ISML 2010 Charter

The Annual Charter complements the ISML Constitution in defining values, schedules, additional limitations, etc. that have not yet been addressed. This allows ISML to be slightly different each year (keeping things exciting) while also retaining consistent core values.



I. Automatic Qualification
A. A total of sixteen (16) characters will automatically qualify to become Contestants and advance directly to the Regular Season tournament.
B. Pending eligibility as defined in Article III of the ISML Constitution, the following characters in the order shown shall be awarded automatic qualification until the limit is met:
1. Top 4 Contestants from the final rankings of the ISML 2009 Regular Season
2. Semifinalists in the Anime Saimoe Tournament ("Saimoe") 2009 of Japan
3. Contestants who have won or tied for first place in the Quarterfinals of Korea Best Moe ("KBM") 2009
4. Contestants from the ISML 2009 Double Elimination Tournament by order of rank
C. Pending eligibility, the following characters (no maximum limit) will become Candidates and will be awarded automatic entry into the Preliminary Period tournaments:
1. Contestants who accrued at least 94.5 points in the ISML 2009 Regular Season
2. Necklace winners in ISML 2009
3. Group finalists of the Anime Saimoe Tournament 2009 of Japan
4. Contestants in the Round of Sixteen in Korea Best Moe 2009
5. Contestants listed in the Top 16 of China Saimoe 2009 who would also eligible for the Top 16 of Korea Super Best Moe 2009
6. Top 5 finalists of the ISML Relegation Tournament in 2009
D. Characters who qualify in more than one instance do not receive any greater advantage than another qualifying character.

II. Voting Policies and Procedures
A. IP addresses of voters will be logged to determine authenticity and uniqueness.
B. A voter may not circumvent the Policies stated in Article IV of the ISML Constitution by using multiple IP addresses to cast votes in the same round.
C. Voters found in violation of these procedures may have their IP addresses or subnets banned from voting in future ISML-hosted events for the remainder of the year. The length of ban is at the discretion of the Staff.
D. Voters may change their vote (if cast in error) by contacting the Staff by email at [email protected]. Vote change requests must include the IP address from which the vote was cast, the original incorrect vote, and the requested new vote.

III. Nomination Period
A. The Nomination Period will last seven (7) days.
B. Character eligibility will be checked according to Article III of the Constitution with one additional condition: Character data occurring after 31 December 2009 will not be considered.
C. Voters may nominate up to twelve (12) characters.
D. Voters must nominate at least four (4) characters.
E. Voters must nominate from at least three (3) anime series.
F. Nominated characters must be unique.
G. Invalid nominations will be discarded individually and will not void the entire ballot unless the discards result in a violation of rules C, D, or E.
H. At the end of the Nomination Period, eligible characters with the most points will become Candidates and advance to the Preliminary Period until the allotted slots are filled.
1. The number of allotted slots is one hundred twenty-one (121) minus the number of automatic entries as defined in Rule I.C.
2. If a tie exists for the last available allotted slot, the tied characters up to a maximum of six (6) will advance to the Preliminary Period.
3. If more than six characters are tied, the Staff will select six characters to advance and give the remaining characters priority consideration when determining eligibility for ISML 2011.
4. After this process, any unfilled slots from 122 to 126 will become "wildcard slots" and will be awarded to characters determined by the Staff.

IV. Preliminary Period, Phase I
A. The one hundred twenty-six (126) Candidates will be divided into fourteen (14) groups of nine (9).
B. A 3-member round-robin tournament will take place in each group. The rounds are seeded as follows:
1. Round 1: 123, 456, 789
2. Round 2: 147, 258, 369
3. Round 3: 159, 267, 348
4. Round 4: 168, 249, 357
C. The four rounds will be scheduled over six (6) match days to ease the congestion.
D. Candidates will receive the following points based on their performance in each match:
1. Four (4) points for a win
2. Three (3) points for a first-place tie
3. Two (2) points for a second-place result or for a three-way first-place tie
4. One (1) point for a second-place tie
5. Zero (0) points for all other results
E. At the end of Phase I, the Candidate with the most points in each group will become Contestants and advance to the Regular Season tournament.
F. Ties in each group will be broken in the following order:
1. Head-to-head result among tied Candidates
2. Win percentage
3. Vote differential
4. Votes for
5. Most current head-to-head result from ISML 2009, Saimoe 2009, or KBM 2009
6. Highest career finish from ISML 2009, Saimoe 2009, and KBM 2009
7. Fewest tournament-eligible years based on series airdate
8. Selection by Staff
G. The remaining Candidates will be ranked collectively by points and tiebreakers to determine seeding for Phase II.

V. Preliminary Period, Phase II
A. The one hundred twelve (112) Candidates will be divided into fourteen (14) groups of eight (8).
1. Candidates will face different opponents than in Phase I.
2. Seeding will be adjusted to minimize matches between two Candidates from the same series.
B. A single-elimination tournament will take place in each group. The three (3) rounds in each bracket will be scheduled over four (4) match days.
C. The winning Candidates of each match will advance to the next round. The winning Candidates of each bracket (after three rounds) will become Contestants and advance to the Regular Season.
D. The remaining Candidates will be regrouped for Phase III.
D. The losing Candidates of the first two rounds will participate in Phase III, Round 1. The losing Candidates of the third round (bracket finals) will participate in Phase III, Round 2.

VI. Preliminary Period, Phase III
A. Phase III will consist of two (2) voting Rounds scheduled over three (3) match days.
B. In Round 1, the ninety-eight (98) Candidates will be divided into fourteen (14) groups of seven (7).
1. Candidates will face different opponents than in Phase II.
C. Voters may select up to two (2) Candidates per group.
D. The three (3) Candidates who received the most votes in each group will advance to Round 2. The remaining Candidates are eliminated from the tournament.
E. In Round 2, the forty-two (42) remaining Candidates will be divided in to six (6) groups of seven (7).
1. Candidates will face different opponents than in the previous Round.
F. Voters will select only one (1) Candidate per group.
G. The winning Candidates of each match will become Contestants and advanced to the Regular Season. All other Candidates are eliminated from the tournament.
H. In the event of any ties in Round 1 or Round 2, the Candidate with the greatest "Votes For" average prior to Phase III will advance.
A. In Round 1, the eighty-four (84) losing Candidates from the first two rounds of the Phase II tournament will participate in a free-for-all match. This round will be scheduled on the same day as Phase II, Round 3 (bracket finals).
B. Voters may select two (2) Candidates on their ballot.
C. The two Candidates receiving the most votes will become Contestants and advance to the Regular Season. The losing Candidates will advance to Round 2.
1. In the event of a tie, the Candidate(s) with the greatest "Votes for" average prior to Phase III will advance.
D. In Round 2, the eighty-two (82) losing Candidates from Round 1 plus the fourteen (14) losing Candidates from Phase II, Round 3 will be seeded into four (4) groups of twenty-four (24).
E. Voters may select one (1) Candidate from each group.
F. The Candidate receiving the most votes in each group will become Contestants and advance to the Regular Season.
1. In the event of a tie, the Candidate with the greatest "Votes for" average prior to Phase III will advance.

VII. Regular Season
A. Fifty (50) Contestants will participate in the round-robin tournament of the Regular Season.
1. Additional Competitors will be present, participating in Exhibition Matches occurring alongside the main tournament but having no bearing on its results.
B. The Regular Season will be divided into seven (7) Periods: Aquamarine, Topaz, Amethyst, Sapphire, Emerald, Ruby, and Diamond. Each Period will consist of seven (7) Rounds.
1. Each Round will host twenty-five (25) matches, and each Contestant will have one opponent per Round.
2. Each Round will also feature one (1) Exhibition Match.
3. Each Round will last twenty-four (24) hours.
4. Match results will be available on the Website at least twelve (12) hours after its scheduled end.
C. At the end of each Round, the Contestant who receives the greater number of valid votes in her Match is declared the winner; the opponent is declared the loser. If the Contestants have an equal number of valid votes, the match is declared a draw; both Contestants will record a tie in their statistics, and no overtime match will occur.
D. A ranking system will be utilized to track the Contestants' progress throughout the Regular Season and in each of the seven Periods.
1. The primary index for rankings will be League Points. Contestants are awarded League Points following each round depending on the result:
a) A win awards three (3) points.
b) A tie awards one (1) point.
c) A loss awards zero (0) points.
2. A Contestant's League Points will be equivalent to her Strength of Schedule (SoS) index, which is used in calculating tiebreakers.
2. A secondary index for rankings will be the Strength of Schedule, which is a value calculated by multiplying the Contestant's number of wins times 3 and adding the number of draws.
E. Contestants may not have the same rank at any point in the tournament. If Contestants have the same amount of League Points after a given Round, tiebreaker procedures will be applied in the following order:
1. Greater number of wins
2. Winner of the tied Contestants' head-to-head match, if applicable
a) This is calculated only at the end of each Period and at the end of the Regular Season.
3. Greater Strength of Schedule of Defeated Opponents (SDO)
4. Greater Strength of Schedule of All Opponents (SAO)
4. Greater Strength of Schedule of Defeated Opponents (SDO)
5. Greater Vote Differential (VD)
6. Greater number of Votes For (VF)
7. Selection by Staff
F. The top-ranked Contestant of each Period will be awarded the Necklace representing that Period. Necklaces give priority consideration for qualification in next year's tournament.
G. At the end of the Regular Season after all tiebreakers have been applied, the top sixteen (16) ranked Contestants will advance to the Postseason.
H. Every ballot submission will be recorded in a database. At the end of each Round, the Staff will validate and verify each submission before calculating totals.
I. All Voter Policies and Procedures stated in Article IV of the Constitution apply with the following additions:
1. Voters will be given the option to abstain from any match in the round. However, a ballot must have at least eight (8) votes to be valid.
2. Voters may make changes to their submitted ballot in the allotted time by contacting the Staff with their IP address and change request.
3. Votes submitted from a proxy IP are not allowed and are grounds for banning.
J. Prior to the Regular Season, a seeding tournament will determine the placement of the sixteen automatically qualified Contestants on the schedule.
1. The new Contestants who advanced from Phase I of the Preliminary Period will also participate in this tournament.
2. The primary tournament will consist of two voting rounds.
a) Additional seeding matches may be scheduled within future Preliminary Rounds for fine-tuning purposes.
b) The additional matches shall be labeled separately and shall have no impact on the currently running Preliminary matches.
3. In Round 1, the thirty (30) Contestants will be split into five (5) groups of six (6). Voters may select up to two (2) Contestants per group.
4. In Round 2, twenty-eight (28) Contestants will be split into seven (7) groups of four (4). Voters may select up to two (2) Contestants per group. The two omitted Contestants are the #1 and #2 finalists from ISML 2009.
5. Contestants earn points based on the percentage of votes accumulated in both Rounds. These totals will allow the Contestants to be properly ranked and seeded into the Regular Season.
6. Vote totals and point totals will not carry over into any other event.

VIII. Postseason
A. Sixteen (16) Contestants will participate in the double-elimination tournament of the Postseason.
1. Additional Competitors will be present, participating in Exhibition Matches occurring alongside the Postseason rounds but having no bearing on their results.
B. Contestants are seeded according to their final ranks at the end of the Regular Season.
1. The first round will feature the following matchups based on seed: 1 vs. 16, 8 vs. 9, 5 vs. 12, 4 vs. 13, 6 vs. 11, 3 vs. 14, 7 vs. 10, 2 vs. 15.
2. Contestants advance through the bracket according to traditional double-elimination rules.
3. The winner of this tournament will be declared the Champion of ISML 2010.
4. Consolation matches will be scheduled for eliminated Contestants to determine all rankings for the Postseason from fifth place to sixteenth place. These matches will take place during the featured Postseason rounds at the earliest possible opportunity.
C. The same time limits, voting procedures, and voter policies apply to the Postseason rounds as they do the Regular Season Rounds.
D. If Contestants have the same number of votes at the end of a Postseason round, the Contestant who won the head-to-head match during the Regular Season will be declared the winner. If that match was also a draw, the higher-ranked Contestant according to the final Regular Season standings will be declared the winner.

IX. Exhibition Matches
A. Exhibition Matches are official ISML-hosted events designed to raise awareness of anime series and Japanese media characters who are not currently participating in the current year's contest. The matches may focus on anime series airing after ISML had begun or on other outlets possibly previously unknown to members of the Community.
B. Exhibition Matches have no effect on the Main Tournament.
C. One Exhibition Match will be scheduled during each round of the Regular Season.
D. Several Exhibition Matches will be scheduled during each of the Postseason rounds.
E. Voting or abstaining in an Exhibition Match carries no benefit or penalty.
F. Results of Exhibition Matches will be stored in a database for historical and research purposes. They will not be used to determine eligibility or seeding in any future ISML-hosted event.

X. Schedule
A. All dates in this section will be published on the Website for easy access by the Community.
B. All dates are subject to change. ISML may change the schedule without updating this section of the document; however, any and all changes must be published on the Website as early as possible.
C. All tournament matches will last for 24 hours. Staff may extend the time period if system errors prevent votes from being submitted during this period. All extensions will be reported on the Website.
D. The Nomination Period is scheduled from 0000 GMT, 1 January 2010, to 0000 GMT, 7 January 2010.
1. This period will be extended if system errors prevent nomination submissions for more than twenty-four (24) cumulative hours.
E. The Preliminary Period is scheduled from 31 January 2010, to 25 February 2010.
1. Phase I will take place on 31 Jan, 2 Feb, 4 Feb, 7 Feb, 9 Feb, and 11 Feb.
2. A special seeding tournament for the Regular Season is scheduled on 14 Feb and 16 Feb.
3. Phase II will take place on 18 Feb, 21 Feb, 23 Feb, and 25 Feb.
4. Phase III will take place on 28 Feb, 2 Mar, and 4 Mar.
F. The Regular Season is scheduled from 21 March 2010 to 8 August 2010.
1. All matches in the regular season are scheduled to start at 1500 GMT on Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday.
2. Aquamarine Period will take place from 21 Mar to 4 Apr.
3. Topaz Period will take place from 11 Apr to 25 Apr.
4. Amethyst Period will take place from 2 May to 16 May.
5. Sapphire Period will take place from 23 May to 6 Jun.
6. Emerald Period will take place from 13 Jun to 27 Jun.
7. Ruby Period will take place from 4 Jul to 18 Jul.
8. Diamond Period will take place from 25 Jul to 8 Aug.
G. The Postseason is scheduled from 5 September 2010 to 3 October 2010.
1. Matches are scheduled to start at 1500 GMT on 5 Sep, 7 Sep, 9 Sep, 12 Sep, 14 Sep, 16 Sep, 19 Sep, 21 Sep, 23 Sep, 26 Sep, 30 Sep, and 3 Oct.
2. If the Champion is decided on 30 Sep, no match will occur on 3 Oct.

XI. Legal
A. The information presented on the site, including but not limited to biography information, statistical history, and copyright information, is not guaranteed to be completely accurate. ISML, including its staff and owners, cannot be held legally liable for any harm caused by the use or misuse of information contained within the pages located on the www.internationalsaimoe.com domain.
B. The names of all characters and Japanese productions featured on the Website do not in any way belong to ISML. All copyrights and intellectual property belong to their respective owners.
1. Names from the following title series are copyrighted by Anime International Company, Inc.: BAMBOO BLADE
2. Names from the following title series are copyrighted by Aniplex, Inc.: Kamichu!
3. Names from the following title series are copyrighted by Brain's Base, Inc.: Spice and Wolf II
4. Names from the following title series are copyrighted by BEE TRAIN Production, Inc.: Tsubasa Chronicle
5. Names from the following title series are copyrighted by Diomedia, Inc: Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu
6. Names from the following title series are copyrighted by Doumu, Inc. and Asread, Inc.: Minami-ke
7. Names from the following title series are copyrighted by Gonzo: Strike Witches, Saki
8. Names from the following title series are copyrighted by Hal Film Maker: ARIA the Animation
9. Names from the following title series are copyrighted by Imagin Co., Ltd.: Spice and Wolf
10. Names from the following title series are copyrighted by J.C.Staff Co., Ltd.: Shakugan no Shana, Zero no Tsukaima, Hayate no Gotoku!!, Toradora!, To Aru Majutsu no Index, To Aru Kagaku no Railgun
11. Names from the following title series are copyrighted by Kyoto Animation Co., Ltd.: CLANNAD, Suzumiya Haruhi no Yūutsu, Kanon, Lucky Star, Full Metal Panic!, K-ON!
12. Names from the following title series are copyrighted by MADHOUSE, Ltd.: Cardcaptor Sakura, Strawberry Panic
13. Names from the following title series are copyrighted by Nomad, Inc.: Rozen Maiden, sola, Kämpfer
14. Names from the following title series are copyrighted by Oriental Light and Magic, Inc.: Utawarerumono, ToHeart2
15. Names from the following title series are copyrighted by Satelight, Inc.: Shugo Chara!
16. Names from the following title series are copyrighted by Seven Arcs, Corp.: Mahō Shōjo Lyrical Nanoha
17. Names from the following title series are copyrighted by Shaft, Inc.: Negima?!, Hidamari Sketch, Sayōnara Zetsubō Sensei, Bakemonogatari
18. Names from the following title series are copyrighted by Studio Comet: School Rumble
19. Names from the following title series are copyrighted by Studio Deen Co., Ltd.: Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, Fate/stay night, Seitokai no Ichizon
20. Names from the following title series are copyrighted by SUNRISE, Inc.: Code Geass
21. Names from the following title series are copyrighted by SynergySP, Ltd.: Hayate no Gotoku!
22. Names from the following title series are copyrighted by TMS Entertainment, Inc.: Detective Conan
23. Names from the following title series are copyrighted by Ufotable, Inc.: Kara no Kyōkai
24. Names from the following title series are copyrighted by Xebec, Inc.: To Love-Ru
C. During vote-checking, the Staff does not show any favoritism to any Contestant during the validation process. Once voting results are released for a match, a member of the Community may appeal the results within 24 hours. Once an appeal is accepted by the ISML Commissioner, the Staff will repeat the validation procedures and make any appropriate adjustments. After 24 hours have passed, the result is final and cannot be changed.
D. While the Staff will attempt to enforce the Voter Policies as strictly as possible, situations may occur where not all votes in violation of the Policies will be detected or where voters banned for Policy violations discover alternate methods to submit votes. The Staff will work to the best of their ability to minimize the occurrence of these situations.
E. All scheduled dates and times are subject to change without prior notice. However once changed, the Community will be notified on the Website.
F. Each year, ISML and the Staff attempt to present a fair system of matches such that Contestants have a chance to compete against all other Contestants. While the fairness and parity of the Regular Season as a whole is guaranteed, the fairness and parity of each of the seven Periods is not. The Staff have assured their best, honest, and virtuous effort to arrange a respectively even Strength of Schedule for all Contestants without bias or favoritism or discrimination.

XII. Amendments
A. Once approved and published, the contents of this document shall not be altered. It may only be amended, in which amendments may update or supersede the statements in this document.
B. Amendments may be suggested by any member of the Community and are subject to approval by the Staff and Commissioner at any time during the course of the tournament.
C. Approved Amendments must be reported on the Website.
D. This Charter was amended on 13 February 2010.
1. Information about the seeding tournament for the Regular Season was added as Section VII.J.
2. Section IV regarding Phase III of the Preliminary Period was completely redefined. Two days were added to the schedule to accommodate the changes.
3. Aquamarine Period is delayed one week to begin on 21 March. Schedule entries in Section X were updated to reflect these changes.
E. This Charter was amended on 23 March 2010.
1. League Points and Strength of Schedule were made synonymous because their values are equal after the removal of overtime matches from ISML 2009.
2. A clarification was made regarding the role of SAO and SDO in Regular Season rank tiebreakers.
3. The extra seeding matches that took place during the Preliminary Period are now properly documented in the Charter.