While I agree with your question, the “reason/s” given by the youtube video are essentially AndyArtsTv personal views which he applies to every one else. And its based on his likely “youthful life experiences”.
Anime is literally just a catch phrase for Japanese Animation as an artform distinct from say American animation or Korean animation or French animation (to name several different countries which have developed there 0wn semi-distinct animatiion styles. I am almost 50, and while I don’t watch as much anime or animation in general, I also don’t watch as much tv/movies as well. I think overall watching is whats down so to speak.
I remember as a youth back in the 1970s and early 1980s, watching Gundam and then finding Robotech and backtracking that to Macross. Finding Maizengar, then of course the whole G-Force/Battle of the Planets and finding out about Gatchaman from that…and then the glory that was Star Blazers.
If you think relative to modern culture, American animation is “woke” which it is, you would be surprised how woke anime was from the beginning, especially relative to the extremely socially conservative (read backward) Japanese culture. You had tons of homosexual and I suppose you would say various trans type characters (hello Berg Katse was literally a mutant hermaphrite who changed genders all the time, and even in the toned down BAttle of the Planets version which was call Zoltar was still many of our first exposures to trans characters in a positive way, mind you positive in the sense of the character being powerful and capable not advocating and special snowflake status for BK/Zoltar).
People watch an animation style because they find that artwork appealing in the same way that people like or don’t find appealing any other artwork, like say Surrealism (think Picasso) or Egyptology (Egyptology is not a subset of archeology per se, but rather an art form that uses archelogy to characterize and sort Egyptian art).
Woke is not bad in and of itself, woke is bad because we are in an era of “woke or broke”/”the woke way or the hard way”/cancel culture. It is appropriate for artwork to push buttons and send signals, ie make you feel and think. It is not appropriate for artwork to say, other artwork which is not like ours is bad and you are only allowed to like our style or you will be sent to Gulag.
I like anime because the combination of the visual style with the emotional I guess you would say story telling tropes and tie ins to mythology still wake my inner child and also appeal to my emotions in what I consider a positive and helpful way.
I still cry when Jiraiya dies, or Naruto meets Minato and then Kushina. And that final goodbye for Naruto to Minato wow…hits on my own father issues that I still have at 48.
I still have a sense of horror and awe during Robotech/Macross when the Zentraedi attack the Earth.
I still get chills constantly during every episode of Hellsing Ultimate.
I still fall into, emotionally, the visceral fight between Amuro and Char.
The only American animations that appeal to me in any way are Tom and Jerry (because of my grandfather, he loved “The Cat and the Rat” as he called them his whole). Galaxy Rangers, Thundercats, Tranformers (the 1980s Transformers are my all time favorite animation) He Man and some others. I like very little of the Disney stuff after the Little Mermaid. If any of you want a great modern animation movie, look up Wolfwalkers. Its fucking amazing).
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