How did You... Anime?

[FreakyTy]

I got hooked on anime in a strange way, growing up I watched a lot of 4-kids stuff without knowing it was anime, in fact for the longest time I thought that its origin was Western. In junior high I saw toonami a few times and always thought it was stupid, I never really was interested in anything they were playing, mainly because I saw a lot of Gundam stuff and I’m not at all attracted to Mecha. However I would watch a few episodes of FMA every now and again because I liked the fights.

This still wasn’t enough up until about my sophomore year; I’d see Bleach on adult swim and thought it was retarded. Still today I don’t think I was far off from the mark, but that’s just me. Well that same year I was at my dad’s house for the Summer and this was the same time I really got into drawing stuff, and a lot of my drawings looked very similar to the manga/anime style. He saw a few of my drawings and then recorded Howl’s Moving Castle when is came on IFC.

Then when I watched it something happened, I’m not sure what exactly but it’s like a seed was planted in me that was waiting to sprout. When I returned home to continue schooling; a few weeks into the school year we got a three day weekend. I’m not sure if it was the combination of some of my internet buddies or what but something provoked me to watch Wolf’s Rain (I heard this aired on Toonami lol). Once that show was over something snapped inside me, I didn’t know what I needed, but I needed more of it. As it turns out this was anime, and that my friends is how I got hooked on this stuff.

PS
I think Disgaea and Phantom Brave were two major contributing factors to my interest in the style, and to this day I still love these games.

[CapnJack]

Like some of the responses, I started way back in the 80s before I didn't know it was anime or from Japan. I remember watching the shows Tranzor Z (aka Mazinger Z), Robotech, and Voltron. As a kid I really enjoyed the action in these series, and even though a kid, I still felt the drama of the characters. After those shows slipped off radar, it was a long time before I saw such shows again until the early/mid 90s when I discovery Sailor Moon and briefly Ronin Warriors. The feeling I got watching was so familiar. Sailor Moon may have had its goofy moments, but it was the seriously emotional moments that I noticed more. After Sailor Moon I heard about Dragonball Z from high school classmates. From there on my anime world exploded and just kept finding more and more anime shows and movies. I feel as if I was meant to love anime ever since I was very little.

[FluffyEmjay]

My gradeschool classmate.
He taught me how to draw anime way and then he told me to watch some so I can learn more on how they look. So yeah, I got addicted more than him. Lol

[Fuyu Suzuki]

i just ran in into an anime when looking for something to watch.
it was because of Dragon ball z but at the same time i think it was also Pokemon to one of them to. happy bout it to

[Dorado]

My first handful of anime experiences came from Toonami.

In similar fashion to ChibiLovett I started watching anime long before I even knew of the word. I honestly don't remember HOW I learned what to properly call it now that I think of it though.

I just used to call them action cartoons due to something TOM said in one of the commercials for Toonami. Simple? Sure. It worked for me though!

[Riamu.Midori]

I first got into it when I was about six when I watched pokemon for the first time but I didn't get far and then I stopped watching it then later in life when I was about 13 I watched a anime named Girls Bravo and from there I was hooked on pretty much everything I could find so there is my story. :3

[WBL Studios]

I remember watching Sailor Moon on USA in the mornings, right either before or after Press Your Luck. Seeing it disappear from the lineup, and looking on this new-fangled internet machine to find out what it is. Discovering the term 'Japanimation' and all the wonders it held. Finding a copy of 'Wrath of the Ninja: The Yotoden Movie' in a movie store. Getting hooked on even that obscure title.

[HeroValor]

I'm pretty sure it was Fullmetal Alchemist that came on at like 10:00 at night on some station. At that age it was hard staying up long enough to watch it.

[Disconnected Outsider]

Started for me with my sister buying Ghost in the Shell for me on my birthday. And it just took off from there really.

[sataned]

apparently i grew up watching anime i just never knew it was anime. grew up watching stuff like sailor moon, dragon ball, princess mononoke, astro boy, lupin and more i cant remember. then yugi oh and pokemon and all that stuff started coming out. still didnt know it was japanese anime haha. then later as a teen adult swim re introduced me to anime and i finally had internet so it progressed into a hobby from there. the end.

[Crown Prince]

My Dad showed my sister and I Dragonball when we were little kids, then he got us into Sailor Moon. Now we watch a lot of anime and animations from Japan.

[aether]

I think it fully fledged for me after watching this series

[nanashipiero]

When I was a younger, I used to watch DiC all the time, along with Sailor Moon. Then, around 2005, I discovered the Japanese version and then more and more anime shows after that. I'm far from being any type of anime expert (since I've only watched like 8 anime), but that's my story.

[XDaphneX]

Started of with Mahou-Soujou Madoka Magica

[Aznen]

I was bored having stupid family programs, teen programs having family fights etc..
and start watching cartoons... then one day me and my sister got bored with repeat telecasts of cartoon series., and stick to ANIMAX
My first real anime was Black Butler and we were so impressed with these and continue watching animes ..
now the channel is not available in our state so we have to watch it on internet.....

NOW WE ARE ADDICTED TO IT.....ANIMES