ISML 2010: The journey begins!
February 2, 2010
It was only not too long ago that Hinagiku Katsura became the second holder of the International Saimoe League Tiara. However, while the tiara stays in the atrium of Hakuoh Academy's administration building, a new year brings new competition and the need for a strong title defense could not be any more necessary.
January 31, 2010 began the preliminaries for the 34 at-large slots in the 2010 edition of the world's premier anime character competition.
A number of fresh faces established their intentions to be in the field of 50, while a number of well-established veterans held their ground.
For the first preliminary phase, the field was divided in 14 groups, with matches between three contestants in each group.
In Group 1, Mio Akiyama of K-ON!, who was embarassed in the 2009 2chan Anime Saimoe first round against Kana Minami, took her frustrations out on Shiki Ryogi and Natsuru Seno. Akiyama garnered 2,198 votes, while Ryogi and Seno managed just 848 and 464, respectively.
"It does feel like a breath of fresh air to be doing something other than playing bass in a band," Akiyama said after the match in the music room of Sakuragaoka High School. "Last year brought a very unsavory taste to my mouth, and I intend on avenging that."
"The dangerous queen has spoken," added Ritsu Tainaka, Mio's best friend and lover, who also plays drums for Hokago Tea Time (HTT for short). She received a severe headbump afterwards, followed by a string of expletives.
Tainaka herself scored a breakthrough win, defeating Suigintou 1461-1428. Ranka Lee finished a distant third in their subgroup with 411 votes.
"I have all due respect for Suigintou," Tainaka said after her win. "However, you gotta give others a [expletive]in' chance, y'know? This year..it's our turn!" she said with a wink and a smile.
In other Group 1 action, Kotomi Ichinose's charm didn't see to waver just yet. She finished first in her subgroup with 1,739 votes, while Mai Kawasumi and Yuno earned 883 691, respectively.
"I look forward to taking on new challenges," Ichinose was quoted to say. "And I have a new violin, too." The people at the press conference trembled in fear, as if she would drown them out like Sergio from SNL.
Also in Group 1, Kazari Uiharu won a battle of newcomers, finishing ahead of Yui Kotegawa and Felli Loss. Uiharu, from Academy City's Sakagawa Junior High, earned 1309 votes while Kotegawa and Loss tallied 674, respectively.
"This tournament is a new thing for me," admitted Uiharu. "But I am good friends with (automatic qualifier) Yui (Hirasawa), and I have her support to be in this field, so I plan to give it all I got."
In Group 2, ISML at-large favorite Hitagi Senjougahara took no prisoners against Louise Francoise Le Blanc De LA Valliere and Asuka Langley Shikinami. Senjougahara earned 1,527 votes to win her match, while De La Valliere got 1,270 and Shikinami 690.
"I heard about this tournament from a friend of (fiancee Koyomi) Araragi-kun," Senjougahara said after the match. "I plan to make a statement."
A close contest awaited Ryou Fujibayashi and Tsumugi Kotobuki in Group 2. In the end, Ryou was able to prevail, 1,213-1,182. Misuzu Kamio finished third with 989.
"I think with this contest," Ryou said afterwards, "that I will have a clearer idea of who I will be up against."
Indeed, the sister theme was rampant. Tsukasa Hiiragi's bid to join Kagami in the tournament was clear in a 1,948-931 blowout of Akari Kirishima in Group 4. Niche finished third with 397 votes. And in Group 7, Ui Hirasawa launched her campaign to be with older sister Yui, slamming down Miyako Miyamura 1,725-903, with Eruruu tallying 563 votes.
The irony is that Eruruu defeated Haruhi Suzumiya and Yuki Nagato (both automatic qualifiers) in last year's Anime Saimoe Tournament. As one can see, success in one tournament may not always translate to similar success in another, especially when that tournament is the ISML.
Nagi Sanzen'in never lost any of her form from last year in an easy victory over Eri Sawachika and Winry Rockbell. Sanzen'in garnered 1,940 votes, Sawachika 754 and Rockbell 742.
"A new year is here, and with it, a new ISML," Sanzen'in said after the match at Hakuoh. "Let's do this."
In Group 3, Mafuyu Shiina of Sapporo's Heikiyou Academy defeated Shion Sonozaki 1,667-1,019. Hisa Takei finished third with 586 votes. "In a tournament like this, putting your game face on is a requirement," Mafuyu said afterwards.
Maria defeated Sayuri Kurata 1,658-1,011 in a match harking back to last year's contest. Lambdadelta, one of the witches of Rokkenjima, was badly beated, finishing third with 690 votes. "It's all about business," the maid of the Sanzen'in mansion said. "Nothing too fancy."
Finally in Group 3, a tenacious catfight between Shizuku Sango and Misuzu Kasukabe saw the student council president from Seitetsu Gakuin prevail 1,207-1,013. Hinaichigo finished third with 768 votes. "Overall, I would like to believe that it wasn't too bad of a performance," Sango said. "But the best is yet to come."
Kurimu Sakurano was highly touted as a worthy entrant from Group 4. However, she had to withstand a fierce test from Rena Ryuuguu. Nonetheless, Hekiyou's student council president weathered the cleaver storm and won, 1,362-1,268. Chihiro Shindou finished third with 713.
"I think I got thrown into the fire," Sakurano said after the contest. "Rena, I heard, is a very competent opponent. Many of the opponents in this pool aren't easy to take down."
One of those opponents is Alice. She took faced a stiff challenge from Frederica Bernkastel. Alice won, 1,283-1,180, while Lisa finished a distant third with 586 votes. "I'm one of the longshots here," Alice said. "But sometimes the best longshots can end up becoming the best favorites just like that. I hope I am one of them."
Nagisa Furukawa, already energized by the presence of her daughter Ushio, made it clear of her intentions to qualify. She blitzed by Yin and Nagi, who could only muster 920 and 610 votes, respectively. Furukawa earned 1,881.
"Well, only one thing for me to say...hang on Ushio-chan, mama is on her way!" to the laughter and applause of the crowd at Hikarizaka High School
"Go Mama go!" added Ushio, further inciting more cheers and applause.
With Rin Tosaka automatically qualified, Saber felt that she had an opportunity to also go through. Also known as Arthuria Pendragon, Saber slashed past Chii and Ayu Tsukimiya in Group 5 with 1865 votes. Chii managed 834 while Tsukimiya only got 792. "I have a new mission now," she said in her cool, determined voice. "I am ready."
In Group 6, Holo had plans to return to the ISML battlefield once again with a 1561-1175 victory over Minori Kushieda. Tsuruya only eanred 712 voted in her third-place finish. "I'll take no prisoners," the wolf-goddess of Yoitsu said, "because I already have (Kraft) Lawrence."
"I hope you realized said that with a straight face," Lawrance was quoted as saying afterwards. She only returned a naughty smirk afterwards.
Ikaros, Tomoki Sakurai's Type-Alpha-class Angeloid, launched her bid for the ISML field of 50 in grand fashion with a 1,323-1,100 victory over Souseiseki. Yoko Littner finished third with 885. "I believe it's a huge privilege to be in a tournament like this," she said. "I also understand that Nymph is groing through the preliminary rounds as well. We will make sure that we do not let town our master."
Nymph, a Beta-Class Angeloid, won her own match with Yomi Isayama and Kirino Chiba in Group 8. Nymph earned 1,355 votes, Isayama 1,012 and Chiba 555.
"It's always exciting to be in a battle like this," Nymph said afterwards. "You never know who you will be up against next. I look forward to the next match with a sense of resolve and a determination to make my master happy."
Also in Group 6, Konjiki no Yami (Golden Darkness) was all business, defeating Kotone Kirishima and Tomoyo Daidouji. Yami earned 1,469 voted, Daidouji 934 and Kirishima 708. "If I have to fly the flag again for the To-Love-Ru team," she said afterwards, "I will."
Senjougahara wasn't the only one tasting the fruits of victory for the Bakemonogatari team.
Nadeko Sengoku of defeated Ai Enma to win her Group 7 contest, 1,554-1,055. Suo Pavlichenko finished a distant third with 576 votes. "This is exciting," Sengoku was quoted as saying, dressed in her trademark orange cap and jacket over shoulders.
Fuuko Ibuki was another of the veterans who didn't miss a beat from last year. SHe breezed by Hayate Yagami and Akane Mishma with 1,806 votes. Yagami earned 882 votes and Mishima only 558.
"Fuuko says that this is going to be another exciting International Saimoe League campaign," said Fuuko in her third-person style. "Fuuko says, 'BRING IT ON!' And Fuuko says thank you."
In Group 8, Mei Sunohara took care of Ayumu Nishizawa in her contest, 1,444-1,081. Sawako Kuronuma finished third with 798 votes. "It's always exciting to be at it again," Sunohara said. "I hope to do better this year when I make the field, but I know it won't be easy."
Koromo Amae, the mahjong ace from Ryumonbuchi High School, faced a difficult test from Mizore Shirayuki. Amae prevailed, 1,171-1,039 while Beatrice finished a surprisingly disastrous third with 893 votes. "Mahjong, has been, and always will be, my greatest strength," Amae said after the contest. "I, however, have reached a point in my young life where I need to broaden my horizons. The ISML is it."
Just mention the phrase 'Nanoha Takamachi' and everyone raises her hands in despair and disbelief. The White Devil was back in action; this time, in the preliminaries. Takamachi wasted little time in defeating Matsuri Shihou and Maria Ushiromiya, securing a futile day from Umineko no Naku Koro Ni. Takamachi won with 1,500 votes flat, while Shihou tallied 868 and Ushiromiya 793.
"Every tournament is different," Takamachi was quoted to say. "No two tournaments are the same. But the competitiveness, the desire, the will to win at all costs for he big prize, is shared by all. I hope to make the field and see how I do this year."
This group was a good outing for a couple more familiar faces in a sweep for the veterans.
Konata Izumi skated her way past Setsuna Sakurazaki and Kaede Mizuno. Izumi won with 1,998 votes, Sakurazeki was second with 749 and Mizuno finished third with 633.
"It never gets old," Izumi said afterwards, "and if it did, there would be no mystique. I've been to a number of tournaments in Japan, Korea and China, but the International Saimoe League has to be the toughest of all of them. It's like the Tour de France of the Saimoe Circuit. This is big. 2chan's the Giro and Anizone is La Vuelta. But again, this is a tournament that I want to put maximum effort on. Let's do it!"
C.C., the franchise character from Code Geass, took out Mikan Yuuki and Mayoi Hachikuji with realative ease. C.C. earned 1,906 votes, Yuuki finished second with 855 and Hachikuji finished third with 597.
"It's a nice start," admitted C.C. after the match. "But compared to the many battles I've been in, this just a mere skirmish. A rout, if you will. I think we got plenty more on the way."
Action from Groups 10-14 will be starting on Match Day 2 of the Preliminary Period Phase I, scheduled for Tuesday, February 2, 2010. Vote online at www.internationalsaimoe.com.
BoBA ISML 2010 Predictions: Preliminaries, Round 1 - Picks
ARENA 01: Abstained [Akiyama Mio] Ryōgi Shiki Senō Natsuru
ARENA 02: Abstained Kawasumi Mai Yuno [Ichinose Kotomi]
ARENA 03: Abstained Kotegawa Yui [Uiharu Kazari] Felli Loss
ARENA 04: Abstained [Senjōgahara Hitagi] Louise Vallière Sōryū Asuka Langley
ARENA 05: Abstained Kamio Misuzu Fujibayashi Ryō [Kotobuki Tsumugi]
ARENA 06: Abstained Sawachika Eri [Sanzen'in Nagi] Winry Rockbell
ARENA 07: Abstained [Shiina Mafuyu] Takei Hisa Sonozaki Shion
ARENA 08: Abstained Kurata Sayuri Lambdadelta [Maria]
ARENA 09: Abstained Hinaichigo Sangō Shizuku [Kusakabe Misuzu]
ARENA 10: Abstained [Sakurano Kurimu] Ryūgū Rena Shindō Chihiro
ARENA 11: Abstained Bernkastel Lisa [Alice]
ARENA 12: Abstained Niche [Hiiragi Tsukasa] Kirishima Akari
ARENA 13: Abstained Suigintou [Tainaka Ritsu] Ranka Lee
ARENA 14: Abstained Yin Nagi [Furukawa Nagisa]
ARENA 15: Abstained Chii [Saber] Tsukimiya Ayu
ARENA 16: Abstained [Holo] Kushieda Minori Tsuruya
ARENA 17: Abstained Sōseiseki Yoko Littner [Ikaros]
ARENA 18: Abstained Daidōji Tomoyo [Konjiki no Yami] Kirishima Kotone
ARENA 19: Abstained [Sengoku Nadeko] Suō Pavlichenko Enma Ai
ARENA 20: Abstained Yagami Hayate Mishima Akane [Ibuki Fūko]
ARENA 21: Abstained Miyamura Miyako [Hirasawa Ui] Erurū
ARENA 22: Abstained Kuronuma Sawako Sunohara Mei [Nishizawa Ayumu]
ARENA 23: Abstained Amae Koromo Shirayuki Mizore [Beatrice]
ARENA 24: Abstained Chiba Kirino [Nymph] Isayama Yomi
ARENA 25: Abstained [Takamachi Nanoha] Ushiromiya Maria Shihō Matsuri
ARENA 26: Abstained Mizuno Kaede Sakurazaki Setsuna [Izumi Konata]
ARENA 27: Abstained Yūki Mikan [C.C.] Hachikuji Mayoi
ARENA 02: Abstained Kawasumi Mai Yuno [Ichinose Kotomi]
ARENA 03: Abstained Kotegawa Yui [Uiharu Kazari] Felli Loss
ARENA 04: Abstained [Senjōgahara Hitagi] Louise Vallière Sōryū Asuka Langley
ARENA 05: Abstained Kamio Misuzu Fujibayashi Ryō [Kotobuki Tsumugi]
ARENA 06: Abstained Sawachika Eri [Sanzen'in Nagi] Winry Rockbell
ARENA 07: Abstained [Shiina Mafuyu] Takei Hisa Sonozaki Shion
ARENA 08: Abstained Kurata Sayuri Lambdadelta [Maria]
ARENA 09: Abstained Hinaichigo Sangō Shizuku [Kusakabe Misuzu]
ARENA 10: Abstained [Sakurano Kurimu] Ryūgū Rena Shindō Chihiro
ARENA 11: Abstained Bernkastel Lisa [Alice]
ARENA 12: Abstained Niche [Hiiragi Tsukasa] Kirishima Akari
ARENA 13: Abstained Suigintou [Tainaka Ritsu] Ranka Lee
ARENA 14: Abstained Yin Nagi [Furukawa Nagisa]
ARENA 15: Abstained Chii [Saber] Tsukimiya Ayu
ARENA 16: Abstained [Holo] Kushieda Minori Tsuruya
ARENA 17: Abstained Sōseiseki Yoko Littner [Ikaros]
ARENA 18: Abstained Daidōji Tomoyo [Konjiki no Yami] Kirishima Kotone
ARENA 19: Abstained [Sengoku Nadeko] Suō Pavlichenko Enma Ai
ARENA 20: Abstained Yagami Hayate Mishima Akane [Ibuki Fūko]
ARENA 21: Abstained Miyamura Miyako [Hirasawa Ui] Erurū
ARENA 22: Abstained Kuronuma Sawako Sunohara Mei [Nishizawa Ayumu]
ARENA 23: Abstained Amae Koromo Shirayuki Mizore [Beatrice]
ARENA 24: Abstained Chiba Kirino [Nymph] Isayama Yomi
ARENA 25: Abstained [Takamachi Nanoha] Ushiromiya Maria Shihō Matsuri
ARENA 26: Abstained Mizuno Kaede Sakurazaki Setsuna [Izumi Konata]
ARENA 27: Abstained Yūki Mikan [C.C.] Hachikuji Mayoi
BoBA ISML Predictions: Preliminaries, Round 1
Winners
Group 1 - Mio Akiyama, K-ON!
Group 2 - Hitagi Senjougahara, Bakemonogatari
Group 3 - Mafuyu Shiina, Seitokai no Ichizon
Group 4 - Kurimu Sakurano, Seitokai no Ichizon
Group 5 - Ritsu Tainaka, K-ON!
Group 6 - Horo, Spice & Wolf
Group 7 - Fuuko Ibuki, CLANNAD
Group 8 - Beatrice, Umineko no Naku Koro Ni
Group 9 - Nanoha Takamachi, Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha
Group 10 - Minatsu Shiina, Seitokai no Ichizon
Group 11 - Suiseiseki, Rozen Maiden
Group 12 - Kuroko Shirai, To Aru Majutsu no Index/To Aru Kagaku no Railgun
Group 13 - Shinku, Rozen Maiden
Group 14 - Mikoto Misaka, To Aru Majutsu no Index/To Aru Kagaku no Railgun
ISML Best Available - Winners
1. Mio Akiyama, K-ON!
2. Hitagi Senjougahara, Bakemonogatari
3. Kurimu Sakurano, Seitokai no Ichizon
4. Nanoha Takamachi, Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha
5. Suiseiseki, Rozen Maiden
6. Shinku, Rozen Maiden
7. Mikoto Misaka, To Aru Majutsu no Index/To Aru Kagaku no Railgun
8. Ritsu Tainaka, K-ON!
9. Mafuyu Shiina, Seitokai no Ichizon
10. Fuuko Ibuki, CLANNAD
11. Kuroko Shirai, To Aru Majutsu no Index/To Aru Kagaku no Railgun
12. Minatsu Shiina, Seitokai no Ichizon
13. Beatrice, Umineko no Naku Koro Ni
14. Horo, Spice & Wolf
Predicted order of finish - Groups
Group 1
1. Mio Akiyama - K-ON!
2. Kotomi Ichinose - CLANNAD
3. Mai Kawasumi - Kanon
4. Kazari Uiharu - To Aru Kagaku no Railgun
5. Shiki Ryogi - Kara no Kyoukai
6. Yui Kotegawa - To-Love-Ru
7. Felli Loss - Chrome Shelled Regios
8. Natsuru Seno - Kampfer
9. Yuno - Hidamari Sketch
Group 2
1. Hitagi Senjougahara - Bakemonogatari
2. Tsumugi Kotobuki - K-ON!
3. Nagi Sanzen'in - Hayate the Combat Butler
4. Ryou Fujibayashi - CLANNAD
5. Asuka Langley Shikinami - Neon Genesis Evangelion
6. Louise Francoise Le Blanc De La Valliere - Zero no Tsukaima
7. Misuzu Kamio - AIR
8. Winry Rockbell - Full Metal Alchemist
9. Eri Sawachika - School Rumble
Group 3
1. Mafuyu Shiina - Seitokai no Ichizon
2. Maria - Hayate the Combat Butler
3. Misuzu Kusakabe - 11eyes
4. Hina-Ichigo - Rozen Maiden
5. Hisa Takei - Saki
6. Sayuri Kurata - Kanon
7. Lambdadelta - Umineko no Naku Koro Ni
8. Shion Sonozaki - Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni
9. Shizuku Sango - Kampfer
Group 4
1. Kurimu Sakurano - Seitokai no Ichizon
2. Tsukasa Hiiragi - Lucky Star
3. Alice - Pandora Hearts
4. Fredrica Bernkastel - Umineko no Naku Koro Ni
5. Akari Kirishima - Nyan Koi!
6. Chihiro Shindou - ef-a tale of memories
7. Rena Ryuuguu - Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni
8. Lisa - Seiken no Blacksmith
9. Niche - Letter Bee
Group 5
1. Ritsu Tainaka - K-ON!
2. Suigintou - Rozen Maiden
3. Nagisa Furukawa - CLANNAD
4. Saber - fate/stay night
5. Ranka Lee - Macross Frontier
6. Chii - Chobits
7. Ayu Tsukimiya - Kanon
8. Yin - Darker Than Black
9. Nagi - Kannagi-Crazy Shrine Maidens
Group 6
1. Horo - Spice & Wolf
2. Minori Kushieda - Toradora!
3. Golden Darkness (Konjiki no Yami) - To-Love-Ru
4. Yoko Littner - Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
5. Ikaros - Sora no Otoshimono
6. Tsuruya - The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
7. Kotone Kirishima - Nyan Koi!
8. Souseiseki - Rozen Maiden
9. Tomoyo Daidouji - Card Captor Sakura
Group 7
1. Fuuko Ibuki - CLANNAD
2. Ui Hirasawa - K-ON!
3. Eruruu - Utawarerumono
4. Nadeko Sengoku - Bakemonogatari
5. Hayate Yagami - Mahou Shoujo Lyrical nanoha
6. Miyako Miyamura - ef - a tale of memories
7. Akane Mishima - Kampfer
8. Suo Pavlichenko - Darker Than Black
9. Ai Enma - Jigoku Shoujo
Group 8
1. Beatrice - Umineko no Naku Koro Ni
2. Mei Sunohara - CLANNAD
3. Ayumu Nishizawa - Hayate The Combat Butler
4. Koromo Amae - Saki
5. Yomi Isayama - Ga-Rei Zero
6. Nymph - Sora no Otoshimono
7. Sawako Kuronuma - Kimi ni Todoke
8. Mizore Shirayuki - Rosario+Vampire
9. Kirino Chiba - Bamboo Blade
Group 9
1. Nanoha Takamachi - Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha
2. Konata Izumi - Lucky Star
3. C.C. - Code Geass
4. Maria Ushiromiya - Umineko no Naku Koro Ni
5. Mayoi Hachikuji - Bakemonogatari
6. Mikan Yuuki - To-Love-Ru
7. Setsuna Sakurazaki - Mahou Sensei Negima!
8. Kaede Mizuno - Nyan Koi!
9. Matsuri Shihou - Sola
Group 10
1. Minatsu Shiina - Seitokai no Ichizon
2. Kobato Hanato - Kobato
3. Kana Ikeda - Saki
4. Isumi Saginomiya - Hayate the Combat Butler
5. Shinobu Oshino - Bakemonogatari
6. Sakura Kinomoto - Card Captor Sakura
7. Evangeline A.K. McDowell - Mahou Sensei Negima!
8. Ai Haibara - Detective Conan
9. Yakumo Tsukamoto - School Rumble
Group 11
1. Suiseiseki - Rozen Maiden
2. Haruka Nogizaka - Haruka Nogizaka's Secret
3. Tsubasa Hanekawa - Bakemonogatari
4. Rika Furude - Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni
5. Utau Hoshina - Shugo Chara
6. Index Librorum Prohibitorum - To Aru Majutsu No Index
7. Sakuya Aizawa - Hayate the Combat Butler!
8. Moka Akashiya - Rasario+Vampire
9. Akari Mizunashi - ARIA
Group 12
1. Kuroko Shirai - To Aru Majutsu No Index/To Aru Kagaku No Railgun
2. Ami Kawashima - Toradora!
3. Chizuru Akaba - Seitokai no Ichizon
4. Hanyuu Furude - Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni
5. Yuuki Kataoka - Saki
6. Amu Hinamori - Shugo Chara!
7. Izumi Segawa - Hayate the Combat Butler!
8. Makoto Sawatari - Kanon
9. Alice Carroll - ARIA
Group 13
1. Shinku - Rozen Maiden
2. Ruiko Saten - To Aru Kagaku No Railgun
3. Saki Miyanaga - Saki
4. Mion Sonozaki - Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni
5. Nayuki Minase - Kanon
6. Kana Minami - The Minami Family
7. Sheryl Nome - Macross Frontier
8. Yuuko Amamiya - ef-a tale of memories
9. Teletha Testarossa - Full Metal Panic!
Group 14
1. Mikoto Misaka - To Aru Majutsu No Index/To Aru Kagaku No Railgun
2. Ange Ushiromiya - Umineko no Naku Koro Ni
3. Rei Ayanami - Neon Genesis Evangelion
4. Illyasviel von Einzbern - Fate/Stay Night
5. Momoko Toyoko - Saki
6. Chiaki Minami - The Minami Family
7. Shiori Misaka - Kanon
8. Yuuhi Katagiri - Akane-Iro Ni Somaru Saka
9. Noe Isurugi - True Tears
Group 1 - Mio Akiyama, K-ON!
Group 2 - Hitagi Senjougahara, Bakemonogatari
Group 3 - Mafuyu Shiina, Seitokai no Ichizon
Group 4 - Kurimu Sakurano, Seitokai no Ichizon
Group 5 - Ritsu Tainaka, K-ON!
Group 6 - Horo, Spice & Wolf
Group 7 - Fuuko Ibuki, CLANNAD
Group 8 - Beatrice, Umineko no Naku Koro Ni
Group 9 - Nanoha Takamachi, Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha
Group 10 - Minatsu Shiina, Seitokai no Ichizon
Group 11 - Suiseiseki, Rozen Maiden
Group 12 - Kuroko Shirai, To Aru Majutsu no Index/To Aru Kagaku no Railgun
Group 13 - Shinku, Rozen Maiden
Group 14 - Mikoto Misaka, To Aru Majutsu no Index/To Aru Kagaku no Railgun
ISML Best Available - Winners
1. Mio Akiyama, K-ON!
2. Hitagi Senjougahara, Bakemonogatari
3. Kurimu Sakurano, Seitokai no Ichizon
4. Nanoha Takamachi, Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha
5. Suiseiseki, Rozen Maiden
6. Shinku, Rozen Maiden
7. Mikoto Misaka, To Aru Majutsu no Index/To Aru Kagaku no Railgun
8. Ritsu Tainaka, K-ON!
9. Mafuyu Shiina, Seitokai no Ichizon
10. Fuuko Ibuki, CLANNAD
11. Kuroko Shirai, To Aru Majutsu no Index/To Aru Kagaku no Railgun
12. Minatsu Shiina, Seitokai no Ichizon
13. Beatrice, Umineko no Naku Koro Ni
14. Horo, Spice & Wolf
Predicted order of finish - Groups
Group 1
1. Mio Akiyama - K-ON!
2. Kotomi Ichinose - CLANNAD
3. Mai Kawasumi - Kanon
4. Kazari Uiharu - To Aru Kagaku no Railgun
5. Shiki Ryogi - Kara no Kyoukai
6. Yui Kotegawa - To-Love-Ru
7. Felli Loss - Chrome Shelled Regios
8. Natsuru Seno - Kampfer
9. Yuno - Hidamari Sketch
Group 2
1. Hitagi Senjougahara - Bakemonogatari
2. Tsumugi Kotobuki - K-ON!
3. Nagi Sanzen'in - Hayate the Combat Butler
4. Ryou Fujibayashi - CLANNAD
5. Asuka Langley Shikinami - Neon Genesis Evangelion
6. Louise Francoise Le Blanc De La Valliere - Zero no Tsukaima
7. Misuzu Kamio - AIR
8. Winry Rockbell - Full Metal Alchemist
9. Eri Sawachika - School Rumble
Group 3
1. Mafuyu Shiina - Seitokai no Ichizon
2. Maria - Hayate the Combat Butler
3. Misuzu Kusakabe - 11eyes
4. Hina-Ichigo - Rozen Maiden
5. Hisa Takei - Saki
6. Sayuri Kurata - Kanon
7. Lambdadelta - Umineko no Naku Koro Ni
8. Shion Sonozaki - Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni
9. Shizuku Sango - Kampfer
Group 4
1. Kurimu Sakurano - Seitokai no Ichizon
2. Tsukasa Hiiragi - Lucky Star
3. Alice - Pandora Hearts
4. Fredrica Bernkastel - Umineko no Naku Koro Ni
5. Akari Kirishima - Nyan Koi!
6. Chihiro Shindou - ef-a tale of memories
7. Rena Ryuuguu - Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni
8. Lisa - Seiken no Blacksmith
9. Niche - Letter Bee
Group 5
1. Ritsu Tainaka - K-ON!
2. Suigintou - Rozen Maiden
3. Nagisa Furukawa - CLANNAD
4. Saber - fate/stay night
5. Ranka Lee - Macross Frontier
6. Chii - Chobits
7. Ayu Tsukimiya - Kanon
8. Yin - Darker Than Black
9. Nagi - Kannagi-Crazy Shrine Maidens
Group 6
1. Horo - Spice & Wolf
2. Minori Kushieda - Toradora!
3. Golden Darkness (Konjiki no Yami) - To-Love-Ru
4. Yoko Littner - Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
5. Ikaros - Sora no Otoshimono
6. Tsuruya - The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
7. Kotone Kirishima - Nyan Koi!
8. Souseiseki - Rozen Maiden
9. Tomoyo Daidouji - Card Captor Sakura
Group 7
1. Fuuko Ibuki - CLANNAD
2. Ui Hirasawa - K-ON!
3. Eruruu - Utawarerumono
4. Nadeko Sengoku - Bakemonogatari
5. Hayate Yagami - Mahou Shoujo Lyrical nanoha
6. Miyako Miyamura - ef - a tale of memories
7. Akane Mishima - Kampfer
8. Suo Pavlichenko - Darker Than Black
9. Ai Enma - Jigoku Shoujo
Group 8
1. Beatrice - Umineko no Naku Koro Ni
2. Mei Sunohara - CLANNAD
3. Ayumu Nishizawa - Hayate The Combat Butler
4. Koromo Amae - Saki
5. Yomi Isayama - Ga-Rei Zero
6. Nymph - Sora no Otoshimono
7. Sawako Kuronuma - Kimi ni Todoke
8. Mizore Shirayuki - Rosario+Vampire
9. Kirino Chiba - Bamboo Blade
Group 9
1. Nanoha Takamachi - Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha
2. Konata Izumi - Lucky Star
3. C.C. - Code Geass
4. Maria Ushiromiya - Umineko no Naku Koro Ni
5. Mayoi Hachikuji - Bakemonogatari
6. Mikan Yuuki - To-Love-Ru
7. Setsuna Sakurazaki - Mahou Sensei Negima!
8. Kaede Mizuno - Nyan Koi!
9. Matsuri Shihou - Sola
Group 10
1. Minatsu Shiina - Seitokai no Ichizon
2. Kobato Hanato - Kobato
3. Kana Ikeda - Saki
4. Isumi Saginomiya - Hayate the Combat Butler
5. Shinobu Oshino - Bakemonogatari
6. Sakura Kinomoto - Card Captor Sakura
7. Evangeline A.K. McDowell - Mahou Sensei Negima!
8. Ai Haibara - Detective Conan
9. Yakumo Tsukamoto - School Rumble
Group 11
1. Suiseiseki - Rozen Maiden
2. Haruka Nogizaka - Haruka Nogizaka's Secret
3. Tsubasa Hanekawa - Bakemonogatari
4. Rika Furude - Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni
5. Utau Hoshina - Shugo Chara
6. Index Librorum Prohibitorum - To Aru Majutsu No Index
7. Sakuya Aizawa - Hayate the Combat Butler!
8. Moka Akashiya - Rasario+Vampire
9. Akari Mizunashi - ARIA
Group 12
1. Kuroko Shirai - To Aru Majutsu No Index/To Aru Kagaku No Railgun
2. Ami Kawashima - Toradora!
3. Chizuru Akaba - Seitokai no Ichizon
4. Hanyuu Furude - Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni
5. Yuuki Kataoka - Saki
6. Amu Hinamori - Shugo Chara!
7. Izumi Segawa - Hayate the Combat Butler!
8. Makoto Sawatari - Kanon
9. Alice Carroll - ARIA
Group 13
1. Shinku - Rozen Maiden
2. Ruiko Saten - To Aru Kagaku No Railgun
3. Saki Miyanaga - Saki
4. Mion Sonozaki - Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni
5. Nayuki Minase - Kanon
6. Kana Minami - The Minami Family
7. Sheryl Nome - Macross Frontier
8. Yuuko Amamiya - ef-a tale of memories
9. Teletha Testarossa - Full Metal Panic!
Group 14
1. Mikoto Misaka - To Aru Majutsu No Index/To Aru Kagaku No Railgun
2. Ange Ushiromiya - Umineko no Naku Koro Ni
3. Rei Ayanami - Neon Genesis Evangelion
4. Illyasviel von Einzbern - Fate/Stay Night
5. Momoko Toyoko - Saki
6. Chiaki Minami - The Minami Family
7. Shiori Misaka - Kanon
8. Yuuhi Katagiri - Akane-Iro Ni Somaru Saka
9. Noe Isurugi - True Tears
Quick hits, January 23, 2010
On the mad countdown to World Nutella Day, the boredom of having a single class, and the lagging Lakers.
World Nutella Day is in two weeks. TWO BLOODY WEEKS! Well, now it's less than. I am wondering two things. One: when will this storm finally pass? And two: when are my K-ON plushinhas (pronounced plush-een-yas; yes, I just love that nh in Portuguese) getting over here? I need them for the shot involving a Nutella jar.
I'm a bit nervous here. As it stands, they are still in transit. I am aware that they could arrive well after WND, and that would be a drag. But if they do arrive, are they going to be in tip-top condition? Azusa is not going to available for the shoot; she won't be setting sail for the Beach until March at the earliest. Nothing I can do about that.
But I have plans about the Hokago Tea Time and their crazy antics with Nutella. I would imagine that a number of chocolate desserts Tsumugi Kotobuki of K-ON! brings are made with Nutella.
Those whose minds have been in the gutter since childbirth will know where this is going. What? You don't have a clue? Ask Mugi the yuri-obsessed blonde ditzmistress for the details. She'l fill you eeen.
---
So I am now in Week 2-3 of my Disaster Recovery course. I am learning some stuff about the analysis phase and documentation this, recommendation that. And for some hare-brained reason unbeknownst to me...I am bored.
I want to travel for once. But it's cold. It's too warm and feels too good in my classroom. I need to crawl under a kotetsu right now, but all I see are chairs, tables, a projector screen, a few laptops, fluorescent lights and a projector.
Did I mention a professor and students? I am so bored.
---
The Lakers still can't beat the likes of the Cavaliers. I literally exploded when they stumbled again. Once could swear I was on meth when I screamed like one of those Huntington Beach punk bands.
I love punk rock. I don't know how much more I could handle. I think I could handle a lot more...if my other family members didn't intervene.
But to hell with their ineptitude. How will they successfully defend their title if they can't beat the Beasts from the East?
---
I'm happy for Rachel Alexandra. I knew she was going to win the Horse of the Year Award. Zenyatta had no chance.
World Nutella Day is in two weeks. TWO BLOODY WEEKS! Well, now it's less than. I am wondering two things. One: when will this storm finally pass? And two: when are my K-ON plushinhas (pronounced plush-een-yas; yes, I just love that nh in Portuguese) getting over here? I need them for the shot involving a Nutella jar.
I'm a bit nervous here. As it stands, they are still in transit. I am aware that they could arrive well after WND, and that would be a drag. But if they do arrive, are they going to be in tip-top condition? Azusa is not going to available for the shoot; she won't be setting sail for the Beach until March at the earliest. Nothing I can do about that.
But I have plans about the Hokago Tea Time and their crazy antics with Nutella. I would imagine that a number of chocolate desserts Tsumugi Kotobuki of K-ON! brings are made with Nutella.
Those whose minds have been in the gutter since childbirth will know where this is going. What? You don't have a clue? Ask Mugi the yuri-obsessed blonde ditzmistress for the details. She'l fill you eeen.
---
So I am now in Week 2-3 of my Disaster Recovery course. I am learning some stuff about the analysis phase and documentation this, recommendation that. And for some hare-brained reason unbeknownst to me...I am bored.
I want to travel for once. But it's cold. It's too warm and feels too good in my classroom. I need to crawl under a kotetsu right now, but all I see are chairs, tables, a projector screen, a few laptops, fluorescent lights and a projector.
Did I mention a professor and students? I am so bored.
---
The Lakers still can't beat the likes of the Cavaliers. I literally exploded when they stumbled again. Once could swear I was on meth when I screamed like one of those Huntington Beach punk bands.
I love punk rock. I don't know how much more I could handle. I think I could handle a lot more...if my other family members didn't intervene.
But to hell with their ineptitude. How will they successfully defend their title if they can't beat the Beasts from the East?
---
I'm happy for Rachel Alexandra. I knew she was going to win the Horse of the Year Award. Zenyatta had no chance.
I Have A Dream
I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.
Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.
But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.
In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."
But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.
We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.
It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. And those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.
But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.
The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.
We cannot walk alone.
And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead.
We cannot turn back.
There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their self-hood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating: "For Whites Only." We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until "justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream."¹
I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. And some of you have come from areas where your quest -- quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.
Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.
And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today!
I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
I have a dream today!
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."2
This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with.
With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning:
My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.
Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride,
From every mountainside, let freedom ring!
And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.
And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.
Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.
Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.
Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.
Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.
But not only that:
Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.
From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:
Free at last! Free at last!Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!
-Martin Luther King, Jr.
ISML 2010: BoBA At-Large Top 20
With the Preliminaries concluded, I now provide a revised version of my list of the best available for 20 of the 34 at-large spots in the 2010 International Saimoe League. In my next entry, I will make my predictions on who will win their respective preliminary groups.
Note that this is not the order of how many nomination ballots, this is a subjective ranking.
1. Mio Akiyama - K-ON! (last edition: 1, unchanged)
2. Mafuyu Shiiina - Seitokai no Ichizon (last edition: unranked, new entry)
3. Hitagi Senjougahara - Bakemonogatari (last edition: 7, up 4)
4. Kurimu Sakurano - Seitokai no Ichizon (last edition: 9, up 5)
5. Ritsu Tainaka - K-ON! (last edition: 3, down 2)
6. Nadeko Sengoku - Bakemonogatari (last edition: unranked, new entry)
7. Ruiko Saten - To Aru Kagaku No Railgun (last edition: unranked, new entry)
8. Saki Miyanaga - Saki (last edition: 2, down 6)
9. Kuroko Shirai - To Aru Kagaku No Railgun (last edition: 19, up 10)
10. Tsumugi Kotobuki - K-ON! (last edition: 6, down 4)
11. Minatsu Shiina - Seitokai no Ichizon (last edition: 17, up 6)
12. Kobato Hanato - Kobato (last edition: 18, up 6)
13. Beatrice - Umineko no Naku Koro Ni (last edition 20, up 7)
14. Sawako Kuronuma - Kimi ni Todoke (last edition: unranked, new entry)
15. Kazari Uiharu - To Aru Kagaku no Railgun (last edition: unranked, new entry)
16. Chizuru Akaba - Seitokai no Ichizon (last edition: unranked, new entry)
17. Ikaros - Sora no Otoshimono (last edition: unranked, new entry)
18. Alice - Pandora Hearts (last edition: unranked, new entry)
19. Shizuku Sango - Kampfer (last edition: unranked, new entry)
20. Utau Hoshina - Shugo Chara! (last edition: 5, down 15)
Note that this is not the order of how many nomination ballots, this is a subjective ranking.
1. Mio Akiyama - K-ON! (last edition: 1, unchanged)
2. Mafuyu Shiiina - Seitokai no Ichizon (last edition: unranked, new entry)
3. Hitagi Senjougahara - Bakemonogatari (last edition: 7, up 4)
4. Kurimu Sakurano - Seitokai no Ichizon (last edition: 9, up 5)
5. Ritsu Tainaka - K-ON! (last edition: 3, down 2)
6. Nadeko Sengoku - Bakemonogatari (last edition: unranked, new entry)
7. Ruiko Saten - To Aru Kagaku No Railgun (last edition: unranked, new entry)
8. Saki Miyanaga - Saki (last edition: 2, down 6)
9. Kuroko Shirai - To Aru Kagaku No Railgun (last edition: 19, up 10)
10. Tsumugi Kotobuki - K-ON! (last edition: 6, down 4)
11. Minatsu Shiina - Seitokai no Ichizon (last edition: 17, up 6)
12. Kobato Hanato - Kobato (last edition: 18, up 6)
13. Beatrice - Umineko no Naku Koro Ni (last edition 20, up 7)
14. Sawako Kuronuma - Kimi ni Todoke (last edition: unranked, new entry)
15. Kazari Uiharu - To Aru Kagaku no Railgun (last edition: unranked, new entry)
16. Chizuru Akaba - Seitokai no Ichizon (last edition: unranked, new entry)
17. Ikaros - Sora no Otoshimono (last edition: unranked, new entry)
18. Alice - Pandora Hearts (last edition: unranked, new entry)
19. Shizuku Sango - Kampfer (last edition: unranked, new entry)
20. Utau Hoshina - Shugo Chara! (last edition: 5, down 15)
Bedlam and Despondency in Haiti
Fears of major catastrophe as 7.0 quake rocks Haiti
By Clarens Renois (AFP) – 3 days ago
PORT-AU-PRINCE — A huge quake measuring 7.0 rocked the impoverished Caribbean nation of Haiti Tuesday toppling buildings and causing widespread damage and panic, officials and AFP witnesses said.
"I think it's really a catastrophe of major proportions," Haiti's ambassador to the United States, Raymond Alcide Joseph, told CNN television.
All communications with the island went down after the earthquake and no details were immediately available on any people killed or injured in the disaster.
A tsunami alert for the Carribean region was immediately issued after the earthquake struck at 2153 GMT.
An AFP correspondent said the ground shook for more than a minute. Later three aftershocks measuring 5.9, 5.5 and 5.1 on the moment magnitude scale hit, US officials said.
In Port-au-Prince, local media reported that the presidential palace, parliament, cathedral and several ministries were badly damaged.
An AFP correspondent in Petionville, a suburb east of the capital, said one three-story building, housing two offices, was toppled by the quake, and a tractor was already at the scene trying to dig out victims as people fled onto the streets in panic.
The up-scale area is home to many foreign diplomats and members of a major United Nations mission to the country.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the powerful quake was initially measured at 7.3 and struck 16 kilometers (ten miles) from the capital Port-au-Prince, and 27 kilometers (17 miles) from Petionville.
The earthquake struck at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), the USGS said.
In Washington, President Barack Obama said the United States stood ready to help.
"My thoughts and prayers go out to those who have been affected by this earthquake," Obama said. "We are closely monitoring the situation and we stand ready to assist the people of Haiti."
A US Southern Command spokesman in Miami said the agency was "monitoring the situation and coordinating everything to respond rapidly."
A tsunami warning issued for Haiti, Cuba, the Bahamas and the Dominican Republic was scrapped shortly afterwards.
Haiti's ambassador told CNN he was heartbroken as he had just spoken by telephone with a senior presidential aide who described scenes of chaos and devastation.
"He had to stop his car just about half an hour ago, and take to the streets, start walking, but he said houses were crumbling on the right side of the street and the left side of the street," Joseph said.
Already the poorest nation in the Americas, Haiti has been hit by a series of disasters recently and was battered by hurricanes in 2008.
Four big storms -- Tropical Storm Fay and hurricanes Gustav, Hanna and Ike -- pounded impoverished Haiti in August and September 2008, killing a total of 793 people and leaving more than 300 others missing, according to government figures.
The country was also gripped by a tense political standoff in April 2008 amid riots over skyrocketing food prices. UN troops are a regular sight throughout much of the country.
Seventy percent of Haiti's population lives on less than two dollars per day and half of its 8.5 million people are unemployed.
According to official figures, food insecurity already affects more than a quarter of Haiti's population, some 1.9 million people, with women and children the worst affected.
The Food and Agriculture Organization has designated Haiti as one of the world's most economically vulnerable countries.
The WFP serves one meal a day to more than 500,000 Haitian schoolchildren, providing them with what is often their only meal of the day.
The organization also feeds 100,000 women who are pregnant or breastfeeding and 50,000 children under the age of five.
Since mid-2004, the Brazilian-led MINUSTAH has been keeping the peace in the impoverished Caribbean island nation.
Copyright © 2010 AFP. All rights reserved
By Clarens Renois (AFP) – 3 days ago
PORT-AU-PRINCE — A huge quake measuring 7.0 rocked the impoverished Caribbean nation of Haiti Tuesday toppling buildings and causing widespread damage and panic, officials and AFP witnesses said.
"I think it's really a catastrophe of major proportions," Haiti's ambassador to the United States, Raymond Alcide Joseph, told CNN television.
All communications with the island went down after the earthquake and no details were immediately available on any people killed or injured in the disaster.
A tsunami alert for the Carribean region was immediately issued after the earthquake struck at 2153 GMT.
An AFP correspondent said the ground shook for more than a minute. Later three aftershocks measuring 5.9, 5.5 and 5.1 on the moment magnitude scale hit, US officials said.
In Port-au-Prince, local media reported that the presidential palace, parliament, cathedral and several ministries were badly damaged.
An AFP correspondent in Petionville, a suburb east of the capital, said one three-story building, housing two offices, was toppled by the quake, and a tractor was already at the scene trying to dig out victims as people fled onto the streets in panic.
The up-scale area is home to many foreign diplomats and members of a major United Nations mission to the country.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the powerful quake was initially measured at 7.3 and struck 16 kilometers (ten miles) from the capital Port-au-Prince, and 27 kilometers (17 miles) from Petionville.
The earthquake struck at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), the USGS said.
In Washington, President Barack Obama said the United States stood ready to help.
"My thoughts and prayers go out to those who have been affected by this earthquake," Obama said. "We are closely monitoring the situation and we stand ready to assist the people of Haiti."
A US Southern Command spokesman in Miami said the agency was "monitoring the situation and coordinating everything to respond rapidly."
A tsunami warning issued for Haiti, Cuba, the Bahamas and the Dominican Republic was scrapped shortly afterwards.
Haiti's ambassador told CNN he was heartbroken as he had just spoken by telephone with a senior presidential aide who described scenes of chaos and devastation.
"He had to stop his car just about half an hour ago, and take to the streets, start walking, but he said houses were crumbling on the right side of the street and the left side of the street," Joseph said.
Already the poorest nation in the Americas, Haiti has been hit by a series of disasters recently and was battered by hurricanes in 2008.
Four big storms -- Tropical Storm Fay and hurricanes Gustav, Hanna and Ike -- pounded impoverished Haiti in August and September 2008, killing a total of 793 people and leaving more than 300 others missing, according to government figures.
The country was also gripped by a tense political standoff in April 2008 amid riots over skyrocketing food prices. UN troops are a regular sight throughout much of the country.
Seventy percent of Haiti's population lives on less than two dollars per day and half of its 8.5 million people are unemployed.
According to official figures, food insecurity already affects more than a quarter of Haiti's population, some 1.9 million people, with women and children the worst affected.
The Food and Agriculture Organization has designated Haiti as one of the world's most economically vulnerable countries.
The WFP serves one meal a day to more than 500,000 Haitian schoolchildren, providing them with what is often their only meal of the day.
The organization also feeds 100,000 women who are pregnant or breastfeeding and 50,000 children under the age of five.
Since mid-2004, the Brazilian-led MINUSTAH has been keeping the peace in the impoverished Caribbean island nation.
Copyright © 2010 AFP. All rights reserved
Suck it, Mack Brown.
Alabama back on top with 13th national title
Jason Harless / The Tuscaloosa News Buy photo
Alabama running back Mark Ingram celebrates after scoring on a 1-yard run with two minutes left to play against Texas in the BCS National Championship Game in Pasadena, Calif.
By Cecil Hurt Sports Editor Published: Friday, January 8, 2010 at 3:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, January 7, 2010 at 11:41 p.m.
PASADENA, Calif.
It was a BCS National Championship Game that turned into a classic — even if the University of Alabama would have preferred otherwise.
The Crimson Tide captured its first national championship in 17 years, and its first of the BCS Era, holding off a valiant second-half comeback by Texas to defeat the Longhorns 37-21 at the Rose Bowl.
The win also was the first ever for Alabama against Texas in nine tries. But the results were far more important than the mere ending of a losing streak.
“I’ve never been prouder of a group of guys,” said Alabama head coach Nick Saban. “The blood, sweat and tears they put in was tremendous. Most people don’t realize the dedication it takes to do that.
“We had a lot of anxiety at the beginning of the game. We made some mistakes. Then it was like we won the game at halftime. But (Texas) had the ability to come back. Give them credit. But our guys made the plays and I was proud that our guys were able to finish (and) put it away.”
The Longhorns, as Saban noted, did not go quietly.
Texas had pinned its hopes on the passing of quarterback Colt McCoy, and when he went out in the first quarter with a right shoulder injury, the Longhorns were lost for the rest of the half.
Two special-team foibles in the early going — a fake punt attempt on the first series that was intercepted by Texas’ Blake Gideon and a failure to field a sky kick that resulted in a Longhorn recovery — led to two Texas field goals and a 6-0 lead. But the important development in the early going was the loss of McCoy on a first-down play from the Alabama 11, his shoulder injured on a hit by the Crimson Tide’s Marcell Dareus.
The 6-0 lead held up through the first quarter, but with McCoy’s replacement, Garrett Gilbert, struggling and the UA 1-2 rushing attack shifting into gear, the Crimson Tide exploded for 24 second-quarter points on touchdown runs by Mark Ingram, from 2 yards out, and Trent Richardson on an explosive 49-yard run. Leigh Tiffin added a 26-yard field goal with 29 seconds remaining in the half.
On the ensuing possession, Texas elected not to kill the clock and turned the ball over for what may have been the game’s most devastating touchdown.
Gilbert’s shovel pass attempt to Tre Newton with 15 seconds remaining in the half was intercepted at the line by Dareus, who shoved Gilbert out of the way and went 28 yards for a touchdown that put the Crimson Tide ahead 24-6.
Texas regained the momentum in the second half as Gilbert’s comfort level increased.
Alabama, meanwhile, lost its offensive momentum, going three-and-out on three straight possessions in the third quarter.
Gilbert connected on touchdown passes of 44 yards to Jordan Shipley in the third quarter and another 28-yarder to Shipley in the fourth quarter, and suddenly Alabama found itself leading just 24-21 and staring at what would have been the biggest collapse in BCS history.
Instead, the Alabama defense rose to the occasion.
After the Longhorns stopped Alabama at 37 with 3:14 remaining, a P.J. Fitzgerald punt pinned Texas at its 7. A defensive holding call on Alabama moved the ball to the 17, but UA then came up with the biggest play of the day. A blitzing Eryk Anders slammed Gilbert, forcing a fumble that was recovered by Courtney Upshaw at the Texas 3.
Three plays later, Ingram scored his second touchdown and Alabama secured its first championship since 1992. An interception by Javier Arenas led to an insurance score by Trent Richardson and a final interception downfield by Tyrone King closed the contest.
Both Ingram (22 carries for 116 yards) and Richardson (19 carries for 109 yards) finished over the 100-yard mark for the game.
Gilbert, who was 4-for-22 passing at one point, finished 15-for-40 for 156 yards with two touchdowns and four interceptions. McCoy was 2-for-2 for nine yards before his injury.
Ingram was the game’s offensive MVP, while Dareus won the defensive honor.
Texas, which had won 17 straight games, was disappointed but proud after the loss.
“I told the guys they had a great run,” said Texas head coach Mack Brown. “After Colt got hurt, we were limited in some of the things we wanted to do, but we continued to fight and attack.
“We didn’t know if Colt could come back, but he didn’t look good. We told Garrett to just keep playing, that it was a tough learning curve, but keep learning. And there was a time when I thought he was going to bring us back to win the game. I actually thought when we got the ball back at the (7) that we were going to take it down and win the game because that’s what we’ve done so many times.
“Colt was trying at halftime to get back, and I knew he shouldn’t. But he wanted to play. That’s how tough he is.
“He was really in pain at halftime. I could tell he didn’t need to be on the field.”
“Colt McCoy is a great player,” Saban said. “As much as I enjoy winning, you hate to see a great competitor who has had a great career not be able to participate in a game that he has been waiting for his entire career. We thought we had a pretty good gameplan, if he played, for what he did. The hit Eryk Anders made at the end of the game was really the difference in the game.”
Jason Harless / The Tuscaloosa News Buy photo
Alabama running back Mark Ingram celebrates after scoring on a 1-yard run with two minutes left to play against Texas in the BCS National Championship Game in Pasadena, Calif.
By Cecil Hurt Sports Editor Published: Friday, January 8, 2010 at 3:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, January 7, 2010 at 11:41 p.m.
PASADENA, Calif.
It was a BCS National Championship Game that turned into a classic — even if the University of Alabama would have preferred otherwise.
The Crimson Tide captured its first national championship in 17 years, and its first of the BCS Era, holding off a valiant second-half comeback by Texas to defeat the Longhorns 37-21 at the Rose Bowl.
The win also was the first ever for Alabama against Texas in nine tries. But the results were far more important than the mere ending of a losing streak.
“I’ve never been prouder of a group of guys,” said Alabama head coach Nick Saban. “The blood, sweat and tears they put in was tremendous. Most people don’t realize the dedication it takes to do that.
“We had a lot of anxiety at the beginning of the game. We made some mistakes. Then it was like we won the game at halftime. But (Texas) had the ability to come back. Give them credit. But our guys made the plays and I was proud that our guys were able to finish (and) put it away.”
The Longhorns, as Saban noted, did not go quietly.
Texas had pinned its hopes on the passing of quarterback Colt McCoy, and when he went out in the first quarter with a right shoulder injury, the Longhorns were lost for the rest of the half.
Two special-team foibles in the early going — a fake punt attempt on the first series that was intercepted by Texas’ Blake Gideon and a failure to field a sky kick that resulted in a Longhorn recovery — led to two Texas field goals and a 6-0 lead. But the important development in the early going was the loss of McCoy on a first-down play from the Alabama 11, his shoulder injured on a hit by the Crimson Tide’s Marcell Dareus.
The 6-0 lead held up through the first quarter, but with McCoy’s replacement, Garrett Gilbert, struggling and the UA 1-2 rushing attack shifting into gear, the Crimson Tide exploded for 24 second-quarter points on touchdown runs by Mark Ingram, from 2 yards out, and Trent Richardson on an explosive 49-yard run. Leigh Tiffin added a 26-yard field goal with 29 seconds remaining in the half.
On the ensuing possession, Texas elected not to kill the clock and turned the ball over for what may have been the game’s most devastating touchdown.
Gilbert’s shovel pass attempt to Tre Newton with 15 seconds remaining in the half was intercepted at the line by Dareus, who shoved Gilbert out of the way and went 28 yards for a touchdown that put the Crimson Tide ahead 24-6.
Texas regained the momentum in the second half as Gilbert’s comfort level increased.
Alabama, meanwhile, lost its offensive momentum, going three-and-out on three straight possessions in the third quarter.
Gilbert connected on touchdown passes of 44 yards to Jordan Shipley in the third quarter and another 28-yarder to Shipley in the fourth quarter, and suddenly Alabama found itself leading just 24-21 and staring at what would have been the biggest collapse in BCS history.
Instead, the Alabama defense rose to the occasion.
After the Longhorns stopped Alabama at 37 with 3:14 remaining, a P.J. Fitzgerald punt pinned Texas at its 7. A defensive holding call on Alabama moved the ball to the 17, but UA then came up with the biggest play of the day. A blitzing Eryk Anders slammed Gilbert, forcing a fumble that was recovered by Courtney Upshaw at the Texas 3.
Three plays later, Ingram scored his second touchdown and Alabama secured its first championship since 1992. An interception by Javier Arenas led to an insurance score by Trent Richardson and a final interception downfield by Tyrone King closed the contest.
Both Ingram (22 carries for 116 yards) and Richardson (19 carries for 109 yards) finished over the 100-yard mark for the game.
Gilbert, who was 4-for-22 passing at one point, finished 15-for-40 for 156 yards with two touchdowns and four interceptions. McCoy was 2-for-2 for nine yards before his injury.
Ingram was the game’s offensive MVP, while Dareus won the defensive honor.
Texas, which had won 17 straight games, was disappointed but proud after the loss.
“I told the guys they had a great run,” said Texas head coach Mack Brown. “After Colt got hurt, we were limited in some of the things we wanted to do, but we continued to fight and attack.
“We didn’t know if Colt could come back, but he didn’t look good. We told Garrett to just keep playing, that it was a tough learning curve, but keep learning. And there was a time when I thought he was going to bring us back to win the game. I actually thought when we got the ball back at the (7) that we were going to take it down and win the game because that’s what we’ve done so many times.
“Colt was trying at halftime to get back, and I knew he shouldn’t. But he wanted to play. That’s how tough he is.
“He was really in pain at halftime. I could tell he didn’t need to be on the field.”
“Colt McCoy is a great player,” Saban said. “As much as I enjoy winning, you hate to see a great competitor who has had a great career not be able to participate in a game that he has been waiting for his entire career. We thought we had a pretty good gameplan, if he played, for what he did. The hit Eryk Anders made at the end of the game was really the difference in the game.”
Quick hits, January 8, 2010
What is going on with Beach Hoops? Looks like we are slumping again. Both the men and women lost to Fullerton. That's not even the worst that has happened to our guys. We can't even beat an NAIA team like Cal Baptist in men's volleyball. For a team like Long Beach State to lose to Cal Baptist? That is embarrassing, everybody. Doesn't matter if we defeated the hosts later on. To lose to a team that competes three levels below is simply unforgivable.
Come on Andy Read, get your players to show up against the doormats!
Aside from that, the men's ice hockey team won over Portland State.
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The words to Yea Alabama were fulfilled in the Crimson Tide's 37-21 victory over the Texas Longhorns. So the likes of Mack Brown can suck it.
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Lakewood's wrestling team also disapppointed last night, dropping a 43-19 stinker to Millikan. Enjoy this victory while you can Rams; we're gonna look to exact payback on you the next time we meet.
Come on Andy Read, get your players to show up against the doormats!
Aside from that, the men's ice hockey team won over Portland State.
---
The words to Yea Alabama were fulfilled in the Crimson Tide's 37-21 victory over the Texas Longhorns. So the likes of Mack Brown can suck it.
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Lakewood's wrestling team also disapppointed last night, dropping a 43-19 stinker to Millikan. Enjoy this victory while you can Rams; we're gonna look to exact payback on you the next time we meet.
Rose Parade 2010 anecdotes
After a few days in which I set out to tie some loose ends here and there, I have tucked myself into writing on the 2010 Rose Parade and my thoughts on it.
I could have made this an entry on resolutions, but I do not believe in promises that can be broken the next day. That's where me and Phil Jackson share something similar-we don't believe in New Year's resolutions.
This time, I arrived earlier than usual. I took the 5:00 Blue Line, and via the Red and Gold lines I got there a few minutes past six. I claimed a spot closer to the grandstands. Last year I was near Colorado and Raymond. THis year it's Clorado and Fair Oaks.
This also marked the first-ever time I got to visit the Norton Simon Museum and sample some of the fine art that the late Mr. Simon had.
I seemed to be blowing my yellow vuvuzela a bit too much. One of the local CHP officers told me before I completed my countdown to 2010 in New York City, "I will give you my lunch if you promise not to blow that horn again."
I do have to owe it that guy; he along with others on the Boulevard, prevented me from getting really, REALLY starved.
I made up my mind as to who I wanted to win the game. I mingled with the Ohio State fans. "O-H?" I asked. "I-O!" they replied. By the time I had finished, I knew that the Buckeyes would win this game.
I was able to take plenty of photos of the ENTIRE parade. Last year, all I had was my cell phone. This time I had two cameras to take stock in all the action. Check them out at: bongaboi.deviantart.com.
I could have made this an entry on resolutions, but I do not believe in promises that can be broken the next day. That's where me and Phil Jackson share something similar-we don't believe in New Year's resolutions.
This time, I arrived earlier than usual. I took the 5:00 Blue Line, and via the Red and Gold lines I got there a few minutes past six. I claimed a spot closer to the grandstands. Last year I was near Colorado and Raymond. THis year it's Clorado and Fair Oaks.
This also marked the first-ever time I got to visit the Norton Simon Museum and sample some of the fine art that the late Mr. Simon had.
I seemed to be blowing my yellow vuvuzela a bit too much. One of the local CHP officers told me before I completed my countdown to 2010 in New York City, "I will give you my lunch if you promise not to blow that horn again."
I do have to owe it that guy; he along with others on the Boulevard, prevented me from getting really, REALLY starved.
I made up my mind as to who I wanted to win the game. I mingled with the Ohio State fans. "O-H?" I asked. "I-O!" they replied. By the time I had finished, I knew that the Buckeyes would win this game.
I was able to take plenty of photos of the ENTIRE parade. Last year, all I had was my cell phone. This time I had two cameras to take stock in all the action. Check them out at: bongaboi.deviantart.com.
New Year's Day 2010 Quick hits
Kobe Bryant knows how to open a new year in dramatic fashion. A buzzer-beater against the Sacramento Kings lifted the Los Angeles Lakers to a 109-108 win. Heh. Old hat for the Black Mamba come playoff time?
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People on deviantART can't tell me that my gallery is just desktop screenshots now. I took plenty of photos of the Rose Parade for your enjoyment/web design use because those folks special (aside from those ungrateful art-thief-hunting bastards who I choose not to tolerate), nuff said.
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AFC Wimbledon and Melbourne Victory wasted their games to open the new year with defeats, but Long Beach State's men's basketball team took the cake in terms of futility. This team is on a dangerous path, losing in overtime to UC Riverside 68-66.
Dan Monson, how dare you waste the nonconference gauntlet tonight. Epic fail. Again, I say, EPIC FAIL! When you cannot beat the Sisters of Mercy with your team's shooting (and on top of that, not learning your lesson from the LMU disasterfest), the Changi Prison guards need to give your players a caning or two.
One last time: E.P.I.C. F.A.I.L. Make 'em run suicides for the plan backfiring on you.
---
Ohio State was going to win the Rose Bowl. Oregon fell victim to the SI jinx, 26-17.
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People on deviantART can't tell me that my gallery is just desktop screenshots now. I took plenty of photos of the Rose Parade for your enjoyment/web design use because those folks special (aside from those ungrateful art-thief-hunting bastards who I choose not to tolerate), nuff said.
---
AFC Wimbledon and Melbourne Victory wasted their games to open the new year with defeats, but Long Beach State's men's basketball team took the cake in terms of futility. This team is on a dangerous path, losing in overtime to UC Riverside 68-66.
Dan Monson, how dare you waste the nonconference gauntlet tonight. Epic fail. Again, I say, EPIC FAIL! When you cannot beat the Sisters of Mercy with your team's shooting (and on top of that, not learning your lesson from the LMU disasterfest), the Changi Prison guards need to give your players a caning or two.
One last time: E.P.I.C. F.A.I.L. Make 'em run suicides for the plan backfiring on you.
---
Ohio State was going to win the Rose Bowl. Oregon fell victim to the SI jinx, 26-17.
Last post of 2009 here on the Bedlam.
Well, this is it. The last post on the Bedlam on Baltic Avenue. You know, when I look back at this blog and how it has become one of the biggest joys in my life, I can't help but think: 811 entries and coming. And it was been a long time since I had the Bedlam on Baltic Avenue chronicle the daily goings-on, the whinges, the random news that interests me, and so on.
It was on June 11, 2005 that the Bedlam was established with a simple picture of Mitsuki Koyama and Tskuto Kira from Full Moon wo Sagashite. Back then, the URL was arinaholic.blogspot.com. The early days of the blog featured scans, fanart, and
Eventually, after a few years with this URL, it was time for a change and make this blog not just an Arina Tanemura-oriented blog, but a personal one. Hence the current URL you see.
It wasn't until 2007 that I decided to go ahead and post like the Dickens om BoBA. Now you see postings every month. With updated banners and color schemes.
I hope that I get to top the amount of posts I made that year. I won't be able to do it this year.
With that said, thank you as always for reading, and please ring in the New Year responsibly. I will be on assignment at the Rose Parade, so I won't be posting until after.
It was on June 11, 2005 that the Bedlam was established with a simple picture of Mitsuki Koyama and Tskuto Kira from Full Moon wo Sagashite. Back then, the URL was arinaholic.blogspot.com. The early days of the blog featured scans, fanart, and
Eventually, after a few years with this URL, it was time for a change and make this blog not just an Arina Tanemura-oriented blog, but a personal one. Hence the current URL you see.
It wasn't until 2007 that I decided to go ahead and post like the Dickens om BoBA. Now you see postings every month. With updated banners and color schemes.
I hope that I get to top the amount of posts I made that year. I won't be able to do it this year.
With that said, thank you as always for reading, and please ring in the New Year responsibly. I will be on assignment at the Rose Parade, so I won't be posting until after.
Quick hits, December 27, 2009
I became Kenji Harima for a night. I had this dream that I was with Eri Sawachika. She was dressed in a short purple top, denim hotpants and leather boots. I said, "I just want to be friends with you. I already like Tenma and Yakumo and we just want to be friends." She then spread her legs, bit her finger like Kuroko Shirai and playfully said, "Liar. But I like you." All of sudden she took her clothes off and we copulated.
My mind was spinning. My heart was melting. And I came. My god, that felt good.
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The USC Trojans...oh man! Dave Shinskie would only make for a Pac-10 QB backup getting peanut minutes in garbage time. They win the Emerald Bowl 24-13. Exuberant N-gelenos love Emerald Nuts. And I is one of 'em.
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Lake Show, you give me heart-attack. Nyyaaaaargh!
But we win, 112-103, over the Sacramento Kings in double overtime.
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Bring on 2010. I have decided to go to the Rose Parade on Friday.
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Is it just me, or do I get a feeling Mikoto Misaka could be an at-large selection in the ISML a SECOND straight year?
My mind was spinning. My heart was melting. And I came. My god, that felt good.
---
The USC Trojans...oh man! Dave Shinskie would only make for a Pac-10 QB backup getting peanut minutes in garbage time. They win the Emerald Bowl 24-13. Exuberant N-gelenos love Emerald Nuts. And I is one of 'em.
---
Lake Show, you give me heart-attack. Nyyaaaaargh!
But we win, 112-103, over the Sacramento Kings in double overtime.
---
Bring on 2010. I have decided to go to the Rose Parade on Friday.
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Is it just me, or do I get a feeling Mikoto Misaka could be an at-large selection in the ISML a SECOND straight year?
Christmas Day Q & A: Santa considering relocation
Christmas Day Q & A: Santa considering relocation
Merry Christmas: North Pole official takes time to discuss rumors
KELLY KEARSLEY AND C.R. ROBERTS; The News Tribune
Last updated: December 25th, 2009 09:36 AM (PST)
Sunny Torvaldson, age 212, is executive director of the North Pole Economic and Community Development Office. Since taking the job in 1872, Torvaldson has weathered many a storm, including the blizzard of 1950, which delayed Santa’s departure by three hours.
In her years of community development, Torvaldson has recruited several small businesses to the Pole and was instrumental in the placement of a Starbucks inside the workshop.
The most pressing and immediate issue facing Torvaldson and the citizens of the North Pole, according to press reports, is Santa’s pending decision to possibly relocate his headquarters.
The News Tribune met with Torvaldson earlier this week at her office on Candy Cane Lane.
So Santa is contemplating moving his operation out of the North Pole?
Yes, that’s what we have heard. He has not responded directly to our inquiries, but we have heard that he is concerned about competing for and recruiting talent. He has also complained about the lack of parking around the workshop.
What is the development office doing to ensure the workshop stays here?
We’re speaking with some local banks and our legislators to build a $23.8 billion incentive package. We’ll build a new workshop where the reindeer stables are now, and we’re prepared to offer a 300-year lease.
Have you received any response?
We are confident that our offer will outshine anything Santa might be hearing from Iceland. Granted, that’s a more cosmopolitan locale, what with its swanky ice hotels and parties with Bjork, but please, be real. All their offer really comes down to is nothing more than a bucket of peppermint sticks and a discount on hay for the reindeer.
One of Santa’s concerns is room to expand the workshop. Are you working on anything that might help?
One of our local investors, Erivan Haub, has hired designers to develop some land he owns over by the unmarried-elf dormitory. It would either be a new workshop altogether or an adjunct to what we have now. There are several possibilities.
If Santa does leave, what kind of contingencies do you have in place for the survival of the North Pole as a viable economic center?
I don’t want to consider that, but if it happened it could be a real opportunity to recruit some new businesses. We have already received several inquiries that I am not at liberty to discuss.
What kind of businesses? Can you offer any detail?
Let’s just say we could be the call-center capital of the Northern Hemisphere. In fact, some gnomes have already opened customer-service centers for Expedia, Hewlett-Packard and Fruitcake Emporium.
Looking ahead, how do you see the recession playing out at the North Pole.
First, let me assure all of the children of the world that Santa will be making his rounds as usual on Christmas Eve. There is nothing to worry about.
Still, there have been layoffs and some of the elves have volunteered for furloughs. Unemployment is hovering at 0.2 percent, an all-time high, and I’ve heard that the managers at the workshop have lowered the heat a few degrees to save money.
How has global warming affected your plans for the future?
We had a seat at the conference in Copenhagen earlier this month. We were one of the first to sign the Kyoto Accords. There’s no question that we want to keep the ice cap, but worst case – we form a port district and build a container facility.
Back to the proposed move. I’m wondering if...
Actually, I don’t mean to correct you, but there is no real proposal that the workshop will be moved. As far as I know, it’s only a rumor.
Fine. Back to the rumor. Doesn’t it seem a bit odd to you that such a firmly grounded institution would consider leaving the North Pole?
I’m glad you asked. Santa’s workshop has been headquartered at the Pole for as long as anybody here can remember, and some of the older elves have very long memories. But ever since Hickory Farms made an offer to buy the workshop in 2003, there has been talk. Santa decided than that he didn’t want to become a subsidiary of a cheese factory. I do believe much of his decision, whatever it is, will be based on his respect for tradition and his desire to honor the beliefs of good little girls and boys across the globe.
Still, I recognize that we live in a changing world. The NPECDO stands ready to assist in any way.
All the workshop discussion aside, what else is your office working on?
There’s the sleigh museum – they were supposed to break ground 84 years ago but construction has been delayed. Mrs. Claus is leading the fight to attract a grocery store in the urban core, and all the elves are hoping for a Trader Joe’s. There’s word that McMenamins is interested in developing one of Santa’s old igloos into a resort-hotel. I’m optimistic, whatever the future might actually bring.
Thanks for taking the time to talk with us.
Glad to do it, and by the way, Merry Christmas to all.
Kelly Kearsley: 253-597-8573
kelly.kearsley@thenewstribune.com
C.R. Roberts: 253-597-8535
c.r.roberts@thenewstribune.com
Happy Holidays.
Here on the Bedlam, I wish you a...
Merry Christmas,
Happy Hanukkah,
Happy Kwanzaa
and a Happy New Year.
BoBA looks back on a decade of great anime...
When I look back at the decade that was, every now and then I make an intention look at the whole thing from an anime enthusiast's perspective. In spite of conflicts in the Middle East, natural disasters, twin towers falling down in another part of the free world, the election of a leader of a minority race, and a recession that has done a job on the livelihood of many just getting to get by...2000-2009 was a pretty solid year for anime and manga.
Already having entered the North American mainstream by way of pioneer shows Dragon Ball, Sailor Moon, Naruto and Pokemon, Japan was ready to go in for the kill.
The Bedlam on Baltic Avenue takes a look at the shows that made a huge impact.
2000
Boogiepop Phantom was one of the first major breakthrough shows of this decade in that it followed the late-night anime trend set by Serial Experiments Lain in the decade before. Takashi Murakami was credited for developing the Superflat postmodern art movement. The objective, according to Murakami, was to analyze post-war Japan through the eyes of the otaku, the enthusiasts that the West have confused with nerds.
In fact, the Otaku subculture would form a key compenent of the direction of anime and manga for this decade.
FLCL was a knockout in 2000, with the midadventures of Naota Nandaba and the freespirited recklessness of Haruko Haruhara. The haren genre made its point known as Keitaro Urashina and Naru Narusegawa's clashes went full throttle in Love Hina. For the magical girl fan in all of us, Sakura Kinomoto wrapped up her Card Captor legacy with the final moviee featuring her and Li Syaoran: The Sealed Card.
2001
The year 2001 heralded feature-length anime films such as Millenium Actress and Appleseed. Sister Princess and Happy Lesson flew the harem banner once again. And the Moon Angel Squad led by Milfeulle Sakuraba reported for duty (or lack thereof) in Galaxy Angel. The voice of Ranpha Franboise, Yukari Tamura, would go on to make her own legacy this decade.
It was Game, Set and Match with The Prince of Tennis. And if you wanted a maid living on a prayer, look no further than Mahoromatic.
This was a year for the greats of a decade ago. Lina Inverse thrilled the old schoolers with Slayers Premium, and those retro fanatics itching for sleaze, tits and glitz got their money's worth in La Blue Girl Returns. Kenshin Himura also made a cameo appearance in Samurai X: Reflections.
Fruits Basket was the story of Tohru Honda and her escapages with Kyo, Yuki and the rest of the Sohma clan. We digged the Judge Dredd bling in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure and sighed at Saga Bergmann's little fairy named Sugar.
We got our more of our slasher fix with Samurai Girl: Real Bout High School and S-Cry-ed. And if we fancied a little bit of strategy, we got it with Angelic Layer and Hikaru no Go.
Not to be outdone, we fell over countless times with the trap factor in I Me My Strawberry Eggs. And we got our middle-fingered saluter to the 90's in Puni Puni Poemy.
2002
Shibuya, a ward of Tokyo that is known for the gal subculture, was brought to the forefront with Mihona Fujii's Super GALS! Kotobuki Ran, which told the story of Ran Kotobuki, a gal who comes from a family of law enforcement officials. It was one of the launching pads for Rie Kugimiya, who would go on to voice a number of recognized faces over the course of the decade.
Azumanga Daioh was a critical success during this year. It sparked a string of successful shows within the Slice-Of-Life genre.
Spirited Away, a product of Hayao Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli, was the first Japanese full-length anime to win an Academy Award. It also earned honors at the 2003 Berlin Film Festival.
The Mobile Suit Gundam Franchise, which already had success with the original series and Wing, continued with Gundam SEED.
We got the shock of lives with Rizelmine's teams and entered The World in .hack//SIGN. Who can forget the legacy of Kyoshiro Mibu and his rivalry with Demon Eyes Kyo in Samurai Deeper Kyo? Or the high school escapades in Please Teacher? Or the romantic comedy between Aoi Sakuraba and Kaoru Hanabishi that was Ai Yori Aoshi?
Chobits was the story of Chii, and became another of CLAMP's greatest contributions. Tokyo Mew Mew, Pita-Ten, Panyo Panyo, and Di Gi Charat brought the sugar back. The monkey dance was en vogue in Overman King Gainer. And we followed Kaname Chidori, Teletha Testarossa, Sousuke Sougara and the like in Full Metal Panic!.
The adaptation of Circus's visual novel Da Capo hit the ground flying. Its sequel, Da Capo II, also went on to be successful in 2008.
Finally, Kiddy Grade featured a then-known voice actress named Aya Hirano, who would go on to be the lead for on of the most recognized characters in history to date.
2003
Chrono Crusade was the story of Rosette Christopher and her demon friend Chrono, set in the Roaring Twenties.
Another experimental anime that was successful as a late-nighter was Texhnolyze.
Green Green was an anime based on a visual novel of the same name, riding on the coattails of Sentimental Journey and the TO Heart franchise.
One of the video game's greatest heroes, Sonic the Hedgehog, made his mark in Sonic X.
The boys from Cromartie High School made us pee our pants with laughter. Gungrave missed the mark, whilke Peacemake Kurogane hit the nail right on the head, along with Wolf's Rain. Finally, our heart-strings were tugged in Someday's Dreamers, Kaleido Star and D.N. Angel.
But this year was when the Elric brothers of Edward and Alphonse shined. Full Metal Alchemist was one of 2003's greatest shows.
2004
BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad showed how a garage rock band can grace the anime silver screen with ease. We watched Sena Kobayakawa lead the Deimon Devil Bats to victory on the dusty gridiron in Eyeshield 21. And the magical girl sorority gained new members in Futari wa Pretty Cure.
Girls Bravo and Negima! Magister Negi Magi kept the harems rolling. Negima! was a noteworthy show of 2004 because of the impact of students from Mahora Girls J. High like Asuna Kagurazaka, Nodoka Miyazaki, Evangeline McDowell and Konoka Konoe.
Steamboy, produced by the same creators of Akira, will go down as the most expensive anime film to produce. Another major feature-length classic, Ghost In The Shell, was shown at the Cannes Film Festival.
Kannazuki no Miko got the yuri juices flowing and Aya Toujou of Ichigo 100% made things quite refreshing. And fans can correlate 2004 with Sergeant Frog. The sister combo of Tenma and Yakumo Tsukamoto, Kenji Harima and Eri Sawachika spiced it up in School Rumble.
Other notable shows include Paranoia Agent, Gantz and Major.
The major smash hit of 2004 on the tube was Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha, a spin off of Triangle Hearts, that went on to become a major franchise in its own right.
2005
2005 may go down as one of the turning points in anime, with a number of classic shows making their mark. Who can forget the Alice Dolls of Rozen Maiden, particularly Shinku and Suigintou and Suiseiseki; the latter winning both 2006 Saimoe Tournaments in Japan and Korea? Aside from Shana's melon bread addiction, Yakitate!! Japan was a salute to the dough behind the staff of life.
And nobody could fail to remember Rebecca Miyamoto and the denizens of the Peach Moon Academy in Pani Poni Dash!.
Paradise Kiss will be known for their OP and ED (Tommy february6 and Franz Ferdinand...a nice combination), as well as the storyline. And we love twins, so Futakoi Alternative was a nice change-up from last year's Teacher sequel Onegai Twins.
Barasui's Strawberry Marshmallow gave us all a reason to go "Awwww, adorable" all over again.
Elfen Lied mixed moe with gore and the nature-versus-nurture element to create something disturbing but beautiful. xxxHolic told the legend of Kimihiro Watanuki and his wheeling and dealings with Yuuko Ichihara. And the Gag Manga Theater never failed to make us laugh...even if we didn't know Japanese.
The undines of Neo-Venezia awaited viewers in ARIA. Hana Yori Dango was not only a smash hit as an anime, but also as a live-action drama.Eureka Seven continued the success of the Real Robot genre. And the world welcomed into the limelight Shana, a fiery-eyed Flame Haze whose charms won legions of fans from all corners of the world.
2006
The banner years continued into 2006. Death Note's staying power translated into huge dividends, with Light Yagami's ability to write down the names of those who should be punished for their misdeeds. Mushishi was another show that flexed its will. Many characters were deemed to be moe in the eyes of those who declared it, from Fate/Stay Night's Saber, Rin Tosaka and Illyasviel von Einzbern; to Kanon's Mai Kawasumi and Ayu Tsukimiya; to Eruruu and Aruruu of Utawarerumono; to Rika Furude, Rena Ryuuguu and Mion Sonozaki from Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni; to Ai Enma from Jigoku Shoujo.
This year even examined the pitfalls of the fuel that burned the fires. Welcome to the N.H.K.! gave viewers a taste of the effects and consequences of obsessions, desperation, and despondency in an unforgiving world...through the eyes of a hikkikomori (shut-in).
The Powerpuff Girls, already a shining star in America, got their own adaptation in Japan in Powerpuff Girls Z. Emiri Kato, the voice of Momoko Akatsutsumi, would earn her stripes in 2007 as Kagami Hiiragi of Lucky Star.
Fans welcomed into their list of favorite faces a certain Louise Francoise Le Blance de La Valliere in Zero no Tsukaima. And while it was off the radar, Okama's classic Himawari! was a nice set-up for the successful Getsumento Heiki Mina made famous in the live-action drama Densha Otoko.
Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion was the story of Lelouch Lamperouge, but since the show was sponsored by Pizza Hut, C.C. garnered the lion's share of the spotlight. If you were familiar with Code Geass, then you had to be familiar with C.C.
But the biggest show of this year was The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. This was the first big series by Kyoto Animation, and KyoAni would become a major player in the anime industry because of the franchise that surrounded Haruhi. The Hare Hare Yukai dance spread virally like wildfire and everyone was wearing a danchou armband. Well, at least those who could buy it at a cosplay store.
Every member of the SOS Brigade-Kyon, Itsuki Koizumi, Yuki Nagato, Mikuru Asahina and the ringleader, Haruhi Suzumiya-was a household name, and their staying power is eminent in the phenomenon/religion known as "Haruhiism".
But while Haruhi Suzumiya was fast becoming a household name across the Pacific, another Haruhi arrived on the scene: Haruhi Fujioka and the Ouran High Host Club welcomed visitors to their casual, yet high-class abode.
Other notable shows from this year include My-Otome, Mahoraba, Inukami!, I's, D.Gray-man and Blood+.
2007
KyoAni continued their run with Lucky Star, and Kagami Yoshimizu's classic spawned another brand of household names: Konata Izumi, Kagami Hiiragi, Tsukasa Hiiragi and Miyuki Takara. The other minor characters also came into the fray, but fans went wild over the main four.
For those yuri fanboys and fangirls, Maria Is Watching Over Us was the answer. Roses, vows and purity...what a blend. The Hidamari Sketch team drew up a slice-of-life comedy worth enjoying.
Hayate the Combat Butler was another smash hit, with a new slew of favorite faces like Hayate Ayasaki, Maria, Hinagiku Katsura and Nagi Sanzen'in.
Afro Samurai was a blockbuster, and Bamboo Blade heralded Tamaki Kawazoe's arrival. We saw another TV series become live-action success in Nodome Cantabile. And El Cazador de la Bruja made us shout "Ole!"
The most recent incarnation of the Gundam franchise, Gundam 00, was regarded as the #1 top anime in a 2008 poll by Newtype Magazine.
Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei got us in a state of despair from not having enough of Nozomu Itoshiki's angst, Kafuka Fuura's charm and Chiri Kitsu's perfectionism.
A couple beachside shows of note. Seto no Hanayome will be remembered for the power combo of Sun Seto and Lunar Edomae, while Nagasarete Airanto has visions of Ikuto Tohoin and Suzu dancing in their fans' heads.
GAINAX's Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann was the show that may have rivaled Gundam 00 and Lucky Star as the show that defined 2007. It earned the "best television production" and "best character design" awards from the Tokyo International Anime Fair in 2008.
The likes of yanderekko sensation Kaede Fuyou, the youthfulness of Primula, Asa Shigure's tomboy tendencies and the unforgettable Lisianthus kept us up all night in Shuffle!. Along with the latter, EF: A Tale of Memories and its sequel Ef: A Tale of Melodies continued the success of the visual novel adaptations.
The Minami Family was worth a watch: with the stone-faced Chiaki, the playful but overzealous Kana and the interest of tall tales, Haruka.
Shugo Chara! was the biggest magical girl show of 2007, with Amu Hinamori taking the spotlight. Neon Genesis Evangelion returned with a vengeance in the first of three Rebuild of Evangelion movies: Evangelion 1.0 You Are Not Alone.
Other notable shows include Sola, Idolmaster: Xenoglossia, Mushi-Uta and Venus Versus Virus.
But the decade wasn't done bringing out the best in Japan just yet.
2008
Business and finance was weaved into an anime adaptation of Spice and Wolf. Akaneiro ni Somaru Saka and Chaos;HEAd were notable visual novel adaptations, but it wasn't the best that '08 brought out.
Leave it to Kyoto Animation to do the honors.
KyoAni continued to roll on with the adaptation of Key's CLANNAD and CLANNAD After Story. The visual novel, with its healthy mix of drama and comedy, made this anime one of the top shows in 2008.
Chi's Sweet Hom was a series of shorts on a little kitty named Chi, and her coming and goings around the house. Hei and Yin were the stars of Darker than Black, another show that was successful in 2008.
For those about to rock, Detroit Metal City was the answer. For those who wanted more harms, To-Love-Ru was the answer. And the most popular girl from that show wasn't Lala Satalin Deviluke, but the would-be assassin turned pin-up mainstay, Golden Darkness. And just mention the phrase Mikan Yuuki and a number of fans will have their fingers wiggling out in the open.
Need someone to overdo things with authority? Call on Kogarashi of Kamen no Maid Guy to do it fo you.
The concept of espers was pursued with JC Staff's adaptation of Kazuma Kamachi's TO Aru Majutsu No Index and its side story, To Aru Kagaku no Railgun (which aired in 2009).
Other notable shows include Allison & Lillia, Rosari+Vampire, Linebarrels of Iron, Kannagi: Crazy Shrine Maidens, Zettai Karen Children and Wagaya no Oinari-sama.
2009
This brings us to 2009, and what a year it has been. Kyoto Animation hit another high note with K-ON!, an adaptation of kakifly's 4-panel comic, in which four high school girls with no talent whatsoever form a band and make a success of it.
Strike Witches introduced the concept of moe anthromorphism to a wide audience. The concept of girls turning into planes in a completely different interpretation of World War II was an interesting genre waiting to be broken into. Toradora! was another successful show, with its lead character Taiga Aisaka earning Saimoe honors in Japan and Korea, reprising Suiseiseki's double.
Son Goku and the Z-Fighters returned for a curtain call in Dragon Ball Kai. Nisio Isin's Bakemonogatari was produced by Shaft, the same team behind Zetsubou. Fans were treated to a slam dunk in Basquash!, while seeing the stars in Sora no Manimani. CLAMP continued churning out classics with Kobato while Aoi Hana and Sasameki Koto flew the yuri flag once again for Japan.
Mahjong entered the mainstream with the highly-popular Saki. Haruka Nogizaka treated us to a secret: she is one of us. The fans, that is. The Rebuild of Evangelion series continued with Evangelion 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance, and Edward Elric made his glorious return in Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood. And Arsene Lupin and Conan Edogawa teamed up for the very first time, to the praise of the faithful waiting for it to be realized.
You heard the song from The Aristocats called "Everybody Wants To Be A Cat?" Well, Nyan Koi! gave the phrase a new meaning. We got our fantasy fighting fix with Tears to Tiara and Queen's Blade and called shotgun in Rideback. We saw Oz Vessalius uncover the mystery behind Alice and Pandora, turning Wonderland on its head in Pandora Hearts.
We were there to roll out with Renton Thurston in Eureka Seven and stop by the Geijutsuka Art Design Class. We asked for a little shock treat from Plug Cryostat in Fight Ippatsu! Juuden-chan!! and we got it. We wanted more action, and Asura Cryin and the Gurren Lagann knockoff that was NEEDLESS delivered (albeit the latter could have done a bit better). Our faces contorted with disbelief in traptastic Kampfer and the critically-acclaimed Kimi ni Todoke got us in a sentimental state.
We wanted our countries to be personified, and we got it in Hetalia: Axis Powers. We wanted more Haruhi, and we got it in the second season. Riding on the restaurant theme, Ristorante Paradiso and Antique Bakery did the trick, and when we wanted more Darker Than Black, the anime gods listened and gave us Darker Than Black: Gemini of the Meteor. We got a damsel in distressed turned heroine in Fairy Tail.
As if that wasn't enough, the seagulls were crying over the chess board that was Rokkenjima and the battle between Battler Ushiromiya and Beatrice the Golden Witch in Umineko no Naku Koro Ni.
Other solid shows to remember from 2009 include Valkyria Chronocles, Chrome Shelled Regios, Koihime Musou, Eden of the East, Akikan!, Tayutama, Sora Kaki Girl, White Album and Sora no Otoshimono.
So as the Bedlam looks back on a successful decade of great anime, what will the next decade bring? Guess we'll have to find out in two weeks' time...
Already having entered the North American mainstream by way of pioneer shows Dragon Ball, Sailor Moon, Naruto and Pokemon, Japan was ready to go in for the kill.
The Bedlam on Baltic Avenue takes a look at the shows that made a huge impact.
2000
Boogiepop Phantom was one of the first major breakthrough shows of this decade in that it followed the late-night anime trend set by Serial Experiments Lain in the decade before. Takashi Murakami was credited for developing the Superflat postmodern art movement. The objective, according to Murakami, was to analyze post-war Japan through the eyes of the otaku, the enthusiasts that the West have confused with nerds.
In fact, the Otaku subculture would form a key compenent of the direction of anime and manga for this decade.
FLCL was a knockout in 2000, with the midadventures of Naota Nandaba and the freespirited recklessness of Haruko Haruhara. The haren genre made its point known as Keitaro Urashina and Naru Narusegawa's clashes went full throttle in Love Hina. For the magical girl fan in all of us, Sakura Kinomoto wrapped up her Card Captor legacy with the final moviee featuring her and Li Syaoran: The Sealed Card.
2001
The year 2001 heralded feature-length anime films such as Millenium Actress and Appleseed. Sister Princess and Happy Lesson flew the harem banner once again. And the Moon Angel Squad led by Milfeulle Sakuraba reported for duty (or lack thereof) in Galaxy Angel. The voice of Ranpha Franboise, Yukari Tamura, would go on to make her own legacy this decade.
It was Game, Set and Match with The Prince of Tennis. And if you wanted a maid living on a prayer, look no further than Mahoromatic.
This was a year for the greats of a decade ago. Lina Inverse thrilled the old schoolers with Slayers Premium, and those retro fanatics itching for sleaze, tits and glitz got their money's worth in La Blue Girl Returns. Kenshin Himura also made a cameo appearance in Samurai X: Reflections.
Fruits Basket was the story of Tohru Honda and her escapages with Kyo, Yuki and the rest of the Sohma clan. We digged the Judge Dredd bling in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure and sighed at Saga Bergmann's little fairy named Sugar.
We got our more of our slasher fix with Samurai Girl: Real Bout High School and S-Cry-ed. And if we fancied a little bit of strategy, we got it with Angelic Layer and Hikaru no Go.
Not to be outdone, we fell over countless times with the trap factor in I Me My Strawberry Eggs. And we got our middle-fingered saluter to the 90's in Puni Puni Poemy.
2002
Shibuya, a ward of Tokyo that is known for the gal subculture, was brought to the forefront with Mihona Fujii's Super GALS! Kotobuki Ran, which told the story of Ran Kotobuki, a gal who comes from a family of law enforcement officials. It was one of the launching pads for Rie Kugimiya, who would go on to voice a number of recognized faces over the course of the decade.
Azumanga Daioh was a critical success during this year. It sparked a string of successful shows within the Slice-Of-Life genre.
Spirited Away, a product of Hayao Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli, was the first Japanese full-length anime to win an Academy Award. It also earned honors at the 2003 Berlin Film Festival.
The Mobile Suit Gundam Franchise, which already had success with the original series and Wing, continued with Gundam SEED.
We got the shock of lives with Rizelmine's teams and entered The World in .hack//SIGN. Who can forget the legacy of Kyoshiro Mibu and his rivalry with Demon Eyes Kyo in Samurai Deeper Kyo? Or the high school escapades in Please Teacher? Or the romantic comedy between Aoi Sakuraba and Kaoru Hanabishi that was Ai Yori Aoshi?
Chobits was the story of Chii, and became another of CLAMP's greatest contributions. Tokyo Mew Mew, Pita-Ten, Panyo Panyo, and Di Gi Charat brought the sugar back. The monkey dance was en vogue in Overman King Gainer. And we followed Kaname Chidori, Teletha Testarossa, Sousuke Sougara and the like in Full Metal Panic!.
The adaptation of Circus's visual novel Da Capo hit the ground flying. Its sequel, Da Capo II, also went on to be successful in 2008.
Finally, Kiddy Grade featured a then-known voice actress named Aya Hirano, who would go on to be the lead for on of the most recognized characters in history to date.
2003
Chrono Crusade was the story of Rosette Christopher and her demon friend Chrono, set in the Roaring Twenties.
Another experimental anime that was successful as a late-nighter was Texhnolyze.
Green Green was an anime based on a visual novel of the same name, riding on the coattails of Sentimental Journey and the TO Heart franchise.
One of the video game's greatest heroes, Sonic the Hedgehog, made his mark in Sonic X.
The boys from Cromartie High School made us pee our pants with laughter. Gungrave missed the mark, whilke Peacemake Kurogane hit the nail right on the head, along with Wolf's Rain. Finally, our heart-strings were tugged in Someday's Dreamers, Kaleido Star and D.N. Angel.
But this year was when the Elric brothers of Edward and Alphonse shined. Full Metal Alchemist was one of 2003's greatest shows.
2004
BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad showed how a garage rock band can grace the anime silver screen with ease. We watched Sena Kobayakawa lead the Deimon Devil Bats to victory on the dusty gridiron in Eyeshield 21. And the magical girl sorority gained new members in Futari wa Pretty Cure.
Girls Bravo and Negima! Magister Negi Magi kept the harems rolling. Negima! was a noteworthy show of 2004 because of the impact of students from Mahora Girls J. High like Asuna Kagurazaka, Nodoka Miyazaki, Evangeline McDowell and Konoka Konoe.
Steamboy, produced by the same creators of Akira, will go down as the most expensive anime film to produce. Another major feature-length classic, Ghost In The Shell, was shown at the Cannes Film Festival.
Kannazuki no Miko got the yuri juices flowing and Aya Toujou of Ichigo 100% made things quite refreshing. And fans can correlate 2004 with Sergeant Frog. The sister combo of Tenma and Yakumo Tsukamoto, Kenji Harima and Eri Sawachika spiced it up in School Rumble.
Other notable shows include Paranoia Agent, Gantz and Major.
The major smash hit of 2004 on the tube was Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha, a spin off of Triangle Hearts, that went on to become a major franchise in its own right.
2005
2005 may go down as one of the turning points in anime, with a number of classic shows making their mark. Who can forget the Alice Dolls of Rozen Maiden, particularly Shinku and Suigintou and Suiseiseki; the latter winning both 2006 Saimoe Tournaments in Japan and Korea? Aside from Shana's melon bread addiction, Yakitate!! Japan was a salute to the dough behind the staff of life.
And nobody could fail to remember Rebecca Miyamoto and the denizens of the Peach Moon Academy in Pani Poni Dash!.
Paradise Kiss will be known for their OP and ED (Tommy february6 and Franz Ferdinand...a nice combination), as well as the storyline. And we love twins, so Futakoi Alternative was a nice change-up from last year's Teacher sequel Onegai Twins.
Barasui's Strawberry Marshmallow gave us all a reason to go "Awwww, adorable" all over again.
Elfen Lied mixed moe with gore and the nature-versus-nurture element to create something disturbing but beautiful. xxxHolic told the legend of Kimihiro Watanuki and his wheeling and dealings with Yuuko Ichihara. And the Gag Manga Theater never failed to make us laugh...even if we didn't know Japanese.
The undines of Neo-Venezia awaited viewers in ARIA. Hana Yori Dango was not only a smash hit as an anime, but also as a live-action drama.Eureka Seven continued the success of the Real Robot genre. And the world welcomed into the limelight Shana, a fiery-eyed Flame Haze whose charms won legions of fans from all corners of the world.
2006
The banner years continued into 2006. Death Note's staying power translated into huge dividends, with Light Yagami's ability to write down the names of those who should be punished for their misdeeds. Mushishi was another show that flexed its will. Many characters were deemed to be moe in the eyes of those who declared it, from Fate/Stay Night's Saber, Rin Tosaka and Illyasviel von Einzbern; to Kanon's Mai Kawasumi and Ayu Tsukimiya; to Eruruu and Aruruu of Utawarerumono; to Rika Furude, Rena Ryuuguu and Mion Sonozaki from Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni; to Ai Enma from Jigoku Shoujo.
This year even examined the pitfalls of the fuel that burned the fires. Welcome to the N.H.K.! gave viewers a taste of the effects and consequences of obsessions, desperation, and despondency in an unforgiving world...through the eyes of a hikkikomori (shut-in).
The Powerpuff Girls, already a shining star in America, got their own adaptation in Japan in Powerpuff Girls Z. Emiri Kato, the voice of Momoko Akatsutsumi, would earn her stripes in 2007 as Kagami Hiiragi of Lucky Star.
Fans welcomed into their list of favorite faces a certain Louise Francoise Le Blance de La Valliere in Zero no Tsukaima. And while it was off the radar, Okama's classic Himawari! was a nice set-up for the successful Getsumento Heiki Mina made famous in the live-action drama Densha Otoko.
Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion was the story of Lelouch Lamperouge, but since the show was sponsored by Pizza Hut, C.C. garnered the lion's share of the spotlight. If you were familiar with Code Geass, then you had to be familiar with C.C.
But the biggest show of this year was The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. This was the first big series by Kyoto Animation, and KyoAni would become a major player in the anime industry because of the franchise that surrounded Haruhi. The Hare Hare Yukai dance spread virally like wildfire and everyone was wearing a danchou armband. Well, at least those who could buy it at a cosplay store.
Every member of the SOS Brigade-Kyon, Itsuki Koizumi, Yuki Nagato, Mikuru Asahina and the ringleader, Haruhi Suzumiya-was a household name, and their staying power is eminent in the phenomenon/religion known as "Haruhiism".
But while Haruhi Suzumiya was fast becoming a household name across the Pacific, another Haruhi arrived on the scene: Haruhi Fujioka and the Ouran High Host Club welcomed visitors to their casual, yet high-class abode.
Other notable shows from this year include My-Otome, Mahoraba, Inukami!, I's, D.Gray-man and Blood+.
2007
KyoAni continued their run with Lucky Star, and Kagami Yoshimizu's classic spawned another brand of household names: Konata Izumi, Kagami Hiiragi, Tsukasa Hiiragi and Miyuki Takara. The other minor characters also came into the fray, but fans went wild over the main four.
For those yuri fanboys and fangirls, Maria Is Watching Over Us was the answer. Roses, vows and purity...what a blend. The Hidamari Sketch team drew up a slice-of-life comedy worth enjoying.
Hayate the Combat Butler was another smash hit, with a new slew of favorite faces like Hayate Ayasaki, Maria, Hinagiku Katsura and Nagi Sanzen'in.
Afro Samurai was a blockbuster, and Bamboo Blade heralded Tamaki Kawazoe's arrival. We saw another TV series become live-action success in Nodome Cantabile. And El Cazador de la Bruja made us shout "Ole!"
The most recent incarnation of the Gundam franchise, Gundam 00, was regarded as the #1 top anime in a 2008 poll by Newtype Magazine.
Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei got us in a state of despair from not having enough of Nozomu Itoshiki's angst, Kafuka Fuura's charm and Chiri Kitsu's perfectionism.
A couple beachside shows of note. Seto no Hanayome will be remembered for the power combo of Sun Seto and Lunar Edomae, while Nagasarete Airanto has visions of Ikuto Tohoin and Suzu dancing in their fans' heads.
GAINAX's Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann was the show that may have rivaled Gundam 00 and Lucky Star as the show that defined 2007. It earned the "best television production" and "best character design" awards from the Tokyo International Anime Fair in 2008.
The likes of yanderekko sensation Kaede Fuyou, the youthfulness of Primula, Asa Shigure's tomboy tendencies and the unforgettable Lisianthus kept us up all night in Shuffle!. Along with the latter, EF: A Tale of Memories and its sequel Ef: A Tale of Melodies continued the success of the visual novel adaptations.
The Minami Family was worth a watch: with the stone-faced Chiaki, the playful but overzealous Kana and the interest of tall tales, Haruka.
Shugo Chara! was the biggest magical girl show of 2007, with Amu Hinamori taking the spotlight. Neon Genesis Evangelion returned with a vengeance in the first of three Rebuild of Evangelion movies: Evangelion 1.0 You Are Not Alone.
Other notable shows include Sola, Idolmaster: Xenoglossia, Mushi-Uta and Venus Versus Virus.
But the decade wasn't done bringing out the best in Japan just yet.
2008
Business and finance was weaved into an anime adaptation of Spice and Wolf. Akaneiro ni Somaru Saka and Chaos;HEAd were notable visual novel adaptations, but it wasn't the best that '08 brought out.
Leave it to Kyoto Animation to do the honors.
KyoAni continued to roll on with the adaptation of Key's CLANNAD and CLANNAD After Story. The visual novel, with its healthy mix of drama and comedy, made this anime one of the top shows in 2008.
Chi's Sweet Hom was a series of shorts on a little kitty named Chi, and her coming and goings around the house. Hei and Yin were the stars of Darker than Black, another show that was successful in 2008.
For those about to rock, Detroit Metal City was the answer. For those who wanted more harms, To-Love-Ru was the answer. And the most popular girl from that show wasn't Lala Satalin Deviluke, but the would-be assassin turned pin-up mainstay, Golden Darkness. And just mention the phrase Mikan Yuuki and a number of fans will have their fingers wiggling out in the open.
Need someone to overdo things with authority? Call on Kogarashi of Kamen no Maid Guy to do it fo you.
The concept of espers was pursued with JC Staff's adaptation of Kazuma Kamachi's TO Aru Majutsu No Index and its side story, To Aru Kagaku no Railgun (which aired in 2009).
Other notable shows include Allison & Lillia, Rosari+Vampire, Linebarrels of Iron, Kannagi: Crazy Shrine Maidens, Zettai Karen Children and Wagaya no Oinari-sama.
2009
This brings us to 2009, and what a year it has been. Kyoto Animation hit another high note with K-ON!, an adaptation of kakifly's 4-panel comic, in which four high school girls with no talent whatsoever form a band and make a success of it.
Strike Witches introduced the concept of moe anthromorphism to a wide audience. The concept of girls turning into planes in a completely different interpretation of World War II was an interesting genre waiting to be broken into. Toradora! was another successful show, with its lead character Taiga Aisaka earning Saimoe honors in Japan and Korea, reprising Suiseiseki's double.
Son Goku and the Z-Fighters returned for a curtain call in Dragon Ball Kai. Nisio Isin's Bakemonogatari was produced by Shaft, the same team behind Zetsubou. Fans were treated to a slam dunk in Basquash!, while seeing the stars in Sora no Manimani. CLAMP continued churning out classics with Kobato while Aoi Hana and Sasameki Koto flew the yuri flag once again for Japan.
Mahjong entered the mainstream with the highly-popular Saki. Haruka Nogizaka treated us to a secret: she is one of us. The fans, that is. The Rebuild of Evangelion series continued with Evangelion 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance, and Edward Elric made his glorious return in Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood. And Arsene Lupin and Conan Edogawa teamed up for the very first time, to the praise of the faithful waiting for it to be realized.
You heard the song from The Aristocats called "Everybody Wants To Be A Cat?" Well, Nyan Koi! gave the phrase a new meaning. We got our fantasy fighting fix with Tears to Tiara and Queen's Blade and called shotgun in Rideback. We saw Oz Vessalius uncover the mystery behind Alice and Pandora, turning Wonderland on its head in Pandora Hearts.
We were there to roll out with Renton Thurston in Eureka Seven and stop by the Geijutsuka Art Design Class. We asked for a little shock treat from Plug Cryostat in Fight Ippatsu! Juuden-chan!! and we got it. We wanted more action, and Asura Cryin and the Gurren Lagann knockoff that was NEEDLESS delivered (albeit the latter could have done a bit better). Our faces contorted with disbelief in traptastic Kampfer and the critically-acclaimed Kimi ni Todoke got us in a sentimental state.
We wanted our countries to be personified, and we got it in Hetalia: Axis Powers. We wanted more Haruhi, and we got it in the second season. Riding on the restaurant theme, Ristorante Paradiso and Antique Bakery did the trick, and when we wanted more Darker Than Black, the anime gods listened and gave us Darker Than Black: Gemini of the Meteor. We got a damsel in distressed turned heroine in Fairy Tail.
As if that wasn't enough, the seagulls were crying over the chess board that was Rokkenjima and the battle between Battler Ushiromiya and Beatrice the Golden Witch in Umineko no Naku Koro Ni.
Other solid shows to remember from 2009 include Valkyria Chronocles, Chrome Shelled Regios, Koihime Musou, Eden of the East, Akikan!, Tayutama, Sora Kaki Girl, White Album and Sora no Otoshimono.
So as the Bedlam looks back on a successful decade of great anime, what will the next decade bring? Guess we'll have to find out in two weeks' time...
Crazy Kenyans...
Africa expected more from Mazembe
- By Yasir Abbasher, Senior Reporter
- Published: 00:00 December 19, 2009
The Fifa Club World Cup comes to an end tonight with a dream finale between Barcelona and Estudiantes.
All of the soccer fraternity is expecting a feast of action as is the custom whenever representatives of Europe face their counterparts from South America.
And while almost everyone is busy with the final, Gulf News got a call from an angry African reader in Kenya who was not at all happy with the performances of Mazembe, of the Democratic Republic of Congo, in the championship. He said that they humiliated African soccer and did not show the real standards of the game in Africa, which boasts of hosting all Fifa major tournaments this year and next year — with Egypt hosting the Under-20 World Cup, Nigeria the Under-17 World Cup and South Africa the 2010 World Cup.
"Mazembe lost against minor teams from New Zealand, a country where soccer is rated third after rugby and cricket. The players of Auckland City club were semi-professional and the Oceania Zone have got only half a seat in the finals of the World Cup compared with five seats for Africa. It is very humiliating to see the CAF Champions losing to them," our reader said.
Repeating mistakes
"They say experience allows you to learn from your mistakes, but Mazembe have repeated all the mistakes they committed in their first match against Pohang, especially in regards to applying the one-line defence which was penetrated by both the Koreans and the New Zealanders dozens of times without their technical staff changing the strategy. It was frustrating to see the team lose its lead twice in both matches and fail to represent the real progress African soccer has achieved in recent years.
"Yes, they played with a man less, and the referee was unfair in sending their custodian, but that is not an excuse for losing to Oceania. They should have been able to beat them despite that. All the African clubs in the previous versions of the tournament have done better. I hope that the CAF will investigate the real reasons behind the poor results and performances of their representatives in this championship," he said.
===
To the reader, I say this:
Ever heard of rugby sevens? Lay off the coffee and divert your interest to your national team. Because nobody cares.
Wanker.
All of the soccer fraternity is expecting a feast of action as is the custom whenever representatives of Europe face their counterparts from South America.
And while almost everyone is busy with the final, Gulf News got a call from an angry African reader in Kenya who was not at all happy with the performances of Mazembe, of the Democratic Republic of Congo, in the championship. He said that they humiliated African soccer and did not show the real standards of the game in Africa, which boasts of hosting all Fifa major tournaments this year and next year — with Egypt hosting the Under-20 World Cup, Nigeria the Under-17 World Cup and South Africa the 2010 World Cup.
"Mazembe lost against minor teams from New Zealand, a country where soccer is rated third after rugby and cricket. The players of Auckland City club were semi-professional and the Oceania Zone have got only half a seat in the finals of the World Cup compared with five seats for Africa. It is very humiliating to see the CAF Champions losing to them," our reader said.
Repeating mistakes
"They say experience allows you to learn from your mistakes, but Mazembe have repeated all the mistakes they committed in their first match against Pohang, especially in regards to applying the one-line defence which was penetrated by both the Koreans and the New Zealanders dozens of times without their technical staff changing the strategy. It was frustrating to see the team lose its lead twice in both matches and fail to represent the real progress African soccer has achieved in recent years.
"Yes, they played with a man less, and the referee was unfair in sending their custodian, but that is not an excuse for losing to Oceania. They should have been able to beat them despite that. All the African clubs in the previous versions of the tournament have done better. I hope that the CAF will investigate the real reasons behind the poor results and performances of their representatives in this championship," he said.
===
To the reader, I say this:
Ever heard of rugby sevens? Lay off the coffee and divert your interest to your national team. Because nobody cares.
Wanker.
City's success caps year of highs for NZ
City's success caps year of highs for NZ
By Terry Maddaford 4:00 AM Saturday Dec 19, 2009Auckland City have thrown Fifa a curve ball with their outstanding fifth placing at the Club World Cup (CWC).
In four appearances at the tournament, the Oceania champion - two outings each for City and Waitakere United - has been treated like the unwanted wedding guest and given a table outside in the hope they will quickly go away and let the real show go on.
But now Fifa might have to reconsider. In beating African champions TP Mazembe - a team representing the best clubs from 53 nations on the continent - City have effectively pushed Africa to the bottom while pressing their claim for the gilt-edged invitation next time.
Whether Fifa will now accept that and place the African team in the "pre-tournament proper" game (against the host club) and hand Oceania a place in the top five, and, on this year's prizemoney carve-up, a guaranteed $1.4 million as an automatic quarter-finalist remains to be seen.
There is no doubt in what has already been a good year for New Zealand and Oceania soccer that City's effort has been the icing on a big cake.
Article continues below
Those who doubted the value of the New Zealand Football Championship as preparation for the CWC must now concede that, with a little fine-tuning, the local competition can in fact give a worthy build-up.
After his team's first-up win over local club Al Ahli, Auckland City chairman Ivan Vuksich said the timing of the NZFC and O-League games had been a key factor in his team's success in the UAE.
Few could argue with that.
New Zealand Football will early next week come out with their blueprint for the future. There will not be radical changes but rather some fine-tuning to ensure the "product" serves the needs of the clubs and the game as a whole.
In not finding their O-League winner until May, Oceania gives that club an ideal run-in to the Club Championship. They at least get to go to the big show in the same year they win, unlike some confederations who find their representatives a year, or more, out from the CWC.
Success at this level does not come cheap.
City left these shores with a considerable overdraft, but it was money well spent as the club gave their players the best possible preparation. And got a return probably beyond their wildest dreams. Sponsorship money, always difficult to secure, has all but disappeared. The days of knocking on a door and being handed a $50,000 cheque have long gone, replaced now by many closer to $5000 or even $2000. Clubs need plenty of those just to find the $65,000 NZFC entry fee.
Vuksich is adamant the more successful clubs - City, Waitakere and Hawkes Bay as examples - have the advantage of having the infrastructure of a winter club to back them - finding the right people for the key roles paramount.
City's efforts this year and Waitakere's bold showing against Adelaide United a year earlier have given the game here credibility.
Fifth place is, realistically, the best they can aim for in the amateur versus professional scenario. That, surely, must satisfy Fifa and their on-going claim that theirs is the global game.
Carving up the US$1.5 million ($2.11 million) headed this way has been carefully documented, with Auckland as a club and their players, New Zealand Football, the Oceania Confederation and the remaining seven NZFC clubs all set to benefit.
New Zealand Football chairman Frank van Hattum is adamant every dollar his association receives will be spent wisely. It is hoped the other beneficiaries take the same approach and the game as a whole in this region prospers.
The All Whites' success in claiming their spot at next year's World Cup further backs such claims.
With soccer and hockey riding the highs of a truly memorable year, sports seen as outside the mainstream have taken, or at least shared, theglory.
City have thrown down the gauntlet and shown that playing in a domestic competition offering no prize money might not, after all, be a bad thing.
They have shown that meticulous planning and having the right people in the right jobs, from the coaching staff up and down, can lead to unexpected success and give the soccer public even more to savour.
We can only hope Fifa sees it the same way and ticks the appropriate boxes.
CITY'S GREAT RUN
O-LEAGUE
November 2 2008:
Auckland City 2 Waitakere United 2
December 13 2008:
Port Vila Sharks 0 Auckland City 2
February 14 2009:
Auckland City 8 Port Vila Sharks 1
April 5 2009:
Waitakere United 1 Auckland City 3
FINAL – April 25 2009:
Koloale FC 2 Auckland City 7 (1st leg)
May 3 2009: Auckland City 2 Koloale 2
(2nd leg, City win 9-4 on aggregate)
FIFA CLUB WORLD CUP, Abu Dhabi
December 10:
Auckland City 2 Al Ahli (UAE) 0
December 13:
Atlante FC (Mexico) 3 Auckland City 0
December 17: Play-off 5th/6th,
Auckland City 3 TP Mazembe (Congo) 2
Auckland City 2 Waitakere United 2
December 13 2008:
Port Vila Sharks 0 Auckland City 2
February 14 2009:
Auckland City 8 Port Vila Sharks 1
April 5 2009:
Waitakere United 1 Auckland City 3
FINAL – April 25 2009:
Koloale FC 2 Auckland City 7 (1st leg)
May 3 2009: Auckland City 2 Koloale 2
(2nd leg, City win 9-4 on aggregate)
FIFA CLUB WORLD CUP, Abu Dhabi
December 10:
Auckland City 2 Al Ahli (UAE) 0
December 13:
Atlante FC (Mexico) 3 Auckland City 0
December 17: Play-off 5th/6th,
Auckland City 3 TP Mazembe (Congo) 2
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