Two girls who are used to being one must separate today and fight against each other. Higurashi's representation has shrunk over the years, but the fact that these two characters remain should mean a lot to fans of the series. Rika, the 2007 Saimoe Champion, has proven her worth in the business since her debut with impressive victories. Hanyū has also made great appearances during her Saimoe career, always a few votes shy of being on par with Rika. With only one win differentiating them this ISML season, can Hanyū show that she can be on par with Rika, or will Rika continue to overshadow her?

The last time these two girls met, during the Ruby period of 2009, Suzumiya Haruhi entered the day tied for the lead at 51-1. Aisaka Taiga, while impressive to that point at 42-10, was just outside of the Top 8 and was still looking for her first win against a so-called 'God Tier' opponent. By day's end, the Palmtop Tiger scored a 25-vote upset and make the biggest statement of her Saimoe career to that point. Flash forward to today and one will find that the roles have been reversed. It's Taiga in the 'God Tier,' while the Brigade Leader is on the outside of the Top 8 and looking for her first huge win of the year. Can Taiga go 2-for-2 against the Goddess, or will Haruhi return the favor?

There are quite a few interesting matches lined up to start the Emerald period, and one of those matches involves the defending Tiara winner Hinagiku. Not only does she start the period on top, she is one of two contestants still undefeated for the regular season and is looking to become the first to finish the season unbeaten. Her support in individual matches has been a little sluggish lately, but she has still managed to win her matches with room to spare. However, when it came time to face a dangerous opponent in Yuki during Sapphire, she regained her support and won her match proving that she is still the one to beat. She made a point last year that she didn't need to have an undefeated record, or for that matter a top 10 finish to win the tiara. Her next challenger Hiiragi Kagami is looking to use that same theory against her. She has started out in ISML very slowly by spending most of the regular season outside the top 16. As a top 16 representative last year and the 2008 winner of J-Saimoe, she is not used to starting out slow. However, she has recovered quickly as of late by going 6-1 in Sapphire. She made a statement during that period by beating a strong newcomer and current top 16 representative in Hitagi. By winning this match, she will be the first to defeat Hinagiku and that is something the defending tiara winner does not want to deal with right now. Both have managed to reach the top in separate tournaments, but which one will make a statement and prove that in this match, they are better than the other.

Fate Testarossa's name has become synonymous with the ISML Double-Elimination Tournament, and for good reason; the Enforcer not only won the inaugural Tiara, but her career playoff record (8-2) is the best in ISML history. With all of that history, it's hard to imagine a playoff without her... but if the season ended today, that scenario would become a reality. Fate enters the day in 17th place, one win outside of the final playoff spot. She'll get no sympathy from her opponent, Saber. Saber has yet to qualify for the Double-Elimination Tournament, having finished 20th and 21st the past two years. But a strong start has her in the Top 10, and a win today could mean a five win buffer over 17th place with just 20 matches remaining.

These two contestants share a lot in common. They each possess a beauty unaffected by the passage of time, an affinity for certain foods, and a painful past causing them to shield themselves emotionally from others. And both are saimoe veterans, with C.C. finishing in the top 25 in Saimoe Japan 2007 and in the top 17 in Korea Best Moe for the last three years, and Holo winning Korea Best Moe 2008 and finishing 7th in 2009. Their ISML careers are also similar, with C.C. currently with 102 career wins and a best season finish of 8th place in 2008, and Holo currently with 108 career wins and a best season finish of 13th place in 2009. This round will mark the third time they have faced each other in an ISML head-to-head match. Their first encounter was in 2008 during Aquamarine round 2 with Holo emerging victorious by a close 34-vote margin. And going into Amethyst round 6 last year, they were tied with a period record of (3-2) and an overall record of (14-9). And while Holo again emerged victorious, C.C. is hoping that this year will be different. Will C.C. force the wolf deity to acquiesce, or will Holo bite the witch a third time?

Our next two challengers have earned their intelligence and used them for different reasons. However, in this match, they will both need to use their intelligence to outsmart the other. Nagi would have to be smart if she was going to inherit a fortune and she more than proved that by becoming a prodigy at a young age. Although she hasn't always put her smarts to good use, she is smart enough to realize that she doesn't need a fortune to help her friends and those who work with her. She has made an impact in J-saimoe as a runner up in 2007 and coming within one match of reaching the top 8 in 2009. She has shown that she can contend in ISML, but has been unable to finish the season in the top 16. She may be holding one of the top spots at the moment, but to keep it, she will have to contend with a challenger who has already made a name for herself in ISML. Unlike her opponent, Yuki's only concern is reading and is not really interested in making friends, although she does help out when necessary. She has managed to come close in Korea Super Best Moe in 06-07, but she has made a name for herself more with ISML by being runner up to the 2008 tiara winner Fate, and also reached the top 16 in 2008. She is currently in the top 10 and is looking to reach DE again this year. Will the young prodigy have the motivation and support to pull out the victory, or will the quiet one prove that she has more than enough intelligence to stop anyone who stands in her way?

The statistic that makes this match seem like the day's most lopsided match is also what makes it the most intriguing. Yes, Sakagami Tomoyo is still winless on Day 1's this season, and yes, Akiyama Mio could be seen as the league's least-hated contestant, as she has the fewest votes against her thus far. But the most obvious advantage Mio has is the fact that she's undefeated... and that could play right into Tomoyo's hands. Since the inagural season, Tomoyo is 9-0 against girls who begin the day with a 1.000 winning percentage. Can the Warrior make it a perfect 10, or will it be Mio's perfection that rules the day?

One of these challengers is trying to return to the Top 16 while the other wants to understand what it feels like to be a part of the Top 16. Rin has had a roller-coaster ride over the past few matches on both sides of the Top-16 line; she struggles to stay on the positive end of the field. Nagisa, though having lost to big players, has overall been rising steadily towards to Top 16. If Nagisa continues this pace, she may just reach the sixteenth spot in the competition, the ranking Rin desperately has been trying to hold. Is the sorceress able to capitalize on her opponent and reclaim her place in the Top 16, or does the advocate of the Big Dango Family have enough momentum to push Rin aside and continue forward?

Today's exhibition competitors have similar personalities and backgrounds. Sawachika Eri is a beautiful high-school girl who comes from a wealthy family. Despite her high status and good looks, Eri is actually lonely and seeks for love of someone who is close to her. Because of family circumstances, she rarely sees her parents, and the visits that do happen are very brief. Despite these troubles, Eri manages to put a smile on her face so her friends would not have to worry about her and can continue to have fun every day. Sonozaki Mion is a stunning class president and a born leader. She comes from the Sonozaki family, which has a large influence over life in Hinamizawa. Although she has many conflicts with her family, Mion is able to hide it in front of friends, even if an argument happened just minutes prior. Because many students look up to her, Mion makes sure that she does not waver and lose her calm. Both Eri and Mion have clashed twice in previous saimoe matches with Eri defeating Mion in both occasions. Mion still hopes for a comeback. With these two maidens' prides at stake once again, can Mion prove that the third time's a charm, or will Eri push her back to three straight losses?

The girls of Seitokai no Ichizon have performed at an average page, currently sitting right in the middle at positions #21, #25, #28, and #30. While they enter ISML as a team, each girl must battle individually for a chance at a necklace and the postseason. Their least favorite matches are the ones against each other, and unfortunately another one has arrived today. Shiina Mafuyu, the highest ranked of the four must battle her own sister to stay on the path to the top 16; she also hopes to improve on her 5-2 record from Sapphire. Minatsu has a better chance for the Emerald necklace, however, surviving her first round match while her younger sister fell to Misaka Mikoto, and she does not want to give up the winning streak. Who will win in this battle of sisterly love -- a sweet girl fond of video games and boys' love or a passionate girl fond of action and fighting?

Today's challengers started the regular season very slowly but are now picking up the pace to a point where even the opponents who are in the top 16 don't want to face either one. Kagami has been winning easy matches lately, but she had trouble early on with tough opponents, many of whom are in the top 16 presently. Fortunately for her, she started to regain the support that has led her to two-consecutive top-10 rankings in ISML. But to prove that she is back in the race for the top 16 this year, she had to beat a top-16 challenger. Hitagi ended up being that opponent. Since then, Kagami has not looked back and she is currently in the top 16. However she can't relax just yet. C.C. is also a previous top 16 representative from 2008 and is looking to reclaim her status as a contender. She has a lot of work to do if she wants to make it this year. She started out much slower than her opponent and as a result has the same number of wins and loses. But if her previous victory over Holo is any indication, her record can be very deceiving. She isn't relying on her series to pick up support, but she is picking up new support with the anticipation of a new season. One star continues to be lucky but another is looking to be better late than never. Both are looking to reclaim their fame, but only one will continue on their path to the top.

If there's one girl that's looking hotter than ever in the race before the Double Elimination Tournament lately, that girl would have to be Nakano Azusa. After a convincing win against Saber in Sapphire 3 and going undefeated that period, Azusa is looking to do the same again in Emerald and claim her first necklace in ISML. However, she faces a rather difficult challenge before that can happen. Shana is definitely no pushover, with arguably the most consistent performance than any other girl in ISML to date and successfully defending her Sapphire Necklace, she's also looking to go for back-to-back necklace wins in Emerald. So will the rising star guitarist send another veteran out of contention of the Emerald necklace or will Azusa become the Flame Haze's 31st victim in the race towards the necklaces?

At least three members will be kicked off from the hunt to the Emerald Necklace, and this match is no exception. Hot newcomer, Sengoku Nadeko, is definitely on a roll here in this period. After three consecutive wins, she finds herself only second to becoming the main character to obtaining the Emerald Necklace. In order to keep on her winning streak, she has to go through a major veteran of the ISML league, Nagato Yuki. Yuki, the current Amethyst Necklace holder, is certainly no pushover when it comes to obtaining necklaces. This period, however, she seems to be performing slower than usual. If Nadeko is able to defeat Yuki, she may be able to find herself as the top member of the Emerald period and may have a chance to obtain the necklace itself. As the first match of Round unfolds, is Nakedo able to pull off such a feat, or will Yuki put out her hot and running streak?

After slow performances in both the Amethyst and Sapphire period, Mikoto has found herself back on track this period. She is currently the leader for the hunt for the Emerald necklace, similar to her performances in Aquamarine and Topaz. In both occasions, Mio bypassed Mikoto to become the Aquamarine necklace holder, and Mikoto lost to Hinagiku, allowing Taiga to obtain the Topaz necklace. If Mikoto wants to stay as the leader and obtain the Emerald Necklace, she needs to be firm in the first place spot. However, there are girls who are just as hungry to have their first necklace. Her opponent, Yui, just happens to be one of those girls. Yui would certainly like nothing more that to get her hands on a necklace. Like Mio, she is willing to do whatever to takes to grab a necklace and show it off to Mio and the rest of the K-ON! community. Can the guitar prodigy bring the house down today, of will the electric girl give off a shocking performance of her own?

With less than 18 rounds until the end of the Regular season, the competition to obtain one of the final spots which round out the Top 16 remain very fierce. Nagi is one of those girls who holding onto one of the final spots currently, but with 6 girls merely separated by a difference of 3 wins, Nagi can't afford to suffer a loss today against Kyō. Kyō, although being ranked 12th, remains comfortably within the top 16 with a couple of more wins than Nagi, but she'd like to gain higher ground in the rankings with a win should she want a better ranking and perhaps advance further in the Double Elimination Tournament this year. Only one of these girls can defend their position in the Top 16 at the expense of the other - but will it be the one who wields dictionaries or the one who holds all the money that does it today?

The Singing Legends Duel — Today's exhibition competitors have been responsible for the success of multiple venues in the anime industry: Lynn Minmay for anime music and voice-actor concerts, and Eve for the straight-to-video (OVA) market and the cyber/virtual singers/idols. The moment when Britai turned his ship around in the middle of Minmay's song broadcast raised anime music to new levels of maturity. The scene where the EVE program corrected her virtual avatar's choreography gave birth to the concept of virtual idols. Lynn Minmei can be considered to be the progenitor of singing characters in anime today, while Eve is the progenitor of benevolent, artificially intelligent beings (e.g. VOCALOID and possibly The Oracle of the film The Matrix). While both characters have had awesome music-video-like moments that were integral to their series' plotlines, their own moods and attitudes are different. Minmay is sometimes naive, flirtatious, and generally cheerful, while Eve is all-knowing and serious, carrying the weight of the future on her shoulders. In this match, voters should take into consideration that Eve has a greater number and variety of hit songs and is a superior dancer as well. Please research these two worthy heroines and hear their songs before you vote.

린 민메이는 애니 음악 시장의 규모를 바꾼 인물로 여러 성우 이벤트나 특매품, 드라마 CD 시장을 개척한 애니메이션 경제 역사상 비교대상이 거의 없는 인물입니다. 이런 민메이와 비교될 수 있는 몇 안되는 존재 중 하나가 이브로, 새로운 애니 판매 유형인 OVA 시장 개척과 동양에서의 사이버 또는 버츄얼 아이돌의 꿈을 개척했다는 점에서 무시할 수 없는 여주인공입니다. 극장판 마크로스에서 브리타이가 자신의 함정을 선회하는 장면은 애니 음악의 새 시대를 여는 장면으로 해석할 수 있고, 메가존 23의 1부에서 EVE 프로그램이 자신의 안무를 수정하는 장면은 애니 사상 인공지능의 새로운 지평선을 연 진정한 버츄얼 아이돌의 탄생시점이라 할 수 있습니다. 두 인물은 서로 여러 모로 닮아 있지만, 그들의 후예는 크게 다릅니다. 민메이가 후대 많은 가수나 노래하는 인물들의 선조라 한다면, 이브의 경우 많은 인공지능체들의 선조라 할 수 있으며 최근 등장한 보컬로이드의 진정한 원류라 할 수 있습니다. 한편, 이 두 인물의 성격 역시 달라서 민메이는 순진하고 장난기 있는 인물인 반면, 이브는 미래의 무게를 짊어지고 있는 고뇌하는 인물이라 할 수 있습니다. 덧붙여 두 명 중에 이브쪽이 성공한 악곡의 수도 더 많으며 노래 분위기와 안무의 종류도 더 다양하다는 평가도 있었으며, 또 어떤 이는 민메이는 주제가로 성공했고 이브는 음반으로 성공했다고 말하기도 합니다. 메가존 23의 경우, 작품안의 여러 요소가 이후의 여러 대중매체에 영향을 주었고, 그 대표적인 예가 영화 'The Matrix'이며, 이 영화에서 인간에게 우호적인 인공지능체들은 이브를 연상하게 합니다. 직접 충분히 조사하여 보시고 이 둘중 한명을 고르시면 감사하겠습니다.

A loss in the previous round puts Kagami back outside the Top 16, but the shrine maiden is far from giving up. Unfortunately her rebound attempt today has to involve her dear sister Tsukasa. The youngest Hiiragi has seen better days; this year she has barely won 1/4 of her matches. At least she has not gone through a Period winless. With yesterday being her 25th loss, Tsukasa can no longer finish the regular season with a 0.500 record or better. How will she fare against Kagami, on whom she has depended and possibly idolized? Kagami values her family very much, but ISML glory may be a potential opportunity too good to pass up.

Prior to Emerald, the current top 16 have beaten all who stood in their way including the challengers who are on the outside looking in. However, some challengers have decided not to wait for their moment and are now going after the top. Nagisa is one of the few challengers who is looking to make a late push to reach the top 16. She may be very shy and settles for what she has at times, but with extra help, even she will set goals for herself and exceed them. She may be outside the top 16 at the moment, but she made a big statement that she wants to be on top as well by beating a current top 16 representative in Hitagi during Emerald. If she wants to reach the DE tournament at the end of the season, she will have to beat many more top challengers. Beating her next challenger Shana may be her biggest test yet. Unlike Nagisa, the flame haze is already in position to reach the tournament and is setting much higher goals by winning the tiara. What she is worried about is that there are new challengers to ISML who are looking to pass her as well. She already suffered her only loss to one of the new challengers Mio during Amethyst and just barely beat another new challenger Azusa during Emerald. She may be in position to win the Emerald necklace, but if she's not careful, not only could she lose to tough competition, she could also lose to those who are starting to get tough. Will the flame haze burn away her competition or will determination help Nagisa overcome a huge obstacle in front of her on her way to the top.

As the regular season in nears its end, the bullseye on undefeated Contestants' backs becomes more evident, as everybody hopes to become the spoiler — the first person to end the long winning streak. Misaka Mikoto has a chance today to realize that role; it comes with an added bonus of exacting revenge for losing the Aquamarine Necklace to Mio on an SDO tiebreaker earlier this year. The high-level esper hopes to gift-wrap the admired bassist something none of Mio's previous opponents have ever done: a loss in this international league. The timing could not have been better; the last time a Contestant rode an undefeated streak so far into the season was Suzumiya Haruhi's historic (44-0) run, and she blew it in the Emerald finale. Will Mio continue her hot streak, or will Mikoto finally make the new girl fall in line?

Our next two challengers have already proven that they can contend with the elite; they each have necklaces this year to prove it. While they have their sights set on winning the tiara, they both still have an outside chance at winning a second necklace. For Yuki, it's business as usual. While she doesn't show much emotion on the outside, as long as she gets her job done she doesn't have to worry about getting excited. What Nagato is worried about is not winning another necklace, but winning the tiara that has eluded her for the past two years. Her opponent Taiga is also looking to win a tiara this year, but unlike Yuki, Taiga also has her sights set on getting back at Yuki for her previous defeats in ISML 2009, which includes one defeat in last year's DE tournament. Her rage may have helped her get far, but stronger opponents found a way to exploit that weakness and won their match. She realized that if she was going to make it further, she had to calm down and relax. She did just that and she ended up winning J-Saimoe last year. However deep down, she still wants to take down the opponent who has humbled her more than once. Can Taiga finally claw her way to victory, or will Yuki use all of her intelligence to outsmart her opponent yet again?

When Shana was handed her first loss by a mere newcomer, nobody saw that coming. Nor did anybody see this coming either. As if Shana's large list of accomplishments in the Saimoe Circuit isn't enough, she's en route to winning two consecutive necklaces in a row, a feat that only Suzumiya Haruhi was able to pull off. And to do that, the three-time necklace winner will have to pull off a not-so-easy victory against the former two-time necklace winner Fujibayashi Kyō, who is fighting for her life to stay in the hunt for the necklace. While Kyō has never defeated Shana in Saimoe history and while current statistics don't indidcate that it would happen tonight, keep in mind that stranger things do happen in ISML. Will a master dictionary cannon pull off her first major upset versus a flame haze, or will ISML's all-time leading necklace-winner add another one to her collection?

While Mio has been the center of attention with her newcomer status and undefeated record, the defending Tiara champion has been quietly tacking on wins to her own merit since a serious run for the Topaz necklace two months ago. Now, three weeks before a major showdown for Ruby, Hinagiku gets an apparent breather as she faces Saber, a contestant that was a feared competitor midseason but has since shown only enough to be a potential midcarder. Fate/stay night has not had much material in a long time, so Saber deserves credit for hanging on with the current mainstream competitors, but if she wants to prove to be a serious threat for this or a future necklace, perhaps even the final tiara, then she has to give it her all to defeat the defending champion. Will Saber pull this off, or will Hinagiku take a comparatively easy win on her way to two of the biggest matches of her life?

This is probably the biggest and most important match for Hanyū and Mihoko. With both characters dead last at #49 and #50, this match will show who has truly lost her cuteness over the course of the year. Hanyū has lost to her partner Rika, and Mihoko has lost to her partner Nodoka. The Higurashi's record versus Saki in ISML is 1-0 presently with Rika's win over Nodoka in E4; how will it change today? Hanyū has sweet charm and a catchy catchphrase while Mihoko has the selfless personality and shapely physique that any guy would want. Contestants can feel pressure on both ends of the standings; will Hanyū prove just how great she is, or will Mihoko steal the spotlight and even the record?

Trouble is written all over the air as these two characters square off against each other. Although these two are not in the hunt for the Emerald necklace, these two are more concerned with their overall performance throughout the season. Currently, the rankings of each of them are twelve and sixteen respectively. If Nadeko were to win this match, she would be able to remain in the Top 16 and knock Hitagi out of the Top 16. Nadeko seems to the the favorite in this match in terms of cuteness. However, with the new Bakemonogatari episode releasing, Hitagi may gain a significant boost for this match-up. If Hitagi wins, she would be able to remain in the Top 16 along with everyone else. Which of these two rival characters will win this round: a snake or a crab?

These two girls have something bigger to worry about instead of obtaining the Emerald necklace. With only six weeks left and fourteen more matches to go, these girls need to make a spot for themselves in the Top 16 as soon as possible. Despite the amount of wins she obtained, Rin still has not been able to make it back to the Top 16 after dropping off from it. If Rin wants to make a big comeback and reclaim her spot in the top 16, she would have to defeat major characters of this season to obtain her spot. Her opponent today may be both the stepping stone to reclaiming her spot and the biggest obstacle she would have.The 2008 Tiara Winner barely managed to make it back to the Top 16 a few rounds ago. She is still in the Top 16, but is only in the margin line area. She will have to keep on winning her matches if she does not want to fall back outside of the Top 16. These girls are desperate in finding their place in the Top 16. Can Rin find her place back to the Top, or will Fate push her down even more?