I think Macross really started it all for me. No wait, probably Speed Racer and G-Force got me started. I also loved Akira and Bubblegum Crisis, and I really loved Project A-ko in terms of hilarity.
Lisa Hayes (Misa Hayase in the original Japanese production) was one of my first crushes as a kid. :-)
Have you seen the anime version of Metropolis?
I plan to rent Steamboy this week-end as well as Howl's Moving Castle.