Why Japanese?

Let it be known that Afro-Caribbeans have a general affinity for East Asian culture! Thus, the seeds of my affinity were planted before I was born! My father grew up in Haiti watching Chinese action movies and practicing martial arts moves with his brothers and cousins; he didn't hesitate to raise me on his favorite movies like Fearless or God of Gamblers from birth. Similarly, my godfather introduced me to the anime shows Inuyasha and Fullmetal Alchemist when I was in elementary school. My resulting anime addiction went dormant for several years but was reignited shortly before junior high school. As I am Vice President of Columbia's Anime Club, it doesn't look like this addiction will be going away anytime soon!
My interest in learning Japanese sparked after noticing the repeated characters in Keroro's and Tamama's names in Keroro Gunsō. I want to learn Japanese, not just for watching anime without subtitles, but more so for understanding the cultural and linguistic subtleties behind anime. Furthermore, I hope to study abroad in Japan at some point and explore the culture, history, and geography myself!
As for this First-Year Japanese course, I am most excited about developing the ability to hold a conversation in Japanese and formally learning Kanji. So far, the most challenging part has been mastering the pronunciation of voiceless vs. voiced consonants (as in か vs. が). That being said, here's to a challenging but fun semester!