But wouldn't being overly exaggerated mean that it is more visual anyway? There's certainly more to see in anime.
Beside, only some anime is exaggerated anyway. Things like Deathnote, Perfect Blue, Rin and even more mainstream movies like Spirited Away are very realistic in their drawing styles, if not the story lines.
I suppose it's all a matter of preference for realism over impressionism in the end though.
I do understand your point. I guess it depends how important believability or realistic visuals is for you. Some people like to see animation in this way but to me it detracts because your mind naturally focuses on the points of art that do not add up.
I prefer western over Japanese just because I can focus better on our culture than something from the orient. While some were correct about the stories having more depth than western I think its a matter of what you watch.
Western vs Japanese
Personally I prefer Japanese because I love the depth of it. The story, the characters, the art, the culture differences and most of all the imagination.
I grew up on Dragon Ball Z, Zoids and Pokémon just to name a few and I have loved Japanese ever since.