For me, Japanese Anime is better than American cartoons because you aren't learning some basic lesson like don't steal and share kids. A series in anime is much deeper as whole. Whether it's about the ephemeral nature of love compared to the life span of a sakura blossom or if it's about the concept of life is but a dream. Or even the idea of Ghost in the Shell, the soul of a robot. Granted not all anime's are deep and meaningful, but they make up for this by having wonderful character development and magnificent art.
When I grew up regular American cartoons were fun to watch, but they never made me think. I would like a series: anime, cartoon, real life; that makes me think about things in this world. Something that makes me realize there is no black and white side on any issure, there is always some form of gray.

Cartoons are for the younger audiences and lacks a steady storyline.

Anime, on the other hand, is shorter and has a definite plot

pink-sakura

You're practically comparing two different species here. American cartoons are meant for humor and entertainment and what they mostly depict is the day-to-day lifestyle that Americans can relate to. Most American cartoons that are not aimed at young children poke fun at everyday society. For example, The Simpsons is simply a cartoon parody of the average American family and the show is not meant to politically correct. That's why it's funny. American cartoons are shows that you can watch at any time and will not feel lost because each episode is a different story altogether, just involving the same characters and also because there are different writers for each episode as well. American cartoons are aimed at everyone except for the ones with adult humor (South Park, Ren & Stimpy, etc.). Anime on the hand, are mostly based on manga and video games, those of which already has a set plot and a certain time frame the plot falls into. There is a sequential plot and most likely you have same people doing the storyboards for every episode. Anime is enjoyable to watch and it tends to follow a strict storyline, unlike American cartoons. Besides, which is better than the other depends on the interests and tastes of audience. Obviously, since this is an anime forum, there will be a bias towards anime. I'm speaking from the point of view of somebody who enjoys both.

pink-sakura's opinion is very objective.
But imho,just ignore the interests and tastes of one,the quality of frames in japanese anime is far more better than Amarican cartoons.anime can give us fun and also leave us something to think.this's the reason why I prefer anime.

PS1:My Engish is quite bad...,so correct my mistakes if I had made some
PS2:pink-sakura is a very beautiful name !! I like sakura~~~~~~

I will say that japanese anime more good than america anime,because they have attractive story line,pretty design quality and the seiyuu act the voice full with emotion!so i would say japanese anime good than america.^^

The American cartoons onto first eyesight akciódúsabbak, but
The Japanese anime though much worked out, and gives the spectator a bigger sensation on a long distance!
For me the Japanese anime the first!

Well, I can't say that Anime series are better than American cartoons.
I only prefer Anime more than them. We should never forget that Manga was created thanks to the American comics.
The reason why I prefer Anime is:
+ the "heroes" do not win the whole time
+ the people also face all day troubles
+ friendship is very important and will be shown in the Anime series
+ I like the drawings more than the American version
+ Anime openings and endings (Japanese version) are not as childish as the American cartoons
+ sometimes the "evil" wins at the very end (it is not always a happy ending)
+ the enemies are not always only evil till their core
+ some of the Anime reactions and jokes are funnier for me than the humor of the American cartoons
+ etc.
It depends on the people's flavor, but for me Anime is better.

Pink-Sakura, I could not agree with you more! I also enjoy anime and cartoons, but there are some anime I watch just for fun, like Sayanora Zetsubo Sensei or Dai Mahou Touge, and cartoons I watch that are more serious, like Spawn or Avatar.

Luvu, I mean no offense, but each frame of animation in an anime, in general, tends to be lower quality, so that's why the animation isn't exactly top-notch. The quality of what's being animated, however, is normally better than that of most cartoons. I've seen frames where characters had extra fingers, so yeah. I love them, anyway, though!

Anime tends to have better animation, much more complex. I mean, I have not seen one American show that has even come close. (Except perhaps Avatar.) The plot lines of anime are also usually more complicated, involving many different character and an actual story, not just a small problem concluded in one episode. I am not saying that all anime is like this, only that most is.

I like anime better than american cartoons for a few reasons. One is the comedy is actually good, and secound is that anime just plain looks way cooler!

American anime is ok but it's mostly kid shows. There are heroes, bad guys, the hero always wins(maybe lose 1 once every 10-20 episodes) and it's suppose to be fun to watch for kids. Japanese anime is more mature. It can apply so many things into a series based on the plot and what the series is about. Psychology, religion, morals, logic, romance, nature and much more can be found in Japanese anime besides the funny moments and the battles in most American cartoons. Japanese anime also has a better drawing style to me. I look at a kid's cartoon show compared to an anime and the anime looks much better.

Everything feels more dignified and mature when you have to read it.

This along with the lack of annoying American accents for the most part, as well as more engaging and usually adult orientated plots, more character development and for the most part a better and more fulfilling experience all in all is had. Anime is the equivalent of computer games back in the 90s, it takes what is presumed to be a childish attraction, i.e. cartoons and provides it to the adult masses, allowing it to grow and expand in to a far greater medium for entertainment for everyone. A lot of people I meet think I'm a bit stupid for watching "cartoons" as a hobby, in the same way that back in the early 90s an older person playing computer games regularly would have been frowned upon.

Just to clarify, just since I'm talking about the early 90s doesn't mean I'm an old person, merely 19, but still I'm criticised for watching "cartoons" so I suppose I'm at THAT age where lines of childishness and adulthood cross over. Bah... humbug...

I disagree that Japanese anime is better than American cartoons & I challenge the assumption that anime = / = cartoon.

This is a really interesting, humbling article:

http://azusa.leamonde.net/animerant.html

"Discounting the fact that the marketing blitz accompanying popular shows in Japan often surpasses what we get in the West (we never saw Sailor Moon sausages over here, did we?), 'anime' is actually-- surprise-- just the Japanese word for 'animation'! Thus, Pokemon, Akira, Legend of the Overfiend, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Mickey Mouse, and Fritz the Cat all technically fall under the enormous banner of 'anime'. And last I checked, it was perfectly acceptable to speak of British or European cartoons; there exists no particular provision stipulating that 'cartoon' must refer only to American-produced work. Anime=animation=cartoons. End of story. (On a similar note, it should be noted that "seiyuu" is merely the Japanese word for "voice actor," and calling someone a "seiyuu" does not mean that they are on an artistically higher level than a mere voice actor.)"

Back in the days I used to watch American cartoons (i.e. Arthur's Kids, Powerpuff Girls) & I still watch some cartoons like Simpson's & they're as good as anime. And then you must remember that some of the American cartoons like Powerpuff Girls & Simpsons are produced under license in S Korea.

And then you must remember there are animeish looking American cartoons like Avatar: The Last Air Bender & IGPX. Other non-Japanese animations that look animeish include Korean animations like Mangchi the Hammerboy & Wonderful Days.

Read this article from anime-source.com:

http://www.anime-source.com/banzai/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=935

First of all, I don't know where you get the idea from that all American cartoons are for kids (that seems to be the general opinion around here) and second, I don't know why the fact that some animes have an "adult" storyline makes them better than American cartoons. I've gotta admit that I haven't been watching a lot of contemporary American cartoons but the topic doesn't say anything specific about the year of the comparisons.
I suppose we all know where the big eyes in Anime come from, and when Anime was being born, it was considered rather of bad and cheap animation. Of course this has changed in the last years... in some cases, at least. So, what am I saying? Some Animes have a great animation and story and some are very bad. The thing is most anime fans think that just for being anime it's superior. The same thing goes for American cartoons, some are really good, some are really bad. It has absolutely nothing to do with the country they came from or if the characters look cool and with human proportions.
This is a perfect example of a good American cartoon, you may considerate it childish, but if you do you're not different from all the people that say Anime is for kids because it's drawn. There are lots of things to appreciate in those 7:30 minutes, when I first saw it, I didn't realize of that because I wasn't smart enough. It may not have a developed "mature" story but it has lots of creativity and talent.

Well i think Animehasmore story in it as Cartoons.
Cartoons are not bad but i think they armore Comedy or action insteadof anime where you find every genre.

I like both. Sure, I've outgrown a lot of the US' children cartoons, but how many of you have actually watched a Japanese cartoon for children. There are children cartoons in Japan and most of them are just as childish as some of the children cartoons in the US. The fact is, who is going to take the time to translate a Japanese cartoon made for children, when most of us want the more adult Japanese cartoons? That's why many Americans can say US cartoons are more childish than Japanese cartoons, b/c they never saw a children's cartoon from Japan. There are American cartoons for adults. Just on Fox, there's American Dad, The Simpsons, King on the Hill, & Family Guy. Even "children" cartoons like Spongebob, Ren & Stimpy, CatDog, Arthur, etc. have story lines & make pop culture references & situations that no child under the age of 14 would know. Hell, there is an episode of Arthur that spoofs The Sopranos! I like American cartoons even if they're mostly comedy. There's nothing wrong with watching a cartoon that's not serious and wanting to laugh. IMO, there's good in all cartoons no matter where they are from. No country's cartoons are better than the other. They're just different.