I've been watching anime for quite a while now. It all started with Sailor Moon back in 1996. Then in 1999-2000, Toonami starting airing quite a bit of anime, which in turn allowed me to watch even more anime. Ronin Warriors, the various Tenchi and Gundam shows, the DB franchise, Outlaw Star, Zoids, .hack//SIGN, Rurouni Kenshin, Yu Yu Hakusho. I watched all of those and more. Then in 2001, with the launch of Adult Swim on CN, I got access to even more anime, namely, Cowboy Bebop, FLCL, Inuyasha, Lupin the 3rd, Witch Hunter Robin and so on. By this time I was hooked and I haven't looked back.
I bought my first anime DVDs in January 2002. The series were Evangelion and Trigun. That also marks the first time I'd seen anime uncut and in Japanese. Up to this point I'd only seen edited English broadcasts on TV. I really started getting into collecting anime DVDs in 2003 and since then I've amassed a collection of 3,000+ DVDs/BDs of which is still growing.
While I still vastly prefer watching via DVD and/or BD, Summer of 2011 marks the start of when I started watching anime via (legal) streams. At first I was very leery of the whole thing, but I've warmed up to it quite a bit. I doubt that I will ever go over completely to streams (I'm too much of a hardcore collector), but it does open up a larger world of anime than I previously had access to (originally limited to N.American physical releases). More anime is always a good thing in my book.
Personal Grading System
I will say that I'm pretty forgiving when it comes to grading. I don't usually watch anything with a critical eye, mostly because I don't have the knowledge for that. Rather, I just go with how it makes me feel. If I can grab on to one or two things in a show, that will at least get it a 7 in my book.
Let's start with the top.
10's/A+ - While not necessarily perfect, these shows had my attention from start to finish and I wouldn't change a thing about them. I loved every aspect (characters, story, music, and so on) and they also contain that little something extra that pushes it from a 9 to a 10. These are my absolute favorites and no doubt will always be. With one exception (One Piece), I don't give these out until I've finished watching. To date, I have given 47 of 849 titles a 10.
9's/A - Same reasoning as 10's, but minus that little something extra. Generally, shows I give 10's will sit here till I finish them. To date, I have given 170 of 849 titles a 9.
8's/B - Overall, these are great shows, but perhaps one or two elements were slightly lacking for me. I would still recommend these shows to others. To date, I have given 318 of 849 titles an 8.
7's/C - These titles entertained me to a degree, but were overall just average. To date, I have given 220 of 849 titles a 7.
4-6's/D - These titles had their good moments, but overall, I didn't get anything out of them. I will most likely never watch these shows again. To date, I have given 89 of 849 titles a 4-6.
1's-3's/F - No real distinction at this point. Just a bunch of crud that I would like to forget about as soon as possible. It's probably a miracle that I finished watching any of these. I would put a 3 as "so bad it's good" category, while 1-2 are just "I want to rip my eyes out" bad. To date, I have given 6 of 849 titles a score in this range.
