march madness: sweet 16 (part 1)
Categories: anime, march madness, moe
Tagged: minami-ke:chiaki
72 Comments »
9-to-1. Worst. Beatdown. Ever.
Previous Voting Results
Minami-ke wiped the floor with Otome wa Boku. It was complete devastation. Not even the 1992 Dream Team beat their opponents this badly. In any case, I’ll dissect the victory like any political blog would: it’s an obvious affirmation that the melonpan faction is not only alive and well (maybe they’ve been weary a la Lord Genome), but they crave organic melonpan. The deciding battle wasn’t Mizuho vs. Mako-cakes but Haruka lording over all of them all. I take this vote as an affirmation that the original premise of Derailed and melonpan is still on the right track. YES WE CAN!
What does this mean for future contests? Will melonpan be as important in upcoming races? Taking a look at the results from round 2, only Azumanga advanced without a significant melonpan presence. Is having epic melonpan like having a good low post player in the NBA? Maybe so.
In the other contests, Kanon advanced as did The Second Raid and Cowboy Bebop. Every Kyoto Animation series advanced to the Sweet 16, which impressive… but the streak ends as there’s two Kyoto vs. Kyoto match-ups coming up: Lucky Star vs. Fumoffu and Haruhi vs. Kanon.
Sweet 16 (Part 1)
These four matches will end around 11PM PST on March 12th. The final Sweet 16 matches will then begin. As always, rules are available here.
#5 Clannad vs. #11 Honey and Clover
I think either one of these two series needs to be shown on American TV at some point. Why? Because all the anime on TV right now is some sort of action series or Toriyama series. I think in order for anime to have any chance of succeeding, something different needs to be shown, and both of these series are good non-threating entries into different genres.
#4 Death Note vs. #20 Higurashi
Battle of the thrillers. I don’t even know how to match these two up… they can’t be more different in style and execution. But I do know that if you swapped Light-o and K1, both series would be significantly worse. Can’t really imagine K1 in Death Note, and Light-o is a horrible fit for Higurashi. But looking at the melonpan match-up, the Sonozaki twins swing the favor to Higurashi.
#8 Lucky Star vs. #9 Fumoffu
I like both of these series for different reasons, but Lucky Star is (in)famous for its lack of melonpan. I wonder if the DFC faction can muster enough votes to oust Fumoffu, which has Chidori and Ren. The weird part is that for both of these series, I like the minor characters (Patricia Martin, Bonta-kun) more than the main characters. The main characters aren’t bad, but the minor ones are even better. In any case, one Kyoto Animation series goes down.
#1 Ouran vs. #16 Azumanga
Sixten wrote a few reasons as to why you should vote for Azumanga. I don’t think Ouran needs any help, but you’re welcome to go through my old post on manwhores again.
72 Responses to “march madness: sweet 16 (part 1)”
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I have to say, as much as I enjoy watching Clannad, Honey and Clover just can’t be beat in my book. They might have the same emotional intensity, but there’s something artfully natural and realistic and believable and relateable to HachiKuro in way that so far I haven’t found equaled by anyone else, while Clannad is just Key doing its thing.
Well, you know what I’m voting for, Jason.
SWSW.
Why does the page reload every time I click an option?
>>I think either one of these two series needs to be shown on American TV at some point.
Dear god no, they’d butcher the translation and the voices would be terrible.
Maybe Americans should get used to subtitles.
ps. that comic? is hilarious. Especially due to the Maki/Mako-cakes mixup. HosakaxMako-cakes…?! Is that amazing or just more broken-as-usual?
I’m having issues voting as well. I can click my choice but when I hit vote the page reloads.
Voting glitch should be fixed. Try reloading if it hasn’t.
Come on. Lucky*Star has no chance against Chidori, Tessa and Bonta-kun.
Tessa is win. One more vote for Fumoffu, which for some reason is better than the actual series. I guess all the mega robots are no match for a Bonta-bot.
The Ouran vs Azumanga bracket was truely a tough one for me… but other than Yotsuba & ! (which really, really, really need to be animated) I really can’t think of another true slife-of-life that gave me as many laughs as Azumanga Daioh did.
I take this vote as an affirmation that the original premise of Derailed and melonpan is still on the right track.
Are you sure, Jason? Minami-ke has got more DFCs and traps than melonpan. Between Chiaki, Uchida, Yoshino, Touma… and Mako-cakes, you have got enough DFCs to satisfy your lolicon readers.
Fumoffu for the win. I agree with K.K., the original series was pretty good, but nothing can beat the crazy ass madness of the crazy ass janitor. That was pure comedy gold.
Kanon vs Haruhi is definitely the most difficult vote ever made (or to be made) by myself. I’ll go with Kanon, cause i’m a fan of KEY’s crying madness. Anyway, enjoy.
http://www.touhouhijack.com/fl.....hayate.swf
Azumanga does have a melonpan section as well. You have Yomi (for the Rie Tanaka fans) and Sakaki for size. While Chiyo and Osaka are the main heavies for cute and laughs, I’m still in it for Yomi. Almost normal girl, nice figure, glasses, Rie Tanaka’s voice….
Oddly I was thinking about Clannad and thought that it might be one of the few high school harem shows that has an end girl that is of legal age in the United States. Nagisa is taking her senior year over again, so that should make her at least 18 years old.
Clannad, Higurashi, Fumoffu, Azumanga.
Damn, for the first time one of my picks ISNT winning. How can Ouran Host club beat Azumanga?!
Azumanga has Osaka day dreams! Not to mention Plenty of Summer vacations to show of Sakaki melon pan!
As Osaka puts it, “Hawaiian” Melon Pan.
Yeah I cannot see Azumanga losing to Ouran, oh well maybe alot of DbD’s audience never got to enjoy it?
I was thinking of voting Lucky Star, but even Lucky Star pays hommage to Full Metal Panic!(?) Almost as much as they do Haruhi. Kagami can’t be wrong can she?
>> Nagisa is taking her senior year over again, so that should make her at least 18 years old.
I might be wrong, but isn’t Nagisa older than Tomoya? What I liked in Clannad, other than Tomoya and Nagisa’s chemistry, is the fact that they kept the girls’ “grunts” to a strict minimum. Like… When was the last time we have heard Nagisa saying a food’s name to herself? Even Kotomi’s “Are you a bully” didn’t felt as forced moé for the sake of moé as Uguu or auuu, and she didn’t have to say it through her whole arc or for the rest of the series.
Clannad, Higurashi, Fumoffu, Ouran…
WOOHOO! I did it! All my picks were the top when I placed them! I won!
What do you mean that isnt the objective?
(NOTE: FFS Jason! You add a field for recovering your post when you forget the Spam Protection NOW! Want me to give you the PHP? I can code it in my head in about 5 seconds. Its driving me mad! Do it or I will take away your DFC AND Mellonpan!)
>> Dear god no, they’d butcher the translation and the voices would be terrible.
>> Maybe Americans should get used to subtitles.
Hell, if I could get a KyoAni show on TV they could name Tomoya Bob for all I care. Even if it is really rubbish it gets the name out to the people (assuming that the translation doesn’t make it, y’know, suck – by the casual viewer’s standard), and when they go out to the internet to make fansites for Bob x Jill or whatever, they can discover the true potential and power of a show like this.
Honey and Clover has J.C.Staff’s charming sweetness, friendship, and love triangle drama at the highest level – and all it takes to beat it is 2000-word, screenshot-filled posts of Kyou and Tomoyo being ridiculously hot?
Fine, if you’re going to play that way, I’ll just have to make a case that Honey and Clover has hotness, brokenness, and thigh meat to match Clannad.
To end, I will confirm that cute, eccentric, childish, and artistic girls like Hagumi are exactly the type that art students fall head over heels for. Take it from me, I was an art student. Fuko’s not even close.
I’ve already done my best for Azumanga… if no J.C.Staff series survives this round, there is no Yurie.
As much as I liked lucky star, The Rugby Episode alone is enough to tip the favor to Fumoffu.
Also wasn’t Sasaki = American and Koyomi = Hawaiian?
*Sigh* Now no matter the outcome of Ouran VS Azumanga, I’ll have Osaka at my doorway carrying a sharp object waiting for me in the morning for not voting for her and Chiyo-chan…
GO OURAN! MANWHORES FTW XD
I’ll love Honey & Clover forever even if it’s losing 2:1 >.>
I’m happy to see that two contests are really close.
Death Note and Ouran fans, pick it up!
in the 8 hours or so since I last checked. Azumanga has pulled into the lead. Now all my picks are winning!
BOOYA!
The complete and absolute misread of Otoboku vs Minami-ke comes from comparing only leading characters. As a series, Minami-ke obviously dominated on humor and with the supporting characters. Plus it’s fresher in the minds of most people. Then there’s to consider that the most vocal supporters aren’t necessarily the majority; most people probably aren’t voting for a series based on melonpan/DFC party lines.
I don’t know who posted that “After sex” pic with Hosaka and Mako cakes but I right clicked…and saved….OH GOD did I right click and save!
*sobs in the corner*
Don’t worry, you’re just deliciously broken.
Wasn’t that suppose to be Maki?
Higurashi: First season we get mystery (or train wreck, depending on your point of view), killer lolis, twin melonpan, nii-pa, and Rena. Also Jason’s quality emo facial distortions abound in this series (two girls being classed as pantheon level).
Second season (Kai) we get answers (less train wreck), Rika being interesting, GAR K1 for about a full arc, Rena being badass without being physco, more twin melonpan, Bruce Lee-like Akasaka, and probably the funniest club game in the form of Zombie Tag. Then we have Hanyuu, who is way too cute for a god. We loose the killer lolis for the most part, but their club is still combat effective from their days as killer lolis. (Also slightly better artwork).
This is probably a rare case were the sequel is superior to the original series. Some dispute that, mainly because they wanted more of the original killer lolis, the darknesss, and the murders. However the story feels less broken in Kai and some of the things that made you wonder in the original (or things that made one think it was a total train wreck) get answers to show that the “errors” were intential for the viewer to see. Plot-holes that were there to confuse turned out to be due to POV error based on the character we are following for the arc. When the pieces fall into place, there is a renewed respect for the series.
@ Ithekro
And there I was voting Higurashi for just Rena, Mion and Shion (and meido K1 obviously)
…no! Not meido K1!
Hmmm, meido K1. We got that twice if I remember correctly. A blue version in the OVA (Second best punishment game, all players in cosplay) and a pink version in the final arc after losing to Hanyuu. Mion approves of K1 in meido (drools over it even). Though the OVA shot of meido K1 cleaning Mion’s ears is kind of sexy (actually Mion’s reactions are what is sexy).
Best punishment game is still in the the first season with Rena and K1 choosing Angle Mort hostess roles for the remaining club members. Rena’s reactions are the best.
I’ve seen some sort of DVD extra on youtube that give Mion’s melonpan a spotlight (Serious Rika: “I won”t lose”). I’ve only seen about six of these extras and they seem to be made one per episode. Have the others actually come out yet?
Enh, I’m doing about 50-50 picking the winners so far. Too many of these, I haven’t seen both of, so it’s hard to vote. Most of the time I have go ‘well, I didn’t see it, but then it didn’t interest me in the first place!’
And I got yer thigh meat right here. (safe for work)
Azumanga is beating ouran..o_O #20 seed to #1 seed. I love both but I voted for azumanga because I thought ouran would be owning them badly.I just got told.D:
What?! Higurashi lose? This is madness!
How can my darling Rena, and the Twin Melon Pan of Shion and Mion be losing?! They should be hacking, stabbing, and stun-gunning their way to the top! I deman a recount! I demand Justice! I demand icecream!
Best way is if someone were to explain why Death Note is more awesome than Higurashi? I’m not seeing it for some reason. Even without memes I’d vote Rena in a hot second. We also have a third season of Higurashi coming later. What it will be about I don’t know (I’m hoping for a Daybreak arc for superior punishment games and maybe something that will top Zombie Tag).
Jason, I think I found your perfect PC, Maid PC computer case.
http://www.kilian-nakamura.com.....p-213.html
These contests will be won by their respective winners JUST AS PLANNED.
And AS PLANNED, I voted for all that are currently leading right now.
The rugby scene in Fumoffu is all I need to say, although I don’t know how far that one episode can carry it. I predict that it will win 2-1 based on rugby alone.
Although Ouran has me worried, especially since I feel it is the superior series to Azumanga. I agree w/ Jason that the execution of Ouran is better and I have to compliment Bones on improving on the source material to make a great series over J.C. Staff having a good source and going along with it. Ouran must win!
I’m surprised that homo side characters and “MAH!” isn’t sweeping the floor with Azumanga.
Saotome said:
“What?! Higurashi lose? This is madness!”
Nope, this is where they finally figure out/decide to proxy their own answers in and ruin it for the rest of us. The hefty swing of votes toward the end (midnight PST tonight, right?) being the telltale sign. “They” of course being the ones who made SaiGAR the rousing success it was. They also apparently kill Kenny on a regular basis. They’re bastards.
Of course, I voted for Death Note (Higurashi shouldn’t have even made it past Mushishi), and am not exactly married to my voe for Ouran, having never seen Azumanga (although what I’ve read of the manga was very funny), and the other two were foregone conclusions from the start, so it really isn’t bugging me at the moment.
What. The. Hell? Only a day or so has passed, and Death Note suddenly has the lead over Higurashi? Sorry, but I can’t see why. First season trainwreck aside, the resolution presented in Kai more than made up for the confusion of the first few arcs.
I’m still a little spiteful over Mushishi losing to Higurashi, but that’s not the complete reason why I’m voting for Death note. Higurashi’s just not my type of show. Maybe if I were a guy it would be much more appealing.
Choosing between Ouran and Azumanga was almost hard. Although I love both series, Ouran was more consistently enjoyable for me.
How in hell is Clannad getting more votes than Honey and Clover? How? Did some of you miss Fuko’s arc?
Zetsubou shita! People who vote for Clannad because it’s KyoAni versus a better slice-of-life series (rather than another harem with 5-6 episodes of ‘Dozo! Have a starfish’) leave me in despair!
Some people like “Dozo! Have a starfish”. We’ll see if there is any additional payoff by the end.
Higurashi verse Death Note seems to be the least voted match this time around. Jason can blame himself for my fanboyism. I actually didn’t want to watch the series at all and didn’t until near the end of Kai. Enough images from Kai started showing up mixed with Jason here’s blogs on the killer lolis peaked my curiosity enough to go though it all. FIrst season disturbed me a bit, but Kai is gold.
Of course whoever wins this match goes up against Clannad from the look of things. If it is Death Note, Clannad takes my vote (Kyou wins). If it is Higurashi…I don’t know for sure. Killer lolis verses what could be their slightly more stable children….tough call.
I enjoyed “Dozo”, but I like H&C 10x more than I like Clannad.
Given this blog’s readership and the timing, I’m not surprised at all that Clannad is way ahead of what is one of my favorite anime.
Ouran can win this! Just 28 more votes! YES WE CAN! (Ugh…I hate those words…)
Hehe, inspiration struck after seeing the afterglow picture.
http://i222.photobucket.com/al.....1810fc.jpg
Hosaka’s font I’m especially proud of since I didn’t have creepy. Call it kimochi warui.
To be fair about the beatdown that Minami-ke delivers, it wasn’t a one on one epic trap fight. This was a three on one fight: Melonpan, trap, and GAR.
Otome wa Boku might have had a chance if it was only Mako-chan in a trap fight, but Haruka wins at melonpan by having the real thing, and Hosaka wins at GAR having broken the readers here and other places. That win comes without having to have Hosaka be a trap, but just by being Hosaka. If Otome wa Boku had no epic trap there would have been a fair fight with Haruka, but then those broken by Mako-chan would dominate with the GAR for Hosaka group. Either way is a landslide victory that has not been seen in US Presidental elections for a very long time. It would be as if 4chan and the rest of the Internet manged to get a successful write in campaign for Internet Chuck Norris for President out to the public. Obama-Clinton/McCain would not have a chance.
Vote Sonozaki! Vote melopan superiority! Say yes to shady business deals, and occasionally hiding a body or two! Say no to people named after letters in the alphabet, and the visual spectrum! Say no to creepy inviable jerks who eat apples! Say yes to creep inviable jerks who say uguu! Vote Sonozaki! Yes we can!
Death Note winning over Higurashi? That´s wrong… so wrong…
IM IN DESPAIR!!! THE OVERHYPED ANIME WINNING OVER SUPERIOR MELONPAN HAS LEFT ME IN DESPAIR!!!!
I was wondering about the sudden surge as well. Either Jason is a great motivator (Death Note claimed the lead somewhat after his post about DN fans picking up pace), or something is afoot, and it’s not the Hinamizawa Syndrome.
“Maid PC computer case”?
A return of Jason’s “Sidedish-chan”? Naw…missing the better parts and is not self portable.
————————————————————————————————————————–
As for Higurashi…Vote Rika-chama for a better America. Over 100 years of experiance. Great health care package (free rez if you die). Very religious for the Right, and wants everyone to just get along for the Left. Natural calming instinct. Motherly figure. Supports a future for melonpan. Likely you will just want to take her home. So vote Rika-chama America. You deserve it.
(For the rest of the planet, you have the choice of Superior Melonpan Sonozaki (there are two so you can share), Or the nearly stable Rena for the killer loli vote. (What is this “life-like texture” meme?). Or vote GAR and take K1. The DFC voters can have Satako for that evil laugh. Or if you want to take something you missed from Mizuho last round, take the voice of Yui Horie for Hanyuu for a non-trap cute goddess (who will also get taken home). It is your vote. Why not Haigurashi?)
>> How in hell is Clannad getting more votes than Honey and Clover? How? Did some of you miss Fuko’s arc?
I love how Tomoya and Nagisa’s relationship is developing. Got a problem with that?
STILL in despair over Death Note’s lead over Higurashi. OTL On the brighter side, my other bets seem to be doing okay. I loved Lucky Star, but Fumoffu was such a nonstop laugh-fest that there’s no contest. Ditto for Ouran. I chose CLANNAD over Hachikuro though, and it wasn’t for the romance aspect.
I haven’t seen Death Note, and i know this is a ANIME contest, but i did read Death Note manga to the end, and i was truly dissapointed in aaaaaaaaaaall the second arc. It’s just excuse after excuse after plot devices after plot devices, i just felt ashamed i was reading such an excuse for plot narration and climax presentation.
And about Higurashi. The first season seriously own the second one. What the kai season lacked that was truly fascinating on the first was the mystery and horror like aspect of the series. On the first season you got everyone going maniac, the whole time looping thing, killer lolies, epic moments, but on the second season, you got “ugh” answers to the mysteries, horrible bad animation (seriously, i have never ever complained about animation quality, and this was my first, and probably only one), a emo villain who i don’t feel sympathy for, no killings (at least not good ones), etc etc etc.
@ithekro
unfortounately for Rika she is not going to get her melonpans
http://img139.imageshack.us/im.....ikaki6.jpg
Oh I know, but Rika supports future melonpan…or Mion’s directly (“I won’t lose”).
I agree with everything that sixten said except for Osaka being the best. Pleased to see that Chiyo’s army are in the lead. Vote for pigtail flying and penguin suits, vote for Chiyo.
ohhhhh, don’t remind me of the penguin suit! you’ll make me regret voting ouran!
Azumanga is good indeed, but it’s very tame and extremely innocent, like a numbed down School Rumble. Half of the jokes didn’t make me laugh, and hell no ain’t going to look for melonpan on Azumanga.
It’s still good anyway, but not better than Ouran.
I’m disappointed that Honey and Clover has the bad luck to be matched up against a currently airing show. It doesn’t deserve this kind of beatdown.
Half of the jokes didn’t make me laugh, and hell no ain’t going to look for melonpan on Azumanga.
Sakaki?
People tend to be blinded by the memes associated with Higurashi (killer lolis come foremost to mind) that they forget the fact that, at its heart, Higurashi started as a mystery game (which just happened to have characters that displayed murderous tendencies because of paranoia). And the mysteries that were revealed during the first season were solved, rather admirably, in the season — heck, when Rika revealed the truth of the Hinamiza Sydrome in episode 12 of Kai, I think I wasn’t the only one that thought, “But darn, now it all makes sense!”.
And what’s this complaint about the art of the second season? The first season’s drawings were atrocious, but Kai was leagues better by far. My only actual complaint about Kai’s art was the fact that Rena, Mion and Shion all had cup size upgrades.
I’m a little worried about Higurashi Rei though, as the official fandisc it’s named after contained an epilogue (Saikoroshi-hen) and a comedy chapter (Daybreak) which could be inserted anywhere in the timeline (preferably the end, except it would preclude Takano from joining in the magatama fight). I do hope that the studio will use the opportunity to tie Higurashi with its spiritual successor Umineko no Naku Koro Ni.
It’s probably just me, but Sakaki is what made me vote Azumanga Daioh. Every time that cat bit her I felt jealous–I mean heartbroken. Definitely heartbroken. And when she and the Iriomote went rolling around I felt even MORE jeal– I mean, I felt LIKE MY HEART HAD BEEN PUT BACK TOGETHER. Not jealous. I felt like my heart had been put back together.
Seriously, though: Sakaki has yuri and a melonpan which is truly impressive. Sakaki/Kagura symmetrical docking 4tw!
>>I’m disappointed that Honey and Clover has the bad luck to be matched up against a currently airing show. It doesn’t deserve this kind of beatdown.
I agree. It should have an even fighting chance; they’re both great dramas about human relationships. But I guess in the end the audiences of the two shows don’t overlap very well (visual novel harem vs art school josei?), and seeing that this is Derailed, I’m simply resigned.
Pfffft. What’d I say? It’s not about the characters of Otoboku vs. Minami-Ke, it’s the SERIES Otoboku vs. Minami-Ke. And even as an Otoboku FAN I agree that Minami-Ke is superior. It wasn’t “if”, it was “how much”. And 9 to 1 is… pretty darn obvious, actually.
Actually. I figure that most of the trap-fans are straight, and posting in favor of the traps as either a joke or as a sort of faux-surrender to just how feminine these characters are. (I use “most” for reasons that I wish not to delve into… *shudder*)
C’mon, Mizuho. This crowd doesn’t understand what it’s missin’. Let’s go grab some ice cream, make ‘ya feel better… my treat. :3
Andohbytheway, I happen to BE one of the aforementioned straight-ios. But remember, on the internet, everyone’s gay for
BridgetMizuho.Would it be like last year in the NBA if the 16 seed defeats the 1 seed? Does that mean Ouran just came out of a weak division? Is it like and non Detroit/Boston out of the east? Inflated record from weak opponents, I’m looking at you Cleveland.
Y’know? I just had a great idea. TRAP-OFF between Mako-Cakes, Hayate and Mizuho-neesama. Just in the event that those of us who care too much would like a second chance at “justice”.
…and I am, in NO way, exercising Mizuho for this event. Nope. No exercise.