With the popularity of Mahjong in ISML-hotbed China and their strong semi-finalist showings in the J-Saimoe tournament, big things were expected of Haramura Nodoka and Fujuji Mihoko. These two have not produced big things. Or medium-sized things. Or even small things. The two Saki girls have combined for an impressively unimpressive 0-28, and have yet to be competitive in any of their matches. The silver lining in this match is that the winner today will have a chance to build momentum towards a respectable season. Today, one of these beleaguered girls has to claim their first victory of the year... right?

Nakajima Yōko first made her Saimoe debut way back in the very first Japanese Saimoe back in 2002. At that time, The Twelve Kingdoms anime was not even a month old. And just a little over a month ago from today, Yōko's opponent Presea Combatir made her debut as a major character in the Tales of Symphonia anime. This match will be Presea's first Saimoe match in which she can really show her stuff. Yōko and Presea are similar in that they have both lost a part of their past and they both need to decide on a path into the future. However, presently they both have a Saimoe match to win. Will Nakajima Yōko's age and experience lead her to victory or will the younger and more recent Presea Combatir triumph?

By nearly every statistical measure, Shana has been the most dominant force in ISML history. She has more total wins, more regular season wins, more votes for, and a higher vote differential than anyone else in league history. The only major record she does not own outright is the longest regular season winning streak, which belongs to Suzumiya Haruhi thanks to her 68-win run from Emerald 5 in 2008 to Emerald 8 in 2009. Shana's streak, with her victory over Nagato Yuki, also stands at 68. A victory today would leave only the lack of a Tiara as a blemish on an otherwise flawless resume. But that victory must come at the hands of a strong competitor, Hiiragi Kagami. Kagamin not only has championship experience (she is the 2008 J-Saimoe champion), but she also has a 2008 ISML victory over the Flame Haze. With all of this experience, can she stop the streak, or will Shana claim yet another record?

Shana's pursuit of Suzumiya Haruhi's consecutive regular season wins record may come to fruition today, but that's not the only bit of history that could be rewritten at Haruhi's expense today. Kyoto Animation is known as a saimoe empire in ISML, and Haruhi has been its unquestioned empress. Her career record at one point was a league-best 99-3. But since the end of K-ON!'s debut season, the S.O.S. Brigade leader has struggled, going 32-6. Meanwhile, Akiyama Mio has exploded onto the ISML scene. Not only did the bassist win the Aquamarine Necklace in her first ISML period, but she enters the day as KyoAni's only undefeated girl and one of three remaining in the league. Is this the day where Mio becomes the unquestioned leader of the empire, or does Haruhi have other ideas?

If there's a silver lining for Misaka Mikoto after the Topaz period, it's that it took the defending champion to hand her her first ISML defeat. But if Biri Biri was looking for an easy opponent to get back on track today, she may be out of luck. Her un-undefeated campaign begins against the resurgent Sanzen'in Nagi. After finishing 24th last year, many expected Nagi to lag behind many retuning veterans and new powerhouses. But a strong performance thus far has her well in the hunt for a spot in the Double Elimination tournament. Can she keep her momentum going, or will Mikoto bounce back from defeat?

The list of accomplishments that Aisaka Taiga has achieved keeps growing and growing. Taiga, the second girl in saimoe history to win J-Saimoe and Korea Best Moe championships in the same year (the first being Suiseiseki in 2006), added 'necklace winner' to her already-impressive resume after sneaking past Katsura Hinagiku on the final day of Topaz. The Tenori Tiger now opens Amethyst facing Fate Testarossa, a girl who possesses the one thing Taiga doesn't have: an ISML Tiara. Fate, the 2008 ISML champion, has struggled in the early going. The Enforcer's 10-4 mark is decent on its own, but not compared to her 13-1 and 14-0 starts in 2008 and 2009 respectively. Still, Fate has one advantage in this matchup: in both of their clashes last year, Fate claimed victory over Taiga. Can Fate make it three in a row, or will Taiga's impressive run continue?

Like the rest of her fellow CLANNAD girls, Sakagami Tomoyo could be called a slow starter this season. But while the show gets that description from their general performance (a combined 45-67 thus far), Tomoyo takes this "slow start" phenomenon to a different level. She is one of two girls (the other being Suzumiya Haruhi) who is winless in Round 1s and undefeated during Rounds 2-7. She hopes to break that curse today, but she'll have to fight off Saber to do it. Saber's 12-2 start is impressive, but it's hasn't been the start that's been her downfall; It's been killer slumps (a 1-7 run in 2008 and a 5-7 run in 2009) that have kept her from reaching the Double Elimination tournament. Which of these warriors will have momentum on their side at day's end?

Last season was a roller coaster ride for the often-sick Furukawa Nagisa. After jumping in and out of the Top 16 all season, she ended the year in 17th, one spot short of of qualifying for the Double Elimination tournament. Today, she has a chance to gain a small measure of revenge upon the girl who took the final spot, Holo. The Wise Wolf of Yoitsu wasn't able to win in the tournament, but she did make noise, coming within 50 votes of upsetting #1 seed (and eventual runner-up) Shana. If she wants a chance to improve her performance, a win here is crucial to keep pace with the seven girls tied at 10-4. With both girls currently outside the Top 16, a victory today would be a great boost to their respective playoff chances.

There's always a time for top 16 talk. As of Amethyst 1, names you have grown accustomed to seeing dominate the overall standings are finding themselves out of the top 16, including former prize winners Fate Testarossa and Hiiragi Kagami, and the names that are replacing the veteran guard are promising newcomers like K-ON!'s Akiyama Mio and Nakano Azusa and Bakemonogatari's Senjōgahara Hitagi and Sengoku Nadeko, all four of which are safely in the top 16. For now. However, last year, we've seen winning streaks collapse into thin air, and 0-for-30s suddenly winning out of nowhere, and veteran Tōsaka Rin, now in her third year of competition, has seen it all and knows how to counter it all. Will Rin's experience prove too much for Nadeko's talent, or can Nadeko prove that she has what it takes to be prone for ISML success?

Fujino Shizuru and Re Mii first met in the quarterfinals of Saimoe 2005, where Mii defeated Shizuru only to lose to Souseiseki in the semifinals and then to Shinku in the third place match. Both appeared against in Saimoe 2006 but were eliminated early - Shizuru, under another alias Shizuru Viola, lost to Alicia Florence in the second round, while Mii lost to Rebecca Miyamoto also in the second round. Personality-wise, Shizuru is playful although sometimes sarcastic, and Mii is energetic but can be cynical, so they are somewhat alike. It has been four years since both were majorly involved in a Saimoe match, and we shall see who has left her mark as a quarterfinalist of Saimoe.

Luck has not been very good lately for these two challengers. Without a series to help out, Kyō has been struggling to hold on to her ranking lately. Most of her losses have come against top-level challengers who are having no trouble these days. However, she is not taking her defeat suffered in Topaz at the hands of Azusa very well. Maybe that is the wakeup call she needs to get back in the game. Kurimu on the other hand has been struggling alot more than her opponent lately. After making the regular season through the first round preliminaries, it looked as if she could make a name for herself by trying to make the top 16 in her first year and she was doing fine for awhile. However, most of her matches have either been against top-level challengers or veterans who have already made a name for themselves. It may be early, but to continue their quest for a top 16 appearance, a win is an absolute necessity. Does Kyō still have it in her to take care of business and make her way back to the top, or can Kurimu break out of her own slump and get back on track in her attempt to reach the top.

While this match may seem decided on paper, it should be noted that back in Amethyst 6 last year in ISML, Sakagami Tomoyo was seen as an unstoppable force after taking out the Aquamarine Necklace, and entered the round with a 22-1 record dropping only a single match against the Topaz-necklace winner Nagato Yuki. Little did she know however, her 2nd - out of 5 losses that season, would come in the hands of her fellow colleague, Furukawa Nagisa, who pulled off an upset win of 87 votes. While both Tomoyo and Nagisa might not be in contention for the Amethyst necklace this year, a strong regular season performance could give them both a comfortable position starting off in the Double Elimination Tournament later this year. Tomoyo's looking to improve her position in the Top 8, Nagisa's looking to break into the Top 16; but as they both know, particularly when it comes to love and Saimoe, only one will get their way. But who will it be?

Hoshino Ruri, similar to Ayanami Rei from the same decade, can be considered an evolution of perceptive "cooldere" type that was popularized by Oyuki from Urusei Yatsura, as they share the characteristics of having pale skin, blue-tinted hair, and being of few words while knowing many secrets hidden to almost everyone else. While Rei ended up a very silent type, Ruri became someone apt to make very sarcastic statements, which may be viewed as emphasizing a similar aspect Oyuki had of pointing out things others wished to forget. Thus, Ruri can be said to be responsible for the revival of a female archetype whose direct, skeptical, critical words are contrasted by their cute appearance; similar characters include Y&363;ki Mikan from ToLoveRu, Nogizaka Mikan from Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu, and Kuonji Miyu from Kimi ga aruji de shitsuji ga ore de. Ruri's intellect, singing ability, and being the interface between computer and human is reminiscent of Tokimatsuri Eve from Megazone 23, and perhaps it is Eve's hair that Ruri emulates. If Ruri is the intermediary between computers and humans, Andō Mahoro may be said to be integration of the two. Mahoro can be said to be the one of the best received accumulation of maids and cyborg/android fighting beauties who is responsible for the "super maid" boom in anime, and her influence can be traced to recent series like Hayate no Gotoku! and Kuroshitsuji by contrasting fierce images of warriors and the docile images of the maid/butler. Mahoro somewhat turns back the clock by reintroducing friendly, merry, and ethically conservative female heroines which have fallen out of vogue by female characters like Hoshino Ruri. Many years have passed now, so will more people maintain loyalty with warm emotional multi-competent characters like Andō Mahoro, or have more went back to cool, distant, Electronic Fairy like Hoshino Ruri?

호시노 루리는 우루세이야츠라의 오유키로 인해 유행하기 시작한, 과묵형 쿨데레 유형을 한 층 더 발전시킨 인물이라 볼 수 있다. 90년대 중반의 비슷한 시기에 나온 아야나미 레이와 루리는 창백한 피부, 푸른빛 도는 머리, 적은 말수, 타인이 모르는 비밀들을 알고 있다는 점에서 오유키의 특징적 요소를 공유한다. 하지만 레이와는 달리 루리는 표독한 독설가라는 특징을 갖는데, 이 역시 주변 사람들을 뜨끔하게 하는 말을 던지던 오유키의 특징을 발전시킨 것이라 할 수 있다. 호시노 루리의 인기는 대단해서 그 이후 직설적이고 비꼬는 말투를 사용하는 귀여운 얼굴의 여성 조연들이 늘어나게 되었다. 비슷한 유형으로는 소위 '로리'와 같은 외모를 가졌어도 주인공에게 딴지를 걸거나 잘 놀리는 유형이 있는데, 최근 대표적 예로 'ToLoveRu'의 유우키 미캉, '노기자카 하루카의 비밀'의 노기자카 미캉, '네가 주인이고 집사가 나'에서의 쿠온지 미유가 있다. 그리고 루리가 노래를 잘 하며 컴퓨터와 사람들 사이의 중계인 역할을 하는 것은 메가존 23의 이브를 연상하게 하는데, 어쩌면 루리의 머리색은 이브를 본 딴 것인지도 모른다. 루리와 이브같이 인공지능체와 인간 사이의 매개 역할을 하는 안도 마호로의 경우 그 이전부터 있던 여러 메이드물, 인공 지능 로봇물, 사이보그/안드로이드물들을 계승하고 이를 잘 혼합하여서 사람들의 관심을 받게 된 인물이라 할 수 있다. 그 영향으로 애니 작품들에서 만능 메이드가 다시 유행하게 되었으며, '하야테처럼' 이나 '흑집사' 같은 시리즈에서도 그 영향이 보인다. 메이드나 집사같이 순종적인 위치에 있는 인물들에게게 강한 전사로써의 특성을 다시 부각시켜서 점점 유행에서 사라지던 메이드계 속성들을 다시 활성화 시켰다고도 할 수 있다. 마호로는 루리와는 달리 매우 쾌활하며 사람들과 쉽게 친해지고 타인의 의도를 보통 좋게 해석하는 경향이 있으며 음란한 것에 대하여 과민하게 반응한다. 감정을 잘 드러내지 않는 전자 요정 루리, 감정이 풍부한 만능 안드로이드 메이드 마호로, 요즘 애니팬들은 어떤 식의 감정표현에 대하여 더 관심이 많은지 궁금하다.

Looking at the early season predictions as to who would win a necklace or tiara, Mio would be the likely candidate from K-ON and so far she has done just that by winning a necklace in Aquamarine. If beating Kyō earlier this season and coming within 14 votes of beating Tomoyo wasn't enough, Azusa will surely prove that she will be another K-ON representative who is looking to win a necklace or tiara if she can beat a major contender in Misaka Mikoto. With the help of a new season still in progress, she could quickly turn her top 10 status into a top 5 status. But as a returning veteran, Mikoto has come too far to let a new challenger stand in her way of reaching the top. So far she has beaten all the weaker opponents that stood in her way and beaten equally tough opponents with room to spare. Her only defeat came at the hands of a tiara winner in Katsura Hinagiku and that match was a close one. Are we about to witness a new star looking to make a claim at the top, or will the experienced veteran prove that it's now her time to shine at the top.

Last year, Akiyama Mio was teaching Hirasawa Yui how to play a guitar. This year, they meet on a crystalis field with the Amethyst necklace at stake, as opponents. You would figure that because Mio already has the Aquamarine Necklace, because she's a handful of steps behind the Amethyst leaders as opposed to Yui, and because she actually dislike the spotlight, that Mio might actually throw this match and let Yui make a run for her own necklace. That's not necessarily the case; throwing the match for the sake of her friend also means throwing away a shot at something that has never been done in ISML history, an undefeated regular season record, and Yui (hopefully) wouldn't be able to forgive herself for winning if Mio didn't give it her all. With that being said, it's a battle between guitarist and bassist. Could the two band members spark a new inter-series rivalry or could this be a footnote in the form of a blowout?

Eleven contestants remain in the Amethyst race coming into the period's midpoint, but at least three will fall tonight in this critical match set, and it is time for three of them to pull off some major upsets if they want to stay in the necklace race. Sengoku Nadeko, currently fifth in the standings, has been sporting quite a record as of late, only losing thrice so far, but now she's drawn a monstrous opponent in Aisaka Taiga, whom is off to her longest winning streak of her career. The 2009 Dual-Saimoe champion now has a Topaz necklace to add to her accolades, and she is looking to bring her winning streak to 11 on-route to pairing the Radiance of the Sun with the Luminance of the Moon. However, upsets have happened in the past, and if Taiga's not careful, Nadeko can make a name for herself by achieving the difficult feat of ending a double-champion's streak. Which one of these competitors will put herself in a dominating position through Amethyst's final stretch?

Four contestants finished Aquamarine with unbeaten records. Three finished Topaz the same way. Amethyst will end with no more than two challengers who are still unbeaten. Right now this match will determine who will stay unbeaten and who will have their first loss. However, at the rate they're going, they may very well meet again in the double elimination tournament. Don't let Mio's scared expressions fool you, she is more than ready to perform and lead a band both on and off stage, and she has more than enough support to help her along the way. She may have had the jitters when she had to face a tough veteran in Yuki during aquamarine, but she passed her first big test with flying colors. However, she must get those jitters out of the way very quickly because, her opponent Shana does not show fear, and she will not show mercy to any of her opponents. It doesn't help that she has yet to get over the fact that she was unable to win the tiara last year. She is more determined than ever to win this time, even if she has to be more ruthless to get the job done. In the battle for the top, Which star will burn the brightest?

Sure, a Saber win over Nagato Yuki will put both of these candidates back in the Amethyst hunt, but this isn't about the Amethyst Necklace. This is about a chance to pull off something that has never been done before. This is about acheiving immortality in the history of Saimoe. This is about pulling off an undefeated streak through the entirety of a grueling regular season, and Shana still doesn't quite get it. She didn't get the big deal last year either when, at (44-0), Suzumiya Haruhi lost out on her chance to be immortalized when she lost to Sakagami Tomoyo, and she probably won't make such a big deal out of it the way Haruhi did, but she knows that she has lost before, and she hates losing. Tonight, Shana faces Akiyama Mio, a newcomer to ISML who knows the pain of becoming a mere footnote in the historic Saimoe Japan tournament after being eliminated in only the first round, and while an undefeated streak could give Mio some retribution to such a pitfall, a match against a relentless flame haze could give this young musician a painful night she wouldn't regret. This is the marquee match of the night, and only one will walk away still undefeated, but will it be a veteran with experience or a young upstart with talent?

Yuki and Saber are currently the #1 and #2 seeds in Amethyst and today they will battle to decide who will wear the necklace. Currently holding a much higher SDO than all of the other 7 undefeated girls, this could be Yuki's match, and ultimately her necklace, to lose. Yuki has proven to be a powerhouse in ISML as of late, crushing her opponents with much room to spare. However, what has been holding her back this year are her loses in the final rounds of each period, falling to Akiyama Mio in Aquamarine and Shana in Topaz respectively. Unfortunately for her, Amethyst 7 will not be any easier - as her opponent Saber, is determined to pull an upset and score her very first necklace in ISML. So can the Humanoid Interface break the trend and seal her victory or can Saber take the necklace out of Yuki's hands?

All of a sudden, it seems like all of the other candidates still undefeated in Amethyst are battling on borrowed time. Nagato Yuki is the leader in the race to the Luminance of the Moon, and her latest victories over Shiina Mafuyu, Tōsaka Rin, Asahina Mikuru, and Furukawa Nagisa have propelled her to such a lead that she can only blow it by losing this match. With her opponent having the lowest Vote Differential in Amethyst out of all the remaining eligible candidates, it would seem that the '09 Topaz winner will be adding a second necklace to her arsenal. However, it seems that stats may mean naught in this bout; rumor has it that Saber has been getting some secret training from one of the other candidates specifically for this match, and if that rumor holds true, we could see a different side of Saber that she hasn't shown in her three years of participation. Can Saber upend Yuki for the first time in her career or will Yuki add a night sky to her setting horizon?

K-ON may not have the most representatives in the regular season, but they are representing the group very proudly. Out of the group of four, three are right now in the running for top 16 this year. Mio is almost guaranteed an appearance, Azusa is starting to improve and is also in position to make the top 16. Our next challenger Yui is currently in the top 16, but she has a tougher road ahead of her if she wants to stay on top. While she has had troubles with the tougher opponents, she has managed to take care of opponents who are equal in strength or weaker than her. She may be leading her current opponent Nagi in the rankings, but that doesn't make her an easy opponent, especially when she also has a support group as well in the regular season. Twice Nagi has finished the season with a winning record, but both times she has missed out on an opportunity to reach the top 16 and the double elimination tournament. She may be in the top 16 now, but there are many more right behind her waiting to take her down which means she can't relax for even one second. This match can go a long way in determining who has an easier chance at the top 16 and who may not even make the tournament, so for either one to slack off now could cause problems later on. Has the veteran learned from her past mistakes and continue to fight to reach the top, or will another new star rise up and pass her by.