>>150382779
1 isn't popular in the West because it simply lacks any cultural content. In Japan it relies on folklore and the religion to give it some weight with Japanese people, but Westerners simply lack any cultural ties to the image. Meanwhile there are many examples of 2-7 throughout much of Western culture generally and also its component cultures for artists to draw from for direction and that the audience is already familiar with.
Of course, this is changing and is likely to continue to change as long as Japan continues to export a significant amount of cultural material to the West.