Musings from Beyond the Clouds

Ok, I’m a little lazy with this one. The second of my 12 Days of Anime:

12 Days 2010, Day 11: Bunnies! [Cat Shit One]

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Though I’ve been inactive for quite a while, it’s time again to count down the top 12 Days of Anime! And we begin with…

12 Days 2010, Day 12: Apprivoise! [Star Driver]

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(tl;dr: Go vote for Yuuko.)

The wind blows through the streets.
The wind is cold, and there are times when we want to stop.

Last year, Amamiya Yuuko never made it out of the preliminary rounds of ISML 2009. Her only appearance was in an exhibition match, not as on official contestant.

At times like that, I want you to move forward, even if it’s just at a slow pace.
Because someday, you’ll be able to get there.

This year, she is again participating in the preliminary rounds, now for ISML 2010. But this year is different.

Even if something sad happens, it’s all right.
If you extend your hand, someone will be there.
And you’ll be able to share the warmth with them.

This year, she has a good chance of success. After her first match, she posted a vote total that rivaled the top contenders in her group, giving her a good shot at qualifying into the competition.

Even if it’s tough to journey on your own, if you don’t let go of the hand you hold, you’ll surely be able to pull through.
So, please don’t give up. Happiness awaits at the end of the long, long road. That happiness builds up, and grows into something even larger.

I’m not saying this will be easy—it will likely be quite difficult. But it is attainable.

And someday, I want you to realize that there were numerous shards of happiness on the road you just walked.

But we need your help–we need a few more votes to push Yuuko to victory. These may be the most important votes of her campaign, the votes that decide the difference between a good nomination run and a spot in ISML 2010.

Please don’t forget that you are not alone. Engraving your footsteps, crossing the seasons, and looking up at the sky.
Even if you don’t have wings, you’ll definitely be able to get there.

So, please join us. Vote. Help push Yuuko into ISML 2010.

To the place that you once dreamed of.
To the tomorrow that gleams with light—

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.

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Here it is; on the last day of 2009, I give you the last of my Twelve Moments of Anime:

12 Days 2009, #1: Fuzakenna! [Toradora!]

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11 down, only one more to go in my countdown of the Twelve Moments of Anime 2009:

100

12 Days 2009, #2: 100 [ef – a tale of memories]

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Down to the final three of this year’s Twelve Moments of Anime:

I saw you in heaven and heard of your glory, you saved our world from the fallen angels.

12 Days, #3: The Coming of the King [Eden of the East]

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Today’s post in my Twelve Moments of Anime 2009:

What a wonderful gift

12 Days 2009, #4: Cruel Hinagiku’s Thesis [Hayate no Gotoku!!]

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Though everyone else is done, I’m still writing away at my Twelve Moments of Anime:

The Tokyo Tower, a casualty as always

12 Days 2009, #5: Facing Reality [Tokyo Magniture 8.0]

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Again, massive spoilers abound. If you haven’t seen ef – a tale of melodies yet, you’ll probably enjoy watching it more than reading this post (make sure you’ve seen the first season first, though). Otherwise, enjoy the next of my Twelve Moments of Anime 2009:

For Yuuko

12 Days 2009, #6: Yuuko [ef – a tale of melodies]

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