I do not remember the exact moment I discovered anime. I do not even remember how old I was. Maybe around five. What I do know is that anime has always been a part of my life, long before I even understood what it was.

Back then, everything was just a “cartoon” to me. I had no idea which shows were American or Japanese. I simply watched whatever came on TV during the weekends. My childhood rotation was a mix of both. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Denver the Last Dinosaur were there, but I always found myself more drawn to the Japanese shows.

Voltes V.
Daimos.
Voltron
Yu Yu Hakusho.
Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z.
Raijin Oh.
Super Sentai shows like Bioman.
Kamen Rider Black.

Even though I did not fully understand the stories at that age, I knew these shows were different. They had cooler transformations, bigger robots, interesting characters, and a certain style that grabbed my attention more than anything else on TV.

I think that is what pulled me in. The creativity. The superpowers. The robots. The whole vibe felt exciting and fresh compared to the Western shows I was also watching.

I did not know the word “anime” yet, but I naturally gravitated toward it. It simply felt fun to watch, and over time it became part of my everyday life without me ever realizing it.

Looking back, it makes sense why I still enjoy anime today. It has always been there from the beginning, shaping my interests in ways I did not notice until much later. It is familiar, it is nostalgic, and it is something that stayed with me as I grew up.

This is where it started for me, even if I did not know it at the time.