You guys need to look a bit deeper.
While there is a lot of crap out there, a lot of the stories are VERY deep and involved, have subjects (and characters that would pull down R and NC-17 ratings if done as American films) and generally are excellent.
I personally think "Cowboy Bebop" is some of the best entertainment ever put on film, but you have to WATCH anime. Seeing one episode just won't cut it. Plots and characters take TIME to develop. Also, many english dubs SUCK ASS (both in voice acting and changing the story).
There are far too many flavors of anime to condem the whole thing on just one or two bad series.
Another great series is Trigun. It starts out kinda silly and bubble gum but evolves into something much darker and adult.
Oh, try Ghost in the Shell if you want a damn good stand alone flim (there is a followup series, but the orginal is OUTSTANDING). Also the orginal Patlabor movie is a damn good intro to what anime can be and EVERYONE on this board should see Gunsmith Cats. The attention to detail is simply amazing.