>>4
But you're not Japanese, so you can never meet or join those artists. Doesn't that make you sad and alienated from the medium you chose or which has chosen you?

i think for me it's that there's a higher quotient of stuff i actually see myself in present in anime than other bodies of work. i love and respect western greats, but as much as I'm infatuated with their style, rarely do i feel Seen watching something. like >>4 said, by and large it's a subculture by and for, though of course like all art that isn't just unprofitable stuff being made by hobbyists there's the interference of market forces, and i think a subculture largely defined by its dejected artists is the space I see the most of myself in.