[Animekitty]

I think the reason for this is that when the style we think of as anime developed there was a sense of envy of Western culture and it's successes. I believe it grew out of the defeat of Japan in WWII and the sudden influx of Western ideas and styles that suddenly flooded the country. The Japanese at this time had just been handed a defeat without precedence in their history and likely felt a general betrayal of their manifest destiny, which their leaders had encouraged. I think a lot of silent rebellion was waged against their history and society as they tried to forget it and embrace a future that was paved seemingly with gold. Once this style, that was part of a general re-envisioning of their culture and roles, took hold it became embedded in their society (think of how rock music took over from traditional forms) to a degree that it became the norm.