budget that most TV series didn't access to.
I would like to think that some of the earlier Gonzo Digimation productions (Such as Blue Submarine, Brain Powerd) were easily as influential on the overall anime industry, since they were one of the earliest studios to do away with traditional cel animation, instead using entirely digital methods of animation and illustration, as well as daring attempts of combining 3D models with 2D animation. Other studios had also tried this before Gonzo, but none as ambitiously nor as successfully as Gonzo.
And this thread talks about most influential ANIME that influenced the rest of the anime industry, not what outside factors influenced it.
I would like to think that some of the earlier Gonzo Digimation productions (Such as Blue Submarine, Brain Powerd) were easily as influential on the overall anime industry, since they were one of the earliest studios to do away with traditional cel animation, instead using entirely digital methods of animation and illustration, as well as daring attempts of combining 3D models with 2D animation. Other studios had also tried this before Gonzo, but none as ambitiously nor as successfully as Gonzo.
And this thread talks about most influential ANIME that influenced the rest of the anime industry, not what outside factors influenced it.