Unfortunately, MAL has been getting slower and more unusable lately. Apparently to the point where I’m subjecting myself to Endless Eighting Mushishi episodes.
It’s a shame, because even though MAL seemingly hasn’t been improved in years, it’s actually still a fantastic cataloguing and listing site. But the glacial speed and the multi-hour delays in list updates is getting to be a bit much. So after flirting with Anime Planet for what seems like months, I’m going to spend the next couple weeks using it a lot more to see if it can be a worthy replacement to MAL and report my findings. It has a handy MAL list import function which makes the transition easier. I could use some friends to see what that functionality does, so please drop on by!
Blogging about Anime | Rabbit Poets 
Does Anime-Planet have an “import from MAL” function? If so, I -might- consider it. I got a few replies from their Twitter account (I think you did too) so at least that proves that the devs care about their site, unlike a certain Xinil. I wouldn’t mind switching over but I’d like to hear a bit more first.
Yep, you can export your list from MAL and then import the file into AP. My import was pretty good. A few failures around naming conventions (some of my picture dramas don’t exist on AP and all the Kara no Kyoukais are combined as one series), but overall pretty good.
Yeah, I got some responses too. It’s nice that they do care.
First you export your MAL list (function is near the top in the anime list viewing page). Extract the .xml file, then on Anime-Planet there is an option to import that .xml file to add to your list there. Same thing for manga.
actually, you can upload the gzip file as is and AP seems to import fine.
Wow, you really like Mushishi episode 6!
Mmmm…Anime Planet looks really nice. Does it keep track of episodes the same way MAL does?
It’s similar. MAL does it better however, they keep track of more details, eg, start and end dates, their default list view is more convenient, and they also have individual forum posts for each episode while AP just has one forum post for each individual series. But from a purely list tracking perspective, it does the job just fine.
I’ve been nosing around AP for a day and I find I miss some of the details of MAL’s list tracking. Like you noted, there’s no start/end dates and also no clubs (if you’re into the community aspect) or tracking rewatches. I lost almost half of my “time watching anime” going from MAL to AP!
On the other hand, AP has a lot more administrator support and features like badges. Other than simply list notation, it’s a big difference from MAL’s mainly user-created and community-centered content.
If AP’s list keeping was identical to MAL’s, I think it’d be an easy switch for me.
One of the nice things about administrator support, at least from what I’ve seen so far, is that AP is much more spoiler-free than MAL. The downside is that there seems to be less general info filled out – although that probably has to do with its smaller userbase.
MyAnimeList in my opinion started to suck ever since they changed their site design. Since their API was nonexistent, I had to develop with the buggy, but works unofficial API just to develop a program for that site and it’s disgusting.
AnimePlanet is okay, but there are no public Apis, so no programs to automatically update the list… This is what keeping me away from the site even though it’s better than MyAnimeList.
I am using melative to manage my Anime list since I developed programs that allow me to automatically update a specific title… Thus a public API that the other services are missing currently.
Yeah, the one big thing I miss with Anime-Planet is that it doesn’t keep track of rewatches. That, and it’s sometimes a bit slow to update when new episodes of current series are available. But everything else isn’t so bad; I’d probably have more friends on there if I didn’t hate forums so much lol.
Yay! I’ll add you :3 For the friend stuff, there’s no sending/accepting friends request, it’s a one side thing. I recently started using AP too~ it’s a lot better and faster.
Currently have few problems with MAL but I use MALUpdater, which can be rather inconsistent on occasion trying to connect. Otherwise I update fine. I hardly use it except for keeping it as a reference for myself, so I will stick with MAL.
Also, MAL is giving you a SIGN.
666 <
Bit late with this, but wasn’t Mushishi episode 6 the rainbow one? In which case I don’t blame you for wanting to watch it 3 times
hey what a cool post really helped me out!
check out my profile at anime planet! – http://www.anime-planet.com/users/Yxel
sometimes I want to be a spambot
Hmm the spam filter seems jinky these days *kicks random machine*
Funny how you brought this up seeing as how since yesterday, I’ve decided to ditch both! (¤^_^¤)/
I’d have no problems using MAL if it wasn’t so incredibly laggy (sure, it has a buttload of room for improvement but it’d still be rather nice). As for the Anime-Planet, you’ve already mentioned the drawbacks – I immediately noticed the merged KnK movies as well as the fact that Nanoha movie barely has any info at all. MAL not only lists plenty enough info to make you decide whether you want to watch a show, including the bloody cover art, but it also provides /other/ sorts of info a western anime fan might be interested in. Another thing that bothers me is the way the favorites are handled; at first it’s nice to be able to pay respect to each and every character you love (or mark the ones you hate) but after a while you start to miss the Favorite Anime/Manga/Characters/Seiyuu list from MAL. As for AniDB, it is just too cumbersome and I haven’t really gotten the hang of Melative either.
So anyway, being occasionally OCD to the point of wanting to rather smash the whole than settle for something that bothers me, I’ve made up my mind to stop keeping record of my anime/manga. It’s amazing how addicted to these lists one can become – to the point where you’re confused as to whether or not to watch/read anything at all lol.
Giving up then both? Very bold of you! 😉
The hardest part is letting go. I’m like a data packrat. I rarely throw away data unless it’s against my will like from a hard drive crash or something. But the few times I have lost stuff I’ve always been surprised how easy it is to go on without info I thought of as essential. Eventually I could get by without the peripheral info, but until then I’m sure I’ll go down kicking and screaming, ha.
I can see where you’re coming from, I’d rather have my stuff (in this case, abstract collection of japanese entertainment experiences) neat and tidy to the point of perfection or not bother with it at all. Lately I’ve been trying to put my life together – become more social, figure out what I want from life in general – and it’s working. First thing I’ve noticed is that I don’t feel like playing video games at all anymore; anime & manga take far less effort and are more rewarding (plus that just fits my student lifestyle far better). So I’ve had some practice there. The whole otaku business is inherently OCD and sieving out what /you/ really need to enjoy this hobby as opposed to what the majority of our geeky peers are doing can be a tad unclear.
I don’t know if it’s necessarily specific to Otaku, this ocd-like cataloguing of experiences, so much as a pretty pervasive human quirk. It’s like tracking how fast you’re running a mile, or why people try to get foursquare badges, there’s a sense of accomplishment in seeing what you’ve done or finished. Now whether watching a 26 episode series in 5 days is a real accomplishment or not… well that’s a different debate altogether. =p
This has to do with the whirlpool of thoughts, emotions and memories all intertwined together to form the human ego, a sort of defense mechanism and an image we have of ourselves as a person. By attaching things both abstract and material, such as accomplishments (“my” anime watched) or objects (“my” figma/manga/anime DVD collection) to the idea of “I”, our sense of self, we bolster it and cater to it in whatever general direction it seemed to be going in until that moment. In this modern age this quite often isn’t the most “productive” path but rather the one that provides the most comfort.
So I believe that while it is true that every human being tends to want to “root” itself in the world despite the transitory nation of life, the phenomena called otaku are more OCD than the average Joe due to the solitary nation of the hobby which inherently implies the greater need for the “otaku ego” to reaffirm itself on an almost daily basis through purchase of related merchandise and the activities (eroge, games, manga, anime etc.)
That’s at least how I see it. 😛
Damn troll mods ruin MyAnimeList. They ban you with no reason, notification, or warning if you participate in the forum.
1st ban = 3 days.
2nd ban = 1 week.
3rd ban = 1 month.
4th ban = forever.
Ridiculous. I am moving to Anime-Planet after doing a lot of research. AniDB (no “external links” at all and only hosts anime (the admin actually laughs at the idea of adding manga, plus he is childish, ending every post with “BYe! EXP (his nickname, whatever that means)” (he is also known for being paranoid, banning himself at one point from his own website, not to mention the links rule))), AnimeNfo (no links to or even mentioning the names of online manga readers, scanlations, or MP3s, and no “slang abbreviations” (like “4” and “dis”)), and Anime News Network (no “one-liners or lists,” and users “must” use “proper English” (like starting sentences with “capital letters” and ending them with “periods” (the idiots forgot that sentences can end with other punctuation marks such as question marks and exclamation points) all have silly rules and a threatening tone.