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Anime Enthusiasts of Anime3000.com
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Anime3000 < Staff < Sean Russell
Position: CEO and Founder
Name: Sean Russell
Location: South Florida, USA
Birthdate: 2/17/1982
Anime Alter ego: Uzumaki Naruto
Favorite Anime(s): Cowboy Bebop, Naruto, Fruits Basket, Peacemaker
and much more
First Anime Watched: Sailor Moon
Something Unique About Myself: Worked for NBC, MTV and Florida Marlins.
Email Address: Lesaruss@aol.com
Staff Biography
My name is Sean and I'm an Anime Enthusiast. I watched Anime almost my entire life but didn't know what Anime was until I was in High School. Looking back I guess the first Anime I liked was Voltron. I remember watching it Saturday mornings or after school and really digging the way they formed together to make one giant robot, theme song was pretty cool too. That's one show that didn't stand the test of time. Sailor Moon would be the second series to catch my eye. I remember really enjoying this show to the point of marking out when it came on. I was in middle school at the time and it appeared on one of my local channels, which would later become a UPN Affiliate. What I loved about the series was its ability to have strong continuity and rich character development. Watching cheaply produced American animation could do that to you. While the show was estrogen laced, it still told a compelling story that captured my undivided attention.

Everyone should have a gateway anime series. My gateway Anime series is Dragon Ball. I caught a few episodes Saturday mornings and thought it was kind of corny. As it turns out, others loved the series and upon further discussions they insisted there was another version called Dragon Ball Z. I argued that this wasn't true and much to my surprise, Cartoon Network acquired the rights to the show. I watched the first episode and became a fan ever since. The combination of the long drawn out storylines and the sudden shortage of episode. (waiting two years to finish the Freeza Saga) made me a huge mark for Dragon Ball Z. In between waiting for sagas to end, I started to do some research on Anime. I found that there were a lot of shows that fall into this genre, some shows I use to watch. This is fascinating stuff, especially for someone who enjoys watching cartoons. I found out Cartoon Network had a block of Anime on Saturday evenings called Adult Swim.

At the same time the mighty TIVO was invented and being a gadget freak, I bought myself my first 20 hr system (not to be my last). I started recording different Anime programs. I was stubborn at the time and didn't want anything to do with Mecha shows like Gundam Wing. So I recorded Tenchi, Outlaw Star, Pilot Candidate and Cowboy Bebop. At first I only recorded Outlaw Star, Pilot Candidate and Cowboy Bebop then it dawned on me, why not watch all of these shows and delete what I didn't like. So that's when I started watching Tenchi and thank God I did. It was everything I wanted in an Anime show, humor, women and embarrassing moments, but my glee was short lived. A week later the show was canned. They then debuted a show called Yu Yu Hakusho, which was just what I needed to sink deeper into the abyss of Anime geekdome. I even crossed the 180 and ate a Gundam series, which turned out to be pretty good. Gundam 0083 allowed me the ability to eat crow and watch Gundam series from that point on. I even caught a glimpse of Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz and realized I was a dumb ass for not watching it during its original run.

However, during that time I watched one show that turned me into the Anime Enthusiast you see before you. That show was Cowboy Bebop. I never seen anything quite like it before in my life. The show had depth and character as well as a beautiful style of animation. This is when I started looking for Anime in video stores and online. I discovered hoards of series online including subbed shows that didn't make its way to America.

Another important event that helped fuel my love for Anime was Japanese Class in high school. I took a Japanese Class and joined the Japanese club at Hallandale High School. With every word of Japanese I learned, I felt closer to the culture and not just its Animation. Even to this day I long to visit Japan.

Skip a few years to today. Now I'm lucky enough to live by a store that rents every single Anime title ever created. Entire series ripe for the picking. In addition to that, I use my TIVO to search for any possible Anime title that's on the air. Some have been good others have been a waste, then you have some rare gems. One that comes to mind is Digimon Tamers. Yes you heard me. Now, this series was way more than I expected from this franchise. I've seen the fourth and second Digimon series and it doesn't even hold a candle to the third. The show had a darkness to it that I haven't see to this date. Also, the halt in its production for almost a year, made me just want to see it more. It came on ABC Family, ABC and a local UPN Affiliate and added to my love for Japanese Animation. I suggest you picking it up one day and watching it all the way through. It gets really good as the show progresses.

Right now I watch Naruto and a variety of series. My favorite series of all time is Fruits Basket. If I were to tell you the kind of Anime I like, you would swear I was a chick, but I can't help liking those kinds of shows. Other girly Anime I mark out on are His or Her Circumstance, Animanaga Daioh and Chobits. Now don't get me wrong, I like Beserk, Samurai Champloo, Samurai Keeper Kyo, Peacemaker, GTO, Nadesico and others that escape me at the moment.