I started my anime watching "career" when I was 9 years old. I watched anime titles like
Pokemon,
Digimon,
Sailor Moon,
Cardcaptors,
InuYasha,
Dragon Ball, and
Gundam Wing. I watched anime on TV at the time because I never knew about Japanese dubs at the time.
Watching anime on TV lost it charm because they kept airing reruns and I stopped watching anime from when I was 15-17, and became a "
Riajuu". More like stopped I watched anime occasionally, but not to the point where I was into it as I'm now. My brother introduced me to YouTube, and I was watching
Bleach,
Full Metal Alchemist, and
Gundam Seed on
Ytv and
Toonami at the time. When I went to YouTube they were in Japanese dubs with English subtitles, and it was way ahead of North American broadcast episode listings.
My anime watching "career" picked up again, and I noticed that the animations back then, have changed and story and plot, have picked up in creativity and catering to people who're into their specific genres more. I also noticed that the Japanese seiyuu's put a lot more emotion and realism into the characters they're portraying, and it got me hooked on J-dubs more than the English ones.
My love for anime returned, and it really got into the Japanese culture more to the point where I'm studying the language, learning how to write for anime fans, going to anime conventions, and also putting my time and energy into Japanese video gaming, where I participate in fighting game tournaments.
Here's am I, in my early 20's, and my love for anime continues to gets stronger and it's something that I don't want to give up. It's a lifestyle that I cherish and I want continue helping people understand the anime world, so that future generations can come into this feeling secure and welcomed. I'm going to quote Obi-wan here: "You've taken a huge step into a larger world!" My peers look down on me because of interests, but I always tell them this:
"I'm an otaku, and damn proud of it!"