I certainly do agree. I hope I didn’t create the reductive impression that I was proposing that American anime viewers are fundimentally incapable of appreciating anime for multiple reasons. I simply think that American viewers have a stronger instinctual (conditioned?) attraction toward action and narrative progression than do Japanese viewers. But that instinctual attraction definitely doesn’t exclude recognition and respect of other qualities inherent to anime.

Thanks to all who’ve contributed to this engaging and insightful discussion.

America’s penchant for bankrolling boorish action projects is a direct manifestation of the film and home video industries’ marketing magic, perfected over decades of pin-pointing (or is it pigeonholing?) key demographics into movie genres. In other words, because studios neglect cross-genre properties by and large, ignoring the subtleties of filmmaking and instead opting for a reaffirmation of industry status quo, advertising and promotional officials resultantly market toward genre interests.

For television animation, much of this still applies. Regardless of whether one chooses to append the Americans-think-animation-is-for-kids mantra or not, the truth of the matter is that marketing funds for cartoons in the states goes through a funnel before it hits audiences. When it comes to animation “for adults,” American television animation is generic, formulaic, lacks spirited writing, and is generally devoid of quality visual design, with very few exceptions. Expectations aren’t high from audiences, and likewise, there are often more suits than creatives in decision-making roles perpetuating this concept. (Animation for older viewers originally produced in Canada, Italy, France, or the UK, however, reach quite a bit higher than this.)

From this angle, I think this helps explain that some of the biases of the American anime fan aren’t of his own doing… but is rather an invention of the somewhat greedy, opportunistic entertainment culture.

Bringing this discussion back to anime, western otaku on the whole should be given slightly more credit than a mute obsession with action programming. Other than just action anime, I would argue that American anime fans are diverse enough to appreciate Japanese animation for the additional purpose of appreciating storytelling in animation that doesn’t patronize its viewership.

Storytelling in anime is phenomenally diverse, and I think there are western viewers who appreciate the novelty of this just as much as they might have an affinity for genre entertainment (action proper).

1. What happened
2. Reaction to what happened

And, of course, the big complaint is that, unsurprisingly, they didn’t like what happened. The shows that tend to be least popular with American fans are shows that have a loose semblance of a plot (or none at all!) built primarily around showcasing key character archetypes/stereotypes and traits. But even then, one could probably make an argument that *most* shows are in fact designed in that manner. As you correctly point out, so much of Japanese marketing is built strictly around character designs and traits.

Also, this theory/observation would tend to support the stereotypical American dislike of “reset endings” (despite their huge prevalence in anime). The “reset ending” is essential to maintaining the alternate world mindset, because it allows viewers to remain engrossed in that universe even once the show is long over (and relive it again through merchandise and so on). They can still believe that anything can happen, and characters will live on largely unchanged. Whereas the stereotypical American fan is more interested in the journey of the plot, so a “reset” might appear to negate the progress that was made and make the plot seem less impactful. If they buy the merchandise it’s because they want to “go through that journey again”, and the ending is a part of that. What you want to get out of something obviously affects how you feel about what you get.

Finally, I think that fans who have a different perspective than the sort of “cultural norm” will have a hard time understanding and relating to their fellow fans. At least, I know I do. Even among the niche genres that are more mildly accepted now, you still find a pronounced slant/bias in the appreciation for these shows. (For example, the English fan community’s ability to turn nearly every romantic anime into a prize fight where bets are to be taken and rivals passionately hated until defeat. Even in shows that are supposed to be all about the characters, it gets turned into a journey that’s all about the end-result.) So I think that recognizing these sorts of cultural biases is important, even (and especially) if you find yourself on the “other side of the fence”. At least you can get a handle on where the other person might be coming from.