You think that anime and manga have influenced you a lot? Wait until you hear what the Japanese have to say on the matter. Apparently it's been more important to them than their own parents. Bizmoto (Via Sankaku Complex) reports the results of a survey that show when it comes to Japanese priorities, well, they are in an interesting order to say the least.

Men named Gundam as the most influential of the seventies, closely followed by Space Battleship Yamato, Galaxy Express 999 and Lupin III, while women leaned towards Candy Candy, Alps no Shoujo Heidi, and Manga Nippon Mukashibanashi. In the eighties, men named Fist of the North Star as being the biggest influence, while women named Touch.

Also interesting was the question "What has most influenced your life and aspirations?", 23.9% of the people asked named television, with manga and anime coming in second at 19.7%, and then schoolteacher, books, father and mother after in that order. Wow ... apparently mothers don't have much sway when it comes to motivating their kids. That's Japan for you.

Now, many of you may have never seen anything but Gundam in the lists above, but a golden oldie like me has seen most of it, and if you haven't I recommend all of it. It's interesting to see where the roots are, and you'll also begin the notice the influences showing up in modern shows. A few of mine are Akira, Vampire Hunter D and Devilman, for instance. What anime and manga have influenced you most?