I certainly wouldn't view anime as a replacement for novels, but it can be a great supplement to western live-action TV. It's pretty rare for visual media to be as deep or intellectually stimulating as novels. I don't think that is a fair reference point.

I would say the best of anime is comparable to the best US/western live action TV. Even the most sophisticated live-action dramas I've seen (like Breaking Bad and True Detective are probably only as intellectually deep as middlebrow novels.