Lately I realized a lot of new posters are using ANN, and are really annoyed by their editors and reviewers, but put up with their antiques thinking there are no other non-Japanese sites with the same or even more information.
So let's move on to alternatives:
aniDB
Started as a database for ed2k hashes, but over the last three years added a lot of information about staff, cast, characters, songs. Almost all information comes with a ton of links to primary and secondary on-line sources, and it is very easy for the user community to contribute and correct information, making it much more accurate and comprehensive than ANN. In addition, the users can search and sorts anything they like. Also not only keeps track of relations between anime, but generates handy graphs that are a real time-saver for long running shows (Gundam, Tenchi). Another very helpful feature are the images for characters and VAs, album/show covers, and so on. Personally, I prefer it because it also offers an array of programming APIs to automate searching.
The main problems are:
MAL
MyAnimeList is what ANN could have been if it did not try to profit. It centers around users creating their own lists of what they have watched/read. Apart from that function (also possible but not central in aniDB) its advantages over ANN are the user-friendly search (but lacks in sorting compared to aniDB) for both anime and manga. Images for characters, cast and staff, and threads for each anime/manga like aniDB and unlike ANN (but not well moderated).
In short it offers more functionality than ANN, but is not as comprehensive as aniDB and ANN are.
Baka-Updates
This site specializes in information and news about manga, it has decent searching capabilities (still better than ANN, but worst than MAL). The main benefit to use this site over the other two is that its database is far more comprehensive and aside from the basic information about titles, authors, magazines, volumes, it also keeps track of scantilators, which was its original objective.
MugiMugi
This site is a decent effort to organize information about hentai doujinshi, and manga. Unlike most hentai sites does not have any content (except covers and occasionally low-resolution samples), but its contributors have understood the difference between author and circle, as well as between doujinshi, doujinCG, doujinSoft, magazine and tankoubon stories (unlike, say fakku.net which database is filled with errors, and its content is about 1/10th of eHentai). Anyway has pretty comprehensive search options, but lacks compared to japanese sites since it does not catalogue magazine and volume story separately.
moetron blog
Not a site, but the best place to get first hand news about upcoming projects and news in english.
Sankaku Complex
However popular, this blog is the worst source for information, maybe rivaling ANN... avoid it at all cost, unless you want to laugh at how stupid the blogger and his readers can become.
EDIT: Please add more sites as well as why you think one is better than the other.
EDIT2: Clarifying MAL/ANN comparison.
So let's move on to alternatives:
aniDB
Started as a database for ed2k hashes, but over the last three years added a lot of information about staff, cast, characters, songs. Almost all information comes with a ton of links to primary and secondary on-line sources, and it is very easy for the user community to contribute and correct information, making it much more accurate and comprehensive than ANN. In addition, the users can search and sorts anything they like. Also not only keeps track of relations between anime, but generates handy graphs that are a real time-saver for long running shows (Gundam, Tenchi). Another very helpful feature are the images for characters and VAs, album/show covers, and so on. Personally, I prefer it because it also offers an array of programming APIs to automate searching.
The main problems are:
- requires registration to use all its functionality
- no news, one has to look into its threads for information (not really practical, IMHO)
- Has information only for anime, animated hentai, and anime songs; absolutely nothing about manga and games (for VNs though there is the sister site VNDB)
MAL
MyAnimeList is what ANN could have been if it did not try to profit. It centers around users creating their own lists of what they have watched/read. Apart from that function (also possible but not central in aniDB) its advantages over ANN are the user-friendly search (but lacks in sorting compared to aniDB) for both anime and manga. Images for characters, cast and staff, and threads for each anime/manga like aniDB and unlike ANN (but not well moderated).
In short it offers more functionality than ANN, but is not as comprehensive as aniDB and ANN are.
Baka-Updates
This site specializes in information and news about manga, it has decent searching capabilities (still better than ANN, but worst than MAL). The main benefit to use this site over the other two is that its database is far more comprehensive and aside from the basic information about titles, authors, magazines, volumes, it also keeps track of scantilators, which was its original objective.
MugiMugi
This site is a decent effort to organize information about hentai doujinshi, and manga. Unlike most hentai sites does not have any content (except covers and occasionally low-resolution samples), but its contributors have understood the difference between author and circle, as well as between doujinshi, doujinCG, doujinSoft, magazine and tankoubon stories (unlike, say fakku.net which database is filled with errors, and its content is about 1/10th of eHentai). Anyway has pretty comprehensive search options, but lacks compared to japanese sites since it does not catalogue magazine and volume story separately.
moetron blog
Not a site, but the best place to get first hand news about upcoming projects and news in english.
Sankaku Complex
However popular, this blog is the worst source for information, maybe rivaling ANN... avoid it at all cost, unless you want to laugh at how stupid the blogger and his readers can become.
EDIT: Please add more sites as well as why you think one is better than the other.
EDIT2: Clarifying MAL/ANN comparison.