Saimoe Leader Of The Free World. That is the honor bestowed on she who wears this crown that I wear today, the International Saimoe League Tiara. I've heard about the role a leader must take to galvanize the power, the energy, the drive of all the nations, all the persuasions, all the nationalities, all the differences...all towards a common goal. Testarossa. Katsura. Akiyama. Misaka. Tachibana. Gokou. Those are the ones who came before me who earned the right to be the world's choice to lead the way. Now, it is my turn.
To all my supporters, there is only one word that sums up my emotions after winning the Tiara and the rights to being the Saimoe Leader of the Free World: FINALLY! After so many months in thw wilderness, so many months of being left to wonder why the Date A Live Party has been ignored as a beacon of hope for the world, the time has come for the message to be sent out.
It is our time. We matter. We are here to help you. And we are here to be by your side every step of the way.
Like many campaigns for new aspiring faces, our campaign started from scratch. We had teams of people spread our message of change and reform to the Saimoe movement across all platforms: from email to social media to internet forms like the ISML forums and Animesuki. Over time, our cause grew and grew and people started to believe in us.
But every movement is going to have its share of doubters and detractors and unsavory people who want to discredit our stance of how we see the world. We never won a necklace, and I was not a Division winner. But I was never a qutter and I believe in fighting to the end. You never gave up on me. So when the time came for you to decide whether to repeat history and go back to the same old politics from two years ago, you decided enough was enough.
I had the pleasure of meeting many Kurdish rebels who are sacrificing their lives against the forces of evil that plunder though their land. I saw the smile on their faces and it gave them the drive to fight the good fight, just like you did on Election Day.
I had the pleasure of holding talks with many foreign leaders about the best ways to approach foreign policy and how to build bridges, not destroy them.
I had the pleasure of networking with many valiant competitors in the race to be the Saimoe Leader Of The Free World. I've learned a lot about them, and my respect for their legacy and their contributions to the Saimoe Movement are irreproachable.
I've climbed mountains, walked over valleys, attended a football match or two, trekked through deserts, motorbiked through jungles, visited every corner of the world when I could because I am a spirit that can be anywhere, anytime, so long as I have the energy and desire to be there. I've been to locations that cannot be accessed by the common man due to repression and oppression.
And as I gradually accepted the world and its faults, I accept the burden, the responsibility of being the Saimoe Leader Of The Free World and the Champion of the International Saimoe League. This is a role I have trained my mind and body for, ever since I took lead of Ratatoskr. I'm not here to just be a spokesperson or to be the solution to all of the problems the world faces. I am here to help in any way I can and to assure you that the Date A Live Party means well in promoting love and solidarity as the answer.
I believe that in order to heal the world's problems, its people must learn to love and tolerate those who do not share with their ideals and their aspirations and their ways to live. Love. Tolerance. Acceptance. No one should be excluded because they do not fit the profile. Exclusion and elitism are not the driving forces behind our party and our interpretation of the Saimoe movement.
The love you have for the people you support, whether it's me or Tohka Yatogami or Kurumi Tokisaki or Yoshino or Origami Tobiiichi or even someone outside of our party is important. But what's more important is the love you have for those that are not dearest to you. If you make that strong as well, you will have captured their demons and purified them to that they are yours to love and cherish. We don't play favorites in our party. Because of this, people from around the world have joined in the chorus and chanted our party name, "DATE A LIVE! DATE A LIVE!" all over.
There are many people I want to thank for their love and dedication to what we stand for. I want to thank Kurumi, Touka, Yoshino and Origami for a great campaign and for their support.
And I want to thank Shidou for his dedication to our cause and for vouching all of us. Shidou, to me, is my rock and the best ally I could ever have. He is my big brother, and has been a great advisor in how I should lead all the nations from this point on until a new Saimoe Leader Of The Free World is chosen. So thank you, Shidou Itsuka.
Most importantly, this victory is for you, and I want to thank you all for being with me on this journey. You spread the message, you embraced it and used it as your wings to fly into the world and share what we hope to be a lasting legacy in Saimoe. Sure, there are those who I have not won their vote, but I extend both my hands to them because I believe in humble in victory, and Mashiro Shiina ran a fantastic race. I consider her my equal, and it would not surprise me if she won the next election.
The road ahead is going to be tough. Every other party will be aiming for us, waiting for us to falter and fail in our mission to encourage love, tolerance, and acceptance. We've already been through a tough road before. This time, we will be more resilient, more vigilent than ever, because this year, in this election we made history.
We made history. We got over the hump. And we're going to do it all over against next year so look out for us. Thank you, world! Thank you, everyone! Thank you, ISML! Have a wonderful afternoon and evening! Take care of yourselves! Date A Live FOREVER!!!
-Kotori Itsuka
7th Saimoe Leader Of The Free World
2014 International Saimoe League Champion
Raizen High School
7 October 2014
