Downloads & Sources

Lyrics Sources
– I try to use the lyrics from the booklet or jacket that comes with the CD whenever possible.
– For most songs, I use Uta-Net and Anime Song no Kashi nara Koko ni O-makase?.
– For the newest of new songs, like OP and EDs that only aired a day ago on TV, or doujin music, I use NicoNico Douga.
– For Vocaloid songs I use the Hatsune Miku Wiki.

Music News & Downloads
– An entry-level place to start looking for mp3 downloads is http://www.gendou.com/amusic, which has thousands of songs. Just register a free account and download one song at a time.
– For higher quality or the most recently released songs, try torrenting files from Tokyo Toshokan or Nyaa.

Translation Resources
– I mainly use Alc and goo Dictionary and Tangorin to look up unfamiliar Japanese terms.

Merchandise & Purchases
– I buy most of my merchandise from Suruga-ya and Yahoo! Auction Japan. The rest are scattered across HobbyLink Japan, Movic, and AmiAmi.
– Cospatio) is my grail of cosplay goods.

Art & Scan Resources
– The top source I use is the anime’s official (koushiki) book, also known as the guide/visual/fan/perfect (usually it’s two of those words in a combo) book. I consider the printed colors to be as true to original as possible (better than a home printer printout) and I take the book directly into fabric stores and match colors right off the rack.
– I also look for magazine scans or poster art sometimes for cosplay references. The first site I usually check is Yande.re, followed by danbooru and Konachan.
– For vectors and custom paintbrushes and patterns I usually check on Pixiv and deviantART to see if there’s something useful.