Beyond children’s stuff, and entry-tier Ghibli films, I think K-On! was one of the first anime I actually watched. I’m not really sure what I thought of it, certainly don’t recall much about it. Probably took an interest in Japanese media more from manga than anime; yuri like Morinaga’s Girl Friends helped me realise I was bisexual.
But to focus back on anime, Nichijou is probably what made me realise anime could be worth my time beyond the odd film, that made me smile on a lot of otherwise dark days. And on the opposite side of things, I’d probably attribute Madoka and NGE with teaching me the value that anime could hold as ‘art’. (I’m a sucker for an effective deconstruction of a genre.)
I love X! (not that one) and I love reading this!