Two Year Anniversary- Believe

~People tell me my head's in the clouds; I don't care what they say because I'm dreamin' of you; You are the treasure I've found; So bright, so bold yet so elusive.

Another year has passed and it is hard to believe that this blog is now two years old. A good amount of things have stayed the same while a few things have changed. I would like to believe all the change is for the better, but even I know that isn't completely true. In any case things are surely looking up.

-Mikey 

SuperNeku:
~It's hard to look away, even though it's blinding me. There are no words to describe how I feel inside, I'm really really stuck on you wow woooooow.

Seriously, the years go by too quickly. After an eventful year filled with not only the superb constantly changing storyline of One Piece, but the appreciation that all of us fans not only on the blog, but also that those around the world share. I feel like the blog has improved thanks to new additions and greater staff experience. I hope the newer members learn from their experience as we have, and that we as friends shall continue to share our appreciation for one of the best anime/manga out there.

Sora: ~There is no limit to us, we have the power of love. And we don't wanna live ordinary lives; We have the chance to live in paradise.

It’s always an honor serving the loyal One Piece fanbase. It was sublime working on and watching the series over the past year. From each moment captured by the animators on the long running Whitebeard War, to the astounding chapters exploring the crew after 2 years apart and their adventures on Mermaid’s Paradise, this series has progressed to the point of no return for those caught up in its powerful tide of awesome events.

Of course, it seems like only last week that I witnessed the true extent of the intensity of the fans of the series at the annual Sakura Con convention in Seattle. There, the power and thrill of the series was, quite literally, brought to life before my eyes through creative cosplays, knowledgeable fans, and improvised skits that would make you laugh until you weep tears of joy. Here is a picture of a few of the excellent people I saw there, fans showing their love of the series in the only way they know how: Cosplay.

A busy year full of new events and a few surprises comes to a close, only to open up a world of possibilities that Oda-sama has in store for us in the coming chapters and for the series’ next epic portrayal in the animation. We all look forward to it as dedicated fans and especially for the future of the blog in the coming year.

Pirate Beck:~I have to follow my dreams however crazy they seem; And I won't stop 'til I get there, you will see; You're all I need to have the strength to believe.

It has been nearly six months since I joined the ranks of the “One Piece at a Time” blog and, despite my continued absence from the website, I can still say it has been an interesting experience. I was aware of the website before I became a part of its crew but I didn’t have any involvement with its staff until SuperNeku introduced me to Mikey, who is a fine and fantastic individual that I would love to meet one day. No matter what the issue is, he is always willing to listen to what I have to say and I truly thank him for that, from the bottom of my heart.

If anything, writing for the blog has made me realize some of my own weaknesses and strengths as a writer. While my content may make for a somewhat interesting read, I have been too judgmental for my own good and concentrated far too much on the negative as opposed to the positive. While I still stand behind some of the opinions I expressed previously, I would like to apologize for the way in which I expressed my thoughts which, on the whole, were unbalanced and unfair. Once the arc is over, I would love to go back and give a more professional view of it, discussing what worked and what did not.

Even so, it’s been an experience worth having and I would like to thank Mikey and SuperNeku for all they’ve done for me, and as well thank Sora, even though we have spoken very little, and Dsaftler, who I look forward to working with in the future. One Piece has continued to smash records throughout the land and I really hope the blog continues to do the same. It’s a lovely little part of the community that I hope the fans will come to relish sooner or later.

Mikey:
The blog has grown so much within the past year and some of it was a bit unintentional. The crew has gained two new members who both have unique skills that will help improve the blog. One of them helps provides interesting content that normally would be hard to create and the other makes sure that our posts are of higher quality. Then we have our two veterans (Can't believe I am calling them this but it is true.) who work hard in making sure that this blog has new posts on a weekly basis and that I don't go crazy with work. Thanks to all of them because this blog surely wouldn't be where it is today without the contributions of these dedicated people.

Then we have you, the readers. Some of you are new to this blog and I like to take this time to welcome you all to this blog. Feel free to leave a comment on any of our posts and just let me know you all exist. Other readers I know have been around for a long time due to the continuing support you all provide. This maybe though the emails I get or just because you all left a comment. It just makes me happy to see that people are enjoying this blog but most importantly the wonderful series that we all know and call, One Piece.

I promise to get the AKon cosplay pictures up here sometime this coming month.

A year ago I would enter 'One Piece Blog into Google to see this blog as the ninth result. Now we are second search result. The only site that is beating us is some clothing site that sells one piece hoodies. So actually we are the number one One Piece blog on the internet. That is because One Piece fans are that awesome which happens to include all the people who are reading this right now.

Maybe you have noticed but the blog has a new banner in dedication to our anniversary. The banner is mostly the same as the old but smaller. That way you can see if the site has been updated with new content without scrolling too much. I believe things are going to get better and especially since we are entering a new future. Hopefully I will finally be able to attend Anime Expo which is my goal for this blog.

Putting that aside, where the blog is currently is pretty good. One Piece is about to go into new levels in the anime this coming October. The manga is about to become much more exciting. So I expect many great things to talk about here on the blog and I hope that everybody will stay here to enjoy what will be happening.

~Believe in wonderland!

 
Written By; Mikey, Sora, SuperNeku, PirateBeck
Edited by: Dsaftler