18 Years of AVO: Messages from the AVO Team (Part 3)

AVO Magazine started in 2003 as a forum and over the years transformed into an online magazine with a variety of articles. While I have started this project myself and have been in the spotlight much because of this, I am not doing this all alone. You can see that on the colophon page, where many people currently active but also (temporary) not active writers, translators and video/photographers are mentioned. They have been working on the website as well.

From being busy with writing, editing and translating articles and have many of them on my name and also being active with answering emails, thinking of social media posts and planning them in, without the help of those that I call AVO crew members -those who are or have been part of the AVO Team- I haven’t been this far and I always try my best to thank them for their hard work. So, it was time to look back on 18 years of AVO, the forum, the webzine, the concerts and festivals, with those who are active but also those who are not active anymore but have seen AVO Magazine growing in the last few years or even from the start. They all have something to say about AVO Magazine (or the forum), their highlights and more.

Please give them your time to read through them -there are quite a few stories to read- and do click on their names to get to read those articles they talk about. Also, do check out part 1 and part 2 of this unplanned article series. It is now time for part 3, the last article of this series.

Anvica | reviewer films, books, anime

18 years of AVO! AVO’s eighteenth birthday has happened! For me, it was a very special occasion when I signed up for AVO Forum. Until then I didn’t really have contact with people in my age range that had the same interests, it was the first platform I had actively made friends in the community. I’m happy I can say that the owner is still part of my friend group after almost 8 years. Being part of AVO also gave me the chance to actively write for AVO Blog with a starter article that was also their first interview back then with Visual Kei band OROCHI. At this time I still write for AVO occasionally or help where it is needed. Another highlight for me is having been able to write some larger articles like the piece about Hayao Miyazaki movies and the pieces with movie or drama recommendations. With this, I’d like to congratulate Francisca with AVO’s birthday and I wish her the best of success, luck and a glorious future for AVO Magazine! Thank you for keeping AVO alive. Much love, Anvica.

PHX | reviewer music, interviewer

Congratulations to AVO Magazine on your 18th anniversary! 18 years is a remarkable achievement and it is certainly a testament to the drive, ambition and dedication of those who are involved, not least our Editor-in-Chief Francisca whose hard work makes everything come together so well. In the 3 years I have been writing for AVO Magazine I, have worked on a variety of different articles and interviews. Working as part of a team whose interests vary widely exposes us, and in turn the readers, to a variety of things that we may not have thought about looking at or even heard of. That mixture is what makes the project successful.

If I were to choose my personal highlights of my time working on articles for AVO, I would have to say it would be two particular articles. Firstly, my review of the =LOVE music video for 虹の素 (Element of the Rainbow) which was performed by Maika Sasaki & Iori Noguchi and I think was probably one of my best pieces of writing as well as also being one of my longest articles. Secondly, and probably my biggest highlight, was the article for my review of Meimi Tamura’s solo album Sprout which got a lot more attention than I was expecting it to which resulted in the article being the most read article of that month. It was a very proud moment for me. So, congratulations AVO & thank you to Francisca for giving me the opportunity to have an outlet for my writing. Your hard work & dedication to giving exposure to smaller & lesser-known artists is admirable indeed. Let’s continue the hard work to bring more aspects of Japanese music and culture to the readers, onwards into the next 18 years…

The Metal Lamb | reviewer music, interviewer

Congratulations to AVO for 18 years of in-depth information, interviews, and Japanese culture not otherwise available to western. Where else can you get the latest on movies, music, and snacks (my favourite) delivered straight to your computer or phone?

Three years ago, music, food, and most importantly, people gathered in The Hague for a festival that rocked the night. The opportunity to rock out with Francisca and others at the AVO J-Music Festival is the highlight of my association with the site. AVO has both created and preserved some of my best memories as a fan of Japanese rock and metal. Thank you for the great content and I look forward to many years more.

Matthew Elliott | ex-reviewer music, games, Wota of the Roundtable

I have been extremely fortunate to have been given a chance to be a part of the wonderful AVO Magazine. A project that has grown from humble beginnings to an international project with a passionate, loyal community, and a worldwide fan base. I’m incredibly proud of all the work Francisca has put into this project, and cannot congratulate her enough for all of the amazing things she has achieved with AVO Magazine. AVO Magazine has been an amazing opportunity, not only for myself, but for the entire community, it’s a reliable source of information, with a great and passionate readership and an even greater person at the controls – Francisca, happy AVO anniversary, you deserve all the credit.

Related Links

Thanks to everyone who have written a short piece for the celebration of AVO Magazine’s 18th anniversary. In the meantime, a new podcast episode got published and a couple of musicians shared their celebrations as well. You can watch the first five videos here and subscribe to the YouTube channel (get us to 1000 subs!) of AVO Magazine to keep an eye on more videos! AVO Magazine can also be found back on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, and Discord. Click here to find out what more you can do to support the website.