I never got into anime as an adult, but Japanese cartoons kicked the crap out of anything coming out of the US when I was a kid.
For me it started with Speed Racer and Battle of the Planets. Then, in 1978 my family moved to the Philippines and I encountered the world of "big bellybutton robot cartoons" Oh man, Mazinger Z, Voltus V... it was awesome. Then one day they all just dissapeared. I had heard that President Marcos pulled the plug on them, but I don't know. VHS tapes of those shows were like kiddie crack at that point.
Star Blazers was allowed to Air as a prime time type of show somtime around 1981 maybe. That was cool.
I have a couple of Star Blazer and Battle of the Planets episodes on Video tape, I still get a kick out of watching them.
-Sik