Let’s Play the Linking Game! What Anime Blogs are YOU Missing out on?

by eternal on February 27, 2009

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Anime is serious business. We know it, we joke about it, and then we go back to knowing it anyhow. The amount of content in the blogosphere is absolutely tremendous considering how many writers we have, and in a medium such as blogging, it’s easy for the less-known to become lost in a sea of obscurity. After all, it took me months to shift away from DarkMirage and RIUVA, and I had known of Owen’s blog for ages before I actually thought to look through the archives since he was on temporary hiatus. And if I had the community itself to push me forward, then what about the readers that rely on blogrolls and AnimeNano to find new sites?

The funny thing about blogging is that a blog’s age often has very little to do with its quality. Confidence is often only found after the writer has had a bit of experience, but there’s nothing saying that an obscure blog is bad – as a matter of fact, it might be better than many of the bigger blogs out there. Therefore, I’ve decided to hop on the bandwagon and link to what I consider to be some of the community’s biggest stars that are more or less still in the shadows.

Euphoric Field

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URL: http://21stcenturydigitalboy.wordpress.com/

Why does 21stcenturydigitalboy appear to have so few readers? I’m honestly not sure. His hit count seems pretty low compared to the size of his archives, but a quick look at the front page should yield you one obvious fact: he writes. A lot. His quantity of posts is definitely way up there, to the point that I almost wonder what he does with his life, but his quality isn’t half bad either. He covers off a very wide variety of otaku-related topics, but he does it in a manner that’s either insightful or informative. Whether it’s a quirky list, a hentai review, or a full-blown editorial, digiboy does exactly what an aniblogger should do, and he always proves to be an entertaining read – whenever I can keep up with his multitude of posts!

Ha Neul Seom

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URL: http://guriguriblog.wordpress.com/

gaguri’s existence is about as cryptic as his About page, but regardless of how little I know of him, he’s clearly a very skilled writer. I’d be guessing if I were to ponder his field of study, but he’s obviously fluent in a wide variety of topics, and he does a great job of letting his real life knowledge seep into his posts on anime. I’d easily place him on the same level as most of the respected editorial bloggers, only that hardly anyone seems to know him. If you’re in the mood to test your brain, read through one of his posts and see what happens.

Kritik der Animationskraft

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URL: http://animekritik.wordpress.com/

I still have trouble spelling the name of animekritik’s blog, but it’s unquestionable that he’s done a great job thus far. He reminds me of gaguri in the sense that I know little about him, and yet a quick look through his posts would reveal the fact that he’s quite knowledgeable as a human being as well as an anime fan. Whether he’s rambling about philosophy, creating epic graphs, or discussing some form of anime-related art, his blog is always an informative and alluring read. He’s also got quite the sense of humour, though it’s subtle enough to not impede his analyses.

Moe Check!

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URL: http://check.animeblogger.net/

I’ve hardly seen DKellis in the rest of the blogosphere – maybe he comments on the other Singaporean bloggers, who knows – but it didn’t take long for me to fall for his writing style. It’s simple, almost amateur, yet entertaining to the point that it draws me in far easier than a university-level paper would. As you can tell, he’s a moe fan, and he’s liable to discuss or otherwise ramble about things that are generally frowned upon by the more critical members of the sphere, but his writing is something I would recommend to anyone who shares his taste in anime.

Anime Instrumentality Blog

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URL: http://blog.animeinstrumentality.net/

I’ll be blunt: zzeroparticle doesn’t have much competition. There aren’t too many aniblogs that focus on music, and there are probably even less that prioritize analysis and review over news. However, that doesn’t make his content any less interesting, and it’s a definite recommendation for fans of anime music or for those of you who simply want to learn more about the role music plays in anime.

Also, a few sites that I decided not to add to the main list for various reasons:
Mega Megane Moe (you’ve probably at least heard of him, but if not, tl;dr analysis + fanboy raving = win)
Grand Punk Railroad (couldn’t think of anything specific to say, but Omisyth is a good all-around writer)
somewhere between yesterday and tomorrow (inconsistent but looks promising)
Behind The Nihon Review (doesn’t seem to have many blogosphere readers or specific defining qualities, but for lack of a better phrase, they look pretty damn good)

Side notes aside, there you have it: five anime blogs which I believe, for one reason or another, don’t have the readers that they deserve. Trends like this generally bore the non-blogger audience, but I hope that this chain of posts helps you – whoever you may be – to find at least one new blog that you wouldn’t have discovered otherwise. That will be an accomplishment in itself. And let’s  conveniently forget the new readers gained from circle-jerking, right?

~ ETERNAL
つづく


{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }

tj han February 27, 2009 at 8:17 pm

21stcenturydigitalboy is a retarded troll, period. He’s like the new DRMChrso or worse, an unfunny version.

Don’t worry, we’ll be back soon I hope. I’m sure DM’s blog will become as big as 1/2 of Danny Choo’s, by the end of this year.

tj hans last blog post..WTF, Asu no Yoichi Turns Out to be a Great Show.

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digitalboy February 27, 2009 at 9:15 pm

I am so touched!!! You are a beautiful person. This is the best post ever. And I’m at the top! HAHAHAHAHA!!! Amazing. I am officially appointing you my 2nd biggest fan behind Ghostlightning. You are my hero.

Also, did I just get called a troll by the shittiest blog author this side of ani-nouto? Hilarious.

digitalboys last blog post..Top 10 First Episodes of Anime

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balance February 27, 2009 at 9:51 pm

I check out http://randomc.animeblogger.net/ a lot for anime tv series coverage, it is the screen caps that first grabbed my attention. Update often too! One of the original blogger left a while ago =(

I also check out DM, he’s a cool dude ;) Interesting life he has. Being in Canada I’m lucky I’m not in the army. Good to see he is still ALIVE cuz he posted recently :P

As for Dannychoo gives you figure news which I’m quite interested atm

@tj han
nice figure collection you have! I have a Max factory 1/7 Haruhi PVC too she is lovely!

@digitalboy
I watched your “I Wanna Be Takasu Ryuuji” It’s alright gave me a few laughs but I’m kind of at a point, where I like dark humor more cuz its clever and funny ^^ but I still need some dose of your kind of humor sometimes, keep up the good work. It takes some balls to post yourself up on youtube imo.
Sigh reminds me of the news where a girl got fire from work cuz her employer found out she said her job is boring on facebook, scary :/

Kritik der Animationskraft seems to be interesting, I have taken two philosophy class during my university days and I really enjoyed the classes. It seems to ask the simple questions like “what is a good life?” but it is ready hard to explain. Always want to learn more.

I will check out some of the above blogs, could never have too little blogger :D BLOGGER UNITE!

btw ETERNAL make the web link a click able one cuz I’m lazy :P
oh did I tell you I hate bright white bg :P

balances last blog post..Suzumiya Haruhi-chan – 05 & 06

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omo February 27, 2009 at 9:51 pm

Digitalboy’s blog has an audience, I just don’t think it’s easy for such an audience to take blogging and blog reading seriously. It’s like trying to monetize 4chan… I think in 10 years he could put out stuff that rivals the like of Eastern Standard. If he’s taken it way into the deep end.

Nice list otherwise.

omos last blog post..Good Meta – Blog Tagging Circle Jerk

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zzeroparticle February 27, 2009 at 10:27 pm

Thanks for the shoutout! Between you and lelangir pimping Anime Instrumentality on your lists, the concept of an anime music community still stands a chance at coming into being yet. Good to know that people are finding my thoughts useful, and that’s a good enough motivator for me to keep churning out quality content.

On my end, I keep track of gaguri’s and digitalboy’s sites because they’ve got interesting content even if I don’t necessarily comment on them. Digitalboy also needs to start up yet another quiz set so I can waste more time on the web. :P

zzeroparticles last blog post..Rozen Maiden Piano Sound Album – Review

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Sorrow-kun February 28, 2009 at 12:26 am

but for lack of a better phrase, they look pretty damn good

What, do you mean our content or our writers? Because, I don’t know about our other writers, but I can assure you that I don’t look pretty damn good at all. At least not before a few drinks. :P

Sorrow-kuns last blog post..Earl and Fairy

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gaguri February 28, 2009 at 12:37 am

Thanks for the pimping, I sincerely appreciate it ^^.

As I don’t plan on making a separate blog post to partake in this linking game, here are few of my recommendations:

Anipages Daily – http://www.pelleas.net/aniTOP/
I’m bit hesistant to recommend this because too often the blog talks about animations that’s waaaay out there (i.e. European shorts, old school anime). But he’s the man to speak to if you want to know more about technical merits of animation.

Behind the Nihonreview you’ve already mentioned. I would personally recommend their main site (The Nihon Review) more, since it’s imo the best review site for anime presently.

And I probably don’t need to mention Iwa ni Hana. Wabisabi (the blogger there) is pretty much the queen of analytical blogging and imo easily the most culturally sophisticated blogger on the net. I really wonder what she has been smoking recently though, one has to be absolutely MAD to take down such a blog just like that.

gaguris last blog post..Comparing La Maison en Petits Cubes and Diary of Tortov Roddle

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animekritik February 28, 2009 at 6:42 am

@ETERNAL,

Many thanks for the plug!! I feel like I’m starting to get connections with the Mob. “Look Ma, look who your little Jimmy is hanging out with! Squeaky Toes Lelangir, Moe Bang Bang Eternal…Can you believe it?”‘
You just listed many of my favorite blogs too.

@gaguri

Wabisabi is simply sick of her hosts and wants to switch to wordpress. Honestly though, if she covered the same stuff I did, I’d have to quit blogging today. Thankfully, I don’t get the feeling she’s gonna start analyzing lolibots or Jun Tsukasa anytime soon.

animekritiks last blog post..Esoterico-elemental Artistry

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Kevin February 28, 2009 at 12:12 pm

@Eternal: Nice list. I saw some of mine in there as well, good job!

@balance: RandomC is one of my frequents as well. Although I’ll be checking out the ones listed here as well.

Kevins last blog post..Blog Pimping

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Omisyth February 28, 2009 at 3:34 pm

Thanks for the mention! I may not stand out, but I do a damn good job of it :P
Every time I see one of these posts, I’m already following more than half the blogs on there. I’m more in touch than I’d think.

Omisyths last blog post..A Few Words On Ghost Hunt’s ED (And OP/EDs In General.)

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digitalboy February 28, 2009 at 3:51 pm

yay for everyone that reads me. I don’t understand Omo’s comment at all. It’s gone totally over my head. Also, I don’t have an audience, he must be crazy.

digitalboys last blog post..Top 10 First Episodes of Anime

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phossil February 28, 2009 at 5:33 pm

Thanks for the links, I didnt knw about those sites (I dont check animenano too often either..)

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DKellis March 1, 2009 at 4:01 am

Thanks for the plug. I generally don’t comment a lot except on a few blogs (THAT, Kurogane, and a couple of non-anime-related ones), which is probably why you haven’t seen my name around.

Sadly, I know of so few blogs that I can’t really have a link-post of my own without repeating the usual names.

DKelliss last blog post..Maid Of Moe

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TheBigN March 1, 2009 at 8:11 pm

Digitalboy: You do have a lot of people that read your posts. Just a lot of the same people. :P

It will be fun to see how far you can keep up this enthusiasm for anime, achieving the pinnacle of otakudom and blogging constantly, since you place a lot of energy into it, which is more than I can say about myself at least.

ETERNAL: Nice list. :3

TheBigNs last blog post..Global Shinkai Day: revisiting Hoshi no Koe

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Elaina March 2, 2009 at 4:03 am

I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don’t know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.

Elaina

http://www.craigslistpostingtools.info

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ETERNAL March 2, 2009 at 7:36 pm

@ tj han: Y’know, I was wondering what I’d have to do to bring you out of the shadows and earn a comment. A certain non-blogger fanboy of yours that I know IRL is probably jealous right now. But anyhow, I keep hearing great things about the Old Riuva, and I wouldn’t mind seeing you guys get things together and perhaps usher in the New Riuva. A DarkMirage era would be fine too, but the two of them in tandem would probably warrant some sort of counterattack by us non-Singaporeans!

@ digitalboy: While this may be a bad time to mention that the list was in no particular order, I’m glad that you appreciate the recommendation. It’s only natural that I have a bias toward other teenaged editorial/tl;dr bloggers, especially one that’s pursuing a creative art form, but my recommendation stands strong nonetheless. I think you do a great job of covering just about everything under the sun in a manner that doesn’t feel like a cheap way to earn hits from search engines, and I’m sure that great things are in store if you keep it up. So keep it up!

@ balance: RandomC is probably one of the best, if not the best sources of episodic summaries, but I don’t find myself needing those often unless it’s for reference. I think we all went there at some point in time, though, along with DarkMirage – I remember reading through his archives and thinking about how nice it would be to go to Comiket.
Also, white backgrounds are pretty common, as I’m sure you know – in fact, some would say that darker backgrounds strain the eyes and make for more difficult reading. Sorry, but that’s one thing that I don’t intend to change ^^;

@ omo: Your reference to Eastern Standard flew over my head as google is only yielding Time Zones and Kitchens, but I get the idea. It’s kind of like how the audience of Danny Choo is very different than the audience of, say, your blog, even though both audiences – and writers – would logically fall under the same category of “anime fan.” Still though , I get the feeling that the opportunity exists.

@ zzeroparticle: I’m glad to be of help, though I’m sure lelangir’s post on THAT made a much bigger difference :P
And now that you mention it, those quizzes actually were fun. They’re certainly among the more interesting ways to waste your time online.

@ Sorrow-kun: Pretty sure I was thinking of the blog, but you’re free to take it as a (heretosexual) complement if you want :P

@ gaguri: I actually subscribed to Anipages after seeing you link to it in one of your posts, but I haven’t read anything yet due to laziness. I’ll definitely get to it though, they look good.
As for Iwa ni Hana, I’ve known about the site for a while but never bothered to look too deeply into it. I’m starting to think that I should.

@ animekritik: Connections are made quickly when you write well. If you’re ever in the mood, join Twitter or MAL or something and start chatting in a more casual atmosphere as well :P

@ Kevin: Thanks! These lists do a great service to bloggers and readers alike, and really, who doesn’t love unnecessary blog pimping?

@ Omisyth: Well, I guess that just proves that you’ve been doing a good job. Just don’t let the unread items build up…then again, I think we’ve all fallen victim to that one by now :P

@ DKellis: Ah, I guess that explains it. Well, even though I always recommend reading in addition to writing, I love what I’ve seen at Moe Check so far, and the most important thing is that you’re enjoying yourself. I’d rather see you not comment than see you burn out.

@ TheBigN: I’ve been thinking the same thing about myself, actually, though most of my energy is invisible (or intentionally kept hidden). I always imagine myself ending up like Jeff Lawson (or maybe JP Meyer if I’m lucky), but I guess we’ll just have to see :P

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DrmChsr0 March 11, 2009 at 5:45 am

I HEARD THAT, TEE JAY.

I AM STILL FUNNY.

DrmChsr0s last blog post..Hurr Hurr Hurr Copyrights.

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Anonymous March 18, 2009 at 1:08 pm

that anime music site, Anime Instrumentality Blog is a good site for those who have gotten or are interested in anime music. But the anime music site i go on is worldofanimemusic.blogspot.com. its often updated with youtube videos and free links for download and also a nice review of the song or album with a rating as well.

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