To be honest, there are actually two of them that made a huge impact on me. The first one was Parasyte, since it, for the first time in my life, introduced me to the concept of anime and how limitless anime is. The second one was Makoto Shinkai's Tenki no Ko, which made me a true anime fan and inspired me a lot to make stuff of my own.
Many anime have had a big impact on me like Naruto, Fullmetal alchemist, Bleach, Hunter x Hunter, Violet Evergarden, Hyouka and your lie in april. Also Gurren Lagann but I haven't finished it yet, but the one that has had the biggest impact is Jujutsu Kaisen. I have never so been hyped for an anime for this long, to the point that I couldn't wait any longer so I read the manga and yet I still can't get enough of it. Everything about the story, from the characters to the world to the philosophies to every flipped detail in the story is just amazing to me. This story has taken me on a rollercoaster of emotions which I truly love. I doubt any other anime will have such an impact on me like Jujutsu Kaisen but there's still so many anime out there so who knows, maybe I will experience something better
Hands down, Saint Seiya. Used to watch it all the time when I was little because my brothers are much older than me and loved the show. I watched little kids shows too, but Saint Seiya was special because it told such a good story that was bigger than what other shows for kids my age were doing. The show had everything, epic battles, friendship, sacrifice, drama. I grew up wanting to tell stories that hit those notes, the kind of stories that makes you feel and root for the characters. Saint Seiya had some pretty tragic backstories and I think that also made me enjoy writing characters that are damaged in some way. I still love the show, and I still love the story it told even if it wasn't perfect. It's also interesting to hear it inspired some other more famous shounen titles.
There were a bunch of other shows that influenced me as a kid, like Cowboy Bebop, Trigun, Inuyasha, Digimon, Sailor Moon, but Saint Seiya really started my love of storytelling.
Mostly magical girl shows. Cardcaptor Sakura, Sailor Moon, Tokyo Mew Mew, Ojamajo Doremi, PPGZ and Pretty Cure had such a huge impact on me growing up. I named my 1st Barbie doll, Sakura, had my dolls "transform" like Sailor Moon, made Ojamajo Doremi fanfic spinoffs, and a bunch of one off magical girl OCs.
I know the genre is unpopular and I haven't watched PreCure since 2017, but I still have dreams of making my own magical girl series
From an early age, I was captivated by the enchanting worlds of Dragon Quest, the thrilling battles of Knights of the Zodiac, and the magical charm of Sailor Moon. These anime fueled my imagination and ignited my passion for fantasy adventures, action-packed shounen series, and the whimsical realm of magical girls.
As I grew older, my anime preferences expanded to include Hellsing, the .Hack series (both the anime and the immersive video games), and even indulging in some delightful B-tier anime with their own unique and unconventional stories. I embrace the fact that my tastes are influenced by the diverse range of anime I consume. It's a reflection of my journey and the impact these stories have had on me.
I don't claim to be a singular or exclusive individual; rather, I recognize that my identity is shaped by the rich tapestry of anime that has touched my life. It's a celebration of the vast and wonderful world of anime that has left an indelible mark on my heart and mind.
Sonic X, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Lucky Star, Nichijou and Sword Art Online tho more recently I'd add Serial Experiments Lain, BNA and Promare. Pokemon probably makes the list too especially since it was my actual first anime even tho I hadn't realized
I think with both Pokemon and Sonic the whole unlikely friendship aspect and the mixture of slice of life elements with lots of intense action and emotional moments made me want to also share stories that can be fun but also thrilling and moving and the same could be said of the rest too. I like the variety of style too, bouncing between cartoony and "childish" as well as more serious or intense looking visuals and overall just seeing stories with a variety of people is just really nice to watch
I think there's also that thing of seeing a story and enjoying it but also critiquing things like "i would have done this instead" or "something like this would be better" and stuff like that. i probably felt that a lot in moments with SAO or the Studio Trigger anime's I've been watching lately and i realize it's part of what led to me making certain stories, getting upset or confused by execution and wondering "how would i do that" or "what would make this better for my tastes"
there's probably others, like little drops, that added up filling that pool of inspiration and leaving their ripples so reflecting on that is really interesting