In an age where popular animation is so diverse, and has assimilated anime so much, is anime “different” any more? But I know I sound like a troll to many anime fans, trying to reduce real anime to “cartoons.” It’s arguable some fans want anime to be different for the sake of, well, being different. Decades ago, a critic I respect told me most anime fans don’t get into anime because it’s animated. In this column, I’ve written about sports anime, steampunk anime and “isekai” anime (where protagonists are transported to other worlds).