I for one, do like anime. Though, it would be hard for me to place why for some of the ones I like. My favorites by far, however, are Bleach and Eureka Seven. The former, I'm not really sure why I like it. Maybe it's just because I like the story skeleton "Unassuming guy gets superpowers, owns stuff, gets owned, trains with some other guy, owns the stuff that owned him, rinse and repeat." I guess it's just because of the variety of the personalities and abilities presented. In Bleach are some of the most unique ideas I've seen.
As for Eureka Seven, the story, in my opinion, cannot be topped. I could care less about the whole "mech" cliché that runs rampant in Japanese manga and anime. The story is leaps and bounds above anything else I've ever seen. It's highly in-depth, with irony (somewhat predictable at points), drama, comedy, etc. It's also quite inspiring, to tell you the truth. Character development in the show is amazing. Three characters in particular change drastically throughout the series' 50 episodes. The main male character changes from being reserved, shy, and clueless into a responsible and courageous person. The main female character changes from being someone with no knowledge, no common sense, and little emotion, to, arguably, the most passionate character in the series. A third character, the leader of the group which is followed throughout the story, begins as rash and irresponsible, but develops into a true leader by the end of the series.
And if that isn't enough, the last episode alone is enough to make me love the series. The average anime series finale usually consists of a conclusion to a fight or crisis, followed by an episode-long resolution. This resolution, however, rarely gives any sort of insight into the causes of the crisis or explanations for what occurred. The characters' futures are also left completely unknown, with no way to accurately guess what happens.
In Eureka Seven, however, the two-part finale is, in itself, a crisis from beginning to end, with a resolution at the very end of the last episode. Everything that occurs is explained and wrapped up to the point where you can understand it completely if you think a little bit. The characters' futures are nearly certain, though nothing comes out and says "Character X went on to live happily ever after and have Y children who become Z profession..."
Another aspect of the final episode is something that should've happened halfway into the series. The finale is the ONLY episode in which it occurs, and when it finally does happen, a sense of happiness and relief sort of rushes over you, as if to say, "FINALLY!"
Bottom line:
I like Bleach but I can't say why. Most likely because of the large variety of personalities, abilities, and appearances with ideas I could never think of.
I love Eureka Seven, for the story above anything else. It is done impeccably, with everything that makes up a good drama/comedy (comedy in the theatrical sense, as in a play with a happy ending). Everything is fully explained and detailed, so that you don't have to go hypothesizing and guessing and being angry about how you don't know how something ended up. The last episode resolves the series perfectly, stopping at a point where it would seem logical for the characters to resume normal lives. The events that transpire should've happened long before the finale, so that when it finally does occur, you feel that much more satisfied.
In my opinion, Tolkien, Twain, etc. don't hold a candle to the writers of Eureka Seven. I could not ask for a better story, and that is why I love the show.
EDIT: One more thing...
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Originally Posted by Lightknight924
I don't mind how it's drawn at all really, just the way most characters act. It has bandwagon written all over it.
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If I'm not mistaken, you're referring to the characters' behavior being unrealistic. While you may dislike this, for whatever reason, I happen to enjoy it quite a bit. It's the same thing with sitcoms. Just to use a modern one...how about "The New Adventures of Old Christine?" Tell me one person who would really act like that in life. The entertainment value comes from imagining what it would be like if people really DID act like that. Idiocy (a feature common to all sitcoms) breeds hilarity, simply because it's entertaining to subconsciously compare that idiocy to something occurring in life, even though it really won't. Anime is similar in that most people obviously won't act the way the characters do, but it's entertaining to consider the possibility of those characters existing in real life.
For another comparison, take "The Odyssey," by Homer. Odysseus and Penelope both represent an ideal person (the ideal man, and the ideal woman, respectively). If you can name me one woman who will remain faithful to her husband for 20 years, even though there's a 99% chance he's dead, and with hundreds of suitors destroying her wealth, then I'd be glad to hear it. As for Odysseus, name me one man who will sail for 20 years just to try and get back home, even though there's a 99% chance his wife is dead or remarried, and almost no chance of his survival anyway. These kinds of people simply don't exist in real life. The entertainment comes from the actions of the characters as they would pertain to a real life situation.
In essence, the kind of anime you describe, with characters acting unrealistically, is not unique to anime. Any sort of story with an ideal person (or the opposite, as in the case of a lot of sitcoms) will consist of characters whose behavior is unrealistic. However, this is still entertaining, because we love to imagine that kind of behavior in real life, even if we don't do it consciously.
It all comes down to whether or not you like it when characters act unrealistically. Personally, I have enough of real life, in, well, real life. If I can watch a TV show to see how ideal people would act, or how total idiots would act, then I'll do it, simply because too much of the real world bores me.