Its not as though I get a perverse pleasure out of watching extreme acts of violence. However, it is pretty common for anime to have violent scene. You're watching Fullmetal Alchemist right now and that is one of the best anime around, but as you said brains blow up and you see intestines thrown about. They do not do it constantly, but it can be graphic at times. But it should not be dismissed for a few scenes, its still an amazing anime to watch.

I don't watch an anime for the violence I watch it for the story. Well aside from DBZ, there is only fighting in there so all you are seeing is violence. But that aside I'm not drawn towards an anime because it is violent. Some of my favorite anime does not even have fighting. So I don't think that everyone here gets pleasure out of watching, but who knows.