Hey there! With 2018 coming to an end and with 2019 just upon us, I’d like to simply take a moment to reflect over the past year as well as share my hopes and project for the next one. Just consider this a casual talk between me and you talking about the year to come!

This past year was a very special year for both me and the Library of Ohara. On a personal side, I’ve had many great experiences and have managed to improve many aspects of my life. On the side of the Library, I’ve had an unparalleled growth compared to past years. But, it’s not just a matter of having gotten more views or all that stuff: it’s the fact that I had the chance to work on so many more projects, to meet a lot of people, to interact with my audience more. This growth has brought a lot more content and quality to the Library, allowing me to create something that I’m truly proud of, as well as allow me to experience new, wonderful opportunities.

This year has also been fantastic for One Piece, we’ve gone from the climax of the Luffy vs Katakuri fight, to the ending of Whole Cake, through the short, but mindblowing arc that was the Reverie as well as the whole beginning of Wano. It’s been a while since we had so many different arcs, events and locations in one year; going through each of them every week is such a fond highlight of this past year for me. To get to properly immerse myself in these chapters and explore every nook and cranny of their pages, it’s made them so much more enjoyable than if I were to simply just read them.

And all of this is thanks to you. Yes, you. I know I’ve said this time and time again, but without you, this whole thing wouldn’t be possible. The fact that I was able to grow so much over this year and reach all these wonderful new opportunities is all thanks to you and I’ll be forever grateful for that. Thank you.

So with that, 2018 comes to an end, but that leads into 2019! I have a lot of great plans for this upcoming year. To start things off, of course, I plan to continue with my usual content like normal, doing my best to create the highest quality analysis that I can make, as well as whatever other content I can make. Furthermore, there’s a few special projects here and there that I also want to get done this year, so look forward to that. And on another note, very soon I’ll finally be able to work on something I’ve been wanting to dedicate myself to for quite a while, my YouTube channel! I’m getting very close to having a proper set up and the ability to voice, so please wait just a little bit further, it’s almost time!

But beyond all that, while it might not affect you so much directly, 2019 holds great importance to me. Next year I’m hoping to finally get done something that I’ve been working on for several years, which is to go to Japan to study. From your perspective it won’t change much, I’ll still be making content as consistently as always, don’t worry, but for me it’s a great opportunity to open new borders and live out new experiences. It’s something that I’ve been looking forward and working towards for a long time, so I hope you’ll cheer me on!

And with the Wano Arc picking up in full force next year, a new movie coming out, all the new vivre cards, magazines and special events, 2019 is sure to be a year packed full of One Piece! I hope you can be there along the way to experience it together with me. Wherever you are in the world, I dearly hope that you have a fantastic 2019 to come.

Happy New Year!

~Artur