Well it really started back in the mid 80's around 1985 I think, when Robotech was showing in Canada. although I didn't know it. There was also Astroy Boy, Voltron and Transformers(not sure if Transformers is really Anime). Around 1989 I started drawing, I wasn't very good due to my young age but to everyone in my 3rd grade elementary school it was. During next few years I usually drew Teenage Mutant Ninga Turtles, and by grade 5 people in the whole school noticed and often asked me to draw things for them which tended to be on school related things like projects. During the early year of junior high, I noticed comic books such as Spider Man, X-men, etc, and spent the these years in junior high drawing North American comic style.
All these years I had forgotten about Robotech but in around the 9th grade my brother happened to rent it from Block Buster Video. After watching it I was hooked. It wasn't because of the art of the series which I'm usually interested it but the actually story, totally different from everything airing on TV. To me it was a beautiful story about love, people joining together, and human survival. After that night(after watching the first part of Robotech 4 or 5 times) I became a devoted fan, an Otaku. Eventually I rented the rest of the series besides 4&5 since Block Buster didn't have them. Through the next couple of years I saw more Anime that Block Buster had as well as videos from Video Difference(another movie rental place with a small section on Anime).
When I was drawing in drawing in Junior High, I came to realized that drawing was what I wanted to do as a living. By the time I entered high school, I felt a desire to learn the "Anime" style or the Japanese stlye so My love for drawing anime begin there. I don't know about you people out there but I found it alittle difficult at first, I believe that it was due to my old habits and such which was developed early. It was almost like trying to learn to draw all over again. It's like martial arts, if you know boxing and are use to that style, then try and learn Tae Kwon Do of Karate, it's hard because you have to change alot of old habits. I also realized how beautiful the music in the Animes where and fell in the love this also.