Saimoe Japan 2012 – MetaMoe Update and Predictions
With preliminaries and second preliminaries at a close we’ll finally be jumping into the main tournament, where all the fun happens. (NOTE: The first round of the main tournament starts on the 14th, a full schedule/bracket can be found here.) Before that I’d like to talk a little about some of the series and characters that managed to perform amazingly in the preliminaries, as well as about some series and characters that completely bombed. Obviously I don’t have time to touch on EVERY series, so this isn’t a complete list. Also I should mention this is simply my own personal speculation about the different threat levels in the main tournament. Overall the preliminaries didn’t have too many surprises. Most of the series I thought would do well followed through and there were only a few casualties along the way. (See, AKB0048.) If you want to skip right to it, the MetaMoe update is below this section. So, let’s begin!~
Entrants: 43 // Threat: High // First Appearance: 2009 Notable Players:Nodoka, Koromo, Toki, Kuro, Yuu, Ako
Saki has a history of performing very well in Saimoe, such as in 2009 where half of the final 8 was made up of the mahjong players or, to a lesser extent, Koromo’s and Nodoka’s run to the semi-finals in 2010. If it wasn’t obvious by the sheer record-breaking amount of characters in the main tournament this year Saki is back at full force. With 7 characters topping their preliminary matches and plenty of less popular representatives scattered throughout the placings I can see Saki getting at least 2-4 characters into the final 8. However with popularity comes great opposition, so it’ll be interesting to see how far the more popular characters manage to go. Some Homura-like upsets in the first rounds are also a strong possibility. Go, go Saki! It’s time for a mahjong player to win the gold~
|
Entrants: 7 // Threat: Tossup // First Appearance: 2009 Notable Players:Azu-nyan, Yui, Mio, Mugi
K-On has an … interesting history with Saimoe, rising and falling in popularity like a roller coaster. Last year they completely bombed despite Azusa winning the whole tournament the year before. Thanks to the recent film it seems they’ve once again garnered enough fans to take some high placements and even a round win by Saimoe champ Azu-nyan. They’re one of the series I’m most curious to watch because of the unpredictability, but a strong start in the preliminaries is always a positive. Let’s just hope they make it past the first round this year! I excluded Ritsu from the notables list because she hasn’t ever done all that well compared to her band mates and I don’t see her breaking the trend this year with a shoddy preliminary ranking.
|
Entrants: 9 // Threat: High // First Appearance: NEW Notable Players:Akarin, Kyouko, Ayano, Sakurako
This is Yuru Yuri’s debut Saimoe and they are arguably the all-around strongest new series in the tournament with five characters ranking in the top 5 of their preliminary rounds. Their driving force this year will be the invisible wonder Akarin, with Kyouko and Ayano also both placing high and becoming potential newcomer threats. Akarin is my personal favorite to win, so I’m just hoping she doesn’t go and disappear on us when her match comes up! The series is popular, but I’m not expecting another Madoka Magica performance by these girls. Best of luck though!
|
Entrants: 14 // Threat: Mid // First Appearance: 2007 Notable Players: Iori, Yayoi, Hibiki, Chihaya, Miki
The iDOLM@STER is one of those shows that didn’t quite meet my expectations. They had a strong following around the time the show aired, but it seems some of that popularity was lost over the seasons. (It’s the Summer curse!) Even so, 14 is a commendable total even though that will likely be cut short after the first round. I fully expect Iori to go the farthest because of Rie Kugimiya, but in terms of making it to the end I don’t think this is Idolmaster’s year. Even Miki, who I thought was the most popular of the group in Japan, only took 9th in her round. We’ll see, maybe they’ll be this year’s underdogs!
|
Entrants: 8 // Threat: Mid // First Appearance: 2010 Notable Players:Karen, Tsukihi, Mayoi, Senjougahara
The Bakemono characters are back in the running thanks to Nise, and if Shaft really does animate all the novels we could be seeing a lot more of them in the future! In 2010 Bakemono did alright, most notably Senjougahara. Still, it wasn’t an overwhelming performance in any way. This year however, thanks to Nise, the Fire Sisters have gained a lot more popularity then last time and by the looks of the preliminaries they should do well. Mayoi, Senjougahara, and Nadeko shouldn’t do too bad either. I loved Nisemonogatari, so I’m rooting for them!
|
Entrants: 7 // Threat: High // First Appearance: 2007 Notable Players:Nagi, Hinagiku
I’ve never quite understood the popularity of Hayate, because I’ve never seen the anime, but they’ve always performed very well in Saimoe. For four years straight a character from Hayate has managed to make it into the final 8, and Nagi specifically has lost in the final match twice! Will 2012 be their year? Well, with both Nagi and Hinagiku topping their preliminaries I see two tough competitors who might just win it all. That is, if they can get past the powerhouse, Saki. With that said, I can’t quite say that I think the rest of the cast will do nearly as well as their two starring ladies.
|
Entrants: 5 // Threat: Low // First Appearance: 2011 Notable Players:Charlotte, Cecilia, Houki
Despite their best efforts last year, IS didn’t get as far as I expected them to. Charlotte, who seemed like the the break out star from the series, became a victom to Madoka Magica domination early on. Now she, and the others, have a chance to redeem themselves, albeit with probably a lot less support than last time. I don’t think they’ll succumb to being early round fodder, though I don’t see them making it into the final 8, or even 16. I’m sort of rooting for Charlotte, because she’s the only reason I stayed around to watch IS as long as I did. (Which was only like … half the series.)
|
Entrants: 5 // Threat: Low // First Appearance: NEW Notable Players:Yayoi, Akane, Nao, Reika, Miyuki
The Pretty Cure series has never been a serious threat in Saimoe, though one character made it to the final 8 in one of the first tournaments … which I wasn’t around to witness. Besides that, the characters who do get through typically fail to make it past the first or second round. I think that trend might finally end with Smile Precure. Yayoi took second place in round 2 which indicates that she has the votes to be a real threat in this competition. Her fellow precures also did well, but I don’t think they stand a chance of becoming anything but fodder unless they get a lucky match-up. I’m rooting for them nonetheless!
|
My predictions will cover all of groups A and B for a total of 24 matches over a span of 8 days. The next post in the series will be on August the 22nd during the one day break before groups C and D. Meaning the first set of results and updates for MetaMoe won’t be until then!
GROUP A1 |
GROUP A2 |
8/14: Himari Takakura // Saki Miyanaga // Maho Misawa // Nanako Dojima 8/15: Illyasviel Von Einzbern // Moko Tsuiki // Yoshinoya (Hidamari Sketch) 8/16: Nako Oshimizu // Mero Furuya // Maria Takayama 8/17: Remon Yamano // Miyuki Tsubakino // Masamune Usami 8/14: Lingyin Huang // Mahiru Inami // Miya Tachibana 8/15: Kiyomi Sakura // Kobato Hasegawa // Riko Yasufuku |
8/16: Tiffania Westwood // Yuuki Kataoka // Rika Shiguma 8/17: Asia Argento // Ghutatan // Tsukasa Ayatsuji 8/14: Reika Aoki // Raika Oda // Cecilia Alcott 8/15: Crea Dolosera // Saki Mizukoshi // Yuno Gasai 8/16: Koromo Amae // Charlotte E Yeager // Lynette Bishop 8/17: Aoi Ogiyama // Miki Hoshii // Tomoka Minato |
GROUP B1 |
GROUP B2 |
8/18: Yuka Hanaki // Tomo Asama // Shino Amakusa 8/19: Komaki Jindai // Iori Minase // Mio Naganohara 8/20: Shinobu Oshino // Ayame Shaga // Shirayuki Hotogi 8/21: Nori (Hidamari Sketch) // Chris Yukine // Sae (Hidamari Sketch) 8/18: Hanyuu // Kanade Suzutsuki // Isumi Saginomiya 8/19: Toki Onjouji // Tsumiki Miniwa // Airi Sena |
8/20: Yuno (Hidamari Sketch) // Sakurako Oomuro // Azusa Nakano 8/21: Run (A-Channel) // Ritsu Tainaka // Ami Kawashima 8/18: Izumi Segawa // Akari Akaza // Taeko Hiramatsu 8/19: Mei Misaki // Rias Gremory // Ayano Sugiura 8/20: Yozora Mikazuki // Chihaya Ayase // Nazuna (Hidamari Sketch) 8/21: Minna-Dietlinde Wilcke // Mako Someya // Ichika Takatsuki |
As I mentioned there are no changes to the MetaMoe banners or anything related as of now since we’ve yet to enter the main tournament. Next update will be on August the 22nd! Instead, here are some fun facts about the character choices made by all of you! (Staff choices are also included in these trivia.)
Total Number of Unique Characters: 60
Most Popular Character (By # of Times Chosen):
Karuta Roromiya (5), Kuroyukihime (4), Ai Nanasaki (3), Elsea De Lute Erma (3), Eucliwood Hellscythe (3), Kurisu Makise (3), Oshino Shinobu (3), Rin Tohsaka (3), Rise Kujikawa (3)
Most Popular Character (By # of First Choices):
Eru Chitanda (2) and Ririchiyo Shirakiin (2)
Most Popular Series (By Unique Characters):
Nisemonogatari (5), K-On! (4), Ano Natsu de Matteru (3), Smile Precure (3)
Most Popular Series (By # of Choices):
Nisemonogatari (10), Inu x Boku SS (7), K-On! (6), Fate/Zero (5), Steins;Gate (5)
Below the following paragraph (in the spoiler) is the collection of ALL banners made for MetaMoe including the smaller rendition of the Staff pics. Over the course of Saimoe, as characters are eliminated, the pictures on these banners will be greyed out and crossed off until all five of your characters are gone. When that happen your banner will be completely greyed out and put at the bottom of the list with a ranking number. This is how we’ll keep track of who gets first, second, third, and so on. There are 20 players total, so good luck! Oh, and don’t worry about bookmarking this post or anything, I’ll be putting these in every post from now on. (Which will be every 2 rounds or so.)
Toki – http://www.zerochan.net/1193834
IMAGES
Saki – http://www.zerochan.net/1180935
K-ON – http://www.zerochan.net/1177768
Yuru Yuri – http://www.zerochan.net/1217364
Idolmaster – http://www.zerochan.net/1192701
Nisemonogatari – http://www.zerochan.net/279333
Hayate no Gotoku – http://www.zerochan.net/210711
IS: Infinite Stratos – http://www.zerochan.net/459785
Smile Precure – http://www.zerochan.net/1149288
PLAYERS
Ai Nanasaki – http://www.zerochan.net/298837
Akari Akaza – http://www.zerochan.net/750282
Aoi Yamada – http://www.zerochan.net/858532
Asia Argento – http://www.zerochan.net/1169109
Azusa Nakano – http://www.zerochan.net/766755
Charlotte Dunois – http://www.zerochan.net/583404
Chihaya Ayase – http://www.zerochan.net/800758
Chihaya Kisaragi – http://www.zerochan.net/1209174
Cordelia Glauca – http://www.zerochan.net/365003
Elsea De Lute Irma – http://www.zerochan.net/336017
Eru Chitanda – http://www.zerochan.net/1115865
Eucliwood Hellscythe – http://www.zerochan.net/600105
Hinagiku Katsura – https://yande.re/post/show/55002
Hitagi Senjougahara – http://www.zerochan.net/1186153
Ika Musume – http://www.zerochan.net/1194930
Irisviel Von Einzbern – http://www.zerochan.net/828234
Kanna Hanigawa – http://www.zerochan.net/991391
Karen Araragi – http://www.zerochan.net/954542
Karuta Roromiya – http://www.zerochan.net/1185676
Kobato Hasegawa – http://www.zerochan.net/1094448
Kurisu Makise – http://www.zerochan.net/568596
Kuroyukihime “Snow Black” – http://www.zerochan.net/828603
Kyouko Toshinou – http://www.zerochan.net/974313
Marika Katou – http://www.zerochan.net/1175187
Madoko Kyouno – http://www.zerochan.net/934498
Miki Hoshii – http://www.zerochan.net/797611
Mikoto Urabe – http://www.zerochan.net/1069237
Mio Akiyama – http://www.zerochan.net/324533
Mio Kitahara – http://www.zerochan.net/1013364
Miu Takanashi – http://www.zerochan.net/989535
Miya Tachibana – http://www.zerochan.net/529505
Miyuki Hoshizora (Cure Happy) – http://www.zerochan.net/1085690
Momoko Touyoko – http://www.zerochan.net/1066818
Nadeko Sengoku – http://www.zerochan.net/458001
Nanako Doujima- http://www.zerochan.net/362838
Nao Midorikawa (Cure March) – http://www.zerochan.net/1152578
Nyarlko – http://www.zerochan.net/1080217
Ohana Matsumae – http://www.zerochan.net/645059
Oshino Shinobu – http://www.zerochan.net/718993
Rea Sanka – http://www.zerochan.net/1139346
Remon Yamano – http://www.zerochan.net/1081250
Rin Tohsaka – http://www.zerochan.net/206307
Ririchiyo Shirakiin – http://www.zerochan.net/1013250
Rise Kujikawa – http://www.zerochan.net/967558
Saki Mizukoshi – http://www.zerochan.net/952267
Sena Kashiwazaki – http://www.zerochan.net/1080923
Shana – http://www.zerochan.net/744440
Sherlock Shellingford – http://www.zerochan.net/351897
Shiemi Moriyama – http://www.zerochan.net/689008
Shouko Kirishima – http://www.zerochan.net/1207092
Suzuha Amane – http://www.zerochan.net/693633
Taiga Aisaka – http://www.zerochan.net/904537
Tomoka Minato – http://www.zerochan.net/768768
Tsukihi Araragi – http://www.zerochan.net/954542
Tsumiki Miniwa – http://www.zerochan.net/1166652
Tsumugi Kotobuki – http://www.zerochan.net/561803
Yayoi Kise (Cure Peace) – http://www.zerochan.net/1213933
Yui Hirasawa – http://www.zerochan.net/1080910
Yuka Hanaki – http://www.zerochan.net/1125987
Yuuko Kanoe – http://www.zerochan.net/1081324
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
Impressive job Hawt! Yeah I have a feeling new characters are going to go all the way like Eru/smile precure characters xD
POWUH: 700-799 and Horror Expert with 701 comments
Thanks Fosh! I’m keeping an eye on those newbies, they have a lot of potential to go far, especially with the current match-ups. Eru is in for quite the challenge after round 1 though. The precure seem to have mixed chances.
Beauty will probably be taken out by the blonde tsundere from IS, Peace is in a good position to go far, March is up against Idolmaster’s Yayoi which will be tough, Sunny has no chances with the prospect of Ika Musume in Round 2, and lastly Happy is a tossup! I really want to see them do well!
/
ranting because I’m excited.POWUH: Meta Resident with 1557 comments
Really appreciate you doing this Hawthorne, this looks like a lot of fun (kind of reminds me of when I used to be really active in anime forums).
I noticed you didn’t mention Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai, though I have a feeling they won’t make it to the quater-finals.
Based on the preliminaries, I’m surprised with Amagami SS’s and Mashiroiro Symphony’s results – the former I expected to do better, and the latter I was surprised by the number of characters making a presence in the rankings as I was under the impression Mashiro slipped under the radar for most people – a shame since I found it to be a very enjoyable gem that actually goes down a route (aI can respect his choice, even if it wasn’t the one I would have preferred in the end).
I just realized I combined several sentences into one, haha.
POWUH: 700-799 and Horror Expert with 701 comments
It’s a lot of fun to write up! Saimoe has always been really exciting to follow, and I’m just happy I get to spread some of the love to readers here at Metanorn.
Like I said, it would take me FOREVER to write about every series, but I don’t mind adding my thoughts in the comments! Kobato is in a weirdly strong position bracket-wise. I think her biggest competition will be the Saki faction, who in all possibility could snipe her this round against Riko Yasufuku (a very minor character in the series).
As for Sena, I think she’ll do well up until round two, where she’ll run into trouble with some similarly popular characters. Yozora is in a surprisingly easy bracket, her biggest competition will be the Yuru Yuri-s and dark horse Mei, or even K-On if it lives up to its preliminary results. The rest of the cast looks to be in possible fodder positions. Rika against Yuuki (from Saki), Maria against Nako, and Yukimura against Minori/Marika.
Honestly, like you said, I can’t really see them going that far as a series, but I get the feeling Kobato will be their biggest strength!
I was surprised by Mashiroiro as well! I had no idea that series was even popular. (and I also kind of want to watch it now … XD) I don’t think they have as much strength going in as some other series, but definitely potential to take some important matches.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Mashiroiro Symphony was not a bad show, although it takes some focus turns that leave you wondering about the direction (more specific commentary in the spoiler, but will also spoil the show if you don’t want to know what happens):
Show ▼
I was kind of surprised to see the girls from Mashiroiro Symphony in this tournament as well, as well as from Hoshizora e Kakeru Hashi, which I thought was great (others do disagree, but mostly about shipping choices).
POWUH: 700-799 and Horror Expert with 701 comments
I’m actually downloading it as I write this, so as much as I want to click that spoiler … I’ll resist! XD
There were a few Hoshizora characters last year who, much like Symphony, surprised me. A handful made it through to the main tournament, and a couple even went on to win their first round matches. It’s too bad they just didn’t have the same level of popularity this year.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1557 comments
I struggled with Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi, because Ui’s voice drove me up the wall. I managed to sit through it all, but I think if they had swapped out the VA I would have enjoyed it 100% more.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
I’m new to this, and I’m old, so I guess I’m not quite following the purpose of this whole shebang. Anyone care to speak slowly and loudly so wizened Gandalf can understand….
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I’m guessing it’s like the anime version of March Madness. 🙂 Only instead of competing on how many one-and-done junior college players your team picked up, they’re competing on pretty much straight popularity.
POWUH: 700-799 and Horror Expert with 701 comments
I haven’t done such a great job explaining, so apologies! Saimoe, like Highway said, is a popularity content for female characters in Japan. It’s been running since 2002 and even though the tournament’s popularity among voters has fallen in recent years, it’s still a lot of fun to follow. It’s single elimination and only allows characters appearing from shows within the last year. ´▽`
For more information you can check out the English site that compiles all the results from this year and years past: here.
POWUH: Meta Resident and Werewolf Chaser with 1270 comments
Should’ve include Chitanda and K-Y-HNah. Yuka needs some loves.Nice one Hawt.
POWUH: 700-799 and Horror Expert with 701 comments
I’m rooting for Yuka as well! Actually, I’m rooting for all of the Natsuiro Kiseki characters, they deserve some love. <3
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Nice job, Hawthorne. So many contestants here that it feels like a war. Prepare for mass casualties. They are inevitable. I must be a sadist to be expecting that. I’m hoping Yuuko Kanoe, Eucliwood Hellscythe and Shinobu Oshino last long here.
To make sure I understand the rules of the game, once all the characters in the banner are grayed out and crossed off for the first round, you have to choose a list of people completely different from the first set in the second round, right?
By the way, didn’t Kyokai’s banner have Seraphim? I remember seeing her in the last post.
POWUH: 700-799 and Horror Expert with 701 comments
The war for the holy moe grail has started! fufufu.
Ah sorry, my explaining is bad. -_-‘ Your choices are for the ENTIRE tournament! Meaning, once all five are knocked out, you’re knocked out, too. Much like Saimoe, it’s a single elimination type deal.
Kyokai ended up switching her banner around just a little before the deadline! XD (which was probably a good thing since all of her choices were second prelim characters)
Are you worried about your choices? I wouldn’t be, if you are! Shinobu and Eucliwood and two potentially strong competitors. Shinobu has a nice first round match-up with some less popular second prelim characters. Eucliwood has a bit of harder first match against a popular Saki character, cat-eared Kana. But she’s not out of it just yet!
Ranka isn’t looking as fortunate up against Tsukihi. Yuuko is up against Takane from Imas, but could pull through with an upset, especially if she has support from people trying to knock Imas out of the tournament.
… and Briar, I think you made a mistake in your picks! >< Shiemi isn't in the tournament! I'll allow you to make a re-pick since the tournament hasn't officially begun, but to be fair to the others it will have to be someone who placed 5th or below on this list.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
I was a bit worried because I like them so much. My hopes go in this order:
1) Shinobu (a lot of hoping on her)
2) Yuuko
3) Eucliwood
Really? Shiemi is not part of it? Then I’ll exchange her for Kore wa Zombie’s Mael Strom (Yuki Yoshida). She’s a good replacement.
POWUH: 700-799 and Horror Expert with 701 comments
Again, sorry, I should have made sure that she was in a long time ago! Your new banner will be up in a second.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Heh, I’m pretty sure most of my characters are second prelim, and not even that great in that. But I picked mostly for personal liking, not to win. Seriously, who would pick Urabe Mikoto to win?
POWUH: 700-799 and Horror Expert with 701 comments
I was hoping people would pick mainly on who they liked! 😀 Like I said though, it wouldn’t be unheard of for a second prelim. character to do well!
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Yeah, my biggest hopes are on Saki from Natsuiro Kiseki, who actually won her 2nd round prelim group. I wanted someone from that show, but couldn’t decide who. But the others are pure “I like these characters”, especially Ai-chan and Urabe.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1557 comments
I liked Yuka the most. She’s got spunk =)
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1557 comments
I picked my characters on who I thought was the most moe. There were a couple of charas I liked more, but I wouldn’t classify them moe.
I’m pretty sure my latter three choices won’t go very far though.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
The one whose popularity seems to surprise me (if I’m reading it right) is Yamano Remon from AnoNatsu. I’m also surprised if Cecilia Alcott is that strong (for that matter anyone from IS besides Charlotte).
POWUH: 700-799 and Horror Expert with 701 comments
Remon topped her second prelim. match, which was good, but also means she didn’t have enough votes originally to even place in her first prelim. match. So, while she is popular to some extent, the first prelim. results tell us that Kanna and Mio are in another league, sort of. (The results can sometimes be misleading though!)
Even so, I want that troll to do well. ;_;
Do you think Reika or Raika will top Cecilia in that match? I was at a loss making a prediction for that one! I gave her the benefit of the doubt though because she’s from IS, which seems to still have some popularity behind it. Ah! It’s so hard to call sometimes!
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I have no idea how that match will go, cause I don’t even know who the others are (I’m still working off a huge backlog, and a lot of that doesn’t intersect characters that would be in this tournament). I just know that out of every character in IS, I personally disliked Cecilia the most (the only characters I liked were Charlotte and Houki). And being disliked more than Ichika is a feat that takes some doing (seriously, he’s terrible).
POWUH: 700-799 and Horror Expert with 701 comments
I only made it half-way through the show but Cecilia was at the bottom of my list in terms of likability as well. Charlotte was adorable though!<3
POWUH: Metanorn Lover with 207 comments
Woop that battles are now up! XD Wow looking through them it really does have some fierce competition in their! Though I didn’t really realize how popular Saki is 0-0, I guess it’s because all the characters are very moe looking >.>. I’m really just rooting for the characters I really like the most honestly, though there are some match-ups I cringed at when I saw it DX
Tsukihi vs. Rea???? WHATTT I LOVE THEM BOTH AHH DX
POWUH: 700-799 and Horror Expert with 701 comments
I think Saki gets a lot more attention in Japan than it does in other countries because it’s based on richi mahjong, which is difficult enough to understand without even taking the language barrier into consideration! XD It’s a great show with lovable characters once you get into it though.
The match-ups can really easily kill any hopes for a character to go far! Sometimes it’s tough to look at. ;_;
Same! Ahhh! But in the end I’m personally rooting for Tsukihi on that one. Go, go fire sisters<3
POWUH: iLurker with 13 comments
Ahh I guess. The mainstream popularity of anime seems to rely more on Japanese locals instead of others. For me, even though Saki had cute and adorable characters, the anime itself is hard to understand, as richi mahjong aside, I don’t even play regular mahjong, lol.