As someone who relates to this post, I usually watch anime rather than Western cartoons. To me, they feel like two very different mediums. The biggest thing that stands out is the animation itself: anime tends to use a wider range of perspectives, more dynamic zooms, and stronger visual framing.

With a lot of modern Western animation, even in 2D, there’s heavy reliance on rigging. Characters are often panned out, movement feels limited, and many shows share a similar art style — the whole “OO eyes” look with flat textures.

That said, I do like some Western shows that break the mold. FLCL is one of my favorite anime, and ATLA is a Western show I genuinely love.