9 Anime That Made Me Who I Am Today - 3x3 300k Subscriber Special 

PLEASE GEEK OUT ABOUT THE MARTIAL ARTS TIED TO BENDING

Sesame Street was the best anime until season 16 when the count murdered everyone.

20:35 SWORD ART ONL- *ad plays*

You can add Violet Evergarden to that things-that-make-my-adult-self-cry-list

"Iskandar is best girl" You sir, are a fine human being and I applaud you

Anohana wasn't the first anime to make me cry, but it's certainly the only one to make me cry to the point of being unable to shed anymore tears. Fuck, that anime tore my heart to pieces. I guess maybe the next closest thing is probably A Silent Voice: IDK, I just like coming of age stories I guess.

Inuyasha isn't the best thing ever, but it popped my anime cherry so i'll always think of it fondly

I loved Anohana for similar reasons. Erased is the first anime and manga that I showed and bought for my mom. I was watching it with her for the end and she hated me for a week because she was so saddened.

Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood was the show that helped me get through my father's death. To this day, it remains my favorite anime of all time.

Jojo's Bizarre Adventure is my absolute favorite manga and anime work. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure is such a heartfelt, creative, and intriguing work that everyone should read and experience. To me, nothing tops it.

Who is best girl in Avatar and why is it Toph?

"Wow, I wanna see more Chinese cartoons, specifically like this one." complete masterpiece, I laughed for an inappropriately long amount of time.

Saw jotaro. Clicked.

23:04 for jojo, you know you came for it.

Your Lie in April has been a big influence for me, especially once I got to the end. Seeing the determination and the quiet fight behind Kaori and how her resolve and happiness still shone through to those she called friends inspired me to take a step back and really appreciate more of life.

Toradora was a big one for me personally. It taught me to love romance anime when I was a young child, and it introduced me into the larger spectrum of anime. It taught me that there are other forms of art than Saturday morning cartoons, and it broaden my perspective on all forms of media.

Cowboy Beebop really opened up the anime world for me

Congrats man, a really well put-together video and a really good message behind everything as a smaller AniTuber, only 1/10th of your size i can say full-well that not only is this video good, and not only do i agree to most of the things you said, but i'm gonna get there too... thanks for the boost XD

Did you ever watch Inuyasha the final act? It’s a perfect conclusion to the show. I feel like if the entirety of the anime had pacing similar to the Final Act it might be considered a masterpiece by many to this day.

Code Geass has so far been the anime that's impacted me the most. FMA, Avatar, Death Note, I watched and loved all of them prior to watching Code Geass, but none of them came close to what I felt when watching Code Geass. It made me want to buy merch, get involved with anime, and the community, and so much more. On the down side, nothing came close to it since. Truly, the series destroyed my notion of anime. And remade it anew.

I'd love a video on bending.

Video about the bending in Avatar? Yes. Now. Pleeeeease.

I really enjoyed this video because it didn't devolve into "just another top 10 list."

Seeing this video past the 1 million mark gives me the happy feels.

I am glad you made the jojo video because of that I gave jojos bizzare adventure a second chance and just like you I couldn't get enough so I say thank you

Oh hey man, good shit! Hope you get a bunch more!

Did he just mention Detective Conan? There's 40-something OPs, I pray that he will someday talk about some.

Clannad Changed Me A Lot. It made me more of a softie and a lot more emotional.

Anohana is my absolute favorite anime of all time. I always think post-Anohana depression is over, but then I watch it again :'(

Anohana is fantastic

I am eternally grateful for your channel. Yours was one of the first anime-centric ones I ever came accross and it really opened my eyes to shows and manga I might never have come across on my own and how these mediums have more to them then just pretty pictures. You have my most sincere thanks.

So many of these I haven’t heard of. I feel I fall in and out of the habit of watching anime. I recently attended an Anime Con in LA when some friends invited me and everywhere I looked people were dressed as characters I’d never heard of. It was an almost overwhelming reminder of how many there are out there and how there’s constantly more coming out. It doesn’t deter me though. If anything, it makes me want to jump back into it and find good anime I can get lost in. This video was a great start. And I am happy to say I have actually heard of some of these. I will always love Avatar. Now I need to finally check out Anohana. Thanks for making these. Looking forward to future vids!

King of the Hill is the best slice of life anime ever created I tell you what. It's coming back possibly to Fox. They know, they know that anime was gold.

Minecraft changed me as a person I stopped playing Minecraft because of Minecraft

I dont hear Baccano being talked about as much as it should so thanks bro. And also Anohana is so freaking good T^T it was an anime I watched with my roommate a long time ago and we bonded over the tears we shed. Amazing video!

That final scene in Anohana kills me every time. It makes me feel good inside while I bawl my eyes out and the amazing song, Secret Base, playing in the background helped to convey both the sadness and the happiness of the scene. もう一回! もう一回! もう一回! ......もういいよ!! Excuse me while I go bawl my eyes out some more. Uhuuu~ T_T

Pokemon - Introduced me to my favorite game series. Neon Genesis Evangelion - Pretty much the only thing I could focus on during my teen years. Being told that I always had a chance for happiness was incredibly important. Revolutionary Girl Utena - Showed me that anime could do everything I value in art. Haruhi Suzumiya - Gave me characters I strongly related to like Haruhi and Yuki, and made me fully conscious of just how many people would have to exist who are just like me. Loveless - Showed me that in fiction, ANTHYDING can hadplen. SpongeBob SquarePants - Geoff got a cartoon, so I do too.

I'm glad you got this successful, Geoff! Been with you ever since your "What's in a scene: Erased" videos. (I don't know if that's relatively early or not). Always happy to see RU-vidrs I like gain popularity and be able to live from what they like doing. Although, not really surprising you're this successful considering what a gigantic shill you are! LOL

I've only been following these videos for a couple weeks now, but I love how intimate the descriptions are for these anime are. The added personal touch helps us understand why these were important, unlike some oh too shallow anime watch lists that sound like they're being paid off. And if the banter of witty jokes and surprisingly accurate but harsh truths weren't awesome enough, we also get meaningful substance with descriptions of why the anime was important to the speaker at that time in his life. This lets us feel the passion for the show, weather good or bad; and that's what I love about these review's and lists. I feel a little more inspired after watching these, and it feels pretty awesome :) Didn't mean to ramble .. oops .. Keep up the good work Jeff

This is some inspiring stuff! I recently started my own channel and hearing what events and experiences influenced who and where you are now is rather refreshing. I'm sure you heard this a million times already, but keep up the good work!

Well, I'm subbing. It's not because I didn't care for your content, I actually enjoy it quite a bit. It's just I like to commit fully to a tuber I don't know very well. Your stuff is consistent, and earnest, despite all the ads. The first anime I saw that really got me to crave more in depth storytelling for animated entertainment was Akira. I know it's a "safe" anime to cite, even people who don't like anime know what it is, but for me it blew my mind. I saw it on Cartoon Network before they even came up with "Toonami". Back in the late 90's they called it "Saturday Japanime". It made that particular summer incredible. If I hadn't snuck downstairs after my bedtime to watch it with my sister, I probably wouldn't be interested in half of the things that bring me joy today.

"Chinese" *I see what you did there*

The first two animes you listed were the exact same for me and then you just kept listing more and more I watched when I was younger, it was amazing

Congrats on 300,000! It’s awesome to learn more about what drove your tastes and how very different it is. It makes me appreciate anime and your channel that much more. :)

The anime that shaped me through my formative years are.... Naruto (my passionate shame), both Fullmetal Alchemist, Avatar: the Last Airbender, Baccano!, Beck:Mongolian Chop Squad, Mushi-shi, Ghost in the Shell, my childhood that was Dragonball Z and the big one Cowboy Bebop. The anime for grown up me has things like Your Lie in April, Kids on the Slope, Spice and Wolf, Death Note, Erased, One Punch Man, and the majesty that is JoJo. It's a good life I guess.

Anohana captured me so amazingly, I was so hooked and loved every second, every detail

you know, I really really love this channel. It really puts a whole new meaning into anime. Jeff, you are a really great person and you don't just make anime another show - to you it's a whole world, just waiting to be discovered. You taught me to critic my anime better and I hope you read this and know just how much your influence means to us all! I will be with you all the way to 1 million!

I'm surprised how much I have grown to love this channel since I started that hilarious flame war last fall in the comment section of one of your SAO videos. I mean sure, I love SAO, but I can kind of acknowledge its failings now. I can also remember it as the catalyst fir my very first flame war...I mean, 300 comments telling me to off myself? No wonder there are so many trolls on the internet!

HOLD UP! You and glass reflection AREN'T the same person???

My list (not necessarily favorites) 10. DBZ 9. Spirited Away 8. 5 cm per second 7. Pokémon indigo League 6. Gurren Lagann 5. Heaven's Lost Property 4. Cowboy Bebop 3. A Silent Voice 2. One Piece 1. Your Lie In April

Dude, I gotta say your channel is great. It's clearly professionally done, and you always have a down to earth relatability while still maintaining your professional aesthetic. Kudos, hope your channel explodes and that you can continue to make amazing content. Also, I'm going to binge Anohana now. Thanks

This was so well done I didn't even know 30 mins went by until you said something about it in the vid. This makes me want to check out genres of anime outside of what I normally want to watch. Well done bro!

Yeah, as someone who was emotionally reserved for their entire "youth," Anohana fukkin destroyed me like nothing ever had, and it was probably the first time I truly wept. And I am eternally grateful to it for that. It kickstarted my attempts to bring myself closer to my emotional side, a change that I had been meaning to make and that I have achieved noticeable progress in (even though much work is still to be done.) Anohana helped me break my own sentimental shell, and not only will I always be grateful to it for that, as well as helping me form my current interest in the nature of art, but I will also use it as inspiration and reference for my artistic endeavors in the future. If I am successful in becoming the person I want to be years from now, I am confident I will still feel that Anohana played a vital role in the path my life took me.

Doubt anyone is gonna read this but here goes: Gurren Lagann is my favorite show of all time, possible my favorite piece of art, and it is the primary reason why I watch anime. It's not perfect, it's pretty goofy at times and super cheesy and over the top, but it gave me a feeling of hype at one of the lowest points in my life, and for the first time in months I felt happy. I was just out of high school, had no real motivation, friends were all moving on, the girl I liked had rejected me and was dating some other guy and I had nothing going for me at all. Watching Gurren Lagann gave me a feeling that I could do something, anything, with my life and be succesful if I tried. It taught me that motivation and attitude were the most important attributes of a person. To this day, when I lose hope, I still think of Kamina telling me to believe in the me that believes in myself. A lot of people calls Gurren Lagann dumb fun with mechs, and it probably is. But to me it's soooo much more.

I grew up in the early 90s mostly. I grew up watching Detective Conan every morning, Dragonball (the original, not Z or GT) on the afternoons, Mazinger Z, Ruoroni Kenshin (Samurai X), Ashita no Joe, Evangelion, Akira, Elfen Lied, Gundam Wing, Cowboy Bepop and many others. I really liked Deathnote when it came out, few animes have captured my attention but every so many years I come back to it and watch something good. I can say Ruoroni Kenshin and Detective Conan have been hugely influential to my personality since I was a kid, I still rewatch RK every once in a while and watch some Detective Conan episodes every once in a while. Great video man! I think I can relate to you in many things, even the game development backstory. I admire the fact you commited to doing your thing on youtube, I really respect the people who do. I've been on RU-vid since 2006 and while I have worked on videos that have cracked the 8 figures views I have not uploaded much stuff *myself*. This niche is yet to be fully exploited, there's a lot of "me too"s doing copycat content all around, looking for r/anime threads and comments to come out with something "elaborate" and unoriginal, but there's lots of people who like anime and could use someone with a voice of their own like you have. I know there's tons of people that can relate to my story as a latin american anime fan (we're HUGELY underrated, anime has been historically bigger and more important over here than in the US imho). Huge respect to you and your craft!

I really love these opportunities to hear about the anime you watch and your analysis. I have so many I want to watch soon!

So I just finished Inuyasha and, cliffhanger? Has something changed since then? He played a scene which was from the final episode, but I do not remember the scene he showed to be in the final episode being there. Regardless of if it was a good ending or not (I'm a poor judge of quality), when I watched it, it was by no means a cliffhanger, with a very solid ending that can't really be followed upon due to it's finality. EDIT: So it turns out that originally 7 seasons were made, with the story cut short. At a later date an 8th season, 'the final act' was released which finishes adapting the manga and ends the anime. So, for anyone not sure if they want to watch Inuyasha due to the ending talked about in this video, do not be turned off, as it now is complete.

Monster was my #1 game changer. Nostalgia are Ikkyu San, Dragonball, Medabots, Shaman King, and Ultimate Muscle. Other special ones are Death Note, Clannad, Angel Beats, Hunter x Hunter, Yu Yu Hakusho, Detective Conan, Haruhi Suzumiya, Samurai Champloo, and Steins Gate.

Wow I completely missed the roll-over to 400k. Congrats!

I enjoy the way you break your opinions down and follow up with examples. I was surprised that Ano Hana is your all time favorite. I enjoyed it a lot too. I was also surprised you didn't mention Clannad After Story as one of your tear jerkers. Have you not watched it or did it just not make you sad? I can't honestly say that anime has truly affected my life, but I'm also a lot older than you are. My first exposure to Japanese anime was Simba the White Lion and Marine Boy. Oxy-gum. Also, propeller heels.

One piece of media that helped shape me was Dragon Age: Inquisition. Haven's destruction and the subsequent limp through the mountain pass had me really immersed, but when the refugees started slowly started singing The Dawn Will Come, joining in one by one and reigniting the spark of hope for the future after the crushing defeat, it was incredible and moving. I was so immersed, experiencing their faith was the closest to a religious experience I've had, since I'm not religious myself. I still get goosebumps when I watch it. That moment made me realize just how much of an impact a game can have. I've always been passionate about video games, but it made me want to make a game that could have an impact on someone else and made being a game designer my dream job. That led to where I currently am, studying that in college and hopefully working on it in the future. Hopefully I have a bit more luck in that regard than Jeff, since it's a really hard field to get a job in, but thanks to that scene in DA:I, I'm at least going to try.

"An anime in the summer of 2012 that really sucked me in-Sword Art Online" *Advertisement plays*

I really enjoy your work so much I'm so glad to find intelligent but irreverent looks into one of my favorite genres. Good luck in upcoming projects,you earned it!

Bro, I think u are simply a life thinker like me and probably like others subscribers in this channel. It seems to me that you seek an understanding in complex forms of art to understand yourself (Well... I guess we are fated to pursuit the shine through the complex way :]). Thanks for your videos, best wishes from Brazil.

For some reason, I consider the castlevania Netflix series as an anime

I actually loved 7 centimeters per second. Mostly because of the ending and buildup but also because how true it can be in real life.

I checked out Re: Creators because of your other video of it and I loved it. Binged all 22 episodes. Thanks.

girls bravo was one of my first anime too...along with heavens lost property, fruits basket, OHSHC, soul eater, and many more. I love your channel by the way!

Man... where to start? I had the luxury of growing up in Mexico in the 1970s, a time where a good chunk of the "cartoons" that were aired on TV were anime. While I believe certain anime today have gone to a very different level of sophistication both thanks computers allowing the craft to become sleek in the way it is colorized, the soundtracks that can be used, and the topics that are now possible to tackle (keep in mind, society is very different now and anything from yuri on ice to something as inane as panty shots would have been faux pas back then), the 70s were a lot more consistent in the quality of the final product and the narrative of the shows. For starters, the idea of a show being 13 episodes long was foreign back then. Any show under 26 episodes was a rarity and a good majority of them where scheduled for a full year or more (50 to 52 episodes total or beyond). Attention spans were certainly different in the era prior to cell phones, personal computers, video game consoles and internet, so this was no surprise. Funny enough, the 70s and early 80s introduced most of the genres we see today, so I had a lot of my firsts back then: My first magical girl show was Mahōtsukai Chappy. My first gender swapping character was Princess Knight, which also introduced me to my first anime death scene. My first sentai show was Ultraman and in anime form it was Gatchaman. First brush with Miyazaki came from the shows Heidi, Girl of the Alps and Future Boy Conan. My first shoujo anime was Candy Candy. The first risqué Magical Girl transformation came courtesy of Minky Momo. Mazinger Z was my first Giant Robot. First full on drama came from one of the multiple literary adaptations Anime studios did back then: Ie Naki Ko (Nobody's Boy Remi)... possibly the anime that truly showed me what the medium could be, at the young age of 6 (yes, I was a bit on the precocious side). Funny enough, aside from Macross and Captain Tsubasa, I had fallen out of the habit of watching anime altogether by the mid 80s. It also coincided with the Mexican government limiting (almost downright banning) anime since it was escalating in violence (thanks to some gory anime scenes in Macross), so I had almost completely forgotten about it, and it wasn't until a friend of mine reintroduced me to it via fansubs (when they were mailed in Super-VHS) with Video Girl Ai (still a favorite of mine) and Ranma 1/2 in the early 90s. It also coincided with the anime scene finally starting to catch on in the U.S. and I didn't have to look back anymore, as it became easily accessible again. That is my "short" summary of my anime experience.

FLCL (Furi Kuri) shaped me as an awkward teenager trying to become an adult. still gets me as an adult.

You're at over 600k now!!! the big 1 mil is just beyond the horizon. You're easily my favorite anime/media reviewer/youtuber, even if Demo started uploading again.

I was amazed to hear you say Your Lie In April made you cry, I always hear people tell me that its not that heartbreaking or must wasn't good enough to cry to, and you didn't say the one anime people usually otherwise suggest... I'm glad you agree.

I thought I was the only other person who knew that Girls Bravo even existed. However, it wasn't even my first harem anime as a kid. That goes to fucking Sekirei, and wow does it not hold up on the backswing.

*sees Jotaro* awww I see your a man of culture as well

I can't help to agree with just about everything stated in this video, thank you for showing me a few more shows to try. Your content is beautiful and consice and does a phenomenal job of breaking down the show into an understandable thought. I haven't seen anything about them, but, if you've never seen them, I'd totally recommend trying: darker than black (that one is what got me into anime tbh) and gurren lagann (that one is what kept me hooked lol)

That was a beautiful autobiography of your professional life. As well as a beautiful tribute to the power of art. It did answer a lot of questions I had about you Inyuasha and Bleach were my first Anime. High school host club was the first anime I got on DVD. And Fulmetal Alchemist is probably my favorite of all time, which isn't saying much since my list of series ever watched is probably shorter than the list of animes you watch every year. But still.

How to bait everyone in the comment section: say avatar isnt an anime

the only anime that ever made me cry and i mean cry like ball my eyes out is angel beats one of my fav to this date and always will be

man, you manage to get me to want to watch a bunch of anime (and i'm not easily convinced) and rewatch some anime...

Its crazy how many anime that changed me that changed you, Jojo, Sao, but most importantly ToraDora and Anohana. i wholeheartedly believe I would've dropped anime 2 years ago if it weren't for Toradora introducing me to the Shoujo genre, and Anohana allowing me to let go of so many emotional things weighing me down and become who i am today and I'm thankful to you for using your platform to introduce people to something of that had such a big impact on my life

You are a martial artist dude that is so cool!!!!

My most important animes: 1_ Naruto: the anime that got me into anime, my favorite anime of all time and the one that changed many of my perspectives. Objectively it’s not the best anime I’ve watched, but it’s like a place I can call home 2_ Spice and Wolf: an anime that based on something that I never expected to be the core of the show, yet it worked perfectly: economy, trading and negotiating. Plus Holo is still best girl in all of anime for me 3_ Monster Musume: now going to one of the most ridiculous and funniest shows I’ve watched, it’s was my first echi show and made me want to read the manga 4_ One Punch Man: it changed how superheroes are supposed to be and how heroic acts are seen. Saitama is a hero to the core because he doesn’t care how people see him, he just is a hero and does what a hero has to do even if it hurts his reputation. This was a change of perspectives to me 5_ Konosuba: the funniest anime I’ve watched. Always kept me with a smile from ear to ear and it felt like I was there with them 6_ Kobaiashi San-chi no Maid Dragon: simple, cute and slice of life, it was ridiculous and just so good to watch and keep of stress of any day. The op of the show still makes me dance 7_ Boku no Hero Academia: it reminded me to Naruto and made me look forward to what Deku was gonna do in the series. I just can’t wait for the next season to come out 8_ Koe no Katachi: this movie was like looking at a mirror of emotions of the past and present me. It reminded me to how I felt in highschool about many things and (at the end of the movie) it reminded me of my current self. I also thought that I didn’t deserve to be happy during my adolescence, and this just made me look at myself and how I progressed through time Thanks for reading my list n.n

Thank you MB. I knew I could trust you. From now on I shall look to you for my seasonal fix

Hey man, you pretty cool. As another older anime/game geek, I feel like I can relate to this list seeing how most of your picks for this list were the same for me. Just wanted to say I can dig it man.

For me, first anime I watched and the one that shapped me as a person was Naruto. Cliche, I know, and yes, i'm well aware how sucky it actualy gets, but it will always stay as an obelisk in my heart, so many lessons from Naruto, Jiraiya, Pain, Itachi etc. Other anime include your lie, that made cry for the first time real time, Mushishi, Rainbow, FMA, HxH. Each of them in their own way inspired me to be better than i used to be, to try new things or simply live this life the way i want. And that is why i love anime so much. Not because they will give me something to look for each week, i have good life generaly. Not for some no-brainer edge of the seat action or to laugh my ass off. I mean, those are too, but the main reason is those lessons. The way a non existent, 2D dumb character inspired me more than any and every person i ever met is downright laughable. But it is a fact, and that makes me happy and crawing for more. All i have to say, thank you, anime.

*Please*, please please please do a video on bending. Avatar deserves some love in the anime community.

Oh, I didn't know you were in Canada... Cool! As someone who was raised on YTV's small pool of anime, you have probably heard of the anime that influanced me the most.... Escaflowne. Like you, I associated most anime shows i grew up with (digimon, sailor moon and pokemon) to any other cartoon...... But Escaflowne.... (No spoilers) it has a plot twist in it that literally would never have been attempted in western animation (well... at least back in the late 90's early 00's). It blew my teenage mind and made me suddenly realize that I wanted more of that same sort of insanity that only anime could provide. One plot twist, and I became an instant Otaku.

If I made this list it would be wildly different, but you explained your choices well enough to make me interested in the series I haven't seen yet. Thanks

my first anime were nausicaa and Excel Saga. yeah, i started off with some extreme. extremely sober vs extremely comedic.

I don't have 9, but here's a few anime that changed me: 1. All Out!! Seriously. I picked it up earlier this year, and just got hooked. I don't like sports anime (or shounen anime in general), but something about this show clicked with me. Furthermore, I don't think it's that amazing of a show. Other shows have better characters, better plot, better visuals, etc., but somehow All Out!! just drew me in. It's one of the few shows I've watched more than once, and the only one I rewatched immediately after finishing it. Analyzing why I like this show that is so outside my normal taste (and has next to no hype) fascinates me, and it's making me explore other shows I would've passed over before. 2. Serial Experiments Lain. It was the first piece of media that was truly a mindfuck, and it made me realize that anime could explore metaphysical concepts. 3. Fruits Basket. I was already into anime at this point, but it showed me that anime can tackle smaller, character-driven stories. It was my first slice-of-life show, and I am still drawn to the genre today.

I love the fact that you put Kiki's delivery service- a town with an ocean view as the background music, it's one off my favorite soundtracks

There are a few on here that have convinced me that I need to check out anything you recommend that I have some semblance of interest in lol. I literally looked at this video, said to myself that Baccano! had better be on here, and you made it happen. Also talk about martial arts sometime (if you haven't already). I practice Capoeira (I know, kinda niche and not used much in this medium) and peoples takes on martial arts in anime interest me

Congrats on 300,000 man! I really love your content and analysis so keep it up!!

Yessssss, more Avatar the Last Airbender

When you were talking about your "first anime" and how you consider that the anime that got you into anime separate from western cartoons I immediately started thinking about a show that MTV Italia used to air on their "anime night" on Thursdays when I had just gotten in middle school. That show was Inuyasha

I'm so happy you mentioned Space Bros. That series got me thru sone hard times. Wish they continued Hibito's story. Manga is still running

WHY THE FUCK DO PEOPLE GET RILED UP ABOUT AVATAR BEING OR NOT BEING ANIME!? FUCK. WHO CARES!!!!

they made a final act for inuyasha, its pretty good

It's so nice to hear that Inuyasha was a first for you. It was mine as well. It was actually jointly the first anime I watched and bought on DVD. I was in Best buy and thought the cover art for the DVD case was cool. Oh wow did I not know the world I was jumping into.

I got into drawing anime back in 1994, and the anime that started me on this path was Tenchi Muyo. I've got it again and been watching it, still realizing how good it is - it still holds up and I'm glad that I watched it way back then!