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Most Improved Character Tournament: Post-Mortem


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farichada



Joined: 04 Feb 2009
Posts: 303
Location: Wisconsin, USA
PostPosted: Mon Apr 15, 2013 10:33 pm Reply with quote
WhiteHairGirls wrote:
farichada wrote:
Oh yeah, guess what? I probably can't win anymore. What's even more funny ? I'm currently in first. I guess we can wait to confirm, but I am also positive. If that's not the case, I will be shocked. Shocked Shocked Shocked I am really doubting a last minute comeback will happen with only a half an hour left.


Why? Did you have Madoka winning it all? She was my nomination but I still had her losing to Youko. Sadly she won't even reach that far.


Spot on. 20 point to Gryffindor, ahem, i mean WhiteHairGirls. I was foolish enough to have Madoka win it all. In hindsight, this was terribly idiotic. I probably won't even top 3 now. It's kind of hillarious that even though I was first this round, I was almost certain I had no chance of doing well in this tournament. Blasted Dorcas_Aurelia score analysis grid you made my weakness known to me.
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getchman
Space Cowboy



Joined: 07 Apr 2012
Posts: 9120
Location: Bedford, NH
PostPosted: Mon Apr 15, 2013 10:42 pm Reply with quote
Group C-17
Youko Nakajima, The Twelve Kingdoms
vs.
Shizuku Tsukishima , Whispers of the Hear

Still haven't seen either show, but the continued overwhelming support for Youko tells me she is the one to vote for

Group C-18
Tomoya Okazaki, Clannad
vs.
Kimihiro Watanuke, xxxHolic franchise

Seen both shows and like both characters, so this is hard. Both go through so much, but in my opinion, willingly taking over a bizarre shop for pretty much the rest of forever puts Watanuki above Tomoya. so, I'm voting for Watanuki

Group C-19
Hikaru Shindou, Hikaru no Go
vs.
Madoka Kaname, Puella Magi Madoka Magika

Arguments have convinced me that Madoka is the person to vote for

Group C-20
Kenshin Himura, Ruroni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal
vs.
Shinichi Chiaki, Nodame Cantibile[/quote]

again, relying on arguments since I haven't seen either show so im voting for Kenshin
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Key
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Joined: 03 Nov 2003
Posts: 18189
Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley)
PostPosted: Mon Apr 15, 2013 11:21 pm Reply with quote
Round 3 Group C is now closed.

Well, now, that got interesting and intense, didn't it? I step away from the computer for most of the evening to do some yardwork and melt my brain into a gooey puddle muddling through Hiiro no Kakera (boy, could I go off on a diatribe about this one right now!) and BAM! An explosion of posts erupts primarily debating the Hikaru/Madoka match. I had been contemplating flipping my vote if the arguments were strong enough in Madoka's favor, but I simply ran out of time to read them all. Turns out it could have made a difference, too, as with 20 votes in, the results:

C-17: Youko Nakajima scores the tournament's first Flawless Victory against Shizuku Tsukishima, 20-0.
C-18: Kimihiro Watanuki holds on against Tomoya Okazaki, 12-8.
C-19: Hikaru Shindou barely outmaneuvers Madoka Kaname, 11-9.
C-20: Kenshin Himura outduels Shinichi Chiaki, 12-8.

Wow, was there a lot of action outside of C-17! Kimihiro had a huge lead on Tomoya in C-17 for most of the round, only to see it whittle down late. Tomoya just ran out of time to catch up. Hikaru had an 9-2 lead on Madoka at one point, but her supporters almost swung things in her favor in the end. Kenshin was also down 5-2 before going on a big run, though he never could safely outdistance his opponent.

So, who got slammed in the minigame this time and who didn't? It wasn't good for me, but not disastrous, either.

Next round should be up shortly.


Last edited by Key on Mon Apr 15, 2013 11:39 pm; edited 1 time in total
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getchman
Space Cowboy



Joined: 07 Apr 2012
Posts: 9120
Location: Bedford, NH
PostPosted: Mon Apr 15, 2013 11:27 pm Reply with quote
surprisingly, 2 for 4 in the minigame. I'm still hanging on. so i'm definitely going to watch 12 Kingdoms, right after i finally finish FMA: Brotherhood. 4 episodes to go
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Vaisaga



Joined: 07 Oct 2011
Posts: 13227
PostPosted: Mon Apr 15, 2013 11:27 pm Reply with quote
This result pleases me Cool

Got 2/4 on the minigame.
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Key
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Joined: 03 Nov 2003
Posts: 18189
Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley)
PostPosted: Mon Apr 15, 2013 11:27 pm Reply with quote
Round 3 Group D is now closed.

Results can be found here.

This is the last installment of the third round, so my traditional Power Rankings will follow at the end of the round. I am particularly looking forward to arguments in D-19, as I suspect that there’s a lot of cross-over between fans of the two franchises.

Group D-17
Simon, Gurren Lagann
vs.
Chagum, Moribito – Guardian of the Spirit

Group D-18
Rue, Princess Tutu
vs.
Waver Velvet, Fate/Zero

Group D-19
Tsume, Wolf’s Rain
vs.
Usagi Tsukino/Sailor Moon, Sailor Moon

Group D-20
Saber, Fate/stay night and Fate/Zero
vs.
Tsukimi Kurashita, Princess Jellyfish


Last edited by Key on Mon Apr 22, 2013 11:24 pm; edited 1 time in total
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CrowLia



Joined: 24 Feb 2012
Posts: 5505
Location: Mexico
PostPosted: Mon Apr 15, 2013 11:31 pm Reply with quote
Key, you insist on misspelling Watanuki's last name, please fix it

As for me, it's a 4/4 in the minigame. I may have underestimated Madoka's popularity and Hikaru's relative lack thereof, but the best contender prevailed in the end and I'm glad for that. Otherwise, I'd be just like Key when Clare lost, or ten times worse.

Will vote on D group later. All of the matches are pretty interesting, and I can't wait to see how they play out, though for me D-17 is the one to watch since both are great characters with a fantastic growing up process, one lengthier than the other. I may take a while to decide on my vote for that one.
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Key
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Joined: 03 Nov 2003
Posts: 18189
Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley)
PostPosted: Mon Apr 15, 2013 11:39 pm Reply with quote
Really, CrowLia? D-17 is the only one I find to be a slam-dunk-cinch as far as who should advance; as I said last round, I think Chagum has been vastly overrated so far, whereas Simon came a long away from his hard-working but diffident manner to being a take-charge, inspirational figure and did so in rather dramatic fashion. I consider all of the others to be heavily debatable, and will wait until I see some arguments on D-19 before voting.
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CrowLia



Joined: 24 Feb 2012
Posts: 5505
Location: Mexico
PostPosted: Mon Apr 15, 2013 11:54 pm Reply with quote
Perhaps, it's been a while since I watched Moribito. But I still think Chagum is far from overrated and his journey through discovering true hardship, finding his own strength and going from a spoilt brat to a mature prince that can shoulder the due responsibilities is at least worthy of mention. If that can compete with Simon's complete turnaround, I'm not sure, which is why I'll wait to vote on that.

Of course D-18 interests me because I nominated Waver and I know Rue is a highly beloved and respected character, but I also think Waver overcomes a great deal of fear and powerlessness and grows formidably by the end of the series. As for D-19, while I understand the kind of contest it means, for me the answer is pretty obvious, since all I've seen of Usagi was as infamously annoying as ever.

I could go either way in D-20, though leaning towards Tsukimi. Will wait for some arguments on that one as well
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Key
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Joined: 03 Nov 2003
Posts: 18189
Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley)
PostPosted: Tue Apr 16, 2013 12:30 am Reply with quote
CrowLia wrote:
Perhaps, it's been a while since I watched Moribito. But I still think Chagum is far from overrated and his journey through discovering true hardship, finding his own strength and going from a spoilt brat to a mature prince that can shoulder the due responsibilities is at least worthy of mention. If that can compete with Simon's complete turnaround, I'm not sure, which is why I'll wait to vote on that.

Here's the thing, though: Chagum never really acts like a spoiled brat. There's maybe one scene where he's first meeting Balsa and accuses her of making his mother cry which might qualify, but that's really it. After that point Chagum seems to understand fully that he's going to have to adapt to his circumstances and does so. I liked the way he was more reasonable almost from the beginning than one would normally expect from a kid with that kind of background, but that actually works against him here.

Besides, it's not like I have to pick apart Chagum to advance his opponent. Simon's plenty good enough on his own merits.
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rheiders



Joined: 05 Jul 2011
Posts: 1137
Location: Colorful Colorado :)
PostPosted: Tue Apr 16, 2013 12:57 am Reply with quote
Let's get this ball rolling, shall we...D-18 seems like the most interesting match of the round for me. I haven't seen Fate/Zero, but the strength of the write-up and arguments for Waver make this a difficult match for me vote in. IMO D-17 and D-19 are the most obvious ones xD

Group D-17
Simon, Gurren Lagann
I agree with Key that while Chagum's maturity makes him a more likable character and an interesting deviation from what one would normally expect out of such a character, it hurts him here. I think he deserved to make it to this round, but no further. Meanwhile, Simon is a very strong contender due to the sheer scale and bombast of his improvement and the strong execution.

Group D-18
Rue, Princess Tutu
Rue learns to convey her own feelings to Mytho rather than forcing her feelings on him and making him say "I love you" (he isn't capable of love at the start of the series). She is initially opposed to Tutu returning his heart because she is afraid of what his real feelings for her might be. She becomes more confident and gains a lot of agency in her own "story." I think she more than deserves to go on, but because Waver also seems to improve a lot and I haven't seen F/Z, I am willing to change my vote.

Group D-19
Tsume, Wolf’s Rain
All I know of Usagi seems to point to her improvement being fairly standard and of questionable worth, since many people seem to find her just as annoying at the end of the series as at the beginning. Meanwhile, Tsume is IMO one of the stronger contenders in the tournament due to the subtlety and naturalism of his arc. I also have a personal bias towards his journey to find something higher than himself because it strongly resonates with me.

I may as well also link to my previous argument for Tsume, since I wrote quite a bit in his favor and all of it (except the stuff about his opponent, obviously) still stands.

Group D-20
Tsukimi Kurashita, Princess Jellyfish[/quote]
Tsukimi's improvement is touching, sweet, and realistic (perhaps aided by anime's only Manic Pixie Dream Boy?). I have heard no good arguments to convince me of Saber's worth here, but because I haven't seen F/Z, I am willing to have my mind changed. However, I believe Tsukimi to be a fairly strong contender.


Last edited by rheiders on Tue Apr 16, 2013 8:01 pm; edited 1 time in total
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marie-antoinette



Joined: 18 Sep 2005
Posts: 4136
Location: Ottawa, Canada
PostPosted: Tue Apr 16, 2013 7:14 am Reply with quote
Urg, that was not a good round for me for the minigame, since I had Chiaki winning the next round too. First time that's happened for me though, at least. And I had Madoka winning her match too but oh well, 2/4 seems to be the trend so far.

Group D-17
Simon, Gurren Lagann

Simon's a character I've heard a lot of good things about and Chagum is a character who only narrowly got through the last round, so this one is the easiest vote to make.

Group D-18
Rue, Princess Tutu

Against a stronger contestant, I might go the other way since I've said before that I don't find Rue to be that strong a contestant. But Waver Velvet didn't leave too much of an impression, except for the fact that I keep reading Waver as Water.

Group D-19
Tsume, Wolf’s Rain

I've been thinking about this match-up ever since I predicted it in the minigame. And it's tough, as having to pick between your own nominees always is.

Ultimately, I'm going to go with Tsume because of superior writing and the fact that even though he has less episodes to grow than Usagi, I still think he grows at least as much, if not more. Also, rewatching that speech of his from episode 28 really solidified in my mind just how amazing his improvement is.

Group D-20
Saber, Fate/stay night and Fate/Zero

I love Tsukimi and am thrilled that she has made it so far. But now is when the fact that her story doesn't have an animated ending catches up to her and everything I've heard about Saber just makes it sound like Tsukimi is just outclassed. But it was a good run!
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farichada



Joined: 04 Feb 2009
Posts: 303
Location: Wisconsin, USA
PostPosted: Tue Apr 16, 2013 8:45 am Reply with quote
marie-antoinette wrote:
Urg, that was not a good round for me for the minigame, since I had Chiaki winning the next round too. First time that's happened for me though, at least. And I had Madoka winning her match too but oh well, 2/4 seems to be the trend so far.



Maybe, my analysis/prediction is wrong, but I can guarantee no one had a worse round than me. I pretty much shot my foot off with a shotgun by picking Madoka to win it all. Sometimes, I wish I could control my fangirl illogical influences on the minigame. I also expect this round to go poorly for me, too. I just don't have it me to do well in the minigame. I know I'm melodramatic, but that's one way to cope with things. Just joke about it and laugh. Maybe me working with corpses all day is starting to affect how I think. I'm a mortician by the way. Smile
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Vaisaga



Joined: 07 Oct 2011
Posts: 13227
PostPosted: Tue Apr 16, 2013 6:50 pm Reply with quote
Group D-17

Chagum - Easy vote for me. I said this last time Simon came up, but I take issue with his 'improvement.' I would definitely have voted for him if we only countered pre-time skip stuff but that doesn't appear to be the case.

I think Simon was fine at the start. Yes he definitely needed a confidence boost but that was never going to happen because he was constantly stuck in Kamina's shadow. Kamina dying was the best thing that could have happened, but even then Simon never got out from under that shadow. For that matter it didn't seem like he was trying to.

Despite his big "Aniki is dead" speech, which signified his ceasing trying to emulate Kamina and be himself, adult Simon went back to emulating Kamina anyways. Instead of not trying to be Kamina 2.0 and becoming Simon 2.0, he became Kamina-lite instead.

I hated Kamina. He was a loud mouth punk whose rash and impulsive actions caused more trouble than he was worth. His charisma is undeniable, though, so people followed him anyways, even if he was leading them off a cliff. So yeah, becoming like Kamina is not a good thing.

So here we have adult Simon who has established Kamina City and hangs out by a huge statue of Kamina. He's supposed to be the leader of the city, but he doesn't do a very good job of it. When the Mugen show up he flies off half-cocked like Kamina would have, and his rash actions turned the entire city against him, forcing Rossiu to clean up the mess. Of course due to plot convenience Simon ends up saving the day in the end anyways.

Jumping forward a bit, when everyone is trapped in the lotus eater machine does Simon find his own way out? No, Kamina has to save everyone. When fighting the Anti-Spiral, they go on about how great and awesome Kamina was, and in the movie they even turn into a giant Kamina. As I said before, Simon never got over Kamina. He never really stood as his own person.

And then Simon shirks all his responsibilities and becomes a hobo. Yeah.

While Chagum wasn't a brat or anything, he was still quite green. But by living among the people and facing his trials he did grow as a person and a future ruler. While he considers running away with Balsa at the end, he decides not to.

Group D-18

Waver - Gilgamesh deems him worthy, and who are you to argue with the King of Heroes?

Group D-19

Usagi - Have not seen Wolf's Rain and I haven't seen Sailor Moon since I was a kid. But Usagi was quite a brat as I recall. That she one day grows up to be the queen of the Moon is quite impressive.

Group D-20

Saber - Saber's goals and ideals are so ingrained in her very being that being able to let them go would be like cutting off your own arm. That she manages to do so is nothing short of astounding.
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Errinundra
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Joined: 14 Jun 2008
Posts: 6525
Location: Melbourne, Oz
PostPosted: Tue Apr 16, 2013 7:12 pm Reply with quote
Group D-17
Simon, Gurren Lagann
vs.
Chagum, Moribito – Guardian of the Spirit

Seen both. This one is easy for me also. I think Simon is one of the worst candidates in the tournament. He doesn't improve; he declines. He goes from humble and gentle to bombastic and violent. When he finds himself in the position of real leadership he cannot handle it. Voting for Chagum who doesn't improve much but that's better than going backwards.

Group D-18
Rue, Princess Tutu
vs.
Waver Velvet, Fate/Zero

Seen both. Changed my mind while typing this post. I'll go for Rue because her change is moving and part of what makes her a great character over the entire series. Waver is almost as good but his appeal lies mainly in his relationship with Rider, not so much in how he develops.

Group D-19
Tsume, Wolf’s Rain
vs.
Usagi Tsukino/Sailor Moon, Sailor Moon

Seen neither. Sailor Moon, because if Key doesn't like Wolf's Rain that's good enough for me. You watch, Key will now vote for Tsume and thereby undermine my argument.

Group D-20
Saber, Fate/stay night and Fate/Zero
vs.
Tsukimi Kurashita, Princess Jellyfish

Seen the Fate franchise only. I know Sabre deserves to be here and there haven't been good enough arguments so far for Tsukimi to vote for her in this match-up.


Last edited by Errinundra on Tue Apr 16, 2013 7:16 pm; edited 3 times in total
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