[Irenicus]

So, I take objection to the OP's suggestion that Western stories appear to lack "internal dialogue" compared to anime. I don't think it's true, based simply on the narrative richness of the stories I've read in English and which, in my opinion, surpass anything yet achieved in graphic art forms. I think it's a narrow opinion that comes from insufficient exposure to the kind of literature already available in the West.

I did not address the OP's point there directly, but I will say here that I agree with you completely. Some of the most powerful modern literary works speak through a very personal, introspective voice. I'm familiar with English literature at least, but I assume this is for many other languages as well. For one, Haruki Murakami's famous "Boku"...

Visual art has the capacity to make an impact that lasts, yes, but literature, on the other hand, leaves ideas that shape our thoughts for a lifetime.

That, however, is debatable. Images can communicate ideas as can words, though differently. In the right circumstances, they can be powerful -- very, very powerful. Someone brought up the image of the tank man in one of the Tiananmen discussions a while back; that was an excellent example of what images can do.

Artistically, I understand your point that if you show more of the full picture, then the reader will have less room to imagine. And that a medium like manga adds another dimension compared to the novel (an animation, of course, adds yet another level, if not more). But this is hardly the only point of view on it. Colors and voices can impede imagination -- or they can further inspire them. I for one find Spirited Away's colorful world inspiring. Alice in Wonderland's many visual incarnations only further enrich the original text's mystique: one reader imagines her own Alice, then she sees one incarnation different from her own, then another, and another. Minimalists can still cut down on things, leaving room for the reader to fill in. It can be done. It has been done. You said it: it's all subjective. If manga and other comics can be called shallow, then it is not because of the limitations of the mediums but rather the lack of history behind them, how the few masters who left their imprints are not yet numerous enough to compare to the venerable novel in artistic prestige.