Links Reference Materials
Some of our favorite anime-related websites.
We used to have a full links section, but we never maintained it properly, and there are better places to go. Instead, here's a selection of our favorite places on the Internet.
Directories
Anime Web Turnpike
The original anime directory since back in the early days of the web before there even was a Google, and it's still the largest directory of anime sites, organized into literally thousands of categories. It's ad-heavy, but great for finding fansites about your favorite series or specific types of anime-related sites--times when Google just doesn't get you what you want.
Resources
Anime News Network
The CNN of Anime, so to speak, they have up-to-the-minute news (you can see a feed on the front page of AAW), reviews, commentary, and more. It's their encyclopedia (see below) that keeps it at the top of my reference list, though.
ANN Encyclopedia
Forget Wikipedia and IMDB, this is where you go to find the details about titles, lengths, episodes, release dates, casts, crews, and more for pretty much every anime ever made. When you want to know who played that character and what else they've been in, it's the site you want.
Shopping
If you're looking to buy anime and live in the US, these are the places we recommend.
RightStuf
This is where we get most of our anime. In particular, they periodically run sales that can net you huge discounts on quality anime and manga. They also have a specials page with deeply discounted items, and if you sign up for a Got Anime membership, you get an additional 10% off of almost everything, plus access to coupons occasionally. The few times I've had a problem with an order customer service is always friendly and helpful, too. Just be careful browsing the daily deals and weekly specials--the chances you'll notice a great deal on something you want means you'll probably end up going broke "saving money."
RightStuf also has a division that releases anime in the US, incidentally.
AnimeNation
The other big US anime store. We shop here somewhat less frequently, but they also have good prices and solid customer service. Unlike RightStuf, they also sell used anime DVDs (and buy them, in some cases).
Amazon.com
This probably goes without saying, but there's always Amazon. Their standard prices usually aren't quite as good as the anime-specific stores, but they have the advantage of a huge selection of used stuff sold through them. Be a bit careful, though; some of the ridiculously low "new" prices on box sets in the 3rd party/used section are actually Hong Kong bootlegs. If you're going to get one of those you might as well just download it illegally, since at least then you're not supporting the bootleggers.
Kinokuniya
If you want imports, this is the first place to try. They have branches around the world, and offer a wide selection of Japanese-import manga, CDs, and videos. It's where Akemi shops when she wants some Japanese books. (When you get to the store for your area, it defaults to Japanese, but there's a link to switch to English near the top of the page.)
Nikaku Animart
Way, way back when, this is where we got our import manga. They still carry a nice variety of import manga, CDs, and the like.