ISML 2011 Nomination Results, plus a fair helping of zetsubou
Ξ February 20th, 2011 | → 0 Comments | ∇ The Anime Annals |
The results are in for the Nominations Phase of the 2011 International Saimoe League; for those who haven’t seen them yet the link is here. Seven of my twelve nominees (shown in the previous Post below) got in, but five didn’t get enough votes to qualify. Hard to believe there’ll be no Ayu-chan to pull for this season 
And the despair is only just beginning…
The first voting date will be Sunday, Februry 27th, at 1500 hours, GMT, so if participating be forewarned and prepare; the sixteen groups of nine are here!
What’s really suprising is that none of the Kanon girls got in, which is amazing when you consider that Kanon 2006 is considered a veritable Font of Moe! This, as I see it, is a huge problem with Moe Tourneys; generally they are nothing more than popularity contests, with mainly the latest and greatest new girls, moe or not, getting the lion’s share of the votes. So, just who is really, truly the most moe can never win, unless she happens to be popular too. This annoys me to no end, but… I guess it can’t be helped. Nature of the Beast, methinks… and I’ve already gone ’round on the subject in various Forums and such, to pretty much ambivalent concern, if that’s not an oxymoron. So, this:
The preceeding clip is provided courtesy of Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, and I feel his pain. Zetsubou (despair) is ISML’s calling card and stock-in-trade, so get used to it as your precious little darlings get cruelly eliminated one-by-one from their big chance for the spotlight! It sucks! Woo-hoo!
…now remind me, why am I doing this again?
The True Face of Zetsubou
Over 4,000 ballots were submitted, with the number one overall vote-getter, Ruri Gokou (aka Kuroneko), getting named on 1,067 of them. The number two was her co-star Kirino with 1,066, another surprise as her ill-tempered nature and snappish personality are pretty much anti-moe qualities for my tastes yet she almost tied Kuroneko, who is quite moe at times.
Kirino #2 and Kuroneko #1
Kirino’s cute, sure, but moe? She does have moe scenes, but they’re like flashes (although pretty potent). More likely, I probably just don’t like her as a person; she’s pretty mean at first, and mean people suck. So it’s difficult for me to like such characters unless they show more redeeming qualities, as their development continues. Thankfully, many do 
Ruri and Kirino, BFFs?
Okay, that’s pretty moe 
Ah well, it’s all in the eye of the beholder! Everyone defines it differently based on personal preferences, which can get pretty anti-moe at times. I mean, violent (Shiki Ryougi), headless (Celty) girls being considered moe is a bit of a stretch, even though I love their characters! However, as ”moe” becomes ever more re-defined it’s in danger of losing its identifying qualities. Such is the way of words. Just compare what changes the word “cool” has undergone from the 1950′s to the present day: From “I am who I am and I don’t care what people think about me, nor do I need their approval” to the exact opposite! Weird.
So I’ll sum up my nominees’ (pictured in the Post below this one) performances in the Nominating Phase: Ruri was #1 being named on 1,067 ballots, Ika Musume was #6 with 540, Rika # 38 with 192, Ushio # 57 with 135, Shinku # 77 with 114, Misuzu #87 with 101, and Nessa #93 with 97 ballots. Sadly, the following girls are out: Noe (didn’t place), Matsuri (last ranked position at #203, 38), Makoto (#186, 41), Yuuko (#106, 82), and Ayu (just missed the qualifier cutoff at #104, 84). Girls ranked 1 to 96 got in and higher than that are out; if named on 92 or fewer ballots, ditto. Wow… Ayu with only 84 mentions on 4000 ballots, after being a mainstay of Saimoe Tourneys for years, along with most of her co-stars! How soon they (the voters) forget!!!
I’ll spare you the “THIS IS A TRAVESTY!!!” rant (you’re welcome, unless it’s too late!), and instead just point out in the following Kanon 2006 video (over the extended OP song “Last Regrets”) that none of these girls are getting to compete this year in ISML, and this makes me sad. That is all :-(
On the other hand, it also means that I won’t have to witness them getting humiliated at the voters’ merciless and fickle fingers match after match! My worst ISML nightmare from a few seasons ago: Kamichu‘s Yurie lost all 64 (IIRC) matches and didn’t win one match all year. Having enjoyed the series (and Yurie) so much that I bought the box set, I was really annoyed to see voters voting her down just so she’d go winless. That’s the kinda bullshit you have to deal with, and the sort of mindset that’s determined to screw with people just for laughs. Such is the internet (and a large segment of our sociopathic society) these days. Feh!
okay, okay... indisputably moe~ (-LOOKING)
I’ll close with an amv tribute to Yurie; a little exposure to counter the disrespect shown her might get someone interested in her show. Justice will now prevail! (One might even say “Moetic Justice” but there’s a Blog by that name already which reminds me to tell you that if you really want to see a serious and scholarly (read: longer than MY posts!) essay on “moe” check out the Post there, here! ) So, here’s Yurie, being a god in a place where it’s something accepted and natural; she’s a one-of-a-kind character, and despite certain voters’ low opinions, is quite moe indeed~
Thanks for reading, and please feel free to comment