That's because it all started from the common genius known as Osamu Tezuka </sister ass-kissing>(Hope that name's spelled right. Borrowed it from the cover of Metropolis, which I've been too busy to read :-/ Must set up something...)
Lar, child...He's the sole reason Anime exists. He developed the inital drawing style so that many animes, including El-Hazard, Tenchi, Record of Lodoss War and so on, could be what they are.
Very informative Kathy! I like the point you make about eyes. It's a very overlooked feature in anime. Kia Asamiya (Silent Mobius, Steam Detectives, Martian Sucessor Nadesico) also draws some very beautiful and detailed eyes. They really look like they have depth, 3D of sorts.