Anime is probably the only form (along with video games) that let people digest things that simply do not exist in present "civilization."
The knee-jerk reaction is different depending on the age. I talked to a younger Zoomer who is on the edge recently: He was concerned with the "cringe" associated with the "type" who enjoys too much anime. But as the conversation developed he also revealed himself to be a moe-fag and a mecha-disrespector.
On the other hand, millenials and Gen X who are against it often profess their utter ignorance, as if it never occurred to them. This is a small sample size, but face-to-face conversation does offer some benefits on being able to "read" what is going on.
Another zoomer, slightly younger, on a difficult academic path simply believed that anime was "not true". He believes in a world of small iterative processes leading forward. He immediately disqualified himself from being capable of any large discovery or break-through in his field. He confidently called such thinking "delusional" despite historical record and so on.
I think it is a fairly good test of how well someone understands reality. Gundam Wing, Code Geass, etc. are much more realistic than the average (or even exceptional) Hollywood film. They simply focus on exceptional figures rather than the mundane. Shonen is good for another type of exception, and I hold some faith in the idea of a great South American break-through thanks to Dragon Ball Z.
One can also reference the anime totems that Russian soldiers brought into the current conflict. IIRC there were American soldiers (ME) with similar things. Some give faith in a love that might exist, others give connection to great military feats or leadership. It's not so different from the Greek Gods. Perhaps this is why many of the objections come from those who wish to sink into a "Total" God of equalism and flat-life.
I don't think it's a relationship of totems to worshipers that Western soldiers or indeed Westerners Latin Americans and almost all of Asia like anime and bring items of it everywhere even on active conflict zones rather it's simply anime broadly gives romance heroism stories that gratify when modern ZOG culture refuses and even scorns doing so.
“Power changes its appearance but not its reality.”― Bertrand De Jouvenel
It's good that anime and manga still retain their filtering prowess despite the long-enduring "pose" that ironic weebs and other "I want to fit in" types have employed.
Those who found their way to it will always retain that aristocratic elluse that can never be faked, produced, or synthesized. A million golems cried at once...
All things will return to their center.