>>108016731The actual definitions of "anime" vs "western cartoons" is pretty blurry, especially these days with how connected the two are and how much they influence eachother.
Strictly speaking the only difference is the place of origin. If a cartoon comes from Japan or Asia it's anime, if it comes from America or Europe it's western, that's it.
However, due to differences in culture, economics, and history, both forms of animation have developed in different directions. Enough that people can differentiate between them, whether that be by animation style, writing, monetization, development process, whatever. They're distinct enough that people can tell when shows developed outside of Japan seem "anime" and vice versa.
So what most people mean when they say anime is "connected to or reminiscent of Japanese animation and its influences" which can be anything from the animation style, to the plot and writing, to even the basic premise of the cartoon.
