(I'm unsure if this goes against the rules. But it has potential to open disscusion by opening a gateway for people to talk about commonalities of how and why. Possibly even bring out people tlaking about themselves so we can all relate to one another in some way other than just anime. If you feel the need to lock or delete, I'll understand.)

How did you get into Anime and why did you stick with it? (a good explination or vivid explination would be great.) But not too detailed.)

Myself, My brother got me into it. He asked me one day if I wanted to watch an anime, I was like, wth is an anime? Later that day, we sat down and watched a movie called Wicked City (it is somewhat adult orientated so i wont discuss the movie itself.) Ever sense I was hooked on Anime. I've always liked cartoons, but seeing anime for the first time made me take a step back and ask. When did cartoons become so vividly detailed? I've stuck with anime ecer sense. The stories are well done, the characters actually have in depth personalities, the detail of the animation is awsome to beat hell, and unlike most animated shows - it's typically not just a bunch of mumbo jumbo. There are exceptions such as Bobo-bo-bobobo and Ninja Nonsense.

My first animes were Dragon Ball <----- I was a big fan, and also Saint Seiya, Ranma and... I think that's it, but back then I didn't even know the word Anime they were just cartoons. Then what made me go a little more into Anime (already knowing what it was and having watched a few) was Fullmetal Alchemist and then I started watching Shin Seiki Evangelion and trying to find shows with a good story and value in it, not just empty stories with cool fights and guys with big swords.

I was bored, mostly. We were allowed to watch shows at my job, and i'd already watched all the movies that I was interested in... So, i remembered a friend suggesting Fate/stay night.

I actually watched all the episodes in about three days... It was pretty fun... and then I just kept going.

OMG, Nice thread. I Love Dragonball. It's my life. But I never knew it was a anime. Then i got famialir with the internet. I started with Naruto and such found it amazing . Anime is such a cool thing.

It got me spending so much money: I bought a new TV, harddisk, DVD, elektricyty bill :P

Anime is Cool.

I wished I could spend ALLLL my time with Anime

How did I got into anime? i turned on a TV channel, watched GoLion, and Mobile Suit Gundam, and got hooked to Mecha anime.

And then comes internet.
Then, torrents.

God, those were the days where main characters actually die for a change, than being LOL CAN'T CUT/SHOOT/KILL ME

After watching Wicked City I was sure exactly how to go about watching more anime. I was hooked off one movie. Then my brother bought Akira. OMFG that was a great movie. At the time of being introduced to anime, computers were still becoming a common household item so the net wasn't a good way to get more anime, that's for sure. I think my next step into watching more anime was on USA (once upon a time). I was just flipping through the channels and poof, there was a cartoon that looked too detailed to be american animation. So i sat and watched. Turned out to be the movie Tank Dominion. At this time, I started hunting for anime on tv and that's when i discovered Cartoon Network. At first it started with an anime movie ever saturday morning at roughly 9 am. Then they took anime off. I happened upon it again when CN started airing Toonami. My first series, good oh Dragonball Z. Disgruntled that they kept repeating the show and repeating it and repeating it, I took an internet search and found out about Dragonball, DragonballGt, and Dragonball AF and even some streaming. I ended up finishing the Dragonball Z saga before they started airing Dragonbal on CN.
Now, with a job, my computer, and too much spending money, I have over 100 anime shows/movies. It seems like i'm always getting more and more. I'm addicted.

iroveashe, and really anyone else. If you like good stories in the anime you watch, might i recommend Tenjo Tenge, Record of Lodoss War and Higurashi no Naku Koro ni. If you dont know much about the net, dling torrents, etc. Try and catch Samurai Champloo on CN (if they still air it.) Not too big on CN anymore, I've become reliant on watching anime in it's original language with subs. Or just tplain watching it and translating it myself.

roognok

Then my brother bought Akira. OMFG that was a great movie.

Amen.

roognok

iroveashe, and really anyone else. If you like good stories in the anime you watch, might i recommend Tenjo Tenge, Record of Lodoss War and Higurashi no Naku Koro ni. If you dont know much about the net, dling torrents, etc. Try and catch Samurai Champloo on CN (if they still air it.) Not too big on CN anymore, I've become reliant on watching anime in it's original language with subs. Or just tplain watching it and translating it myself.

I haven't seen Tenjou Tenge but I have read the manga and I'm sure it's 10 times better than the anime, Record of Lodoss I don't know it (but I'll be sure to check it out) and Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni it's already on my watch list.
Samurai Champloo is awesome, and I watched it on CN first (I hate dubs but what could i do, I had no computer back then) and one last thing: Torrents are a bless.

I watched anime regularly and naturally as a kid born in Taiwan, so when I moved to Canada I was rather disappointed at the lack of "animeness" there was. I searched for certain, small areas to buy manga but that was all I could do. The next step was going back to Taiwan and buying DVDs, but when I got back I, again, saw the lack of anime here so I bought some DVDs online and download fansubs. I guess it all started when I was a kid and it felt like it was something I wanted to do.

As to why I stick to it, I feel that animes have more variety than North American cartoons, movies, or TV series. Most American shows mostly show action, science fiction and comedy shows/movies/cartoons, which aren't bad things, but it lacks what animes give. Anime seem to give action and comedy, but also bring in other stuff such as romance and drama. I'm sure there are American movies out there that have drama and romance, but they are hardly ever advertised so are difficult to obtain. Also, I find the animation quality and music and anime better than their American counterparts, although that's completely my opinion, but is why I prefer, say Lucky Star or Genshiken over Family Guy.

I hated anime for the longest time. the only anime i was exposed to was dragon ball and the like. then they started playing cowboy bebop on cartoon network. ballad of fallen angels was the first episode i watched and i realized that there was more to anime than the childish stuff like dragon ball. it wasnt untill a few years later, after i joined the army, that i really got hooked. one of my buddies had trigun, cowboy bebop (i never got to see all of it on cartoon network) and hellsing on his computer. and being bored and deployed with nothing else to do, i watched them. its been a slow downward sprial ever sence.

i see anime as a much more creative medium than live action. a story is limited only by the writer's and director's imagination.

Iroveashe: I completely agree with you on the dubs. The animation lacks horribly. A few years ago while i was loking for anime to dl, i ran across osmeone saying that it's because they have to redo a lot of the animation to fit american dialog. So it's not like the OLD school Godzilla movies, where their mouths move a hundred miles an hour and all they say is good morning. How are you? Seems to be kinda acurate. As to what extreme, I have no intrest in knowing, i just dl japanese dialog with english subs.

splitthebreak: If you want, (and you know about torrenting), I could give you a link to a site that has 300 terabytes worth of series and movies. you might find something you like there. That is, if you're intrested ingetting back into anime or giving it another go-around. And the Dragonbal series. Dragonball, Dragonball Z, and Dragonball Gt all suck. The story doesn't really get intresting until Dragonball AF and Dragonball X. As for it being kiddy..I think that would be an understatement.

My first ever anime was the Samurai X OVA, Rurouni Kenshin, i loved the animation, the characters , and mostly the story blew me away.

The main thing that attracted me was the sharp, clean look of the animation.
Unlike captain planet (which was still awesome mind you haha) and others Anime had that extra bit of effort to it that made it stand out.

I love serious, and a good plot to anything i read/watch. And Samurai X OVA to me still is one of the best storyline in any anime. I really cried at the end of the 4 Eps, i don't think i ever cried watching a cartoon before.

And after that, and like many of you said...the internet i became more hooked into it.
Dragon ball Z, sailor moon lol those were the shits.

Why i decided to stick with it?
It's become more of a passion for me, not that i watch animes 24/7. Im very picky lol.

And on the internet with the early forums and all, discussing plots or what will happen to what and arguing about weather tuxedo mask and sir moonlight knight was the same guy was the start of it all.

Hmm, I like this topic, the first anime I liked was the Card Captor Sakura, i really liked it, I got hooked up on watching anime because i like the characters, they are so cute and I like the way they look rather than the ones in cartoons. . .

@Asassin: The Rouroni Kenshin OVA is great but I didn't have the chance to watch it 'till about a year ago and I saw the ending coming but it was still a great plot.
(Captain Planet: L·O·L was that the guy with blue shiny skin and green hair in a red outfit?)

Haha, I think I first started watching Sailor Moon when I was really little and liked it. Then I started staying up to watch Adult Swim late at night and it just went on from there.

I sticked to watching anime because i hate reality.

Im a realist, dont get me wrong. Im probably one of the most pessimistic people around (with my favorite line "worst case scenario...").

Now i dont get people that watch "reality drama shows" or whatever theyre called. Heck, if im gonna watch something "fiction", it might as well be so "unrealistic" or something. And here we have, anime. Its animated pictures. How can it possibly be anything farther than fiction.

Besides, i find the plot in animes better. Shows in my country are simply crap.

And sad as i may sound (not that i really care about society anyway), I LOVE anime girls. Yeah thats right. I like drawn girls compared to real ones. Im so sad arent i? Well thats anime for me