>>100840206The one thing anime should be respected on is the storytelling and mature content. The west is still struggling to find ground on mature animated shows that aren't Family Guy, Bob's Burgers, South Park or Rick and Morty. In other words, when will there ever be an American animated Westworld, Game of Thrones or Battlestar Galactica? An animated show that isn't entirely a comedy, and features tons of philosophical subject matter, bloody violence, and nudity/sex scenes. A show that runs for several seasons and can still make money through merchandise such as video games, action figures, spin-off novels, clothing, etc.
The problem is mostly concentrated in America (not sure about Canada), where parent groups and some adults still think of animation as being made for children. Sausage Party was a little too much for some of them since comments on reviews for the film ridiculed it as 'childish' when it was anything but. Meanwhile, across the pond, the Europeans have more creative freedom but less support financially to realise some of their projects - Lastman, for example, is cheaply animated but delivers a serious storyline with some interesting design choices. Britain used to produced a number of beautifully animated mature movies but its industry is virtually dead nowadays. The last significant hit was the disturbing sketch show Monkey Dust.
There's a reason that Japan continues to appeal to niche American and European audiences, and it's because they've always emphasised the maturity of most anime. The cheap production values are only in the TV shows, which is why I prefer the movies and OVAs. The amount of creativity that went down in the 80s and 90s can't be replicated on the budget and target audiences of today.
