I think looking and following examples, or at least seeing a variety of styles and the angles/expressions they use will give you a better idea as to what you can branch out to. I don't really believe it will make you better by just watching them, but I think seeing different styles of art (much more beyond the means of anime) will help you improve on everything if you just allow yourself to think outside the circle. :]
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Draw better in the style? Maybe. Draw better overall? Hell no.
If you want to get better at drawing then practice drawing things from real life. If you want to get better at drawing in a particular style expose yourself to that style as much as possible.
As far as anime making your works better overall, no. It just won't cut it, imo.
I think it depends.
some people can look at things and draw versions of them really well,
so if they watch anime, sure, it would help them.
the more you look at things and watch them, the more you know what line goes where,
and how to draw them.
others prefer making their art from real people, or by imagining people.
if I use anime, my drawings tend to look the exact same as every other anime out there,
but at least they're not bad mrgreen
I'd say yes and no, it really depends on what you're trying to do. Like others have said, watching can give you some ideas and help you to better understand how certain expression/poses/etc are done. Practice by hand is really the best method to learn anything--you never learn anything just by watching, or at least most people don't. Studying realistic styles or photos of people can help, too, since anime is just simplified realism with some exaggerated features (like eyes and hair). Looking over photos can give you a better idea of proportions as can guides and "How to Draw" books--it's really a matter of how you learn best.
As far as drawing anime/manga goes, it helps. I've found poses and techniques in particular animes and mangas that have helped me a great deal, personally. 'Course, as has been said previously, it obviously won't help you in more realistic applications in the field of art. But studying a specific field in a medium you're trying to master always helps, as you can pick up pointers from another. ^_^
I prefer all three. I watch anime, study it, take art class so I can practice other media and I study my manga books, too. smile But I'm only this good so far: