Put very simply it's just a specifc genre of entertainment, within that category there are of course many genres and types. So you get Western Cartoons and Japanese Anime, it's just the name for a cartoon originating in Japan with a specific style. Some people like it, some people love it, some people take it way too far and become Otakus- See retard* Others don't care and some people hate it. It's good if you enjoy it, and bad if you don't. You can't really make the official statement this is good/bad because that is an opinion. In my experience there are some really well done shows and some not so good ones, in that sense it isn't really that different from normal television. You have to make your mind up on the show itself rather than generalising the whole genre as some people enjoy doing. *Seriously, there is a difference between loving Anime and being a complete moron over it. The Japanese as a culture aren't overly fond of foreigners as it is but when they see some Gaijin American adding -Kun to their name and acting like they are Japanese it's no wonder they dislike outsiders and Otakus. It's not a good thing to be called Otaku, it means freak pretty much.