And so it begins again…
Preliminaries start today, Jan. 31
It’s been some time since my last post. In addition, it’s very late, so I think I’ll get straight to the point: the International Saimoe League 2010 begins in earnest tomorrow (today) with the first Preliminary rounds, and you should all go vote for Kushieda Minori in Group 6 and Amamiya Yuuko in Group 13.
I’ve written about these characters before; last year, Yuuko didn’t make it out of the preliminaries, and Minorin barely made a .500 record in the regular season. And to be fair, neither of these girls is the favorite in their respective groups; Minorin is grouped with Holo, a member of the top 16 in ISML 2009, and Yuuko is up against Miyanaga Saki, a strong contender in last year’s J-Saimoe. Since only the top performer in each group of Phase I of the preliminaries (a round-robin tournament, 3 girls at a time, in groups) qualifies for the regular season, it may seem that the mission is hopeless. But we must succeed.
The road to the regular season gets much more difficult after the first phase of preliminaries. The second phase splits the remaining candidates into groups of 8, wherein a 3-round single-elimination tournament will choose one contestant from each group. After that, the third phase pools the final candidates into first four, and then one large pool, from which one or two final contestants are chosen by a mass vote. Needless to say, it will be very difficult to push characters that are off the mainstream through these rounds, especially if they are paired against stronger competitors.
Others might give up in this situation; others might risk an easier time in a later bracket. But I’ve been watching Gurren Lagann for the past four hours, and I’m determined to win Yuuko and Minorin their rightful spots in ISML 2010. Both have loyal fans who will support their campaigns. Both are amazingly strong characters, working hard to achieve their dreams. They’re both burning with passion; and that’s what moe really is, after all. So vote for Minorin and Yuuko.
[Expand for my voting record in this round]
ARENA 01: Abstained Akiyama Mio [Ryōgi Shiki] Senō Natsuru
ARENA 02: Abstained Kawasumi Mai Yuno [Ichinose Kotomi]
ARENA 03: Abstained Kotegawa Yui [Uiharu Kazari] Felli Loss
ARENA 04: Abstained [Senjōgahara Hitagi] Louise Vallière Sōryū Asuka Langley
ARENA 05: Abstained Kamio Misuzu Fujibayashi Ryō [Kotobuki Tsumugi]
ARENA 06: Abstained Sawachika Eri Sanzen’in Nagi [Winry Rockbell]
ARENA 07: Abstained [Shiina Mafuyu] Takei Hisa Sonozaki Shion
ARENA 08: Abstained Kurata Sayuri Lambdadelta [Maria]
ARENA 09: Abstained Hinaichigo [Sangō Shizuku] Kusakabe Misuzu
ARENA 10: Abstained Sakurano Kurimu Ryūgū Rena [Shindō Chihiro]
ARENA 11: Abstained [Bernkastel] Lisa Alice
ARENA 12: Abstained Niche [Hiiragi Tsukasa] Kirishima Akari
ARENA 13: Abstained Suigintou [Tainaka Ritsu] Ranka Lee
ARENA 14: Abstained Yin Nagi [Furukawa Nagisa]
ARENA 15: Abstained Chii Saber [Tsukimiya Ayu]
ARENA 16: Abstained Holo [Kushieda Minori] Tsuruya
ARENA 17: Abstained Sōseiseki [Yoko Littner] Ikaros
ARENA 18: Abstained [Daidōji Tomoyo] Konjiki no Yami Kirishima Kotone
ARENA 19: Abstained Sengoku Nadeko [Suō Pavlichenko] Enma Ai
ARENA 20: Abstained Yagami Hayate Mishima Akane [Ibuki Fūko]
ARENA 21: Abstained [Miyamura Miyako] Hirasawa Ui Erurū
ARENA 22: Abstained [Kuronuma Sawako] Sunohara Mei Nishizawa Ayumu
ARENA 23: Abstained [Amae Koromo] Shirayuki Mizore Beatrice
ARENA 24: [Abstained] Chiba Kirino Nymph Isayama Yomi
ARENA 25: Abstained Takamachi Nanoha Ushiromiya Maria [Shihō Matsuri]
ARENA 26: [Abstained] Mizuno Kaede Sakurazaki Setsuna Izumi Konata
ARENA 27: Abstained Yūki Mikan C.C. [Hachikuji Mayoi]
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