While essentially escapist in nature, entertainment (especially fiction) has often been defended by its writers as having further intrinsic value.
What draws people to anime? What is Western TV doing to emulate it? What gives anime its unique value as a genre? Or is it merely entertainment and has no worth beyond the superficial distraction of fan service?
Edit 9/8/16 for grammar
What I find interesting in most anime is that there is a layer of abstraction to the characters as well as the general story. Each character seems to have their own philosophy which develops and changes as the characters do, these various philosophy the characters exude are different parts of a general ideal that makes up the atmosphere of the anime. It's this trait that separates anime from other forms of entertainment, it gives people something to reflect on. Philosophy is a very abstract concept and anime helps people understand it better by breaking it down and trying to develop on it. – RadosianStar8 years ago
Most people who are interested in anime have had interest in it from a young age. While most of Western TV is childish and comic, anime comes in many forms and genres. Majority of people are introduced to anime from one of the major series, whether it was a Miyazaki movie, Dragonball Z, Sailor Moon, etc. There's now an even larger anime industry to follow that which is introducing new people to the world of anime. Particularly, I like to watch anime for its story line but also the graphics. People of the western world want to meet up at conventions, do cosplays (costume play), just get together and buy merchandise from their favorite show or from someone who does something different with a similar style, see Shiroiroom, qinni, and yuumei for examples. For some it is entertainment and a way to wind down after a long day, for others it's so much more, sometimes, it can get pretty cringe-worthy. – dreamlikediana8 years ago
I think that people are drawn to anime because it's so much more genuine than American cartoons. The characters are complex, the voice acting is AMAZING, and the story lines are so special to a lot of people. For example, I know that I've felt more emotions towards animes than I have from cartoons on Cartoon Network (minus Toonami and the exception of a few others). – Breeedo8 years ago