I have been watching anime unknowingly back when DBZ and Sailor Moon were on the air back then and then knowingly got into it a bit after reading some various manga from a library back in middle school. However, I wasn't a huge fan until I came across a few shoujo genred anime that ended up curing my depression from being homeless for a month right before starting high school (I think two of them were Super GALS! and Chobits). From there onwards, I tried lots more and now, I tend to stick to what would be more fun on my end as I continue being an anime fan. (My main tastes are Shounen, Moé, Shoujo, Seinen, and Magical Girl with my side interests being Ecchi, Comedy and Horror.)
The impact that anime left in my life ended up being for the better.