HOW IS JAPANESE ANIMATION DIFFERENT FROM AMERICAN ANIMATION?
Some people claim that anime is much more violent/sexual and drawn much better than American animation. This is not really true. There are examples of American animation that are just as violent/sexual (“Heavy Metal”) or just as well drawn (Disney) as many anime shows out there. The difference is that there is a LOT more animation produced in Japan than there is here in America. Consequently, even though the percentages of types of animation are about the same, the greater number of shows produced means that there is a lot more anime to choose from in any particular genre. One reason why anime seems so much better than American animation is the “fan filter” effect. Only a select few animes make it overseas via traders or professional companies, and those few are usually chosen because they stand out in some way. Thus, we usually only get to see the “best” examples of anime here, while the poorer ones remain in Japan in relative obscurity.
