I'd say anime myself, because of the anime Record of Lodoss War.
If they did the character designs like those, it'd work.
Besides, you have to look at the whole medium of Japanese Animation style. They're not always big-eyed twiggy people. Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust had some great animation. D, the main character, had very slender eyes. Slender meaning no where near as big as what you'd see in Sailor Moon.
Anyway, that's how you pull it off with the more serious and darker characters. I'll post some examples:
This site has lodoss images:
http://www.cip.informatik.uni-muench...lodoss_ova.htm
Here's Bloodlust ones:
http://www.vampirehunterdbloodlust.com/