I can think of two examples that prove this point in two different ways. First (and I am loathe to even bring up this anime, as you know I have issues with it), there’s Evangelion – an anime I personally find tedious in many ways (irritating whiny protagonist, too-artsy and deliberately-confusing-ending, and now – endless sequels/re-tellings of the same damn story). Evangelion is considered “art” – AND it is also a huge commercial success.

The second example is Naruto – which is often derided for being derivative and for being “too commercially successful.” Regardless of how much Kishimoto had dollar or yen signs in his head when he concocted the story and characters in Naruto, the fact that it is such a huge commercial success proves that it touches many people on an emotionally resonant level. Just because something is wildly popular doesn’t mean it isn’t also art, IMO – it can actually mean that its creator has explored universal themes in a very effective way – which is, in my book – art.

Didn’t mean to hijack your post with a book-length comment. ;) Obviously, your post has made me think(!).