After sorting through my CD/DVD collection, I became curious...

What was the first anime series you ever watched? (Either all the way through or the first you remember seeing.)

The first anime I watched all the way through was Record of Lodoss War. (I own it on DVD now, which is what got me thinking of this question.) It's a classical fantasy piece which was based on what could essentially be called the creator's fanfic of how his D&D campaign could have gone. It's also where I probably picked up my thing for elves (Looking at you Deedlit and Pirotess!) and where Lisa Ortiz got her first major role in voice acting.

I recommend it highly if you dig older anime. <<www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcH-gsmS2OM|It's opening is also very pretty, if a little stiffly translated.>>

If I extended this to the first I remember? I think my family had a recorded VHS copy of <<www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEWBXpgLKec|Battle Angel Alita>> waaay back when that I just barely remember. But nothing specific, which is why I'm sticking to RoLW as what I'll call my first.

First anime series that I watched in which I knew it was anime: Sailor Moon (the DIC release).

First anime series that I watched ever? Probably G1 Transformers. Yes, that counts as anime. :P

First anime I can recall seeing? Astro Boy, when it was being aired back in the 80's. The Pluto arc, as I recall.

I... guess. It was animated in Japan. So, if that's the only criteria for "anime" in this thread, then sure.

I guess it would be the same for me if that counts. Otherwise, it was probably Speed Racer or Voltron. I have no idea what the first anime I watched all the way through was.

The first anime I saw was a rented VHS tape containing a weird dub of the 1st and 3rd Dragonball movies (Curse of the Blood Rubies and Mystical Adventure). It combined both movies and changed the names of various characters (I specifically remember Goku was renamed Zero).

I can't really remember exactly which my first one was, But I do remember what the first one that got me hooked on anime was. Project A-ko, It was also what got me hooked on yuri.

Well, I have memories of Yu-Gi-Oh, and Sonic X, but the first anime I sought out as anime? Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt. Long story.

And what, you're going to leave us to fill in the blanks? Hang on, let me get my fanfic pen out.

Nah, but seriously PSG is one of the animes I can introduce non-anime fans to and they still love it. Solid choice, even if it is a bit more recent than I expected out of this thread.

And this is a much more variable set of answers than I was expecting, so that's cool all round.

Do we have to have been old enough to remember it?

The first one I can remember is probably Pokemon, but as far as more "traditional" anime, probably Rurouni Kenshin.

Probably Dragonball or Sailor Moon, here.

Pokemon..?

No, scratch that. I've seen mononoke before pokemon.

Either Pokemon or Dragon Ball Z

I don't remember very well, as a kid I never knew what "anime" even was until years later. Probably Dragonball, Detective Conan or Pokemon if I had to guess. I do remember my first manga though. I was watching Naruto in an online site dedicated to the series and saw the "manga" tab. I remember being confused at seeing the anime in comic form, and not only that, but realizing the comic was longer than the anime and that was in fact the original material in which the anime based on and not the other way around.

I'm not gonna count Transformers either soooo...

Before I knew what an Anime even WAS, I watched Speed Racer on Cartoon Network.

Then Dragon Ball Z I guess was the first Anime I knew as an Anime.

If it matters, the first Anime I watched that wasn't broadcast on TV (I watched it online, subbed) was Genshiken.

This is not a good thread. It makes me feel old.

This happened quite a while ago so I am not sure, but it must have been either Captain Harlock or the 45min version of Nausicaä, but as most of you, I didn't know what anime was back then. I think the first anime I saw when I realized what it is, must have either been Bubblegum Crisis or Armitage 3.