I agree, in my case, that cartoons these days don't have the same appeal as they once did. The last cartoons that acually held my attention were The Simpsons and Family Guy, but that was three years ago. Concerning anime, DBZ and its previous iteration can be considered to be a classic simply because of what it has done to the genre and viewership of anime in general (its length should also be pointed out to show its popularity regardless of quality). I am differentiating between a cartoon and anime for caliing DBZ a "classic" in a cartoon regard is not something that should be done.
Aside from being jaded towards cartoons, I am approaching the same level of jadedness- is that a word?-towards anime, which is why I have turned to gaming after 11 years, but every year there seems to be at least two animes that are released in America that just feel fresh and rewarding to watch. For me, this year there are two animes that match the level of quality of enjoyment of the classic cartoons: The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and School Rumble (one of my favorite shows, period).
