Metanorn’s 3rd Year and….!

It’s said, throw your coat when you are successful, leave on a high note rather than a low one. After running Metanorn for more than a year, I think it’s that time after all. My burnout has arrived.

So, thank you for all the cheese and…. Goodbye!

Yeah, right. Like that would ever happen and I can bet no one fell for that troll.

Hello folks, to this bright day of May, the hint of spring is still in the air and it’s time to frolic for most of our audience as schools are mostly on their way to closing and same for semesters. Some people are even graduating off so forget the workaholics us, who still go at it more than half of their day but mostly, it’s the time of preparing for leisure except for those poor souls in Southern Hemisphere, who are going through autumn (Hato, Dan-go, Junko, Tofu, etc.).

Interestingly, the same bright day is Metanorn’s third year anniversary! You must have noticed from the changed airs of the site and some Metanorn Leaks that have been doing their rounds on twitter. It’s true; we have officially passed three very important years. And to celebrate it, we have more than days’ worth of posts and surprises lined up for you, our beloved readers and lurkers (it’s a good time to come out of hiding, I swear!). Of course, I’m not going to tell you what’s in store because where is the fun in that?

I have a very strong team supporting Metanorn with many specialists, who would lead in the areas they are experts of. The team page has been updated with some cool graphics by Ness and some more description of Will, Jrow, Overcooled, Hoshi, Hime, Ness, Foshizzel, Anaaga, Zabobinator, Karakuri, Hato, Sassy and the newest member Junko, who will be drawing some goodness for our regulars. So, a lot in store with many a cooking ups; definitely look forward to it. But before all that, Metanorn Team took out some time to look back at the good times and how important the animanga community has become to them.

My gosh, three years? I haven’t even been around for one year (July 30th, baby!)! Unfortunately, I haven’t even been lurking for three years (let alone two!) but this past year(ish) I’ve been part of the team has literally been insane. Not because of the fact that every person who writes here completely is awesome, not because of the fact that all our readers (and now listeners) are the best any site could every have and DEFINITELY not because of the fact that Metanorn simply refuses to slow down. Ah, you guessed it, didn’t you? It’s all of these. I know, I know, it’s cliché, but what are ya gonna do, sue me?

From what I assume are its humble beginnings through the gauntlet of hundreds of other ani-blogs, Metanorn rose through the ranks to where it is today. From the “Kanzeon and Tsuiteru Era” Metanorn bloomed into what I’ve dubbed the “Kyokai Era”. I seriously don’t know how she’s done it. She’s worked us hard, believe me. Sure, some of us have worked harder than others (Yeah, I take the blame for that one…) and some of us have had maaany sleepless nights to deliver you readers and listeners regular awesome stuff. And we don’t plan on stopping. You think MetAmour and MetaVerse is the end? Well, we’re sorry to disappoint you, but we’re still cooking. And I don’t think anyone who writes here can disagree when we say that we’re just helpers. We’re just here to help it go smoothly and make the experience all that more joyful. I mean, c’mon, guys. This is Kyokai’s show.

Even the first batch of Kyokai’s recruits (myself included) haven’t been here for one year, let alone three. Metanorn has been around and kicking long before I even started following the current anime seasons. I wasn’t there at the beginning, but I’m sure it started small and humble…slowly progressing from a few stragglers to the enthusiastic community of loyal followers we have today. And we love you all! You’re great – even the lurkers! As our fanbase has been growing, Metanorn’s team has too. From just one person (Kyokai-sama) we’ve since then multiplied into over 10 members. The fiercest aniblogging site has really evolved drastically over the years in almost every way possible: design, site domain, features, writers and more changes to come.

Indulge me in my selfishness as I talk about myself for a moment. I just need to let you know that even if I complain about my mountains of homework or having to stay up late to finish a post, I enjoy every minute of being a blogger at Metanorn. I’ve met so many people through this site, not all of them entirely sane, but all of them interesting and fun to talk to. Metanorn is something I’ve really become dedicated to, and I’ll probably still be doing this when I’m in med school. No pile of homework is big enough to keep me from fulfilling my Metanorn duty! Trust me, we will not lose our fire to blog and bring awesome to your screen any time soon.

I took notice of Metanorn what maybe was over a year ago when former blogger Flags pointed me to the site and its rotation of banners. At the time I went, “oh, one more anime blog”, and went back to being concerned about a recent Ikkitousen episode (true story). As Fosh and Kyokai occasionally popped up in Anivision’s comments section and then us letting those two in to our little realm, I saw that there’s a whole lot of stuff going on at Metanorn and that it no doubt is one of the anime blogosphere’s more active and detailed blogs. When the site was taking applications back in April, I felt like being a part of something great.

The site’s been around for 3 years (I only know of roughly one) and I congratulate Kyokai and her team for a job well done! But, with the aniblogging still going strong, MetAmour (seriously, a dating sim?! Holy smokes!) and MetaVerse and a lot of other things planned, Metanorn’s true potential seems to be getting tapped at a time when other aniblogs might’ve died off. It’s almost as if Metanorn can transcend its aniblogging roots and become something more, something bigger and more exciting for readers and staff alike. I’m excited to be a part of it.

To think that I’m part of an amazing website such as Metanorn honestly feels unreal to me. About one year ago I would’ve never thought that taking that spontaneous chance to apply to be an ani-blogger, despite the problems I knew would arise in my coming senior year of high school, would result in me creating a character and many coding for a dating sim game, spending a lot of my afternoons writing episodics, early wake-ups for podcast recording, late night chats where I can’t seem to pry away from because of my curiosity, and in meeting all sorts of interesting people from all over the world that I’m grateful for knowing.

To even think my life without all that, without Kyokai, without the others on the fabulous team, or without Metanorn, really just scares me down to the core. Honestly, I probably would live a very uneventful life without all this, just trolling around on tumblr everyday doing absolutely nothing worthwhile. I’m thankful everyday that I was chosen, even if I may not have the biggest presence or get very stressed out at times (due to my own fault, I’ll let you know, heh). At the end of the day, the end of another episodic, I’m always reminded that I absolutely love not only the anime fandom, but being an ani-blogger. I hope to continue with this for a long time, and that Metanorn will also stay for a long time, being up and running and kicking ani-blogging butt to the point where the anniversary number will be in the double digits, triple digits, and beyond! Who knows, maybe in the future Metanorn will really become a big, secret company like in MetAmour. Until then, keep commenting, keep lurking, and keep watching as Metanorn grows bigger, badder, and just that much more awesome.

Whoa, it feels like just yesterday when I joined Metanorn, getting my email from Kyokai about getting accepted! Ever since joining, I have had a blast doing tag reviews and also getting to do the fun MetaVerse podcasts, even that long time making that awesome dating sim game. We really have quite the impressive team of writers here; it feels almost like a second family to me. Even though we don’t all agree on everything it makes things more fun that way. Three years and counting! Amazing stuff and a huge thank you goes out to Kyokai for pushing us along and everyone else here at Metanorn both old writers and our brand new recruits!

I don’t really do much outside of the interwebs, so blogging for me is more of a way to share my thoughts on anime and the rest of the fandom that comes with being an anime fan. Everyone has a unique talent to throw into Metanorn; great artists, music lovers, manga lovers and friendly people. I couldn’t ask for a more exciting blog to be a part of, after all I probably would have just started my own blog and slowly fade from this whole ani-blogging thing. So, thank you everyone and lets continue to make the next few years exciting for each other!

Wooo, a third year anniversary for Metanorn already?! I haven’t even been part of Metanorn for half a year and such a big celebration is here. I am happy to be part of Metanorn and even stumbling across the site which piqued my interest in thinking of aniblogging. I decided to apply to Metanorn even knowing that I am busy with college and work but I figured that I would take the risk because I needed some relief of boredom. What better use of your time but to share what you like with others of similar interest? As well, I’m sure that the other members of Metanorn would feel the same. To converse with my fellow staff members and the site’s viewers. To be part of MetaVerse and work in the planning. To design graphics for the site, for Met’Amour and bring in more ideas. All of this is what makes being part of Metanorn and its growing community enjoyable.

So here we are! Happy 3rd Year Anniversary to Metanorn!!! Expect more awesomeness to come from this ever so growing aniblog. As well, everyone, expect more than a weeklong celebration and there are definitely some things in store for this event. Thank you~

Already three years! Well around 6 months for me. We’ve done so many things in these months that it feels like it’s really been 3 years for me too. We had the domain and hosting shift, the new theme and the two biggest projects ever in my programmer’s life: JuStChat and Met’Amour.

I have to say that Met’Amour was an awesome experience and that it was my first game ever. We had a couple of problems and I wasn’t really sure of what I was doing, but hey! It worked out pretty well. I learned so much stuff and lost so much sleep time while doing that, it was awesome. I also made JuStChat (known as AJAXChatbox back then), this also was quite a challenge. In the end, Metanorn is giving me some pretty awesome challenges and opportunities to learn stuff that I wouldn’t have crossed until a long time. In short, Metanorn is the best place for a self-proclaimed web developer like myself.

Oh wow, 3 years… It’s been about a year and a half since I began my lurking habits here at Metanorn (yes, it seriously took me that long to finally apply) and significantly less time that I’ve actually been part of the team, but Metanorn has really impacted my life. I first stumbled onto this site reading Kanzeon’s coverage of Durarara!!, but Metanorn has kept me coming back for more again and again. Really, seeing it grow from a three person team to a site that with this much going on (MetAmour and MetaVerse!!) has been inspiring. Kyokai is truly amazing for being able to bring the site from herself alone, to the lively, awesome place it is today.

While yes, I’ve already lost a ton of sleep being here in this short while and yes, the first few days were stressful (I’ll admit, I procrastinate), I do not regret my decision to apply at all. This site is AMAZING, the people here are AMAZING for being able to do all of this and I hope you readers (and lurkers) stick around for many more years to come! Happy 3 year anniversary, Metanorn!!!

Oh wow, Metanorn is actually at its third mark. I’m in the team for less than half a year, and Metanorn is already at its third. I remember I started to lurk around Meta when I read the Durarara!! posts Kanzeon made, and it took me half a year after that time to finally have the balls to start commenting on Metanorn (well, not really balls…). I was so scared that the people here will bark at me for liking yaoi (since I have some unpleasant experience about that), but I’m surprised how the people in Metanorn are just so friendly. They basically accept you the way you are (sometimes being a bully too), no matter what you like. I barely have, or actually don’t have any bad memory at all in Metanorn. It’s like my second home. Every time I start my laptop, I will actually go to Metanorn first before any other website.

So Happy Third Anniversary, Metanorn! And yay for Kyokai for being able to bring Metanorn into its third year! Seriously, what is Metanorn without her? She’s the one who worked hard the most in the team. She obviously is busy in RL, yet she will always have time to spare for Metanorn, no matter what. I even have her in my “The People I Admire” list. So, congratulations Metanorn and Kyokai! Thank you for accepting me the way I am, no matter how crazy I get when it comes to yaoi! Metanorn will always have a special place in my heart. And I promise, I’ll try my best not to procrastinate!

So it’s kind of a funny story about how I found Metanorn. Right about when Arakawa Under The Bridge was reaching its end I was looking for pictures of Nino because I was bored and Nino is pro. One of the pictures led me straight to a post by Tsui. It was pretty interesting so I checked it out…and loved it. Within days Metanorn was in my bookmarks and I visited the site practically every day. I became a lurker extraordinaire. xD The first time that I heard that Metanorn was taking applications I started the application but I was too nervous to carry through with it. Later on, I regretted not applying so when I found out about the applications being open again I gave it a little more thought…and the night before it was due I winged it, sent it in, freaked out (a lot) and hoped for the best. And I got the position. 😀

Needless to say, I am super ecstatic to be a part of the Meta Team.  It is so great to write about the shows that I love and I am being 100% honest when I say that the people I have met here are among the coolest I have ever met. Everybody is just so interesting and nice and awesome and I am just so excited to get to know everybody even more! Being a part of this is already so epic and, from the looks of what Kyokai has in store for everybody, it’s going to only get better from here. Happy Third Anniversary, Metanorn! I am the happiest noob ever. xD

Oh god, it’s Metanorn’s third. I guess I should give it leather? Nah, I’m sure she’ll forgive me. This place has ended up becoming more a part of my (secret) anime life than I thought it would. Especially with all the new stuff going down this spring, it’s unfortunate that I got too busy with schoolwork to keep up with everything! (But don’t fret, my comeback posts are imminent.) I first stumbled upon the site in search of music to download, back when kanzie and tsui were partners in crime and when I was a poor misguided anime fan who liked Haruhi Suzumiya stuff.

Looking back, that was around two years ago, and man, the site has changed so much since then. The site grew with the first generation of recruits about a year ago, and though we’ve sadly lost some along the way, we just keep getting bigger! It’s literally grown from a one-girl blog into a Metanorn MEGASITE with all sorts of stuff like a freaking podcast. The recent (and upcoming!!!) stuff that Metanorn is doing is still blowing my mind to pieces. At this point, the only certain thing is that Metanorn is going to be around practically forever. I just can’t wait to see what this place is like in… another year!

Three years, huh? *whistle* Damn. I stumbled upon Metanorn one glorious summer day when lurking around blogging sites for screenshots – this was back in the streaming days before I downloaded VLC and started raping the “Take Screencap” button. I followed it anonymously for what seems like forever before finally getting the balls to apply. What attracted me to Metanorn was the quality of the posts and easy to read layout of the site. It was colourful and fun and had some great in depth thought on current animes. I was pretty much alone with my anime fandom IRL so finally being able to let loose and rant and scream and fangirl about all the shows I loved or hated has been a very fun and interesting experience.

But none of it could have been without the amazing boss lady of Metanorn; Kyokai! Seriously, I procrastinate ridiculously, so the time and effort you put into the site is just mind blowing to me. I know I couldn’t handle it the way you do. *throws big heaps of admiration at you* Along with your fellow bloggers you’ve helped turn Metanorn into a veritable orgy of awesomeness. Dating sims and freaking hilarious podcasts, I can’t think of a better way to spend my free time than lurking about on Metanorn.

So this mean’s it’s been three years since I was looking up Shugo Chara pictures and came across Metanorn? Whoa… I’m pretty sure at first I couldn’t even remember the name, but before I knew it I was visiting more and more. When a friend of mine started writing, Metanorn got up onto my fave bar and it became a daily for me. Now I must admit, even when it comes to online interactions, I’m very shy. But Metanorn proved itself to be a place full of friendly writers who share a passion that is often looked down on. It proved to be a place to make friends. So I stopped lurking and privately commenting to my friend on the side, picked up a name I often used and became a part of the Meta-crowd.

Now had I known that nearly three years later I’d be asked to help collaborate on the awesomesauce that was Met’Amour, I probably would’ve been an excited little child. Working as a guest artist with deadlines and expectations was, well, brilliant. As an artist who doesn’t actually do art constructively anywhere, this was an opportunity, a godsend (from whom I have come to suspect is an actually god…). Metanorn grew, and I got to not only see it, but be a part of it, right when I thought I’d never be. And then this happened. ‘Hattori-san’ (ha-ha) recommended me on my behalf, to do the artwork for the newest project, and I all but literately leapt at the opportunity. Drawing for my favourite site? Heck yeah!!

So here I am! And I owe it all to the BAMF boss that is Kyokai, who is to Metanorn as Ginga Bishounen is to Star Driver, fabulous and unbeatable! If it wasn’t for her innovation and fun ideas I wouldn’t be here. So I know I’m excited to see where Metanorn, its readers and members are going next. And while I have no clue where that is exactly, I know we’re all going at it in full throttle!

… I’m kind of speechless after reading all the messages above. I’ll be modest and say that these actually made me blush. I mean, there are times that “Aww, shucks!” doesn’t cut it. Thank you, team and regulars/lurkers, however cheesy it would sound, I do all of this for the love of fandom. It’s been one fateful journey pertaining to how I ended up at Metanorn. However things have evolved since then and I would always say, because the roots were so strong, there was nowhere for me to go but up. I also appreciate the fact that the community has evolved with us.

Metanorn completes its third year with 4.8Million visits, around 1,800 posts and 26,000 comments. It has become so dear to me that it’s like my home away from home wherever I maybe. Much love to the team for always dedicatedly posting and even coming up with more ideas for many innovative projects. I seriously couldn’t have done it alone and Metanorn is a PURE TEAM EFFORT to its core. Thank you everyone for hanging with us and now look forward to some continued festivities and awesomeness soon! Ja ne~

Time to PARTYYYYYYYYYYYYY!