"Anime" isn't a medium
Its Japanese short word for "アニメーション = animation."
Americans took the word and made it a genre/medium/term because americans are to lazy to call it japanese animation
Japanese animation is no different from western cartoons. It's all just animation.
People who trash it are generally ignorant. They usually use that generic "anime" art style as an argument since they aren't as educated on it. Of course they bring up Studio Ghilbi/ or Miyazaki up as a saving figure lol.
Which of these are considered "anime"
All of them are.
Can list tons more if you want.
I can also make an argument that all american cartoons are all the same.
They all have same flat stiff art style with no expressions, limited backgrounds and animation, no expressive freedom, done in flash,they all have bathroom humor, and they all look like this: