Saimoe Japan 2012 – MetaMoe Introduction
Find out how you can win a free copy of Knights in the Nightmare + OST, details inside.
Main Website (in Japanese) – English Fan Site
Hey everyone! As you may or may not know, the annual Saimoe tournament began last month and since then the preliminary rounds have ended and the second preliminaries are nearing a close. As a simple introduction, Saimoe is a tournament run by Japanese anime fans for Japanese anime fans, however we outside of Japan can still enjoy the tournament’s drama and intense showdowns, and if you feel like putting in a little work you can even vote by following these instructions. Saimoe is a test of character popularity more than anything, but the more moe they are the better their chances! Rooting for your favorite characters, watching factions battle it out in the main bracket, and pridefully cheering as that one character you’ve always loved makes it to the finals are all but a few reasons Saimoe is such fun to follow. It might not be for everyone, but hey, the dedication is worth it!
So, how is Saimoe different then ISML? ISML is a much grander tournament then Saimoe, partially because of the larger population of international voters, and the larger roster of competitors. However, grander doesn’t always equal better. Saimoe only allows characters who have appeared in an anime within the last year to compete, including OVAs and movies. Now I’m not all too familiar with ISML, or am I a big fan of it, but what I noticed in that tournament was that a lot of the same players were shuffled through year after year, not allowing for too much diversity. Saimoe on the other hand I believe has been able to keep the game fun and diverse by limiting the characters to a single year, allowing new characters to shine through. That doesn’t mean the veterans don’t get to come out and play every now and then, just look at Saki!
Saimoe has a history dating all the way back to 2002, and over the years has crowned 10 winners from the original Saimoe queen, Sakura Kinomoto, to the romcom princess, Taiga Aisaka, and more recently the beloved Mami Tomoe. Many factions have risen to try and crown their favorites, but only few have succeeded as they battle each other for the most numbers. The Madoka Magica fans from last year’s tournament, despite many enemies, might be one of the most successful! They managed to take four characters into the final bracket and ended with a goodhearted match of Kyouko vs. Mami. That’s not to say they were perfect, Homura was sniped in her very first match! It’s these type of conflicts that make Saimoe such a joy. What new factions will rise this year? Will a popular independent character like Ika Musume fight her way to the top again? And will another dark horse like Erica Hartmann squeeze her way through countless battles? We’ll just have to wait and see!
The first part of this Metanorn-Saimoe experience is the coverage. Over the next couple months or so I, along with other Meta writers who want to share their thoughts, will be posting occasional update posts. The first will be after the final two second preliminary rounds, and then after that probably every 2-4 rounds. We’d love to hear your thoughts as well, as longtime followers of the tournament or even as new ones! Hey, maybe these posts will even get you as addicted as I am?
What you can expect. Quick details as for who won/lost. I want to keep that short since the website in the link underneath the introduction headline does an awesome job keeping tabs of the results. They even keep track of past tournament results and graphics, so feel free to check that out! Other then that you can expect our personal thoughts on the matches and characters. These thoughts will be opinion based, so in the comments feel free to add on, argue, and/or share your own thoughts, that’s one of the biggest factors that make Saimoe so fun. Lastly, we’ll be keeping updates on the Meta-Moe Challenge, more details coming up next.
Preliminary Results – Second Preliminary Results
What is the MetaMoe Challenge? The challenge is a competition that will be hosted right here on Metanorn alongside the coverage. The winner of the competition will not only have bragging rights around Meta, but they will also win a free copy of Knights in the Nightmare for the DS and the original game soundtrack, by Atlus. Please, if you want to play read the following section carefully!
How do you play? The challenge is simple, pick five of your favorite characters who are competing in this years Saimoe tournament and paste your list in descending order of favorite to least favorite in the comments section below this post. If one of the characters in your list wins the Saimoe tournament you will be eligible to win the prize. PLEASE POST YOUR REGION UNDERNEATH THE LIST.
Rules. [PLEASE READ]
- You may use the links below the “meta moe challenge” headline to find out which characters are in the running to win. The only restriction when it comes to picking characters is that you may NOT pick more then 1 character who has won a first preliminary round. (for example, you cannot have both Akari and Poplar in your list, only one or the other) Second placers and below are fair game. Characters who won their second preliminary round are free for picking, Himeji and Remon for example.
- When your choices are posted I will go into GIMP and create for you a personal banner with your five characters, similar to the ones below made for some Metanorn writers. (They will be much smaller though, because I might have to make a lot of them depending on participation level.)
- The banners I made will then be put into every post following this one as part of the MetaMoe Challenge. When a character you chose is eliminated I will cross them off from your banner. If all five of your characters are eliminated you will be taken out of the competition. Basically, after your list is posted all you are required to do is follow along with the Saimoe posts, but we encourage you to comment in the future and even check out the rest of the site!
- ONE ENTRY PER PERSON. (We’ll know if you’re making multiple accounts.)
- DEADLINE: August 9th at 6PM EST!
- Unfortunately, at this time I do not know if I will be able to ship the game outside of the US and Canada. (… I’ve never shipped anything out of the country before and I’m ignorant to the prices at this time, but I’ll keep you updated. I’m a college student so I can’t afford anything too expensive here.)
- If more then one person has the Saimoe champion in their list, the prize will be given to the person who placed the character highest in their list. If again that results in a tie an RNG will decide the winner.
- AGAIN, entering the contest and winning does NOT guarantee that you’ll receive the prize, especially if you live outside of the US and Canada. I will do some research to check prices on international shipping. If at some point I’m hit by a school bus or crushed by a tree for example, you may not get your prize.
- Some of us writers at Metanorn are also playing, but we’re not eligible to win the prize. It’s only open for you all!
- Knights in the Nightmare (for the Nintendo DS) is an intense strategy game with a lot of gameplay elements to keep you busy all the time and a dark story line. The game sports some anime-like character designs and beautiful graphics. The OST, “Symphony of Souls” has 39 tracks.
- The game is opened from it’s original package, but was only played once and is in impeccable condition. The OST remains sealed as it was received.
Akari Akaza – G16 [1st], Chihaya Kisaragi – G5 [7th], Cure March – G15 [6th], Stealth Momo – G13 [2nd], Mio Kitahara – G6 [9th]
Cure Peace – G4 [2nd], Ika Musume – G2 [2nd], Katou Marika – G8 [3rd], Kyouno Madoka – G8 [4th], Nyarlathotep – G9 [1st]
More in the Spoiler Below!
PLAYER BANNERS
This is where we will display the banners of everyone who joins the MetaMoe challenge!~
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IMAGE SOURCES
POWUH: iLurker with 16 comments
Aoi Yamada (Working!)
Squid Girl
Remon Yamano
Elsea (The World God Only Knows)
Rise Kujikawa
POWUH: iLurker with 16 comments
Oh, and my region is Canada (Alberta more specifically). Posted a little too quickly.
POWUH: 700-799 and Horror Expert with 701 comments
Thanks for playing! Your banner is up, all you have to do now is sit back and root for your characters. ´▽｀
POWUH: 500-599 with 543 comments
Sounds fun! Although I don’t know many moe characters -_-”
Here’s my list:
Karuta Roromiya (group 16)
Rin Tousaka (group 10)
Mio Akiyama (group 14)
Shouko Kirishima (group 15)
Snow Black (group 3)
And my region is US, although I don’t really care about the prize.
POWUH: 700-799 and Horror Expert with 701 comments
Thanks for playing, Gecko! Your banner is up, good luck~
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
Woooooo! Great work on those graphics Hawt this should be a fun contest and I gotta get my brother to make his list and comment xD
POWUH: 700-799 and Horror Expert with 701 comments
Thanks Fosh, that would be awesome if your brother could play!
POWUH: Meta Resident and Yōko Fanboy with 1246 comments
Oh? Can I get my brother to play too!? XD
POWUH: 700-799 and Horror Expert with 701 comments
Sure! The more the merrier, but he will have to post his list on his own account just to make it official. ^^
POWUH: Meta Resident and Yōko Fanboy with 1246 comments
Yep no worries, I’ll tell him now XD
POWUH: Meta Resident and Yōko Fanboy with 1246 comments
Hoo~? This sounds interested indeed! Count me in!
1. Ririchiyo Shirakiin (Inu X Boku SS)
2. Mio Akiyama (K-On!)
3. Snow Black (Accel World)
4. Tsumugi Kotobuki (K-On!)
5. Kobato Hasegawa (Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai)
Region: Australia, Victoria (if you’re unable to ship overseas that’s alright ^^)
POWUH: 700-799 and Horror Expert with 701 comments
Woo thanks for signing up, Tofu! Your banner is now up, best of luck.
POWUH: Metanorn Lover with 207 comments
1. Elsie (The World Gold Only Knows)
2. Yui Hirasawa (K-On!)
3. Nadeko Sengoku (Bakemonogatari)
4. Ohana Matsumae (Hanasaku Iroha)
5. Shana (Shakugan no Shana)
Region: California, USA
POWUH: 700-799 and Horror Expert with 701 comments
Welcome to the game Samantha! Good luck, and your banner is now up. ´▽｀
POWUH: Metanorn Lover with 207 comments
Thanks! Awesome banner XD
POWUH: Lovely-pyon~ with 323 comments
ty very much for it !!~~~
POWUH: 700-799 and Horror Expert with 701 comments
No problem, it’s a lot of fun to follow! The first coverage post will be up a in a couple days. ^^
POWUH: Occasional (51-75) with 68 comments
1)Tsumiki Miniwa
2)Ai Nanasaki
3)Charlotte Dunois
4)Miya Tachibana
5)Roromiya Karuta
Arcueid is out T_T
POWUH: 700-799 and Horror Expert with 701 comments
Saimoe is unforgiving, maybe next time? :< Thanks for joining MetaMoe! Your banner is up. ^^
POWUH: Occasional (51-75) with 68 comments
Woah that was fast! Thanks Hawth!
(I don’t think Tsumiki can win though ><)
POWUH: 700-799 and Horror Expert with 701 comments
You never know, there have been plenty of upsets in the past! Also, I forgot to mention in the last comment, can you please post your Region (just the country should be fine) so that we know the area we will have to ship the prize if you win. Thanks!
POWUH: Occasional (51-75) with 68 comments
Oops, region is Singapore.
Don’t worry if you can’t ship it here. I finished Knights in the Nightmare quite some time ago. XD
POWUH: iLurker with 13 comments
1) Azusa Nakano (K-ON)
2) Marika Katou (Bodacious Space Pirates)
3) Rin Tohsaka (Fate/Stay Night)
4) Remon Yamano (Ano Natsu de Matteru)
5) Karuta (Inu X Boku SS)
Region: Brunei, South East Asia (kinda far eh.. lol D:)
POWUH: iLurker with 13 comments
My bad, missed out the full name for Karuta.
POWUH: 700-799 and Horror Expert with 701 comments
Nice picks! Welcome to MetaMoe and good luck. ;D
(Don’t worry about how far, I’m still looking into shipping prices and I don’t think it would be too expensive.)
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
1) Saki Mizukoshi – Natsuiro Kiseki
2) Ai Nanasaki – Amagami SS
3) Yuuko Kanoe – Tasogare OtomexAmnesia
4) Urabe Mikoto – Nazo no Kanojo X
5) Asia Argento – HighSchool DxD
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
This sounds like a lot of fun but I don’t care for the prize.
Here’s my list:
1)Yuuko Kanoe (Tasogare Otome x Amnesia)
2)Rea (Sankarea)
3)Shinobu Oshino (Nisemonogatari)
4)Shiemi Moriyama (Ao no Exorcist)
5)Eucliwood Hellscythe (Kore wa Zombie Desu ka)
Could’ve added Kureha Sakamachi (Mayo Chiki!) if there was more space.
POWUH: 700-799 and Horror Expert with 701 comments
Awesome choices, welcome to the game! ^^ Your banner is now up and will be updated throughout the course of Saimoe.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Thanks, Hawthorne. It’s quite the supernatural line up. You sure work fast. I take off my hat in respect.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1557 comments
I’m surprised Hasegawa Kobato didn’t make your list BlackBriar. Well, she isn’t a real vampire, but still ^^
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
LOL. I guess I developed a reputation. It’s a real shame Kobato isn’t a real vampire though she acts a lot like one. Well, at least I got another blonde, as in Shinobu, to fill the void Kobato couldn’t.
POWUH: iLurker with 7 comments
Fosh told me about this and it sounds really fun so I figured I’d give it a go
Here is my list!
Notice they are all blondes muhaha.
Shinobu Oshino (Ghostory)
Kobato Hasegawa (Baku Wa Tomodachi Ga Sukunai)
Miki Hoshii (The Idolmaster)
Kyouko Toshinou (Yuru Yuri)
Sena Kashiwazaki (Baku Wa Tomodachi Ga Sukunai)
POWUH: 700-799 and Horror Expert with 701 comments
Thanks for signing up, Thorgrim! Your banner is up, good luck! (That’s the blonde-est banner yet. XD)
POWUH: iLurker with 7 comments
hehe, thank you.
hopefully there are no blonde moment =P
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
Yep Thor is my brother I told him DUDE MAKE A LIST!
POWUH: iLurker with 7 comments
lol i picture Yayoi saying Dued make a List for some reason.
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
DUUUUUUUUUDE WHATS MY AVATAR SAY!?
POWUH: iLurker with 7 comments
how many seen this comming?
SWWEEEEETT, WHATS MY AVATAR SAY!?
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1557 comments
Haha, for half a moment I thought Fosh was carrying out a conversation with himself.
Nice to meet you Thor!
POWUH: iLurker with 7 comments
nice to meet you aswell! /internet hi5
POWUH: iLurker with 3 comments
This looks fun >w<
Region is Finland :'D Don't need the prize though~
1) Ririchiyo Shirakiin (InuxBoku)
2) Rise Kujikawa (Persona 4)
3) Sena Kashiwazaki (Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai)
4) Kurisu Makise (Steins;Gate)
5) Taiga Aisaka (Toradora)
POWUH: 700-799 and Horror Expert with 701 comments
Woo~ Thanks for signing up, enma! Your banner is finished. ´▽｀
If you win and still want to opt out of getting the prize just let me know then. Best of luck~
POWUH: Meta Resident and Werewolf Chaser with 1270 comments
I thought Taiga is Kagari in tht banner lol. They really look like each other….
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Apparently the spam filter hates my comments. 🙁 I’ll try again (Plus, I forgot region)
1) Saki Mizukoshi – Natsuiro Kiseki
2) Ai Nanasaki – Amagami SS
3) Urabe Mikoto – Nazo no Kanojo X
4) Yuuko Kanoe – Tasogare OtomexAmnesia
5) Asia Argento – Highschool DxD
Region is US.
This post should supersede the other post if it shows up, if I’ve gotten the order wrong (or forgot one of my changes while I was posting it).
POWUH: 700-799 and Horror Expert with 701 comments
Sorry Highway, I have no idea why the spam monster has a grudge against you. D: Your banner will be up shortly, good luck!
POWUH: iLurker with 1 comments
Hi, I’m Tofu’s little brother.
1. Eru Chitanda (Hyouka)
2. Yui Hirasawa (K-On!)
3. Karen Araragi (Nisemonogatari)
4. Tsukihi Araragi (Nisemonogatari)
5. Eucliwood Hellscythe (Kore wa Zombie)
Region: Same as Tofu
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
Hello Tofu’s brother! -wave-
POWUH: 700-799 and Horror Expert with 701 comments
Welcome to MetaMoe, your banner is up! Good luck!
POWUH: iLurker with 7 comments
Eru! nice choice she was going to be one of mine, but the blonds won me over lol
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Nice to meet you, Roxalthea. Whoa! Karen and Tsukihi Araragi and Eucliwood Hellscythe. Nice choices!! High five!!
POWUH: iLurker with 5 comments
Atlus always was one of my favorites. Kinda hard choosing these contestants though… Too many I like 😛
1. Shana (Shakugan no Shana)
2. Elucia De Lute Irma (The World God Only Knows)
3. Tomoka Minato (Ro-Kyu-Bu!)
4. Eucliwood Hellscythe (Kore Wa Zombie Desu Ka?)
5. Snow Black (Accel World)
Region: US
POWUH: 700-799 and Horror Expert with 701 comments
It’s very tough, but you made some awesome choices! ;D Your banner is now up, and best of luck to you!
POWUH: iLurker with 2 comments
If the tournament starts Aug. 14th, can the deadline be then? Also, I will make my picks later.
POWUH: 700-799 and Horror Expert with 701 comments
Yes, I haven’t put it in the post just yet but the deadline is being extended a few days. (I had forgotten that there’s a long break between preliminaries and the main tournament.)
The deadline will be set to August 9th, as there is another post that has to go up before the main tournament starts. So you have plenty of time to choose! ;D
POWUH: Meta Team and Megane-chan with 3214 comments
HOLY my picks are very… pink. I swear that wasn’t intentional.
Anyways, good luck to everyone out there!
POWUH: 700-799 and Horror Expert with 701 comments
*secretly jealous of your matching banner*
POWUH: iLurker with 5 comments
Surprised at the confidence in Smile Precure. Precure has been infamous for underachieving when Saimoe rolls around. Cure Black made it to quarterfinals in 2004, Precure girls have been 2-16 in Saimoe matches. Still, they have been spectacular in prelims and I do see them bucking this trend this year!
POWUH: iLurker with 5 comments
I’m missing a “since”. “Since Cure Black made it to quarterfinals in 2004, Precure girls have been 2-16 in Saimoe matches. “
POWUH: 700-799 and Horror Expert with 701 comments
Well the lists are supposed to be more about your personal favorites, not so much strategy, but I understand that strategy will play a part in choices no matter what. That’s also why I limited the prelim winner choices to 1, so players could find a happy medium between characters they love and characters they think will do well.
I hope you’re right about the Precure though, I’d love to see a few of them go far! Especially Nao, green haired characters are so unrepresented in Saimoe this year. (The only others I can think of off the top of my head are Yuka and Kotori, who didn’t do too well in prelims.)
POWUH: Meta Resident and Werewolf Chaser with 1270 comments
Hmm….. so does this mean I cannot choose charac who win twice???
Man those are one handfull of girls…. Lemme think abt it 1st.
POWUH: 700-799 and Horror Expert with 701 comments
That’s right! You are limited to one character from the preliminary winners, any character placing below that is fair game for picking. ;D
Take your time, the deadline is the 9th.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1557 comments
興味深い
Count me in!
Hinagiku Katsura (Hayate)
Snow Black (Accel World)
Kanna Tanigawa (Ano Natsu)
Miu Takanashi (Papa no Ikuto)
Miki Hoshii (Idolm@ster)
Don’t worry about the prize, I already have Knights in the Nightmare. It’s a complex and tricky game, I never really got that into it. It’s got a pretty steep learning curve if you want to excel.
POWUH: 700-799 and Horror Expert with 701 comments
Woo! Welcome to the game akagami. If you win and still want to opt out of getting the prize just let me know then (it’s hard to keep track of who wants it/who doesn’t atm)! ;D Your banner will be up shortly.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1557 comments
I don’t suppose I could convince you to use the following for Hina (https://yande.re/post/show/55002)?
POWUH: 700-799 and Horror Expert with 701 comments
Sure, not a problem!
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1557 comments
Just realized I messed up the names =/
Hinagiku Katsura (Hayate no Gotoku)
Snow Black (Accel World)
Tanigawa Kanna (Ano Natsu de Matteru)
Takanashi Miu (Papa no Iu Koto wo Kikinasai)
Hoshii Miki (The Idolm@ster)
POWUH: 700-799 and Horror Expert with 701 comments
Ah, you don’t have to worry about that! I have everything recorded properly in an excel sheet. ^^
Banner is up now, too.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1557 comments
That was quick thanks! ^^
How do you like Gimp? I’ve never tried it, I use PS at home and MS Paint otherwise (it still sucks, Windows 7 just gave it an updated look).
POWUH: 700-799 and Horror Expert with 701 comments
I’ve never tried Photoshop before (too expensive), so I can’t really compare, but GIMP works great for what I need it to do. Easy to use tools, layering system, plenty of shortcuts etc. Overall I love it, very useful.
I assume Photoshop is the better of the two though because of the price-tag/company. MS Paint has its uses, but I personally never use it.
POWUH: iLurker with 7 comments
Gimp isn’t bad I use a lot, on drawing or making gifs/designs fairly easy to use hehe