Welcome to Lunatic Antics! We may be crazy, but at least we have each other.

We are officially on the clock for this year’s edition of Saimoe.  Our contributors this year will be colour-coded for your convenience once again. Staff predictions are in bold, with personal votes in italics.

Seishi, chaosprophet, KholdStare, uis, Teiran, Alice, overfunk

Let's get the party started

A-Block

A1-1: This probably the most underwhelming match I’ve seen to start Saimoe. Kureha will need quite a salvo to take down Miki’s aura.

A1-2: Here’s our first chance at a split, but I don’t think Working!! fans will let it happen this early. If it somehow does happen, look for Hiiragi to capitalize

A1-3: Hidamari Sketch has proven to be one of Saimoe’s most consistent performers, and this group should be no exception.

A1-4: All four are decently-placed qualifiers, I can see Hanyuu winning this with a slight scratch on her horns.

A1-5: Thus, To-Love-Ru‘s eternal screwjob continues. Why did it have to be snakes?

A1-6: Isn’t it sad, Secchan?

A1-7: Tsubasa and Ikaros placed 6th and 7th respectively in the same preliminary group. The kitty has more lives to use and should pull this one out again.

A1-8: Hard to say here…Karen was in a relatively weak preliminary group, but should win here on enough series mojo.

A1-9: Nazuna is gonna get worked.

A2-1: Not even a sword can repel sunglasses!Yuno from a block final.

A2-2: If there’s any place for this bracket to go wrong, it’d be right here. However, I believe Yui’s superior [s]string[/s] firepower should be enough to take down any chance Nadeko has.

A2-3: Nagi doesn’t even need a split to win this.

AF: Despite getting ganked in her block final last year, Nagi is still one of the strongest characters in this year’s competition; she should accumulate the least amount of hate in order to take down the defending tournament runner-up.

Extended Staff Analysis

Dark Horse picks: Nazuna Takanashi, Nazuna Takanashi, Nadeko Sengoku, Nazuna Takanashi, Nadeko Sengoku, Nadeko Sengoku

Personal favourites: Nagi Sanzenin, Setsuna Sakurazaki, Yui Hirasawa, Yui Hirasawa, Yui Hirasawa, Tsubasa Hanekawa

Finalists and Winners:  Yuno/Yui Hirasawa/Nagi Sanzenin, Yuno/Yui Hirasawa/Nagi Sanzenin, Yuno/Yui Hirasawa/Nagi Sanzenin, Yuno/Nadeko Sengoku/Nagi Sanzenin, Yuno/Yui Hirasawa/Nagi Sanzenin, Yuno/Yui Hirasawa/Nagi Sanzenin

Staff Notes

chaosprophet: Group A is very important to me, as it has Hirasawa Yui, my second priority for this year’s Saimoe and the one that actually has a decent chance. Unfortunately, I’m probably biased when I say Yui will win this group, although I truly believe she has the strength, even more with an airing series; although, sincerely I could see either Yui, Nagi or Nadeko getting this group. Anyone else and I guess some cardboard burgers would do well for dinner.

overfunk: The expected strong contenders are Yui, Nagi and Yuno, in this order. We have two runner-ups here, though the difference is Yui being recent material. Yuno is there but misses that special spark that would allow her to transcend. Among the newcomers, we have Nadeko, Hiiragi and you could even throw in Nymph and Icarus, which were well received in their groups too. Considering how Saimoe works, I see a strong chance of Nadeko overcoming Yui, despite what I outlined above. You can try to rationalize Saimoe, but Saimoe is a natural force, unpredictable and prone to screw people’s lives. I can see Nagi fans giving Nadeko a push, considering Hina was unable to overcome Yui last time…

Alice: Nutbladder to victory, yo. I believe it. I really do. Nazuna is going to throw us all by beating Nagi in the first round–probably after a split vote Working!! loss in A1-2–and then Yunocchi will win from there. Nagi had her chance at the top! She’s gotta move aside with how old Hayate no Gotoku is now. (Though by that logic we’ll be seeing Nadeko through to win Group A…ha ha ha.) Man I don’t care, all I want to see is some interesting people get through, not the people just about everyone is predicting.

B-Block

B1-1: Everybody remembers the stripper…just enough to send her through second prelims despite being in a top-tier show; meanwhile, Kaede finished 4th in a group that was won by the Railgun herself.

B1-2: No more nasty plots for Miki and Kaho. Fortune status – [x] told [ ] not told

B1-3: This is unquestionably the first heartbeater of the tournament. Yuri finished a few spots behind Shana in a prelim group clouded by massive fake votes. Both characters are legitimate threats to win this block.

B1-4: Has the Haruhi fanbase fully recovered from last year’s debacle? Not even the movie will give Mikuru enough umph to make it past Mayoi.

B1-5: Nanoha will have to go at full power right from the start in this battle of two expert magicians.

B1-6: Even if miracles don’t exist, Bern can at least take pride in dragging Beato down with her.

B1-7: Isumi got lost and ended up in the second round arena.

B1-8: Here’s yet another test for the Haruhi fanbase, though Ryouko will need a lot more than just a killer instinct to compete.

B1-9: Himari seems considerably more popular than Kuesu, but a slight split should allow Senoob to cruise through.

B2-1: Clannad has dimished just slightly due to only an OVA being eligible this year…not that Shana really needed another edge to her blade.

B2-2: Befriended at the mahjong table, befriended at the Saimoe table. The Legend of Ikeda grows ever stronger.

B2-3: Looks like Isumi will have to [s]exorcise a vampire[/s] fight her way through after all.

BF: In a one-on-one between Nanoha and Shana, the Flame Haze gets the advantage; however, in this situation I think faction voting will play a key factor. MSLN is experienced enough to pull this out.

Extended Staff Analysis

Dark Horse picks: Yuri Nakamura, Nazuna, Yuri Nakamura, Yuri Nakamura, Yuri Nakamura, Yuri Nakamura

Personal Favourites: Nanoha Takamachi, Beatrice, Tohsaka Rin, Kana Ikeda, Yuri Nakamura/Kana Ikeda/Nanoha Takamachi, Shana

Finalists and Winners: Nanoha Takamachi/Shana/Isumi Saginomiya, Nanoha Takamachi/Shana/Isumi Saginomiya, Nanoha Takamachi/Shana/Isumi Saginomiya, Nanoha Takamachi/Shana/Isumi Saginomiya, Nanoha Takamachi/Shana/Isumi Saginomiya, Nanoha Takamachi/Shana/Isumi Saginomiya

Staff Notes

overfunk: Oh boy. We have seasoned war veterans such as Shana and Nanoha heading the pack, with promising rookies such as Mayoi and Yuri are there to bust your bracket too. Add to the mix mildly successful characters from the 2009 highest tier series, such as Isumi and Ikeda, and we have ourselves a party. Poor beloved oldies such as Tama-nee and Rin won’t be able to stand the heat, as opposed of people new to Saimoe would think (which is every year). Normally, one should say Shana/Nanoha/Isumi and call it a day. But this is Saimoe. I won’t be surprised at all with a final consisting of Yuri/Ikeda/Isumi (2 of 3 repeating last year’s block final). We do have to remind ourselves that Shana and Nanoha have a mystical aura about them that makes them rather good at the game, dominating the arts of backstabbing and fake voting.

Alice: And by that logic I mentioned above (in Block A), Yuri is going to slam Shana. You’re old, Shana. Your newest series sucks. And Angel Beats has some damned good popularity. And then Hidamari Power will shine through with one of the new ultra-moe-moe Nutbladder girls (and seriously, Nazuna is almost worse than Yuno in this sense) and go on to the final. Of course, Nanoha is gonna befriend everyone well and good, so who cares? Her movie’s really popular; I reckon that’ll help. Oh yeah, and obligatory ISN’T IT SAD, UMINEKO ;_;

Teiran: It’s never simple with Shana.  Yurippe was always going to be a tough out on her own merits, and it’s all too easy for me to entertain visions of a tactical assassination.  After that–if there is an “after that” for the Flame Haze–Nanoha awaits, as she always seems to.  I have to believe, though; otherwise, what’s the point?

chaosprophet: My top for Block B is Tohsaka Rin although she was really unlucky to get Nanoha on the very first round. She should be immediately befriended. Nanoha should have her way open, at least until she meets Shana. I’m predicting Shana here but I think Nanoha has a chance of beating her. Shana should have an easy time against Yuri but that confidence may backfire. If Yuri gets through Shana she may even end up with the momentum to beat Nanoha. Isumi should also get to the block finals but I don’t think she has much if a chance against the opponents she will encounter there.

Happy Canada Day!

July 1st. This day has many layers of significance for myself and others I know, the most obvious of which is to pay tribute to my great nation’s 143 years of existence. Not to be outdone, the National Hockey League unleashes its free agent frenzy; my team already signed a few good players. Alas, most people who read this blog will be neither here nor there on these two events. So, what’s left?

Believe it.

More to come later

“Well, shit. How anticlimatic would be a Taiga vs Yui final… I sorta kinda want it now.” - overfunk (before the semi-final matches)

The Numbers

21920 – Total votes since the top 16

3832 – Posts on Animesuki’s Saimoe thread as of writing this post

386 – Contestants in the main draw

101 – Shows respresented in the main draw

73 – Days since the tournament began

8 – Contestant Blocks

6 – Rookies in the quarterfinals

1 – Anime Saimoe Japan 2009 Champion

There is something magical about Saimoe that captivates me more than any major sporting event can: direct participation, friend interest, hype factor, and a chance to support characters in the entertainment medium I love the most. This time, I have gathered information from sources outside the blog team to go along with the usual six of us. So, without further ado, I present the final match. Enjoy. Poster courtesy of frustra.

Seishi, chaosprophet, uis, KholdStare, kevo, Teiran, Guest Writers

Attendance is free

The Contestants

Taiga Aisaka – Toradora!

• Semi-finals def Nodoka Haramura (1077 – 998)
• Quarter-finals def Isumi Saginomiya (812 – 736)
• 4th round def Azusa Nakano (825 – 711)
• 3rd round def Maria (850 – 725)

She’s the “little tiger that could”…possibly win three Saimoe tournaments this year. 2009′s super rookie performer looks to take yet another step into multi-national Saimoe lore by taking Japan’s tournament. With Ami, Minori, and Taiga’s performances, Toradora! emerged as a legitimate faction. With the story already completed in just one season of anime, can Taiga bring a title to a fanbase that might never see her in this tournament again?

Yui Hirasawa – K-ON!

• Semi-final def Mihoko Fukuji (1019 – 988)
• Quarter-final def Koromo Amae (873 – 819)
• 4th round def Minori Kushieda (838-752)
• 3rd round def Hinagiku Katsura (953 – 935)

Since the second round, Yui has been running the gauntlet. With a seemingly down-and-out K-ON! faction, Yui began one of the most amazing runs in Saimoe history. Here and now at the stage of her dreams, can she rock Taiga off her game?

The Team

Seishi: Taiga – How fitting it is that these two contestants meet again so many months after their original preliminary battle. Taiga will be looking to avenge Minori’s loss, with Yui carrying Azusa on her back. Unfortunately for Yui, my unconditional love goes out to Taiga as one of the greatest anime characters I’ve ever seen. I think Taiga will take it in one of the closest and best Saimoe matches ever; whatever happens, I believe both are deserving champions and will remember their tournament performances very fondly.

chaosprophet: Yui – After a long period with many moments of bliss and many of despair, the final finally is here, and what a final it will be! On one side we have Taiga, a pretty good character that really deserves to be there. She beat many strong characters on the way, like Nodoka who was one of the favorites to win by many people on the late game; one can see how she had an excellent performance in other saimoe contests too, that she being there isn’t a joke at all.
On the other side we have Yui, who is just as deserving as Taiga for a place in the finals; she defeated many strong contestants, like Hinagiku who was regarded as one of the strongest competitors. I’m really proud of what she did so far, even more considering how K-ON! did in the beginning and how she’s usually overshadowed by Mio for many K-ON! fans.
In the end, it’s an ideal final for me and a win-win situation too, but my vote will go for Yui without a doubt. I like Taiga a lot, but Yui is one of the characters I love the most.
This match is really hard to predict. Yui beat Taiga before when they were part of the same group in prelims, but that was a long time ago when there were much less voters, and prelims dynamics were really different from the main round ones. Considering their opponents and amount of votes, Yui had a better performance overall; but looking at the semifinals results, Taiga seems to be stronger. Taiga may lose votes because people don’t want her to win another major moe contest in the same year, however she may get some votes because people want to see her getting the crown for both Korea and Japan. This is not unprecended, but it may never happen again. Also, both characters have strong factions behind them.
I will go with Yui for prediction, more for bias than anything else. All in all, it should be a very exciting match. May moe prevail!

uis: Yui – I am happy my number one that I support this year is in the final. Only one more before you are the champion, Yui…

KholdStare: Yui – Taiga receives more hate than support. No one really hates K-ON!, Yui isn’t associated with “KyoAni” so much as LS characters, etc…, and she has no backlash at all incredibly, even from SAKI supporters. It’s the finals, and people are likely to vote if they can even if they don’t support one of the two charaters, and especially if it’s hate-voting. Therefore, my prediction is Yui.

kevo: Yui, Taiga – When the top 16 was announced, I expected Taiga vs. Yui to be the most exciting, closest match possible. Though Saki broke records by sending six girls into the top 16, history repeats itself and the Saki characters are out of the finals. Taiga is fresh off her Korea Best Moe win and took care of Nodoka solidly to get into the finals. Yui has had the stronger schedule and came from behind to overtake Mihoko in the nick of time. Now, the two girls square off for the biggest title of moe. When you compare schedules, Yui has definately had the harder schedule getting here, with wins over Amae Koromo, Furude Rika, and Katsura Hinagiku in her name. Taiga took down a strong Maria and overcame a split vote to beat Kawashima Ami and Asahina Mikuru early in the tournament. Of all the Saimoe finals I’ve seen, this is one of the toughest to call. I believe that Taiga’s Korea Best Moe title might affect her votes, but it should not make or break her. Yui literally has no weakness; she has no point of attack like the Saki characters do, and the anti-Kyoto Animation base seemingly has disappeared. K-ON!’s faction is back and seemingly in good form. I love both characters, but in my heart I am leaning for Taiga just a sliver. I would give Yui the 55-45 advantage, however. Prediction: Yui by 20.

Teiran:  Yui.  I wasn’t just paying lip service with my comment that it seemed almost natural for the would-be guitarist to be left standing at the last, but in saying that I feel like I might have shorted Taiga (no pun intended).  Her fanbase came through admirably in the semifinal match, and her place in this final is equally deserved.  This one’ll be good for sure; both Taiga and Yui have some luminaries on their respective hit lists.  I’ll go with the guitarist here, using much the same reasoning as I did for Mihoko’s victory over Yuuki:  I can’t sense a concerted anti-movement against her.

(It’s interesting for me to read my colleagues’ takes on this, even if their reasoning is divergent from my own.  KS says Yui won’t face any backlash, but I don’t entirely agree with that – despite the “universal appeal” spiel above, everyone in this tournament who survives past a certain stage faces some backlash, and this is the final, so you can bet that stage is long past.  I also don’t believe for a second that whatever happens in Korea’s Best Moe tournament has any bearing at all on Saimoe.  As for factions’ machinations, those are far too convoluted for me to unravel; I might kill more brain cells in trying than in leaving well enough alone.)

Vizard: Yui, Taiga – It’s been a pretty hectic and long 2009 year for the Saimoe tournament of Japan. I don’t really care for Yui as she never really appealed to me. Taiga’s cool though. I can’t vote for her due to chaosprophet voting for Yui. I predict Yui to win mainly because of K-ON! being the latest to air whereas Toradora! started in the fall of 2008 and ended shortly before K-ON! aired. Also, the voters coinciding between Korean Best Moe and Japan Saimoe will conflict as I’m assuming they don’t want a ‘winner in both tournaments’ and whatnot.

raizoo: Yui – If Taiga loses, I’m going to go back to laughing how Kugyuu hasn’t won a saimoe yet. I hope Yui wins because she beat Hina so she better win the whole thing.

Micchi: Taiga, Yui – Both are top tier chars deserving to get this far, although Yui has arguably had the tougher route. While I want Yui to win, it’ll come down to the little things that will push Taiga to victory, such as the possibility of a double crown for Taiga or the reluctance of choosing another KyoAni champion.

overfunk: Yui, Taiga – Yui beat Taiga in the strength match at the start since preliminaries have no real strategy going on. Toradora! truly showed up as a smart faction: Mikuru gambit! Yui beat powerful opponents in a string: Rika, Hina, Minorin, Kodomo, and Kyaputen.  The revenge weight should be on Yui since Taiga beat Ami (whose fans already dislike her), Maria, then Azusa, which was sort of like a rook change with Yui. Then, Isumi and Nodoka. So, both have pissed off the former Hayate no Gotoku! and Saki factions. However, Hayate and Toradora! are both part of J.C. STaff realm, so there shouldn’t be many Hayate fans disgruntled with Taiga; especially Nagi fans, if you catch my drift. So, Taiga has less revenge weight. Now, the X-Factor: any of the two could have controlled the semi-finals from the shadows, since the vote totals rose. I fear it might have been Yui. Based on statistics, it seems like 51-49 in favour of Yui.

neutralizer: Yui – A girl and her guitar. Even though Yui beat out Hinagiku, she’s got my vote for being adorable while airheaded throughout all of K-ON, but inspiring and hilarious to laugh at. The match is too close of a call to predict, I think they’d be separated by very few votes and so I’m might as well predict the one I want to win. No sense in not believing in her win.

And now, some further analysis by a dear friend from AnimeSuki, NissanNut. Be sure to give him props wherever needed.

Read the rest of this entry »

“Well, shit. How anticlimatic would be a Taiga vs Yui final… I sorta kinda want it now.” - overfunk

After a strenuous quarterfinal, the Saimoe contestants take a break today in preparation for the penultimate leg of the Saimoe race tomorrow. Once again, the hard-working Lunatics will attempt to break-down both matches.

Seishi, chaosprophet, uis, KholdStare, kevo, Teiran

Semi-final 1 – Tiger Direct

Taiga Aisaka:

• Quarter-finals def Isumi Saginomiya (812 – 736)
• 4th round def Azusa Nakano (825 – 711)
• 3rd round def Maria (850 – 725)

Nodoka Haramura:

• Quarter-finals def Louise Valliere (910 – 716)
• 4th round def Nagi Sanzenin (890 – 874)
• 3rd round def Miyako Miyamura (741 – 380)

With her dazzling performance this year, Taiga has become a worldwide Saimoe phenomenon. Now, she looks to take this to the next level by making her second major Saimoe tournament final this year. Standing in her way is a peculiar girl who wishes to make some history of her own as the first “non-loli” winner of this tournament. Can Nodoka secure the first half of a possible all-Saki final, or will the tiger remain untamed?

The Team

Seishi: Taiga – This heavily depends on how much Japan still wants to troll. My undying loyalty remains with Taiga, and I think Japan will make me proud once more.

chaosprophet: Taiga – This will be a difficult match with so many possible factions, hate voting, and other stuff on both sides. I don’t really know what will come from this mess. My vote goes to Taiga, as I like her quite a bit, and Nodoka is on the black end of my moe spectrum.

uis: Nodoka, Taiga – I have a bad feeling that Nodoka will win this match…

KholdStare: Taiga, abstain – Taiga seems a lot more powerful right now with more convincing wins.

kevo: Taiga – Hot off her Korea Best Moe win, Taiga is looking for the slam and the well endowed Haramura Nodoka stands in her way. If Amae’s loss to Yui in quarterfinal four indicated anything, it’s that the populus is tired of Saki. Taiga must feed off this hate to advance, and I predict that she does.

Teiran:  Nodoka, as much as it pains me to say so.  Like uis, I have a funny feeling about this, and that’s all there is to it.  There are a million signs that point to Taiga, many of them having to do with Saimoe tournaments past; however, very little that I thought I knew is applicable this year.

Semi-final 2 – Captain Oblivious

Mihoko Fukuji:

• Quarter-final def Yuuki Kataoka (660 – 613)
• 4th round def Eruruu (770 – 441)
• 3rd round def Ritsu Tainaka and Ushio Okazaki (787 -445 – 345)

Yui Hirasawa:

• Quarter-final def Koromo Amae (873 – 819)
• 4th round def Minori Kushieda (838-752)
• 3rd round def Hinagiku Katsura (953 – 935)

Mahjong and music meet again for the second consecutive time in this bottom half. While Mihoko’s performance in the tournament is fairly unremarkable, characters don’t just fluke it this far. On the other hand, Yui has basically run the gauntlet thus far; arguably, she’s had the toughest schedule in the history of Saimoe. Only time will tell whose melody of truth plays first.

The Team

Seishi: Yui – A tougher schedule just gets tougher for one of Saimoe’s gutsiest performers ever. I think there’s still enough anti-Saki out there to propel Yui, Kyoto Animation’s last hope, to the finals. Rock on, girl.

chaosprophet: Yui – I don’t think Captain has the power to beat Yui. Yui is one of my favourite characters in this tournament; Captain is nice, but not quite at that level.

uis: Yui -Yui is much stronger than Mihoko in stats, and Mihoko has never tasted a harsh battle. I believe Yui can win this.

KholdStare: Yui – I don’t think Yui can lose anymore. Ever since Mio lost, it was predicted that the other K-ON characters would come far.

kevo: Yui – A seemingly revitalized K-ON! series has made a suprise comeback, offering Yui deep into the tournamant here in the top four. Mihoko’s match with Yuuki deeply hurt the Saki voting base, leaving the faction unstable compared to the powers plowing Yui through the bracket. Yui should take this match standing up, leading us to an exciting, no-hands-barred finals in Saimoe 2009.

Teiran:  Yui.  I feel like Mihoko’s chances would increase if Nodoka were to lose, but even if that does happen… the discrepancy between these two characters’ strengths is too difficult to ignore.  Somehow it feels almost natural for Yui to be left standing at the very end.

Almost there...

Just over two months after the main tournament started, we find ourselves at a new beginning. Whether we like the outcome or not, it’s hard to argue against the excitement value of this year’s tournament. Now, eight remain. Check your allegiances at the door.

Each match comment will contain personal thoughts of multiple LA staff members colour-coded for your convenience along with my own general analysis. Predictions in bold with votes in italics.

Seishi, chaosprophet, uis, KholdStare, kevo, Teiran

How can you resist them?

Quarter-final 1 – Crouching Tiger, Lost Girl

Taiga Aisaka: Small body, big passion

• 4th round def Azusa Nakano (825 – 711)
• 3rd round def Maria (850 – 725)

Isumi Saginomiya: Freelance exorcist, proven performer

• 4th round def Kana Ikeda (759 – 737)
• 3rd round def Nagi (475 – 415)

If there’s a clear-as-day match in the quarters to predict it would be this one, much to the chagrin of Isumi’s supporters. Taiga has already survived a same-series split, a super-skilled meido, and another cat-like girl. However, Isumi’s performance against fellow blue-haired contestant IKEDA is nothing to slouch about. Still, I’m not giving her much of a chance against the ferocious feline.

The Team

Seishi: Taiga – It’s no secret Taiga is my #1 for this tournament. I think she will do fine in this match.

chaosprophet: Taiga, Isumi – Taiga did way better than I expected beating some strong contestants. I think she will beat Isumi without much difficulty.

uis: Taiga, Isumi – 2009 is kown as the Year of the Tiger, so I will vote for Isumi even if she did beat Kana.

KholdStare: Taiga, Isumi. I believe that Isumi won because of anti-Saki votes. Taiga is the much stronger contestant.

kevo: Taiga – Taiga vs. Isumi is the most important match in these quarterfinals, as the winner will probably advance into the finals. The other quarterfinal in this half is pretty weak. I’m voting for Isumi, but Taiga looks pretty strong in this match after defeating a revitalized Azunyan in the round of 16.

Teiran: Taiga.  If these eight had power rankings, I can’t help thinking that seven of them would be more or less interchangeable.  Unfortunately for Isumi, she’d be the other one.  Taiga should go through by a comfortable margin.

Quarter-final 2 – Pretty and Pink

Nodoka Haramura: Methodically skilled, huge assets

• 4th round def Nagi Sanzenin (890 – 874)
• 3rd round def Miyako Miyamura (741 – 380)

Louise Valliere: Real magic, zero relent

• 4th round def Momoko Touyoko (846 – 837)
• 3rd round def Mion Sonozaki (784 – 559)

Saimoe veteran Louise returns to the top 8 in somewhat less controversial fashion to face an (un)expected opponent. Can Louise add boobbuster to her title of ghostbuster, or will Nodoka void another chance for Louise to make it to the semifinals. One thing for certain is this match will have all pink, all the time.

The Team

Seishi: Nodoka, Louise – Too bad too sad again for Louise. I’d love to see her meet up with Taiga in the next round but it ain’t happening.

chaosprophet: Nodoka, Louise – Nodoka is the only character of top 8 I really hope that won’t win, but I guess Nodoka will win since she beat Nagi in a very difficult match after all. Louise may have a chance, as she’s shown her guts many times.

uis: Nodoka – I don’t want either to win.

KholdStare: Nodoka, Louise. This is arguably Louise’s best shot, against another character with pink hair, because she would have trouble with most recent characters. But it’s still not enough, and Nodoka will win.

kevo: Louise – Nodoka upset Nagi to get here and it probably the weakest character in the top 8. She is up against Louise, who magically managed to get this far, despite the fact that she is 2 years  past her prime. I’m abstaining.

Teiran: Nodoka.  I’ve been surprised, if not outright confounded, at Nodoka’s performance every step of the way.  Since she’s proven formidable enough to defeat Nagi, I think I have to finally come around and pick her to win this time–even if I’d prefer Louise.

Quarter-final 3 – Any Way the Wind Blows

Yuuki Kataoka: Beast of the East, legend of the west

• 4th round def Chiaki Minami (734 – 545)
• 3rd round def Utau Hoshina (878 – 384)

Mihoko Fukuji: Captain amazing, motherly figure

• 4th round def Eruruu (770 – 441)
• 3rd round def Ritsu Tainaka and Ushio Okazaki (787 -445 – 345)

Yuuki and Mihoko deliver more mahjong mayhem in the third match. Yuuki will need more than a few tacos to power her way to victory over Kyaputen Kazekoshi, who plans on taking Yuuki home to cook her own special dinner after the match.

The Team

Seishi: Mihoko, Yuuki – Mihoko is more popular where it counts. Yuuki should keep it somewhat close.

chaosprophet: Mihoko – Mihoko is my favourite Saki character by a bit, and Yuuki is on the group of Saki characters I  like but not quite so much. I think that on faction split most votes will go for Mihoko, but it could possibly go the other way.

uis: Yuuki, Mihoko – I actually don’t care who will win this one because both are OK to me, but I’ll go for the underdog.

KholdStare: Yuuki. Yuuki embarrassed her opponents all by more than 100 points to get here. But she won’t beat Mihoko because of popularity backlash. Then again, because I think that, she will win, so I go with Yuuki.

kevo: Yuuki – Kataoka Yuuki is one of the favorites to take the tournament this year. She has to overcome her co-star Fukuji Mihoko first. Intra-series matches are always unpredictable and Captain is no easy opponent. I’m voting and predicting Yuuki to take this, however. This year looks like the best shot for voice actor Kugumiya Rie to win her first Saimoe.

Teiran: Mihoko, I guess.  I’m pretty conflicted about this and might as well flip a coin to handicap it:  these two have very little overlap, and I have no idea which set of traits this year’s voters will prefer head-to-head.  I’m picking Mihoko because I think she might be slightly stronger in the grand scheme of things–i.e. she’d defeat more of the other characters than Yuuki would–and thus I think she has the broader appeal, but that’s not a lot to go on.

Quarter-final 4 – Yui and the Kid

Yui Hirasawa: Prodigal daughter, riff master

• 4th round def Minori Kushieda (838-752)
• 3rd round def Hinagiku Katsura (953 – 935)

Koromo Amae: Tile driver, heart stealer

• 4th round def Amu Hinamori (700 – 440)
• 3rd round def Hanyuu (792 – 566)

K-ON!’s resident genius ditz made it here on her own merits, knocking off two three legitimate top-tier contenders including the 2007 champion. On the other hand, Koromo managed to handily defeat some upper middle tier opponents; fittingly, she will have the final stage of the round. Like mahjong tiles, the voters should make this one wildly unpredictable and fun.

The Team

Seishi: Yui – Yui has shown more power, and should continue to do so. I never really liked Koromo as much as everyone else.

chaosprophet: Yui – For remaining contestants, she’s clearly my favourite and near the very top of my moe list too. I think Yui will win against Koromo as she beat the Hinagiku powerhouse.

uis: Yui – Sorry Koromo, Yui is my number one that I support in Saimoe 2009.

KholdStare: Yui. This match is borderline. Koromo has almost no backlash whatsoever, while Yui might get some hate from Hinagiku fans. But Mio and Azusa’s losses will unite K-ON fans, enough for me to think Yui will win.

kevo: Yui – Hirasawa Yui and Amae Koromo end off the match with a great matchup. K-ON is absolutely revitalized by this point and I’m curious to see how it matches up with the super-dangerous Amae Koromo. Will Yui, armed with gitah, be able to get past Koromo’s devestating haitei raoyue?

Teiran: Yui.  Koromo has the same problem here that Saki (;_;) did in round three:  she’s in the last match of the round, facing a main character from a strong faction who’s going to have maximum support, while she herself faces the backlash from what’s likely to be two castmates already advancing before her.  Besides, Yui has proven more than powerful enough on her own.

The full chart for your convenience

Still a long road ahead...

I dunno what happen this week but i assume everyone busy. My internet really suck and i missed two days in Saimoe. Anyway sorry for late preview, uis report for group G Saimoe.

Anyway let see my prediction chart. Kevo still busy with his college, anyway i hope my chart will satisfied you all.

Please Click For Full Size

Okay i try to copy Kevo format lol…

Overview

This group have many favourite name that expected doing well in this year Saimoe. Suzumiya Haruhi and Nagato Yuki will show that they still favourite to win this group even some rumour said they weaken with Endless Eight. Yuki have full force with Haruhi-chan so no doubt she will do better in this year Saimoe. We witness the day defended champion lost to Mikuru so i think Haruhi character will doing better. Looking to another block, i will say Mihoko and Ushio will doing well. Anyway this block really hard to predict because many awesome character also involve, i mean Misaka Mikoto and Tainaka Ritsu.

Notable Match

Anyway i didnt see any interesting match in group G but maybe this match will interest you. I mean Mikoto vs Sawako because Index lost 1-0 to K-ON. Maybe Mikoto will revenge Index?. We will see later.

Bracket Buster

Because i love shock so i put many bracket buster. First one is Houjou Satoko. Higurashi doing well with Mion and Rika go to 2nd round. Maybe Satoko will pull surprise and defeat Yuki?. Oh well we will see it later. Second one is Yamanaka Sawako. Azusa and Nodoka match result said that K-ON fanbase still strong. Azunyan defeat Index show it. Anyway can Sawa-chan defeat the biribiri shocker Misaka Mikoto?. Yeah we will see in tomorrow. Third one is Kijima Saki. Saki really doing well in preliminary but she will meet another moe drummer and one of K-ON member Tainaka Ritsu. Can Saki pull upset?. We will see it later. Last one is my number 9 favourite in my moe list Mashiro Rima. If Amu manage to defeat Ui, why Rima can not defeat Ushio. This is tough but i hope Rima can win.

Dark Horse

The only i think Dark Horse for this group is Athena. She really popular in manga but if we see how Harukaze Chiharu perform, i did not see she will doing well.

Prediction

Yeah i will said Nagato Yuki vs Suzumiya Haruhi and Fukuji Mihoko vs Ushio in block final.
Than Yuki vs Mihoko and Yuki win this group.

I hope my prediction wrong. ^^

More like group Ffffffffffffffffffff.

This is Seishi reporting in for Saimoe duty. I’m not going to review the Group E results; bug someone else in LA if you need the analysis. Instead, let’s get straight to looking at tomorrow’s action-filled block. Predicted winners will have their names in bold.

Group F - by uis

F01: Isn’t it sad, Touka-sama? No Hajime here to fight the other meido for you. – Maria

F02: Ana and the other girl both had very similar results in prelims. Ichigo Mashimaro is fading a bit, while CLANNAD remains strong. – Girl etc.

F03: Dueling factions put their side girls against each other. Go with the top dog so far. – Maho

F04: The champ is here. No reason she can’t do well again. – Kagami

F05: The darkest one wins in this blue-haired extravaganza. – Ami

F06: The Palmtop Tiger wouldn’t miss a chance to meet her good pal in the second round. Tiger uppercuts all around. – Taiga

F07: I think uis overestimates Akane-iro a bit much in this match. A yuki-onna might be coming to freeze him now… – Mizore

F08: Block voting from a dim Ichigo Mashimaro faction could help Miu, but she should end up in Shion’s wake, who in turn falls to a loli. – Kuroko

F09: If the Index faction is smart, they’ll know what to do. Actually, I think a hivemind is much more likely than a split in this case, given who they are up against. – Index

F10: Hot mamma. – Nagisa

F11: Magic should prevail in this battle of castaways. – Yue

F12: Ai had better preliminary results, but Shugo Chara is at least a fair-sized faction. – Su

Second Round

Maria vs Girl vs Maho Yumeno: Looks like Maria won’t miss any more cleaning opportunities…

Kagami Hiiragi vs Ami Kawashima vs Taiga Aisaka: Split voting is very cruel to Seishi.

Mizore Shirayuki vs Kuroko Shirai vs Index: …split vote? What split vote?

Nagisa Furukawa vs Yue Ayase vs Su: The magic runs out for the losing contestants here.

Third Round

Maria vs Kagami Hiiragi: TIME TO PARTY LIKE IT’S 2007! This year’s theme: revenge

Index vs Nagisa Furukawa: Index substitutes as Nagisa’s child and gets taken home

Group Final

Maria vs Nagisa Furukawa: And thus finishes Maria’s clean sweep of F block. Everything is in order.

Personal Thoughts

Taiga and Touka are my #1 and #2 respectively; it pains me to make these predictions with that in mind. My only hope is for Touka to bracket-bust the first round and continue Maria’s curse. The other side has nobody I really feel strongly for, but I will support Index.

If you have been voting in International Saimoe League (ISML), then you may have noticed that its website is currently down. The staff of ISML said that they have domain renewal difficulties. Apparently, it cannot be done since there are login problems. The staff is hopeful that ISML will eventually be back up, although a delay of one week or more can be expected. The votes of Diamond 2 were able to be saved before this unfortunate events, so ISML will continue with Diamond 3 when its domain is back.

If you want to be updated with ISML, then check out its Twitter page. Most of the staff and some of its voters have a community on IRC, channel #ISML on server irc.rizon.net. You can enter this channel directly via ChatZilla if you have the add-on and is using Firefox. Since Diamond 3 is originally schedule for Friday and will probably be rescheduled to another Friday, it would be safe to check back with the ISML site every Friday to see if the problem is resolved.

The results of Diamond 2 will be posted on at least four blogs this Friday. They are:

1. Lunatic Antics
2. Moe Tournament Ratings
3. Saimoeはたいへんしんこく！
4. Desu ex Machina

Thanks voters for your patience while this problem is being worked on.

Excuse me while I finish scrubbing the fallout from yesterday’s match.

Okay. Due to some outlandish comments about Mio having no chance of losing unfortunate circumstances beyond our control, kevo has relinquished Saimoe writing duties for at least one day. However, I’m not here to talk about the ridiculous result of the last match; I’ll leave that for the experts out there.

It’s back to risky business for Lunatic Antics as block C kicks off early Sunday morning in the Americas. This group is very much a crapshoot, especially with more than one potential first round bust waiting to happen. I’m currently 17-3 with my predictions, so feel free to take this as a credible source.

Analysis

C01: Charlotte? Are you kidding me? I think the Saki faction wants to solidify themselves early after witnessing the possible unravelling of the K-ON faction. I’m going with Hisa by at least a hundred votes.

C02: This is not a weak group. Louise should win, but Luna is famous for her upset victory over Hinagiku Katsura in 2007′s contest. And any Hidamari Sketch character should at least be given a shot against any other mid-tier character.

(Ed. note:  I love Sae.  Blue hair, meganekko, creative writer?  I’m weak to all three of these traits.  Sadly, when it comes to Saimoe, I think she’s historically performed the worst out of the main cast.)

C03: With a possible Minami-ke split, the door is open for either Mio or Risa to take this one. Given how Risa squeeked in through prelims despite having a bigger faction, I give the edge to Mio, even though kevo does not believe she is a “strong contender.”

C04: This should come down to the wire between Mion and Yukine with Fumika possibly eating some precious votes away. I’ll agree with kevo and say Yukine for this one.

C05: This match will not be a test of how strong Kotori is, but how many votes Tsuruya loses, much like Ryoko did. I’ll take Kotori.

C06: If anyone comes within a hundred votes of Kyon’s sister, I- never mind. It shouldn’t be hard, anyway.

C07: Four newcomers highlight this round, led by…an imouto. Take Mika plus the 100 votes; you can thank me in a few days.

C08: This match is a joke. Kyou will make them eat dictionaries. In their sleep.

C09: I must admit, this is my favourite match of the first round, if only because of how EVERYONE will overlook it. Kevo doesn’t seem to want to give Haruka the credit she deserves, so I’m going to stick with her.

C10: All four contestants had to grind through the second preliminary round, and I honestly have no other gauge to use for any of them. When in doubt, I’ll side with the bigger faction: Megumi it is.

C11: In a battle of blue vs green, blue always prevails. Take blue- err, Kotomi over CC.

C12: Okay, this was originally my favourite match of the entire block, but after BOSS’s victory I can’t feel special for predicting Momoko to stealth bomb Tsumugi out of this tournament. In fact, it won’t be stealthy anymore…dammit. I’m still taking Momo, though.

Round 2

Hisa Takei vs Louise Valliere vs Mio Sakamoto: There is no Zero no Tsukaima faction, and Mio isn’t exactly high up the witch rankings. Hisa will not even have to sit on a bad wait.

Yukine Miyazawa vs Kotori Shirakawa vs Kyon’s Sister: I don’t really know. Honestly. Actually, predicting the degradation of the Haruhi fanbase I can successfully rule out Kyon’s sister. I really want to believe kevo, but I’ll default to Yukine.

Mika Nogizaka vs Kyou Fujibayashi vs Haruka Nogizaka: The sisters Nogizaka face off to win resident bisexual Kyou Fujibayashi’s affection. Too bad Kyou will leave them behind in order to move onto bigger and better targets.

Megumi Kamigaki vs Kotomi Ichinose vs Momoko Touyoko: Momoko will earn the title of this year’s “Giant Killer”. As kevo would say (even if he doesn’t believe any of my BS): you heard it here first.

Round 3

C1 Finals – Hisa Takei vs Yukine Miyazawa: Brains vs books…or is that brains vs brains? Yukine would gladly treat Hisa to some tea after her defeat.

C2 Finals – Kyou Fujibayashi vs Momoko Touyoko: My entire Saimoe future is hanging on Momoko’s performance in C2.

C-Block Finals

Hisa Takei vs Momoko Touyoko: Normally I wouldn’t do this, but what the heck. MOMO WILL WIN C-BLOCK! See kevo, even I can pull off some crazy shiz once in a while.

P.S.

If the skies part and Kotori manages to face off against Tsumugi in the finals and actually win, kevo will take absolute full credit and I will worship him as a deity for the rest of my life the year.

*strums a guitar*

Saimoe. The melody of my summer. I’ll save the longer posts for the main tournament, but I hope you viewers can join the fun and cheer on your favourite girls. For more information, check out this link.

Just remember…

I've got my eye on you...