For a long time now I’ve been dissatisfied with my  current blogroll, and indeed I’ve never been particularly keen on the concept for traditional blogrolls to begin with. The standard “list of links on the sidebar” doesn’t give much useful information, hardly ever generates any clicks, and also damages your Google pagerank.

Thus, I’m very pleased to present a much more detailed blogroll listing that I feel properly gives credit to the sites that I enjoy the most and which recommend to you, my readers, as being Worth Your Time. This page will be added onto my top menu shortly, so you can always refer back to it if you’re bored and want a good anime blog recommendation.

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The first three blogs in this list, by the way, are my “holy trinity of anime blogging”, writers who I admire and who’s works I read without fail, regardless of subject matter. These guys don’t just write generic episode summaries. They really engage with the work on a creative and intellectual level that gives credit to the under-appreciated depth of animated works, and helps me to better appreciate the artistry of this genre.

If these guys recommend it, it’s probably worth checking out.

Mono no aware 物の哀
http://mononoaware.concretebadger.net/

Martin’s blog  is the first of my “trinity”.

“Mono no aware” is a Japanese concept that refers to the pathos and transient beauty of life, and Martin’s writing captures that idea perfectly. Although sometimes a bit heavy intellectually, his posts do a great job of helping me remember why I love anime and Japanese cinema, as he highlights thematic concepts and shares his unique insights in a very personable and down to earth manner.

The fact that he loves Mushishi and a good Guinness Stout doesn’t hurt, either. Also check out the archives of his now-retired blog The End of the World.

The Animanachronism
http://animanachronism.wordpress.com/

Although he doesn’t write as often these days, Daniel’s posts are always incredibly insightful. He does an excellent job of taking high-falutin’ social or academic literary concepts, breaking them down in ways I can understand, and then applying them to anime series both old and new.

Although it may sound like an odd way to approach what are otherwise fairly serious business concepts, his unique perspective and presentation helps to both make the ideas he’s discussing palatable to the average reader, and to give a greater appreciation of the anime which he uses to frame his discussion.

We Remember Love
http://ghostlightning.wordpress.com/

The Not-So-Holy-Ghostlightning rounds out my blogger trinity with electric and incisive writing about the latest new anime series. I hesitate to call his posts “episode reviews”, because they are so much more than that. He’s a very “honest” writer who shoots from the hip and shares his thoughts and reactions without pulling any punches.

I honestly have no idea how he manages to keep such a frenetic blogging schedule while also demonstrating such excellent insight and creative analysis. Add in a dash of comedic brilliance, and the fact that he regularly links to excellent posts on other blogs, and you have a 1-stop shop for tapping into the anime fandom collective.

This is one site where you can expect both quantity and quality.

Sea Slugs! Anime Blog
http://www.seaslugteam.com/

This memorably named site is one of first anime blogs I discovered, and to this day it is without question the best “episode summary” blog you’ll find. A must read.

Featuring lots of witty repartee and tongue-in-cheek coverage of the latest anime series, as well as a star-studded cast of slaves co-bloggers, SSAB is where the party is at. Instead of simply recapping scene-for-scene an episode you just watched, Kabitzin inserts his offbeat humor into his summaries, producing a hilarious retelling of the story. Coupled with a strong core audience of good commenters, Sea Slugs is a great place to find some lulz and enjoy a more easygoing kind of anime appreciation.

Kabitzin runs a pretty tight ship, so you can expect lots of regular updates for newly airing anime from all across the spectrum.

Kurogane’s Anime Blog
http://kurogane.animeblogger.net/

Kurogane’s posts are the best “reaction immediately after watching an episode” you’ll find. Short, sweet, and to the point, Kurogane highlights key hilarious or significant moments along with lots of screenshots and the kind of reaction commentary that makes you feel like you were right there watching the episode with him.

This is another blog that I’ve been reading for years and which has always consistently delivered. With posts being generally lightweight and brief, Kurogane’s Anime Blog makes for easy reading and is worth a feedreader subscribe for even the most time pressured reader.

blog好き
http://blogsuki.com/

I can’t keep up with the constant name changing, so I’ll just refer to it as “The Blog Formerly Known As Anime on My Mind”. Run by the reclusive Jason Miao, this was the very first anime blog I read, one that I’ve been following for over 6 years now.

Claiming that “there’s very few things in pop culture, life, or anime that cannot be explained with sports,” Jason’s writing is peppered with clever sports analogies. Coupled with his frequent techie jokes, giant images of moe characters, and penchant for making lists and rankings out of everything, his blogging style is right up my alley.

The commenters on the site tend to leave something to be desired, but the posts themselves are generally hilarious and well written, and can be fun to go back and read even years later.

2-D Teleidoscope
http://2dteleidoscope.wordpress.com/

A relative newcomer to the anime blogging scene, 2DT has quickly made a name for himself with a consistent posting schedule that has him exploring a variety of anime genres and the underlying concepts and themes they explore.

This site is a great way to deepen your appreciation of series both old and new, and to gain greater insight into Japanese culture and mythology.

The Scrumptious Anime Blog
http://scrumptious.animeblogger.net/

The tastiest anime blog ever. Seriously, even the favicon looks delicious.

Run by a self-professed crazy fangirl, this Scrumptious Anime Chef is always cooking up great posts about a wide variety of anime and manga related topics. Not only is usagijen’s writing eloquent and intelligent, she blogs wearing her heart on her sleeve, which gives her posts a very personal tone that makes them stand out from the crowd.

She’s also a fellow JLPT veteran, so every December we can commiserate together when the annual day of punishment arrives.

hontou ni
http://hontouni.com/zan/

This unholy blogger gattai of tanuki and zaku has produced a sort of raccoon cyborg blogging machine that alternates between episodic anime summaries and goth-loli-siscon fetishism.

In addition to the regular schedule of witty anime commentary, there are plenty of artbook reviews and bishoujo related posts.

hashihime 橋姫
http://hashihime.blogspot.com/

Although he doesn’t post as often as most blogs, hashi makes up for post count with the sheer size of his entries. Featuring a strong focus on seiyuu and the Japanese anime scene, hashihime fills a unique niche in the blogging ecosystem.

Without a doubt, this is one of the best sites to check out if you are interested in learning more about the Japanese vocal talent that goes into producing anime.

Bateszi Anime Blog
http://bateszi.animeuknews.net/

Another awesome U.K. blogger! Paul is another writer who does a great job of highlighting great anime and the great stories that emerge from them. His fairly conversational tone belies the profundity of his words, and he excels at reviewing a series in a concise and entertaining way, so check out his review category for a good selection of recommendations.

That’s Not Kanon
http://tnk.hidoshi.com/

Back from Hiatusland, hopefully for a long time this time, Hidoshi is always full of off-the-wall unexpected ideas that germinate into fun posts with unique perspectives.

Hige vs. Otaku
http://higevsotaku.com/

Hige is just pure genius. I always end up wanting to watch whatever he’s writing about, because he makes everything sound fun and entertaining. This is another writer who you shouldn’t take off your subcription list just because he doesn’t post often – when he does post it’s sheer brilliance.

Ramblings of DarkMirage
http://www.darkmirage.com/

Rambling it may be, but DarkMirage never fails to educate and entertain, whether he’s bashing horrible fansubbers or liveblogging his latest Comiket misadventures. His posts often tend toward the rant end of the spectrum, but that only makes them more fun to read, as his writing is crisp and intelligent. He also speaks fluent Japanese and has a good understanding of the culture, so his linguistic and cultural insights are always worth reading.

I also hear he’s secretly a superhero IRL.

Tenka Seiha 天下制覇
http://blog.seiha.org/

The “World Domination” blog is another episode summary blog, but like Sea Slugs it’s less about recap and more about wit, cynicism, and snarky commentary. Aroduc’s posts feature lots of screenshots, so if you’re pressing for time and don’t really feel like watching an episode, you can just look at the posts here and call it a day.

Ani-Nouto アニ・ノート
http://ani-nouto.animeblogger.net/

Author is a troll and a lurker who claims he doesn’t allow comments because he can’t “justify the expense of maintaining [them]“.

That said, he has a very successful sort of meta-blogging site in which he highlights various interesting posts and discussions from around the anime blogosphere. His commentary is usually quite interesting, as are the articles he links, even if the blatant lack of an easy feedback mechanism is endlessly frustrating.

Cruel Angel Theses
http://omaemo.dasaku.net/

Another troll, except this one writes way too much, rather than too little. That said, Owen tends to generally exhibit good insight, and while he hasn’t posted recently, his archives make for fun rainy day reading, especially his series of Darker than Black posts.

Riuva
http://www.riuva.com/

Although tj_han is a troll, too, he’s a much higher class of criminal. Indeed, there are plenty of times when I begin to think that his incredibly dry, sarcastic wit should be illegal. A self-described “avatar of uninhibited Asian nerd desire”, he consistently writes the harsh, invective posts that everyone else was thinking but didn’t want to say.

[ halcyon realms ]
http://halcyonrealms.com/

An industry insider, yonghow frequently shares great photos and stories from Japan. In addition to fun tales from the anime industry, this site features some great art from a wide range of Japanese artists.

H.C.Staff
http://www.houseofsixten.com/hcstaff/

Because cute makes right. Sixten is an artist in every sense of the term, and his site showcases many of his artistic works, whether in drawing, composing, or just writing.

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There are many other great blogs on my feed reader, but these are my top recommendations, the blogs that I check regularly and enjoy on a consistent basis. If there’s a blog on this list that you haven’t read, you probably should go check it out.

Go on, what are you waiting for, a cookie?