The Wife said

I like the idea that no one was bullied in high school for watching anime, they were bullied for running like Naruto through the halls. Things are meant to be enjoyed. The cringe comes from when a topic becomes so unavoidably present in how someone presents in the world.
Many anime are amazing. Additionally, what are often considered the greatest stories of all time are often designed for children (The Hobbit) or recontextualized for children (the Lion King/Hamlet). If it's not the storytelling that is appealing but the general soothing that comes from things such as Bluey, that's totally valid too due to the intent. If it's watched because it's calming and relaxing, by comparison that's as cringe as mindfulness mediation based yoga.

No one judges you if you're enjoying something for the sake of enjoyment. If you walk around calling people senpai and pretending to make fireballs blast from your hands, that does go against norms, but I don't think the average person thinks twice about a casual and relaxed dude just wearing a Pokemon shirt in the grocery store.

Click to expand...