Ever since Japanese animation, also known as anime, crossed continents and became popular with generations of American viewers, there have been heated debates about which is better: Japanese or American animation. Some American animators and animation enthusiasts criticize the Japanese style and methods as lazy, while some Japanese animation enthusiasts see the American style as clumsy or too comical.

The look and feel of Japanese animation differs most noticeably from American animation in the design of human characters. Characteristics of Japanese animation include the noticeably large eyes with numerous reflective highlights and detailed color, as well as small noses and mouths drawn with minimal lines; even certain styles that favor unrealistically wide, generous mouths depict them using few lines. The style itself uses many angles and flowing, weakened lines. Other features such as eyelashes, hair, and clothing are depicted in greater detail. Color often appears with more variation and shading, with more emphasis on unlined highlights and shadows that add depth.

In contrast, American animation either lapses into attempts at comic-book realism or grossly exaggerated, comically cartoonish characters with rounded, highly exaggerated features. There is generally less detail, with more emphasis on the use of stylistic tricks to imply the detail in a subtler, more subdued way. Less attention is paid to shading than to solid block colors, except in dramatic scenes that require it.

Although American animation may seem lacking in color detail, it does contain a great deal of original animated motion—some of it used cyclically, yet animated precisely frame by frame. Anime, on the other hand, uses shortcuts, such as long scenes where only a character's mouth and perhaps a few strands of hair move while conveying important information, or when showing rapid movement with a character frozen in an action pose against a fast-moving, stylized background that does not require extensive animation. They often use dramatic still images against patterned backgrounds, with a few moving emotional symbols to accompany a monologue. This is why American animators sometimes label Japanese anime as "lazy." Both styles reuse shots and sequences, but this practice is a stylistic element that is distinctive to Japanese animation.