greetings from a fellow Californian. Where in Ca are you from and where will you be studying? Good luck in your studies; I noticed you're using the kunrei-shiki romanization style, might I recommend taking a look at the Hepburn system? It seems to be a lot more popular, at least in all the materials I've seen.
Also just had to say that not everyone encounters Japan through anime, although it is getting more ubiquitous these days.