>>1
Now, I haven't seen many Japanese cartoons, but I think you're being a bit judgmental here. Cartoons are big in Japan and while many are just commercial bullshit to entice children to "collect them all" etc, there are also cartoons that are targeted at more adult audiences.
For example Neon Genesis Evangelion. If you look at a scene on Youtube it looks like it's just robots fighting against blobs over and over again. But if you watch the entire show, it's pretty disturbing to see these three children who all seem mentally disturbed being forced to fight by the government. And the "monsters" are some kind of angels who try to liberate their crucified Jesus who is locked in a bunker. I don't remember the details of the ending because it's a long time since I watched it, but I don't think children could appreciate it.