I sent a link to this thread to a friend who reviews manga and anime and this was her response after reading:

Wow. Huh. "What up with these kids and their hula hoops?"

Well, people I work with are little better sometimes. Sometimes... because most of them have kids and at least know of pokemon and whatever random cartoons were on at the time their kids were of an age to watch them. It's fun watching their eyes glaze over when I tell them "my side gig is reviewing japanese comics for a website.' Then watching them try to comprehend reading a book backwards.

Forget trying to explain an anime convention.

Sometimes I forget that there are still segments of the population who would have no exposure for lack of being around anyone 33 and under. (Roughly speaking, age of most people when anime took off again in the late 90s. That's when I began watching, when Sailor Moon hit the states in 95.) I imagine mentioning ASTRO BOY and Speed Racer would make folks over 40 understand better. (For the inbetween gap, Robotech.)

I blame everything on the comic code. I really do. I think that if it had never existed that comics probably would have followed the same path as Japan and Europe, less superheros and a broader range of story telling types would have emerged earlier and in lock step with our friends overseas. Which, in turn, would have lead to a wider range of animation. Instead, shit got weird and people forgot animated cartoons could be aimed at adults or teenagers until the 90s and, likewise, that comic books could be aimed at girls and women. (Outside of Archie.)

There's this blog called 'Cartoon Brew,' run by a bunch of crochety old US animators. Two things they seem to hate, Japanese TV animation and Commercial Animation not done by a buddy of theirs. They can't see beyond the quality of the animation (judged in frames per second and fluidity, I'm guessing)... I'm guessing story is perfunctory to them. (Although they love Miyazaki, of course.)

Kids these days and their indy folk music.... =)