Would you consider anime superior to western animation?
 

There are some friends that I have that consider western cartoons inferior to anime. One friend of mine who watches anime says it is due to the lack of morals, learning, and unmemorable characters. However, aren't Steven Universe and Adventure Time praised for the stuff they desire?

What are your thoughts?

No. Both anime and western cartoons have their good and bad shows. The difference with anime is the sheer mass of it, especially when it dates back to the 60's, while western animation was primarily aimed at kids until maybe the mid/late 90's.

These days? I prefer western animation

Haven't seen an anime all the way through since at least Excel Saga.

It depends on what shows/movies you are comparing.

I don't think you can draw a hard line between them these days. Stylistically speaking, Western and Japanese animation are becoming closer and closer together.

The writing in Western animation has improved in the last 20 years, and there seems to have been a lot more content aimed at mature audiences; at least on TV. The Japanese stuff has possibly gotten a little worse in that regard. They seem to be a long way from their 80's/90s renaissance.

The economic models of both seem to be equally bad, as do the industrial relations and professional conduct. They're both rehashing too many old IPs.

Yes. Most anime looks better than the lazy fat ugly crap western produced like Adventure Time, Steven Universe, She-Ra & the Princess of Power, Reboot Powerpuff Girls etc.

What started as useful, parody animation with shows like Ren and Stimpy in the 90's has become prime time animation for children today. It's hard to believe, but it's accepted by viewers because this is what they are growing up with and so it's basically their exposure to the format.

And it's terrible.

Actually it's worse than Ren and Stimpy because that was at least drawn by hand with some artistic intent. Most of these shows nowadays are, I think, flash animation. It's just a cheap, awful product.

Popeye, Betty Boop, and a few others would like a few words with you, Cubed.... Seriously, many of the early animated films and shorts were aimed at older audiences, because they were shown between movies along with newsreels. Since most movies in those days were for adult audiences (though kids might watch them too), the animated shorts had to appeal to an adult mindset. And they got away with some pretty risque content! It was only after Disney became big that animation shifted to a "kiddie" medium.

I not sure, I did like Western 80's style with Heavy Metal and Fire and Ice. Oh yeah and 1970's Wizards. Granted as of late Western Animation has not been wow to the eyes like Wizards was, or even anime for the most part. But there was a time when Western animation were pushing the limits.

Once American cartoons start showing blood and adult themes of the sexual nature (that AREN'T adult comedies), the line is still there.

It did during the 1990's and early 2000's. I don't know if that's the case today, with all these short film-episodes (like Rise of the TMNT).

Young Justice comes back January 4th, people. There's your, "this is better than anime" show.

This is probably the most you've made that I've agreed the most with ever.

Yeah, Western animation, which is mostly American, is aimed at kids for the most part. And when it's aimed at adults it pretty much only makes comedies like The Simpsons, Family Guy, Archer, South Park, etc. I'm sure if American animators wanted to they'd make something like Monster or Ghost in the Shell, but I guess that type of show is more profitable as a live action movie or as a live action TV series than in animated format in the US market, so that's why they just aim cartoons at kids or make them adult comedies.