Tachibana Kanade (Angel Beats!) vs. Shiina (Angel Beats!)Shiina couldn't have asked for a harder start, not only facing a fellow
Angel Beats! competitor, but one who has blown away all who have stood in her way through preliminaries and seeding. In stark contrast, Shiina's showing in the seeding placed her at the foot of the 50 girls. Looking beyond a Kanade win seems unthinkable, and even getting close to the soaring angel would appear to be an almighty achievement for the puppy-loving ninja. However, Shiina is most deadly fighting from the shadows and isn't shallow minded enough to give up already. If Kanade fails to show, then the angel may have her wings and momentum clipped by Shiina's sword.
The removal of auto-qualification to the Regular Season this year gave everyone a first look during Prelims as to how the the newcomers could stack up to the veterans. But, nobody expected the kind of performance that Tachibana Kanade gave, especially after she steamrolled some of the long-time veterans of the contest. Now with the ISML 2011 season finally starting, Kanade is already generating talks about achieving the elusive 49-0 record as she enters her first official ISML head-to-head battle. Her first opponent: Shiina, from the same Angel Beats! series. She's had experience against Kanade, but will she finally break through against the Angel Player, or will she be the first casualty?
Index L. Prohibitorum (Toaru Majutsu no Index)
vs. Victorique de Blois (GOSICK)With thanks to a second season hype, Index L. Prohibitorum returns to ISML after a one-year absence. The nun from Necessarius is ready to regain her lost time to perform her best this year. Her first return match may prove to be a tricky one, as her opponent is none other than Victorique de Blois, a girl who is known for solving any mystery given to her. In the past, Victorique was feared for her powers and locked up inside a tower, unable to view life outside the barred window. Index may not have the same past as Victorique, but she has one just as tragic, for she was tricked into erasing her memory every year to protect her from harm. Only through their newly encountered friends were they able to break the chains of their fates and break forth into the present worlds. As repayment, they will try their best to fight today and claim the victory. Will the one who contains the 103,000 grimoires obtain her first return victory, or will the one who holds the Wellspring of Wisdom crack her mystery and obtain a victory today?
Hirasawa Ui (K-ON!) vs. Nakamura Yuri (Angel Beats!)Following a steady opening debut in 2010, Ui has done well to return to race for the 2011 Tiara, which has seen a large number of talented newcomers enter the fray. She faces one such debutant in her opening match: Yuri, the talented, sharp, and courageous brigade leader of the SSS. Neither have had the easiest of upbringings. Yuri had to endure her siblings’ deaths at the hands of robbers, whilst Ui's parents left her largely alone to care for her super dependent older sister. But, both dug deep and showed tremendous inner strength to fight against their troubles. Ui became a model housewife, sister, and pupil; Yuri turned into a strong and capable leader fighting to change things for the better. However, if one looks closely, one can sometimes still just barely catch a glimpse of their troubled pasts in a distant look or lonely smile. Whose resolve is strongest to get her 2011 ISML campaign off to a winning start?
Fate Testarossa (Mahō Shōjo Lyrical Nanoha)
vs. Saber (Fate/stay Night)The season kicks off with these two veterans going head to head. After starting the 2010 season 25-10, Fate finished 6-8, marking the first time she has failed to qualify for a playoff berth. In contrast, Saber ended the season with a 41-8 record and, for the first time, entered the playoffs. The girls also had different Preliminary performances. Saber entered the Regular Season after the Phase II matchups, while Fate barely got in, finishing 3rd in her group in Phase III. But this is ISML, and anything can happen here. If Mid-Childa's Enforcer gets the upset over the strongest servant, Fate may be able to gain some momentum at the start of the season.
Shiina Mafuyu (Seitokai no Ichizon) vs. Kotobuki Tsumugi (K-ON!)Round 1 of the Aquamarine period throws up an intriguing clash between two isolated, quiet, and imaginative blondes. However, in their approach to life, they are worlds apart. Tsumugi lets her imagination run riot in real life, from pairing up her friends to exploring the strange world of the middle class; Mafuyu pours hers into the realm of fantasy through gaming, reading manga, and novel writing. Creative, artistic and loved members of their groups, can Mafuyu successfully Level Up? Or, will Tsumugi bring her down to Earth with a bump?
第一回的海藍寶玉賽程就在兩位女孩之中拋出了一個令人感到耐人尋味的衝突，安靜，和富有想像力的金髮女孩在 ISML亮相。然而，他們對於的生活態度其實是天壤之別的：琴吹紬讓她的想像進入現實生活中 ─ 她與朋友的邂逅到探索對她來說陌生的中產階級世界;椎名真冬透過遊戲、看漫畫和小說創作來注入到她的幻想。創意、藝術和呵護屬於她們的團員，真冬是否能成功升級？或者，她會被紬顛簸的擊落回地球上?
Akiyama Mio (K-ON!) vs. Aragaki Ayase (Ore no Imōto)The bass-wielding Champion of 2010 returns to defend her Tiara, but the signs in the stars indicate that the chance of her successfully defending her crown will be nothing short of a miracle. Looking to bounce back from successive defeats to her fellow band member, Azusa, in the seeding rounds, Mio has already learned that no one is to be underestimated this season. Facing her in Round 1 of Aquamarine is another raven-haired beauty, Aragaki Ayase. A dedicated student, with a model's look and a strong heart for her friends, Ayase debuts in 2011 on a strong wave of support for
Ore no Imōto. Can Ayase use this to provide another jolt to last season's Champion? Or will Mio continue her impervious defense of the Tiara with which she finished in last year's ISML?
Returning to ISML 2011 as defending champion and bearer of the 2010 Heavenly Tiara, After School Tea Time's bassist Akiyama Mio now finds herself in a vicious playing field that is many times more competitive, unlike previous years. Having experienced the rise of ISML 2010 Miracle Rookie and AST 2010 winner, Nakano Azusa, as well as the numbers advantage of Tachibana Kanade in the recently concluded seeding rounds, it is evident to Mio that the task of defending her crown has just had the difficulty level ramped up by several notches. Standing opposite Mio in the square circle is Aragaki Ayase, who rode into the Regular Season on the wave of
Ore no Imōto fandom. Usually soft-spoken and refined, the high school model possesses both aggressive and cunning sides to her that are normally not known to the public. Will these traits help Ayase in delivering the first shocking result of the year? Or will Mio start her defense campaign with a performance deserving of her position as dual-title holder in last year’s saimoe circuit?
Hiiragi Kagami (Lucky☆Star) vs. Fujibayashi Kyō (CLANNAD)The Regular Season kicks off with a clash between two experienced, but seemingly fading veterans, both of who are tsunderes with purple hair and eyes and come from series made by Kyoto Animation. Indeed, Kagami and Kyō share a lot of common traits, including each of them having a younger sister to take care of, but neither Tsukasa nor Ryō could make it to the best 50 despite being contestants last season, so these two older sisters will have to face each other without the extra support. Up until now, the older Fujibayashi sister bested Kagami four out of four times whenever they met in ISML; however, the
Lucky☆Star-girl managed to break the winning streak during the last round of the seeding phase, and defeated her fated rival with a mere fourteen votes. Can she do it again, or will Kyō show her dictionary-throwing skills once more and deliver a painful blow to Kagami right at the start of the Aquamarine period?
常規賽揭幕之際，隨之而來的是兩位經驗豐富但似乎弱化的老將衝突，而且兩位都由Kyoto Animation製作。他們其中一位從幸運☆星來的參賽者帶有傲嬌個性、有著紫色的頭髮和眼睛，而另外一個從CLANNAD來的角色同樣也是帶有傲嬌個性、有著紫色頭髮和眼睛。事實上，柊鏡和藤林杏有著很多共同的特點。兩個人都有一個妹妹需要照顧，但柊司和藤林椋都無法前進最強的前50位，儘管他們去年都有參加常規賽。這兩位將要面對的是雙方都沒有他們妹妹的支持。截至目前為止，杏與鏡在ISML期間會晤了四次而且杏擊敗了鏡四次。但是，幸運☆星女孩設法打破連敗紀錄，在最後一輪在種子賽程，她以14票擊敗命中注定的對手。她可能再達到一次，或杏將要施展她投擲字典的絕技而再次在海藍寶玉開始期間給柊鏡一個痛苦的打擊？
Kōsaka Kirino (Ore no Imōto) vs. Haruna (Kore wa Zombie Desu ka?)Among the new faces to debut in this year's ISML tournament, our two young lasses place among the most competitive personalities in this year's roster. From debating about the appeal of Stardust Witch Meruru to being the winner in a game of Jenga—despite that there can only be one loser and no winners—Kōsaka Kirino and Haruna are clearly two tenacious individuals who will not settle for anything less than scoring a perfect victory. With that said, what better place is there to be than in the opening round of the Aquamarine period for both the young overachieving perfectionist and self-proclaimed genius Masō-Shōjo to measure themselves up for the long battle ahead? We can be assured that both girls will be giving their all from the get go, but who will be the first to cross the finish line?
Alice Carroll (ARIA) vs. Ayanami Rei (Neon Genesis Evangelion)
アリス·キャロル (アリア) vs. 綾波 レイ (新世紀エヴァンゲリオン)
앨리스 캐롤 (아리아) vs. 아야나미 레이 (신세기 에반게리온)The characterization and creation of Ayanami Rei could have quite possibly sparked the idea of the “silent moe.” Rei is a calm, cool, and collected high school girl who gets everything done in a quick and orderly fashion. Upon first glance, she can be seen as a remote girl who wishes not to interact with strangers. Despite keeping her feelings to herself and remaining emotionless, Rei truly desires to experience things like a normal person. She wants to know what emotions are and how to portray them. Although she appears to be a reclusive girl, deep down, she just wants to be like everyone else and experience their feelings. Ten years later, a girl who manages to exemplify the silent moe base even more comes in the form of Alice Carroll. Alice is studious and likes to challenge herself everyday, from skipping rocks to stepping only on shadows. Alice makes sure that everything around her goes in an orderly fashion, going as far as raising her voice at her seniors for not doing something correctly. Despite all of this, Alice is a kind, sweet girl who places the well being of others over herself and tries to find answers to anyone's problems. With a decade separating the two kuuderes, will the origin of silence, Ayanami Rei, be able to capture the hearts of the voters today, or will the Orange Princess, Alice Carroll, prove that age does matter?
