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How come the Japanese and Westerners (esp. the Americans and British) have such differing views on animation?

From what I know, generally speaking Westerners hold animation in comparatively low regard. They associate animation/cartoons with childhood or immaturity or both. The majority of Western animation is designed primarily for children under the age of 15 and it was only in the past two decades that the concept of adult cartoons was fully explored and brought into the mainstream, with channels such as Cartoon Network and Comedy Central producing adult-oriented animation and their forerunners, The Simpsons and South Park.

However it seems to me that the Japanese do in fact regard animation as something that may be enjoyed by people of ALL ages. The concept of animation aimed primarily at adults is not at all new especially since a decades-old show such as Lupin III is, by many Western standards, “adult” enough to be put on a program like [adult swim].

I’ve also noticed how the majority of Western adult cartoons are comic and, with some exceptions, artificial and shallow, whereas anime such as “Spirited Away”, “Grave of the Fireflies”, “Princess Mononoke”, “Howl’s Moving Castle”, “Ghost in the Shell”, “Neon Genesis Evangelion”, etc. are not only much more serious in tone but are very much critically-acclaimed. Even anime aimed at younger viewers, e.g. “Fushigi Yuugi”, “Ranma 1/2″ have very strong sexual and homosexual overtones that would probably not surface in Western children’s animation.

How, then, does one account for these varying views on animation?
@ firestar: If only it could be that easy… one should keep in mind that many East and South Asians (i.e. Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Indian, Pakistani) frown upon newer ideas such as interracial marriage; as far as I know in Japan they consider a person of mixed heritage (hyphenated Japanese) a foreigner, and in India I believe in some places they still adhere to the caste system.

Western reporters have field days in West Asia/Middle East because of their, quote-unquote, “sexist and misogynist” practices; that part of the world is an awkward place where conservative religion and “progressive” thought are placed side-by-side and are constantly at odds.

Personally I live in Southeast Asia and this is probably the part of Asia that best fits your idea of Asia. Cheers and thanks for the answer.

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