I'm a big fan of anime! Anime tends to be more diverse than western animation. It does things that western animation won't, even with shows that are meant for a younger audience. I don't just mean things like cruder humor and fanservice, though that is a factor.
Anime tends to go for a wider range of emotion in general. A "fun" show can throw you for a loop by including a heavily dramatic scene or episode where a character dies. It's common for this to happen.