Hmmm...might want to add some "in your opinion"s to those questions. I can see some major flame warrage going on, but that's just my complete lack of faith in humanity showing
1)Why is anime so hated?
Well, that's hard to nail down. A lot of anime is porn or aimed at young children, there is very little middle ground that makes it to the States (save those in manga form). There is also an overreaching tendency in Western Culture to say "it's animated so it must be for kids." Then you see stuff that is...mature, shall we say, and the conservative "family values" people freak the fuck out because they class animation as "for the kiddies." Japan has a very insular culture and one that focuses on the group rather than the individual. The result of these two features is that a) very few people who haven't lived there for a goodly period of time understand it and b) animation is considered better than live action because you never see the people's faces, just hear their voices. Those are some very basic reasons. I can expand on them if you wish, but I need to get to your other questions.
2)What is the ultimate (by which I assume you mean "your favorite") anime?
Cowboy Bebop, and I think you will find that a lot of very reading-inclined people will agree with me here. It has it's flaws, but it is the only one that has ever made me cry. I cried
twice during that show. I don't cry much. That means it has great characterization and writing, good enough for me to forget it's a story and truly feel for the characters.
3)Who is the ultimate (again, going to interpret this as "your favorite") anime character?
No one really comes to mind very readily. There are many characters I consider interesting and well-written in anime, but none I would consider my favorite. The closest I can come to is Scar from Full Metal Alchemist, though I only read the manga, I never watched the show.
