you just want us to do the work for you [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif[/img]

I got into anime because

1) I was fascinated by the level of artistic freedom creators had with their series that is unheard of by US censorship standards. The ability to "push the envelope" farther than people are used to opens up a refreshing new approach to televised media, which is one factor that could also be attributed to the popularity of cartoons even in America, like Family Guy.

2) Simply put, stories with an extended plot gain more popularity over stories with plots so segmented that the order of watching it's episodes becomes a matter of preference over necessity. The ability to add more depth (and cliffhangers) beyond the 30 minute timeframe greatly enhances the creator's ability to hook an audience. The great thing about Anime is that it not only follows this trend, but, because it is animated, is also capable of telling stories that would otherwise be impractical for any budget-conscious live-action American series of a similiar extended-plot style.