You can appreciate why she needs the support, and I like to “spread the...The 2009 International Saimoe League
Ξ March 11th, 2009 | → 6 Comments | ∇ The Anime Annals |
International Saimoe League 2009 Logo
For those Visitors to whom Anime is a way of life: On Monday, March 16 2009, the new season of the International Saimoe League tournament will begin with its first matches. Last year’s epic tourney concluded on November 4th with Fate Testarossa being declared the winner of the coveted Tiara. Who will win it all this year? Now’s the chance to get involved from the start and support your favorite anime girl (considering that she’s actually moe of course)!
The overview and introduction at the official site will get you started and explain the proceedings, along with the roster of 64 contestants including the 27 who were nominated over the first few months of this year. (Their little pics contain links to biographical and tournament histories as well.) It was a long and hard-fought nominations process; some new-to-ISML girls I favored and nominated with votes made it (Misuzu from Air, Kanon‘s Makoto, and Chii from Chobits), while others didn’t (most notably ef‘s Yuuko and Chihiro). Inevitably, there is a lot of heartbreak and despair to deal with throughout the year…
FUN! 
Each girl will face off against another contestant once over the course of the year’s 63 regular matches, advancing (hopefully) to the double elimination period, and then on to the semi-finals and and finally the finals. There’s also a fair amount of finality involved, as you can see. It gets pretty ugly.
Last year I kept a spreadsheet, courtesy of one of the administrators, and so kept tally of the girls I voted for most often. The top twelve vote getters were:
(1) Rika Furude (from Higurashi no Naku Koro ni) who I voted for in every match, thus 63 times
(2) Ayu Tsukimiya (Kanon): 62 times
(3) Nagisa Furukawa (Clannad) 61
(4) Hanyuu Furude (HnNKn) 60
(clockwise from front: Hanyuu, Rika, Mion, Rena, and Satoko
(5) Kotomi Ichinose (Clannad) 58
(Kotomi Ichinose and friend)
(6) Shiori Misaka (Kanon) 56
(7) Rena Ryuguu (HnNKn) 54
(8) Shinku (Rozen Maiden) 54
(Shinku, the fifth Rozen Maiden doll, with Detective Kun Kun)
(9) Suiseiseki (Rozen Maiden) 54
(10) Shana (Shakugan no Shana) 53
(11) Nayuki Minase (Kanon) 53
(12) Mai Kawasumi (Kanon) 52
(The Kanon girls, from left: Mai, Makoto, Nayuki, Ayu, and Shiori)
As some of you might surmise from the above, I do fancy the Key/Kyoto Animation girls over most of the others for some odd reason. Whatever it is, the rationale lies solely in how these girls affect me in relation to moe, and NOT popularity. This is not a popularity contest, at least to purists like myself. I vote only on that vague and ephemeral definition of moe. Many other voters let a series’ popularity affect their judgement, and I guess that can’t be helped. But I prefer to simply weigh one girl’s moe against her opponent’s, and vote accordingly. Many, many times it is a difficult and heart-rending decision, as in when Ayu faced Rika; Ayu is one of my Most Favored Girls, but her substantial moe pales in comparison to Rika’s). But to abstain is not an option for me (though it is available to you). YMileageMV, and YMoeMV 
So, go forth and vote! And visit the site’s Forum for interaction, questions, and a whole lot of campaigning 
In fact, I’ll kick off my own campaign for my Number One Girl, Misuzu, right now:
(Misuzu and Yukito, with bento on bench)
And, when you feel that your girl has no chance, and in the deepest depths of despair, just remember: YES, WE CAN!
Unless it’s Code Geass’ Kallen or C.C., who have the combined moe of Misuzu’s left pinkie. In which case you can’t. Please.
Also: Prime Directive Number One: Your Moe Is Not Necessarily My Moe.
’nuff said
on March 11th, 2009 at 10:59 pm
Even Kallen is moe.
on March 12th, 2009 at 1:30 am
Yes, she is. In a quantity somewhere in the vicinty of the lower half of Misuzu’s little pinky. C.C. can have the top half xD
I would really hate to have to put a “this is only my opinion, but…” disclaimer/qualifier before every statement LOL
All the contestants are moe to some extent or another, to one voter or another. Thus the YMMV
And thanks for stopping by and your comment
(Juice is one of the contributors to ISML, by the way
)
on March 12th, 2009 at 5:00 am
I understand your enthusiasm for the Kyoani girls, I’m the same
And I can tell you the reason for their popularity and what makes the Kyoani shows feel different from all the other bishoujo shows out there. First of all, Kyoani has lots of talented staff (like director Ishihara or the Ikeda sisters). Secondly, it’s probably the studio with the highest share of female animation staff in Japan, what gives their shows a more female touch. Thirdly, they do most things in-house, most others studios outsource many production steps (especially inbetweening and digital painting) to foreign countries like Korea or China, which leads to a drop in quality. Fourthly, it’s probably the only studio in Japan which is working with a rotating production staff, because of the small size of the studio it gives the animators much training in drawing the characters and learning their peculiarities. These people pay attention right down to the last detail, because they are really in love with the characters, and the audience notice that. Kyoani doesn’t sell their characters with moe characteristics or top seiyuu alone, but they are the one of the few studios which really knows how to sell the characters with the animation. Think for instance of Ayu’s or Mikuru’s clumsiness, it’s conveyed mainly through the animation, like that you can feel the emotions or unique presence of every character, which makes them feel way more realistic than the cast of most other bishoujo shows (from a technical point of view Kyoani surpasses most other studios in terms of animation quality, i.e. variation of key frames, cuts, etc.).
Now I’ve written quite much, but when it comes to Kyoani, my inner fanboy awakens
I’ve known this saimoe tournament for quite a long time, but never voted myself. Two of my favourite characters seem to do well even without my vote (Ayu and Konata), although Arcueid seems to be left out again.
PS: nice myanimelist widget, MAL seems to attract more and more people ^^
on March 12th, 2009 at 12:55 pm
Hi Max,
You might be interested to read this superb analysis written by Eternal at his excellent Blog, Memories of Eternity: “Key and the Art of Tragedy”, which gives yet another important reason why the collaboration between Kyoto Animation and Key/Visual Art’s results in such Winners. It can be found here: http://memories-of-eternity.com/analysis/key-and-the-art-of-tragedy/
I completely understand your KyoAni fanboy-ness, believe me
Also, check out his spot-on analysis of K/KA’s Clannad, which I felt perfectly aligns with my own feelings about this third point in the triple crown of Air, Kanon, and Clannad, “Clannad – Why I Love It, and why it’s probably more than you think”, which can be found at:
http://memories-of-eternity.com/analysis/clannad-why-i-love-it-and-why-its-probably-more-than-you-think/
Really, it captures exactly the reasons why I fell in love with this anime from its very first scene, and the fated lovers of Nagisa and Tomoya beginning their walk “up that long, long uphill climb.” Just a remarkably moving anime, and its emphasis on Family (which “clannad” translates to) is a continual reference point throughout each epsiode, whether related by blood or friendship.
This is probably my favorite anime Blog
Thanks for your reply, and don’t worry about them being too long LOL; I enjoy reading
As for Studio KyoAni, the DVD releases of Kanon had a series of extras showing inside looks at the studio and their creative processes which I found most interesting! Kanon’s director spoke quite a lot about various things, and my favorite snippet detailed his love of Shiori’s short hair, and how it moved, and his insistence on his animators making sure to take special care with it 
Oh, by the way, and kind of related to your mention of Tsukihime’s Arcueid, Eternal also has a recent entry on Kara no Kyoukai episode 5 (although it’s very full of spoilers). As you might already know, KnK features (another? hmm…) SHIKI, possessor of The Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, as did the male Shiki in Tsukihime (which I haven’t yet seen). I feel that TYPE-MOON has really created a masterpiece with this set of seven (projected) movies, and this latest fifth installment is probably the best anime that I’ve ever seen. I’ll be catching Tsukihime before the next movie is released and subtitled in order to try to spot the links between the two series
Incidentally, KnK’s Shiki did pass nominations and has been entered into ISML ’09. While her moe is not often shown, at the end of KnK 5 you will definitely catch a cute glimpse of it
Since I vote solely based on moe, I won’t be voting for her very often, even though she’s one of my all-time favorite characters. Moe is moe, you know, and MOE IS SERIOUS BUSINESS
But Shiki is bad-ass to the bone :-O
And really, you should try to vote in ISML; every one of your girls needs your vote!
My Anime List is a very handy place to reference your favorite lists of shows to watch, plan to watch, and completed series as well. The widget works great too, but only when MAL is not having problems LOL
I plan on putting a link/banner for it next month, when I change my account name for the final time. Presently I’m using “Inko-chan”, named after the parakeet in Toradora (another anime I have REALLY enjoyed from the Fall Season, and about to wrap up). But I have another, more fitting name, planned…
Again, thanks for your comment
on March 13th, 2009 at 6:23 am
Thank you Rob, you’ve lead me to two really nice blog entries, he has put into words what I’ve been thinking for quite a long time. But there are even more things to explore, like one of the best portrayals of male friendship in anime (Tomoya and Sunohara, it was their deep bond which prevented them from dropping out up to the meeting with Nagisa and even further, in the game there is much more to it) and two great and interesting parents (Akio and Sanae, it’s a pity that Kyoani didn’t adapt their scenarios, that would even more deepen their profiles).
Clannad surrounds around a really mature and deep core theme, that and Ishihara’s great storytelling and directing makes this anime really stand out among most other bishoujo shows.
And yes, it’s really moving, I knew the plot from the game and still I was touched by the great atmosphere in episodes like #16 and #22 of AS (which were skillfully directed and storyboarded by Hisako Yamada, the director of KON!). And the visual novel is really worth one’s while, written by some of the best writers of that sector like Maeda Jun, who also composed the music for both anime and novel. After 100+ hours of reading the VN and over 40 episodes of the anime I haven’t gotten tired of it yet, because it still feels refreshing and touching to me, what is really a proof of quality.
I’ve heard of the bonus on the Kanon DVDs, so I’m really looking forward to the release of the complete box next month, as I have a strong interest in the creative processes behind animation and in the creators themselves. On this occasion I’ll import the Air complete collection and the Clannad half-season box too
As I’m a big sucker for everything from Type Moon and Nasu, I’ve have also read Tsukihime and FSN as well as parts of Kara no Kyoukai. And the fifth movie of KnK is also the best anime movie I have seen, Hirao made a good job in arranging the material in an interesting way and upholding the audience’s interest despite the length, and it was even his first role as movie director…
My fondness of Shiki is rather limited (some leagues below Saber and Arcueid), although I bought that recent goodsmile figure of her…
Yeah, MAL comes in pretty handy (although the data base is quite doubtful), I use it to keep track of my watched anime and to rate them. Hmm… our compatibility seems to be “somewhat high” (73,6%). Ah, if you are interested, here is my profile: http://myanimelist.net/profile/raito-kun
Thanks for reading ^^
on March 13th, 2009 at 12:24 pm
Hi Max,
You’re right: the friendship between Tomoya and Sunohara is one of the best in anime. Sunohara really is a great “sidekick” and both very funny and complex (his relationship with his sister Mei and his history with the soccer team to name but two); it’s obvious they both care for each other as evidenced by their “confrontation” in one of the middle episodes of After Story.
I really love the portrayals of Sanae and Akio, both as real parents to Nagisa and as surrogate parents for Tomoya, whose relationship with his own father came full-circle just as I’d hoped in these latter AS episodes. Very satisfying, realistic, and well-written.
I’ve always meant to play/read the Clannad Visual Novel, but was kept waiting for the translations to be done (as with the Kanon VN). Someday I definitely will
Glad to see that you’re buying the Kanon, Air, and Clannad boxes; there’s really nothing like watching anime on your television screen. Not to mention supporting the creators and the hobby
Regarding Kara no Kyoukai… wow, movie # 5 was Hirao’s first job as director? It showed a remarkable talent for clever storytelling in his arrangement of the “timeslips”, pacing, and action. I was practically left breathless after nearly two hours of that!
I suppose I rank Shiki somewhere below Saber (loathe as I am to rank actors LOL), but Saber really got to me, especially in Fate/Stay Night’s last episode which really reduced me to tears. Anyone who can involve me like that has to be elevated to an all-time favorite. Shiki has yet to affect me that way, but there are still two more movies…
And I REALLY wanted that Goodsmile figure of Shiki (if it’s the one in the pink kimono), but $$$ problems led me to regretably pass on it
I stopped by MAL before coming here so I’ve already seen your profile (and left a message). 73.6 is among the highest of my compatabilities due to my “strange way” of grading/rating; i.e. I just grade on enjoyment, period. I don’t like nit-picking something to death; it diminishes my enjoyment. So I have quite a few 10s as I try to watch “quality” anime, and usually if it is I am quite satisfied and happy to “10 it”
Tonight (hopefully) i’ll have some anticipated shows to watch, namely Toradora 23, Munto 7, and Goku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei 3. Plus, there’s the possibility that Clannad AS 22 will be out, which ought to be epic, as it’s the last episode. I guess that 23 will be some sort of re-cap or perhaps a “Tomoyo After”-like episode featuring one of the other paths left out of the Clannad anime. With KyoAni there’s no telling!
~Rob