How do you follow this stuff anyway?

It used to be, following anime meant you had to wait for a series that a distributor in your home country deemed worthy of subtitling or dubbing and importing, in the form of video tapes or DVDs. All that changed when anime fans began to take advantage of the internet, and now you can watch series that are currently airing on TV in Japan.

The "problem" with this, though, is one of having too many choices. Any given season can see dozens of titles being released, and it can undoubtedly be a little overwhelming, especially as you just start out. Take heart, though - it's really not that hard to start following anime, if you know how to use available resources.

First of all, if you're completely new to the medium, you might want to start by checking out some of the greats. A good intro into this would be Anime News Network's rating page. It's pretty comprehensive, and clicking on individual titles gives a plot summary and detailed credits (which are important to keep in mind, as we'll see). Go through the top titles, read the summaries, and check out the stuff that you think might appeal to you.

Everyone has a different personal code with regards to if or when they "drop" a series, but as a general rule of thumb, if the series hasn't sold you by at least episode three, you might want to consider letting it go.

Of the series that you do like, pay attention to things like the name of the director and the studio. Look into other works these people have done - you might find gems that, while not rated high by the general viewing public, are suited quite well to your personal tastes.

But let's say you already have a good idea of what you like, or at least what you're looking for in a series, and you want to jump right in and start following series being aired in Japan right now. Where do you start?

Well, there are a number of blogs who compile lists of upcoming series for the new season and make them into easy-to-read charts, replete with summaries and studio names. A good resources for this is the unfortunately-named blog Chartfag. Go through the chart for the new season, and make a note of series that look like they might be promising. When release dates are revealed, make a note of those, too.

So you've got your list of series you want to follow and the dates they begin airing. Where can you go to watch them?

Here you have two options: streaming sites or downloading. Streaming is actually a good option to go with if you're unsure about a series, and you can find plenty of such sites out there. One reliable site for streaming anime is Crunchyroll. Beyond that, Google is your friend - a search for "watch anime online" is going to yield many results.

If you want to go right to downloading, again, there are a number of site out there that can help you with this, as searching "download anime" attests. Personally, I use Animetake, but really, any site that provides reliable, high-definition (i.e., at least 720p.) episodes in a timely fashion from multiple download mirrors will do.

It should also go without saying that if you do follow a series all the way to the end, you might as well show your support for the artists who produced your beloved series and buy the DVD, when and if it comes out. These can usually be found on Amazon, but you can also check with the aforementioned Anime News Network for how to purchase.

And that's basically it. With time you'll find your tastes becoming more exact, narrowing your choices some, and you'll also accumulate some favorite studios and directors. Pretty soon you might end up being one of those people who cannot stop raving about your favorite series on any number of anime forums out there, or to anyone you know in real life who will humor you.