>>7687491
The eyes are the most stereotypical thing about "anime style", their being very large.
But why are they so large? It's to make it easier to see the expressions of the characters, if they were smaller you wouldn't be able to read the characters emotions half the time, their eyes would just be reduced to a few straggly lines.
It's a good idea, in the same way that using an umbrella in the rain is a good idea. You don't HAVE to use an umbrella, but you would be stupid not to.

>>149216747
One more for the features, the eyes

The "big eyes" is the most distinctive trait of manga, and really the only thing that makes it stand out stylistically from the west.
Why does manga feature big eyes?
Because it conveys emotion better. Does this really need to be spelled out?

This is not just a stylistic choice, it is an objectively good idea.
Comics are a limited medium, many drawings must be drawn, they must be drawn quickly, and they must be drawn at a small scale. It is essential to have a method of drawing that quickly and effectively conveys emotion.
The eyes in comics do not show any emotion, in fact, Batman, one of the most popular characters in comics, has his eyes whited out, as does Spiderman, and a few others.

Draw big eyes, because it's a good idea to do so, that's why manga does it.

And as a side note, they don't all have big eyes, many of the examples here are quite small, but they while they are small, they are still drawn in a more cartoony way that better expresses emotion.