In the West, animation is usually regarded as being a medium for children. Cartoons are usually designed especially to be enjoyed by kids. While there have been many more cartoons with mature themes created in recent years that can be both enjoyed by kids and adults, the stigma still holds true.
While both Western cartoons and Japanese anime are nuanced in their own rights, there are several qualities unique to most anime that allow the medium to hold a special place in our hearts.
10 Romance Often Gets A Bigger Focus Than In Western Cartoons
Western cartoons aren't completely shy about the topic of romance, but a love story is rarely the central focus of the plot. Especially for shows aimed at kids, characters will suddenly get together at the end of a series without any buildup whatsoever.
While not every love story in anime is perfect, anime often takes more time to explore characters' romantic relationships. For instance, in Sailor Moon, Usagi and Mamoru's story takes on themes of mistaken and lost identity, romantic rivalry, loving a shadow, and eternal love.
9 Anyone Can Be A Hero Or Villain In Anime
In Western cartoons, there are unspoken rules regarding who gets to be a hero or what makes up a team. For example, most teams of heroes only have one female lead. On the other hand, it's not uncommon to see girls being the hero in anime. Sometimes, an entire team of girls with different personalities can be the heroes. From a duck to a pig, the heroes in anime need not even be human. And in anime, the quiet kid with glasses might actually be the villain.
8 Characters Often Change Clothes In Anime
In Western cartoons, characters rarely change clothes. And, more often than not, there will be a joke lampshading the fact by showing off how they actually have multiples of the same outfit.
Anime often bucks this trend by letting characters appear in various outfits throughout the series. Sailor Moon might have been known for the girls' Sailor Scout uniforms, but the girls indulge in fashion whenever they have the opportunity.
7 More Care Is Put Into The Art Style
From Teen Titans in the United States to Winx Club in Italy, there's a reason why Western cartoons started emulating the style of anime during the early 2000s. The art style of anime is usually far more detailed, with mere screenshots of a series looking like a fine work of art. Even cheap anime often have a sense of style that is easy to admire, like Revolutionary Girl Utena and its overabundance of silhouettes.
6 Fewer Themes Are Off-Limits & A Wide Variety Of Cultures Get Represented
Anime often highlights themes that Western cartoons find taboo. This isn't just limited to mature themes. For instance, religion tends to be heavily censored in cartoons. A Charlie Brown Christmas was, and still is, considered daring for having Linus making biblical references about the holiday. In anime like Saint Tail, however, the heroine's sidekick and best friend is a nun. Children often get to see things found in the real world in anime that they usually don't in Western cartoons.
5 Characters Are Allowed To Grow And Change
Western cartoons are infamous for not letting characters grow older, even if a series has gone on for years. Anime, by contrast, often allows characters to grow older and undergo a complete story arc. It's also rare for the characters of Western cartoons to start families of their own. It's partially the reason Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck are allowed to be very involved uncles, but they never become fathers themselves. Anime fans have seen Goku and Naruto become adults and even have children, some of whom have become characters in their own right.
Even anime that likes to keep their characters more or less the same age find ways to explore the future. The kids of Doraemon haven't really aged over the years, but their future selves are a big part of the series. And through the magic of time travel, viewers can even meet the future children of their favorite anime heroes, like Sailor Moon's daughter, Chibiusa.
4 Anime Can Take You On Trips Around The World
American cartoons are infamous for remaining in one location. Oftentimes, these locations remain undisclosed. The Simpsons has been on for decades, but the closest fans have to where Springfield is on the map is the tesseract theory. On the other hand, anime often features real-life locations, from Egypt, the United States, and even Antarctica. These locations are not only varied, but they're true-to-life as well.
3 A Lot Of Attention Is Given To The Music
When it comes to anime, a lot of thought gets put into its music, from the opening theme songs or background music. A theme song might even become more famous and popular than the anime itself. I Wedding Peach, for example, sampled music from Eurovision to Earth, Wind, and Fire. Inuyasha even borrowed from Australian pop for "Come My Way."
2 There's A Lot For Fans To Enjoy Other Than Just The Anime
Anime is often designed as a franchise with multiple forms of media based on the same intellectual property. If an anime series isn't already based on a manga, one might be developed to run alongside it. Series often get an OVA or omake if it proves popular enough. Audio dramas can often test the waters to see if a story can handle an adaptation, as well as give fans a quick new story. Video game adaptations often get made, and live shows, such as traditional musicals, might even be conducted to help promote a show.
1 Anime Often Has The Viewer In Mind
There are many reasons why animators want to tell stories, and people around the world like to tell stories for their audiences, but anime is often designed to leave the viewer with an unforgettable message or experience. "Iyashikei," which means "healing-type," is a genre dedicated to having a therapeutic effect on viewers. The popularity of "Isekai" stories in anime could also be partially attributed to connecting with the audience's sense of escapism. Even sad and scary anime can give viewers the sentiment they want.