As someone who likes both Cartoons and Anime equally, I have yet to find someone who doesn’t get offended by me saying that. They’re just animated projects at the end of the day, just made differently through cultural norms. I’ll enjoy both like I’ll enjoy a burger & ramen, both are good and tasty, don’t care which one’s better as long I’m munching down
That’s it, I’m just writing this because I’m bored
If you know both words why ever use the less specific one except to evoke a negative reaction. Why use the broad category if you know the subtype. If you know precise technical language and your Interlocutor is familiar with the same language, why use the more broad term unless you specifically mean the broad term. Why use the name of a set to talk about a subset of that set. Why convey less meaning in a word rather than more.
I just don’t really get using cartoon when talking as and with people that know the concept of anime. Its not really perceived as an insult, but it does imply either yourself or your Interlocutor to not be capable or willing to distinguish the categories, which if both of you know both, will either come of as you insulting their intelligence or their preference, because if you both know both terms, the expectation is for the fastest and most precise word you’d both be expected to know to be used, with a deviation from that expectation at the very least causing friction.