BoBA Predictions:
International Saimoe League 2008 Tiara
Preliminary Round of Judgement
International Saimoe League 2008 Tiara
Preliminary Round of Judgement
#1 Fate Testarossa Harlaown vs. #16 Tsukasa Hiiragi
Highlight wins for Tsukasa:
4/8 vs. #13 Suigintou 133-99
6/27 vs. Rena Ryuuguu 377-303
6/30 vs. Nagisa Furukawa 306-258
For Tsukasa, the younger sister of #7 ranked Kagami and a patron of balsamic vinegar, she was lucky enough to make it this far. She was very, very close to being nipped by Nagi Sanzenin, who finished just behind her, out of the top 16 in 17th place. For Tsukasa, she has had a very strong run, with her highlight run being an undefeated finish in the Emerald phase. However, her only quality win is against Suigintou of Rozen Maiden.
Highlight wins for Fate:
4/22 vs. #7 Kagami Hiiragi 302-220
6/9 vs. #2 Tomoyo Sakagami 323-238
6/27 vs. #3 Haruhi Suzumiya 375-346
Fate comes into this tournament as the #1 seed due to her wins over Tomoyo and Haruhi, ranked 2nd and 3rd, respectively. She has had only three defeats against a plethora of victories.
In Fate the votes have a battle-tested candidate with a proven track record. Her highest finish was at 2chan Saimoe 2006, finishing runner-up to Suiseiseki. This preliminary round should not have any issues for one of the most influential moekkos that even has an imageboard named in her honor.
BoBA Predicts: Fate by at least 200 votes
#2 Tomoyo Sakagami vs. #15 Rika Furude
Highlight wins for Rika:
4/10 vs. #16 Tsukasa Hiiragi 118-111
5/3 vs. Nagi Sanzenin 289-250
7/11 vs. Nagisa Furukawa 364-301
Rika, the 2007 2chan Saimoe champion, comes into this tournament riding on strong campaigns in Emerald and Ruby after a forgettable Sapphire performance. Like Tsukasa, however, she has odds stacked against her in her match against #2 Tomoyo, but does come into the contest with a win over a top 16 opponent, as well as a perfect Emerald run. Her first meeting with Tomoyo saw her lose by less than 40 votes, but a low turnout may have factored into the result.
Highlight wins for Tomoyo:
4/26 VS. #4 Shana 263-254
5/20 vs. #3 Haruhi Suzumiya 214-191
8/1 vs. #5 Kyou Fujibayashi 345-285
Tomoyo is one of three at large candidates, and candidates from Clannad, still alive (along with Kyou and Kotomi). The student council president packs a punch as the ultimate kicking combo machine, with a penchant for athleticism and leadership. Her notoriety is so strong that a fan-based game was created in her honor, extending her role as a significant other to Tomoya Okazaki. She should have no issues against Rika, but the margin could be close.
BoBA Predicts: Tomoyo by at least 100 votes
#3 Haruhi Suzumiya vs. #14 Mai Kawasumi
Highlight wins for Haruhi:
5/17 vs. #5 Kyou Fujibayashi 246-226
6/18 vs. #7 Kagami Hiiragi 333-282
7/4 vs. #4 Shana 367-320
Haruhi comes into the ISL Tiara phase on a high, with necklace victories in Ruby and Diamond. She is many things, the leader of her own brigade in the fight against boredom, the crack in the world's space-time continuum, the deity for which a religion of millions of converts practice with a passion...Haruhi is an all-around competitor that should be safe in this preliminary round.
Highlight victories for Mai:
4/17 vs. #13 Suigintou 188-117
4/24 vs. #12 Konata Izumi 256-208
7/25 vs. #6 Yuki Nagato 294-288
Mai, flying the flag for Kanon, comes into this tournament bouncing back from a lamentable effort in the Topaz stage with strong performances in the other phases. Her quality victory is one that Haruhi was unable to get, a win over Yuki Nagato. That isn't to say that she will have an advantage over a foe that ran her over by more than 100 votes. While victories over Yuki, Haruhi's protege Konata and Suigintou are quality wins, she will have a tough time upsetting the franchise character of the series that is rightfully dedicated.
BoBA Predicts: Haruhi by more thasn 150 votes
#4 Shana vs. #13 Suigintou
Highlight wins for Suigintou:
6/30 vs. #11 C.C. 286-267
7/2 vs. Nagisa Furukawa 275-264
8/18 vs. #9 Hinagiku Katsura 460-433
"Who's the junk now?" That's the mantra that Suigintou can brag to her Rozen Maiden sisters. Flying the flag for the Alice Game, she is proof that imperfections can work in you favor, rather than against it. The Mercury Lampe's strongest run came in the summer months, with her strongs wins against C.C. and Hinagiku. She faces a daunting opponent that is more than a match when harnessing fire in Shana.
Highlight wins for Shana:
4/5 vs. #5 Kyou Fujibayashi 145-105
5/29 vs. #8 Kotomi Ichinose 315-273
6/4 vs. #6 Yuki Nagato 283-257
Even though she only has one necklace win to her credit (Aquamarine), Shana has had relative consistency in the seven necklace stages, with a record no worse than 8-1. Like Suigintou (and a number of others in the field of 16), she is the lone representative in her series, and a franchise character that has been battle-tested. The fire in her eyes signifies the competitive spirit that got her here, and got her to perform strong in prior Saimoe Tournaments in Japan and Korea.
BoBA Predicts: Shana by 160 votes
#5 Kyou Fujibayashi vs. #12 Konata Izumi
Highlight wins for Konata:
5/17 vs. #13 Suigintou 254-197
5/23 vs. #10 Nanoha Takamachi 187-172
6/18 vs. #8 Kotomi Ichinose 317-292
The protege of Haruhi Suzumiya and a charisma like no other, Konata Izumi comes into the final 16 with strong finishes in Ruby and Diamond, as well as an undefeated run in the Sapphire stage. She has wins against Nanoha, Kotomi, Suigintou, and Rika to her credit, as well as another top 16 victory against fellow Saitama Prefecture denizen Tsukasa. It's her desire to measure up against the best, and she gets her wish against Kyou.
Highlight wins for Kyou:
4/12 vs. #7 Kagami Hiiragi 133-119
4/17 vs. #1 Fate Testarossa Harlaown 185-183
8/20 vs. #6 Yuki Nagato 393-378
Kyou, the naughty-natured, book-throwing, clutch-shooting, deliciously tsundere vixen on a motorbike, comed into the final 16 with a necklance win in the Sapphire stage. Her best moment, however, was in Aquamarine. She is one of only three to win against Fate, and she also has undefeated runs in Topaz and Ruby to go with her breakthrough win. Her escapades in the storage room with Tomoya may have contributed to her rising stock. She was also the first to qualify through the at-large Open Discussion slots, and will try to continue making the most of it with a second-straight win over Konata.
BoBA Predicts: Kyou by more than 70 votes
#6 Yuki Nagato vs. #11 C.C.
Highlight wins for Yuki:
4/19 vs. #8 Kotomi Ichinose 172-142
5/8 vs. #3 Haruhi Suzumiya 395-219
8/6 vs. #7 Kagami Hiiragi 555-533
Yuki has had her fair share of victories, being the strongest of the SOS Brigade members not named Haruhi. Her computer skills and uncanny ability to make Kyon look like Barry Bonds, as well as an ability to heal herself from an apparent impaling, have worked in her favor. Her consistency will be tested by a fellow witch (in the most arcane sense), C.C.
Highlight wins for C.C.:
4/19 vs. #12 Konata Izumi 156-148
7/30 vs. #9 Hinagiku Katsura 307-307 (OT 334-319)
8/18 vs. #4 Shana 531-423
The PIzza Hut-fueled witch flies the banner for Code Geass, with solid runs in the last three necklace phases to go with a perfect Amethyst run. The question of whether of not she could actually count was answered in her match against Hinagiku, and her biggest win came late against Shana in the Diamond stage. She faces her fiercest test, a rematch with Yuki, where she fell by 80 votes in Diamond. C.C.'s legacy as one of the stalwarts in Japan and Korea will give her a determined effort to even things up at the perfect time.
BoBA Predicts: A close race. Take your pick. BoBA will go with Yuki by less than 50 votes.
#7 Kagami Hiiragi vs. #10 Nanoha Takamachi
Highlight wins for Kagami:
5/15 vs. #4 Shana 246-239
6/9 vs. #9 Hinagiku Katsura 281-262
8/16 vs. #2 Tomoyo Sakagami 444-367
Kagami comes into the postseason with two necklace wins to her credit (Amethyst and Emerald), a victory over Tomoyo Sakagami in the Diamond stage, and the upper hand over Nanoha, whom she previously defeated early in Aquamarine. While this plans to be another close encounter, Kagami's determination and perseverance got her to avenge her defeat to Rena Ryuuguu in 2chan Saimoe 2007, and she will not hold anything back in her match with the White Devil.
Highlight wins for Nanoha:
7/16 vs. #11 C.C. 388-377
7/30 vs. #5 Kyou Fujibayashi 323-318
8/4 vs. #8 Kotomi Ichinose 364-362
She is called "The White Devil" for many reasons, namely, her "hellish tactics" that have destroyed many foes through Raising Heart, her weapon of choice. While she is overshadowed by her sidekick, Fate Testarossa Harlaown, Nanoha in her own right isa an opponent worthy of this company of 16, with a strong run in the Amethyst, Sapphire, and Emerals phases. She is set to make things difficult for Kagami to make it two straight against her, and will look to even the score.
BoBA Predicts: Close, but it will be Kagami by less than 50.
#8 Kotomi Ichinose vs. #9 Hinagiku Katsura
Highlight wins for Kotomi:
5/3 vs. #9 Hinagiku Katsura 333-233
5/9 vs. #2 Tomoyo Sakagami 340-235
7/25 vs. #7 Kagami Hiiragi 327-277
Music can not only be an outlet for creativity, it can also be a weapon...for all thw wrong reasons. That's the case with Kotomi's violin. It's so strong, legend has it, that it could smash the Devil's fiddle into golden dust. (However, this can neither be confirmed nor denied.) While she only finished with a record of 8-1, Kotomi's strongest run came in the Topac stage, with a win over Tomoyo to go with perfect runs in the Emerald and Ruby stages.
Highlight wins for Hinagiku:
6/9 vs. #7 Kagami Hiiragi 281-262
6/23 vs. #10 Nanoha Takamachi 288-264
8/12 vs. #5 Kyou Fujibayashi 300-300 (OT 334-323)
Hinagiku flies the flag for Hakuoh Academy and Hayate Ayasaki and the crew, and she had consistent results, including victories over Kyou and Kagami to go with a clean sheet in the Emerald Stage. Her opponent, Kotomi, comes into the match with a 100-vote advantage in the previous meeting. But this is a different game, a new contest, and anyone, including Hinagiku, Must instill a self-belief that anything is possible.
BoBA Predicts: Form following this round, Kotomi by less than 100 votes.