From Owen:

Drama aside, I think there’s something to be said about the point of The ABA, and how a lot of clueless, misinformed, egoistic, or just plain stubborn people have missed it by a mile. My blog turns a year old tomorrow, and it’s been a great process of learning and sharing in the 122-odd posts that I’ve published since then. 365 days later, I’ve grown quite some as a blogger, and I’m pleased to say that I couldn’t have done it without each and every one of those people that I’m about to list here…

Sure Impz pleaded the case before, but this little snippet really captures for me the importance and good of The Anime Blog Awards. I feel the transparent nomination section is my favorite part, because it helped me think of the blogs I personally enjoyed and see the nominations of my favorite authors. I like the voting section because it gives all the readers a say, but I find the dorama misplaced. Since I enjoyed Sat-chan’s nomination list with explanations so much, I’m going to steal the idea. Here are the categories I concentrated on (since I don’t know much about voice actors, figurines, news, etc.):

Best Episodic Blog:

Random Curiosity
Tenka Seiha
Subculture Anime Blog

Aroduc, Totali, and Omni all provide very timely and complete episode summaries. I think Omni has established the gold standard in terms of extensive plot summaries, fast posting, and high-quality screencaps. My favorite meta-joke is, “I don’t watch anime, I just read Random Curiosity.” Aroduc goes a step further and introduces animation in his snarky posts. Whether it’s his ponderously huge collection of sprites, or his unique Youtube videos, his page moves along with you. And then of course there is everyone’s favorite blog stalker, Totali. Sometimes lovu powah is just what an episode summary needs to be really interesting.

Best Editorial Blog:

Hop Step Jump!
Cruel Angel Theses ♪
Bateszi Anime Blog

Jeff’s posts always feel like a refreshing session on the couch with a favorite author, and I always feel the connection between the past, the present, and the future in his articles. Owen, on the other hand, makes me tie on my Karate Kid bandana and prepare for literary war, as I am always motivated to argue with him in his comments section. Paul’s editorials always delve deep into issues I had not considered before, and remind me that anime can be masterful as well as entertaining.

Best Team Blog:

THAT Anime Blog
RIUVA

Having a lot of capital letters in your blog’s name is clearly a sign of quality. Both THAT and RIUVA do a fantastic job of blending different voices and viewpoints, and whenever I visit I feel like I am reading a webpage put together by a group of friends. As a side note, I always wondered what would happen if Zyl and Stripey gattai’ed and formed some kind of Hontounii-chan Uber Blog…

Most Influential Blog:

Hontouni Taihen Desu
Hop Step Jump!
Danny Choo

In spite of his siscon nature, Stripey’s posts always get me thinking about genres and series that I ordinarily would avoid. The posts are always great conversation starters, and Stripey’s pleasant demeanor makes the conversations flow easily. As for Jeff, he was really one of my inspirations to start blogging myself, and even Buono! gives a shout-out to his blog on the Shugo Chara OP. Meanwhile, when everyone will tune in to watch you shake your rump on Youtube, you know you are pretty influential. Danny provides so much exciting information from ground zero, and every post is a buffet of gorgeous pictures and insightful information.

Best Dorama:

Cruel Angel Theses ♪
Ani-nouto

People only flame when they care, and readers care about what Owen writes. Don’t be all tsundere about it, you know your passion burns rightously when you see him arguing that it is ok to be an anime elitist. As for Author, so many people lament, “If only he had comments enabled, I’d give him a piece of my mind.” While most bloggers wish more readers commented, Author has to beat the commenters off with a bat.

Funniest Blog:

Ex-Fansubber Hitorigoto
Derailed by Darry
Hontou Ni Sou Omou

Something about fangirl rage makes me giggle, and Hinano gets me curious about more bad series than any other blogger. As for Jason, his Bill-Simmons-esque style and fantastic lists always entertain and bring about some truly wonderful memes. Finally there is Zyl of the Yuri Goggles. In Zyl I feel a kindred spirit in pointing out those little funny moments that often go unnoticed, but burn to be mocked. I think we both also really enjoy hypotheticals… perhaps a little too much.

Best Satire:

Ex-Fansubber Hitorigoto
Tenka Seiha
Minaide Hazukashii

Even though it is clear that Hinano is actually an uber-fan of anime, she’s not blinded to the flaws of fandom. Instead, she shouts out loud and clear when the stupidity becomes overwhelming, and I have no choice but to nod along meekly. JP, on the other hand, always gives me that reluctant fan feeling, but I cackle along as I read his witty articles. Lastly, I don’t know if it’s the sprites, but somehow Aroduc always plants the seed of corruption that turns pleasures into guilty pleasures. Stop making fun of anime series I like!