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Best Team/Organization Tournament: Post-Mortem


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The King of Harts



Joined: 05 May 2009
Posts: 6712
Location: Mount Crawford, Virginia
PostPosted: Mon Oct 19, 2009 3:04 pm Reply with quote
Group B-17
Seven Samurai, Samurai 7
vs.
Black Knights, Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion

Seven Samurai

Group B-18
Straw Hat Pirates, One Piece
vs.
British Library Operations Division, Read or Die franchise

Straw Hat Pirates

Group B-19
Tokyo Metropolitan Police Special Vehicles Section 2, Patlabor franchise
vs.
Outlaw Star crew, Outlaw Star

Outlaw Star Crew

Group B-20
Parakiss Label, Paradise Kiss
vs.
Magic Knights, Magic Knight Rayearth

Magic Knights

Group B-21
State Section 3 (aka Pumpkin Scissors), Pumpkin Scissors
vs.
Slayers team, Slayers franchise

Slayers Team

Group B-22
Shibusen, Soul Eater
vs.
Hotel Moscow, Black Lagoon

Hotel Moscow

Group B-23
Beck, BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad
vs.
Crescendolls, Interstalla 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem

Beck

Group B-24
Skull Squadron, Super Dimensional Fortress Macross
vs.
Gekkostate, Eureka 7

Gekkostate
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velocet



Joined: 13 Feb 2004
Posts: 240
PostPosted: Mon Oct 19, 2009 4:10 pm Reply with quote
Group B-17
Seven Samurai, Samurai 7
vs.
Black Knights, Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion

Seven Samurai

Group B-18
Straw Hat Pirates, One Piece
vs.
British Library Operations Division, Read or Die franchise

Straw Hat Pirates. Very much like Section 9, it is going to take a pretty remarkable team for me to vote against these guys.

Group B-19
Tokyo Metropolitan Police Special Vehicles Section 2, Patlabor franchise
vs.
Outlaw Star crew, Outlaw Star

Tokyo Metropolitan Police Special Vehicles Section 2

Group B-20
Parakiss Label, Paradise Kiss
vs.
Magic Knights, Magic Knight Rayearth

Parakiss Label are a sweet little team that really do work incredibly well together in context, despite all of their many individual quirks and flaws.

Group B-21
State Section 3 (aka Pumpkin Scissors), Pumpkin Scissors
vs.
Slayers team, Slayers franchise

Slayers team. I was all prepared to vote against them as I couldn't help wondering if they were more travelling companions than a team, but when I thought back over things, I remembered that they do work as a team more often then perhaps I initially considered.

Group B-22
Shibusen, Soul Eater
vs.
Hotel Moscow, Black Lagoon

Hotel Moscow

Group B-23
Beck, BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad
vs.
Crescendolls, Interstalla 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem

Beck. Aside from the fact I'm still gobsmacked (and a little bitter) that Crescendolls beat the Yamayurikai in the last round (why didn't I make time for this thread sooner?!) I also think it takes a special kind of cohesion to be a tight, engaging band, and Beck have more of that bond than Crescendolls do. I've played in several bands, and have had friends in even more, and when something works, it's a pretty special bond. You do have to rely on each other's abilities to be able to perform the songs you've moulded together, and I get a much better sense of that from Beck than I ever did from Crescendolls. A part of that is because of the nature of their source material (and me having a hard time imagining anything other than Daft Punk with that soundtrack. I was a Daft Punk fan long before I was an anime fan), but it's just bad luck that it was a battle of the bands in this round. (Though I would have voted for Yamayurikai over Beck as well. Harrumph.)

Group B-24
Skull Squadron, Super Dimensional Fortress Macross
vs.
Gekkostate, Eureka 7

Gekkostate
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nightjuan



Joined: 22 Jan 2008
Posts: 1473
PostPosted: Mon Oct 19, 2009 10:15 pm Reply with quote
Might as well get this out of the way without any real surprises.

Group B-17
Seven Samurai, Samurai 7
vs.
Black Knights, Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion

Seven Samurai.

Well, this went pretty much as expected. Even so, I was actually considering voting for the Black Knights just to make a point or two out of it, but that's probably not worth doing this time around. While they're not exactly strong enough to go much further, given the fact that they do have all the previously mentioned flaws, the Seven Samurai win here.

Group B-18
Straw Hat Pirates, One Piece
vs.
British Library Operations Division, Read or Die franchise

Straw Hat Pirates

The guide entries and past comments make them the superior choice here.

Group B-19
Tokyo Metropolitan Police Special Vehicles Section 2, Patlabor franchise
vs.
Outlaw Star crew, Outlaw Star

Tokyo Metropolitan Police Special Vehicles Section 2

See above. It's essentially the same reason.

Group B-20
Parakiss Label, Paradise Kiss
vs.
Magic Knights, Magic Knight Rayearth

Magic Knights

And yet again, see above, but this one could have gone either way. I'm not particularly impressed nor am I inclined to favor one over the other by default.

Group B-21
State Section 3 (aka Pumpkin Scissors), Pumpkin Scissors
vs.
Slayers team, Slayers franchise

State Section 3 (aka Pumpkin Scissors)

Going by what has been mentioned before about their opponent, the Slayers team doesn't quite provide the same sense of unity and cohesion.

Group B-22
Shibusen, Soul Eater
vs.
Hotel Moscow, Black Lagoon

Hotel Moscow

They're not particularly interesting as individual characters, to say the least, but it is nevertheless implied that they have a lot of mutual trust and are able to work quite efficiently under their leader.

Group B-23
Beck, BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad
vs.
Crescendolls, Interstalla 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem

Beck

I was never too impressed by the Crescendolls, really, and Beck appears to be the more reasonable option, at least according to those in the know.

Group B-24
Skull Squadron, Super Dimensional Fortress Macross
vs.
Gekkostate, Eureka 7

Gekkostate

I'm not entirely convinced, considering I voted against them before, but for now I'll admit that the absence of a stronger contender is what makes the difference here.
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Key
Moderator


Joined: 03 Nov 2003
Posts: 19137
Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley)
PostPosted: Mon Oct 19, 2009 11:01 pm Reply with quote
Round 2 Group B is now closed.

Final results can be found here, but really, all of the winners should be obvious. None of these matches were ever even terribly close; the slimmest margin for victory is 6 out of 24 possible votes (i.e. 62.5% of the vote) and five of the eight winners had margins of 12+ votes (i.e. 75% or more). Does set up some interesting match-ups for next round, though.

Anyway, now we have two rounds of winners in, so start sending in video clip recommendations which show off each team or organization's team chemistry, cooperative effort, etc. I have Pumpkin Scissors covered, and probably Hotel Moscow, too, but we'll need help with the others.

New group is ready to go and should be posted momentarily - I actually have my act completely together and on time, for a change! Cool
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Key
Moderator


Joined: 03 Nov 2003
Posts: 19137
Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley)
PostPosted: Mon Oct 19, 2009 11:03 pm Reply with quote
Round 2 Group C is now closed.

Last group saw basically nothing for true competition, but I don't think that will be the case here. We have at least one huge early match-up and at least a couple of others that could be contentious.

Group C-17
Grandis Gang, Nadia: Secret of the Blue Water
vs.
Akatsuki, Naruto

Winner: Akatsuki
Total: 13-10

Group C-18
Lagoon Company , Black Lagoon
vs.
Sailor Scouts, Sailor Moon franchise

Winner: Sailor Scouts
Total: 17-6

Group C-19
Ala Alba, Negima! OVAs
vs.
Guardian Council, Shugo Chara

Winner: Ala Alba
Total: 13-10

Group C-20
TERRA, RahXephon
vs.
MITHRIL, Full Metal Panic! franchise

Winner: MITHRIL
Total: 19-4

Group C-21
Civilian Military Provider S.M.S, Macross Frontier
vs.
Nirvana Crew, Vandread

Winner: Nirvana crew
Total: 17-6

Group C-22
Ouran High School Host Club, Ouran High School Host Club
vs.
Silvana Crew, Last Exile

Winner: OHSHC
Total: 18-5

Group C-23
Mew Mews, Tokyo Mew Mew
vs.
Ohtori Academy Student Council, Revolutionary Girl Utena

Winner: Mew Mews
Total: 19-3

Group C-24
Band of the Hawk, Berserk
vs.
Wolf Brigade, Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade

Winner: Band of the Hawk
Total: 12-11


Last edited by Key on Mon Oct 26, 2009 11:34 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Key
Moderator


Joined: 03 Nov 2003
Posts: 19137
Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley)
PostPosted: Mon Oct 19, 2009 11:31 pm Reply with quote
Group C-17
Grandis Gang, Nadia: Secret of the Blue Water
vs.
Akatsuki, Naruto

I want to see some convincing here, people! I'm not terribly impressed with Akatsuki as a team, but is Grandis Gang actually good enough to beat them? I'll go with the ninjas for the moment, but this vote is subject to change.

Group C-18
Lagoon Company , Black Lagoon
vs.
Sailor Scouts, Sailor Moon franchise

Arguably the mega-match-up for the round! Lagoon Company had a Flawless Victory last round, but here they're up against vastly tougher competition, and here their flaws as a team show. Although they are a bad-ass group and certainly show teamwork at times, they do not have a strong sense of team spirit or devotion - certainly not on the level of the Sailor Scouts, anyway. I'm not a fan of Sailor Moon, but I've seen enough of it to know that the Inner Senshi are solid enough as a team to deserve this win.

Group C-19
Ala Alba, Negima! OVAs
vs.
Guardian Council, Shugo Chara

Yeesh; not familiar with either. The Guardian Council still sounds interesting and likely has more supporting material, so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt.

Group C-20
TERRA, RahXephon
vs.
MITHRIL, Full Metal Panic! franchise

It's the Battle of the Acronyms, Round 2! Seriously, though, we have a couple of pretty solid (but not overwhelmingly strong) organizations here, but MITHRIL has the edge by being better-developed and having a bit more character.

Group C-21
Civilian Military Provider S.M.S, Macross Frontier
vs.
Nirvana Crew, Vandread

A very tough one for me, as I've seen both series and don't find either to have a significant advantage here. The Nirvana crew is certainly more colorful, and the combining units force the teamwork a bit more, but SMS is more efficient, at least as devoted, and fighting for equal stakes. I will give a small edge to Nirvana, even though I'm still irked about them beating Squad 7 last round, because they have to overcome more to achieve their teamwork.

Group C-22
Ouran High School Host Club, Ouran High School Host Club
vs.
Silvana Crew, Last Exile

Not much of a contest here. The Silvana crew is efficient, but OHSHC has vastly more character, much more interesting group interactions, a unified purpose, and stronger reasons for being together. They have a couple more rounds in them, at least.

Group C-23
Mew Mews, Tokyo Mew Mew
vs.
Ohtori Academy Student Council, Revolutionary Girl Utena

The Student Council isn't really a team, although they do have a group identity. They have stronger competition this time, though, and I'm a sucker for cats. Mew Mews it is.

Group C-24
Band of the Hawk, Berserk
vs.
Wolf Brigade, Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade

People are going to argue that the Wolf Brigade shouldn't advance here because of the strength of the Band of the Hawk's merits and because of the very limited amount of time they actually surface in the movie. That they are able to do what they do (i.e. outfox another intelligence unit) without ever exposing themselves speaks to their efficiency as a group, however, and that they have such a powerful group identity that they can go around convincingly claiming to be "wolves disguised as men" and putting group duty above personal desires and morals speaks volumes about their unity. (And, well, there are the arguments made against the Band of the Hawk last round, too.) Don't underrate this organization.
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Skylark



Joined: 15 Mar 2007
Posts: 827
Location: ORE NO TSHIRT
PostPosted: Mon Oct 19, 2009 11:46 pm Reply with quote
Group C-17
Grandis Gang, Nadia: Secret of the Blue Water
vs.
[url=http://www.usaanime.us/TeamTourney/Akatsuki.html]
Akatsuki[/url], Naruto

Grandis Gang

Group C-18
Lagoon Company , Black Lagoon
vs.
Sailor Scouts, Sailor Moon franchise

Lagoon Company - I can't decide either way to be honest but I have a feeling the sailors are going to win this one..

Group C-19
Ala Alba, Negima! OVAs
vs.
Guardian Council, Shugo Chara

Guardian Council

Group C-20
TERRA, RahXephon
vs.
MITHRIL, Full Metal Panic! franchise

MITHRIL

Group C-21
Civilian Military Provider S.M.S, Macross Frontier
vs.
Nirvana Crew, Vandread

Nirvana, going off Key's post pretty much.

Group C-22
Ouran High School Host Club, Ouran High School Host Club
vs.
Silvana Crew, Last Exile

Ouran High School Host Club

Group C-23
Mew Mews, Tokyo Mew Mew
vs.
Ohtori Academy Student Council, Revolutionary Girl Utena

Mew Mews

Group C-24
Band of the Hawk, Berserk
vs.
Wolf Brigade, Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade

Band of the Hawk


About the only pairing I think won't be a complete annihilation is the Lagoon company vs Sailor Scouts...


Last edited by Skylark on Tue Oct 20, 2009 2:20 am; edited 1 time in total
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LydiaDianne



Joined: 28 Jan 2006
Posts: 5634
Location: Southern California
PostPosted: Tue Oct 20, 2009 12:12 am Reply with quote
Group C-17
Grandis Gang, Nadia: Secret of the Blue Water
vs.
Akatsuki, Naruto

Going for the lesser (more or less) of two teams that seem the same Akatsuki

Group C-18
Lagoon Company , Black Lagoon
vs.
Sailor Scouts, Sailor Moon franchise

Like I would vote for anyone else but I do think that they are the stronger team: Sailor Scouts

Group C-19
Ala Alba, Negima! OVAs
vs.
Guardian Council, Shugo Chara

Guardian Council based on the Guide.

Group C-20
TERRA, RahXephon
vs.
MITHRIL, Full Metal Panic! franchise

Mithril because they trust each other much more than the other team.

Group C-21
Civilian Military Provider S.M.S, Macross Frontier
vs.
Nirvana Crew, Vandread

Nirvana Crew becuase they worked through their hatred of each other and made their crew work to the point of trusting each other more than their respective planets.

Group C-22
Ouran High School Host Club, Ouran High School Host Club
vs.
Silvana Crew, Last Exile

Silvana Crew because out of the two they just seem the stronger one.

Group C-23
Mew Mews, Tokyo Mew Mew
vs.
Ohtori Academy Student Council, Revolutionary Girl Utena

The Mew Mews because the Ohtori team in the long run were only concered about themselves as individuals.

Group C-24
Band of the Hawk, Berserk
vs.
Wolf Brigade, Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade

Wolf Brigade based on the Guide.
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marie-antoinette



Joined: 18 Sep 2005
Posts: 4136
Location: Ottawa, Canada
PostPosted: Tue Oct 20, 2009 1:36 am Reply with quote
Group C-17
Voting for: Grandis Gang, Nadia: Secret of the Blue Water

Group C-18
Voting for: Sailor Scouts, Sailor Moon franchise

It's going to take quite a team for me to choose someone over the Sailor Scouts.

Group C-19
Voting for: Guardian Council, Shugo Chara

Group C-20
Voting for: MITHRIL, Full Metal Panic! franchise

Group C-21
Voting for: Nirvana Crew, Vandread

Group C-22
Voting for: Ouran High School Host Club, Ouran High School Host Club

Likewise, it will take a heck of a team to make me vote against the Host Club (not sure who I would go for if they were up against the Scouts).

Group C-23
Voting for: Mew Mews, Tokyo Mew Mew

Group C-24
Voting for: Wolf Brigade, Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade

I'm still bitter that the Digidestined are gone plus the arguments against Band of the Hawk were definitely pretty strong.
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abunai
Old Regular


Joined: 05 Mar 2004
Posts: 5463
Location: 露命
PostPosted: Tue Oct 20, 2009 7:17 am Reply with quote
Group C-17
Grandis Gang, Nadia: Secret of the Blue Water
vs.
Akatsuki, Naruto

I'll go with Akatsuki on this one.

Group C-18
Lagoon Company , Black Lagoon
vs.
Sailor Scouts, Sailor Moon franchise

Hmm. I like Key's arguments in favour of the Sailor Senshi... on the other hand, I think the Black Lagoon Company work better together than is immediately apparent. I'm going to go with my first instincts, though, and vote Sailor Scouts.

Group C-19
Ala Alba, Negima! OVAs
vs.
Guardian Council, Shugo Chara

Meh... Ala Alba.

Group C-20
TERRA, RahXephon
vs.
MITHRIL, Full Metal Panic! franchise

No question, MITHRIL. If nothing else, their qualities as a team are far better developed and displayed to the viewers.

Group C-21
Civilian Military Provider S.M.S, Macross Frontier
vs.
Nirvana Crew, Vandread

I'll go with the SMS, but I'm not keen on either.

Group C-22
Ouran High School Host Club, Ouran High School Host Club
vs.
Silvana Crew, Last Exile

OHSHC, no question.

Group C-23
Mew Mews, Tokyo Mew Mew
vs.
Ohtori Academy Student Council, Revolutionary Girl Utena

Mew Mews make a better team-nya.

Group C-24
Band of the Hawk, Berserk
vs.
Wolf Brigade, Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade

I dislike both equally, but that's sort of irrelevant. On the basis of teamwork, I vote The Wolf Brigade.

- abunai


EDIT: Forgot to vote on C-17. Thanks to those who called my attention to it. /-a


Last edited by abunai on Tue Oct 20, 2009 8:49 am; edited 1 time in total
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zawa113



Joined: 19 Jan 2008
Posts: 7393
PostPosted: Tue Oct 20, 2009 12:58 pm Reply with quote
C-17 Grandis Gang
C-18 Lagoon Company
C-19 Guardian Council
C-20 TERRA
C-21 SMS
C-22 Silvana Crew
C-23 Mew Mews
Tough one, certainly liked RGU better as a show, but they were kind of a group of self-centered individuals who were trying to get things for themselves. Despite the Mew Mews being kinda lame (if you ask me), I'll give them the teamwork aspect at least.

C-24 Wolf Brigade
Had the Wolf Brigade been up against the Digidestined though, odds are I'd vote for the Digidestined, but as things stand, Band of the Hawk got quite a few complaints last round that makes me think they don't deserve to go terribly far and as is it sounds like they just slipped in. I honestly haven't heard too much on Wolf Brigade, positive or negative.
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egoist



Joined: 20 Jun 2008
Posts: 7762
PostPosted: Tue Oct 20, 2009 3:13 pm Reply with quote
Group C-17
Grandis Gang, Nadia: Secret of the Blue Water
vs.
Akatsuki, Naruto

Akatsuki

Group C-18
Lagoon Company , Black Lagoon
vs.
Sailor Scouts, Sailor Moon franchise

Lagoon Company

Group C-19
Ala Alba, Negima! OVAs
vs.
Guardian Council, Shugo Chara

Guardian Council

Group C-20
TERRA, RahXephon
vs.
MITHRIL, Full Metal Panic! franchise

MITHRIL

Group C-21
Civilian Military Provider S.M.S, Macross Frontier
vs.
Nirvana Crew, Vandread

Nirvana Crew

Group C-22
Ouran High School Host Club, Ouran High School Host Club
vs.
Silvana Crew, Last Exile

Ouran High School Host Club

Group C-23
Mew Mews, Tokyo Mew Mew
vs.
Ohtori Academy Student Council, Revolutionary Girl Utena

Mew Mews

Group C-24
Band of the Hawk, Berserk
vs.
Wolf Brigade, Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade

Wolf Brigade. Would be interesting to see this team clashing against Hotel Moscow.


Last edited by egoist on Sun Oct 25, 2009 11:12 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Olliff



Joined: 28 Feb 2008
Posts: 552
PostPosted: Tue Oct 20, 2009 4:06 pm Reply with quote
Group C-17
Grandis Gang, Nadia: Secret of the Blue Water
vs.
Akatsuki, Naruto

Akatsuki


Don't feel strongly either way.


Group C-18
Lagoon Company , Black Lagoon
vs.
Sailor Scouts, Sailor Moon franchise

Sailor Scouts

While the Lagoon Company has shown themselves capable of proving themselves with teamwork from time time, their lack of cohesiveness and fierce level of independence is still an issue.

Group C-19
Ala Alba, Negima! OVAs
vs.
Guardian Council, Shugo Chara

Guardian Council

Arguments made last round and guide.

Group C-20
TERRA, RahXephon
vs.
MITHRIL, Full Metal Panic! franchise

MITHRIL


Don't think this will be much of a match even though MITHRIL is only mid-tier in my eyes.

Group C-21
Civilian Military Provider S.M.S, Macross Frontier
vs.
Nirvana Crew, Vandread

Nirvana Crew


A few impressive moments, but they do have their issues like most teams.

Group C-22
Ouran High School Host Club, Ouran High School Host Club
vs.
Silvana Crew, Last Exile

Ouran High School Host Club

No doubt. Perhaps one the most developed and balanced teams in this tournament when it comes to chemistry and team identity. This is usually far from serious business when compared to other teams, but silliness alone and a lack life or death obstacles isn't a requirement for a strong team. Easily the strongest non-serious team in this tournament, it will be interesting to see how far they will go.

Group C-23
Mew Mews, Tokyo Mew Mew
vs.
Ohtori Academy Student Council, Revolutionary Girl Utena

Mew Mews

This appears to be clear cut based on the comments.

Group C-24
Band of the Hawk, Berserk
vs.
Wolf Brigade, Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade

Band of Hawk

Honestly, I am not a fan of either team and I only voted for the Wolf Brigade last round because they faced one of the weakest teams in this tournament. Some of the votes thus far seem fueled on bitter feelings about Digidestined's defeat. I share your sentiment; I still think they would be better than both choice, but based on the two teams in this match, Band of Hawk is so much richer on characterization, interaction, and the fact they are able to achieve great things for a time against unbeatable odds. Their spoiler[ betrayal] is their biggest weakness, but I feel they overcome adversity so much better against such grimmer odds and they are substantially more fleshed out than the Wolf Brigade. Lack of characterization and development is clearly the Wolf Brigade's greatest weakness.

That being said, I would like to hear an argument for the Wolf Brigade; before this round I wasn't aware that some people considered them top-tier. I would especially like an argument from some of the more ardent supporters, such as Egoist or Key. A very compelling argument may be enough to change my vote,


Last edited by Olliff on Tue Oct 20, 2009 4:16 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Dorcas_Aurelia



Joined: 23 Jul 2006
Posts: 5344
Location: Philly
PostPosted: Tue Oct 20, 2009 4:13 pm Reply with quote
Round C-17
Grandis Gang, Nadia: Secret of Blue Water vs
Akatsuki, Naruto
Voting for: Grandis Gang
Because: Not familiar with either, not much has been said of either, slight preference for GG's guide entry, ultimately chosen by coin toss.

Round C-18
Lagoon Company, Black Lagoon franchise vs
Sailor Scouts (Inner), Sailor Moon
Voting for: Sailor Scouts
Because: Keys got me convinced for now.

Round C-19
Ala Alba, Negima! OVAs vs
Guardian Council, Shugo Chara
Voting for: Ala Alba
Because: Firstly, the members of Ala Alba have specific roles and talents that compliment each other. Some are battle specific, some are supportive, some are information based, and they supplement each other in a variety of situations. The Guardian Council has vaguely defined positions for their administrative duties, nor do their abilities tend to have a clear indication of intended objective, mostly. Tadase's shield abilities have a clear purpose of protecting the others, and Amu is the only one who can cleanse the heart eggs spoiler[until very late in the series, not counting Utau because she isn't a member].
Ala Alba is formed because Negi recognizes that he doesn't need to shoulder all of his burdens by himself, and looks for help from the girls who have repeatedly helped him, and all the members join willingly. The Guardian Council is appointed, and a few of its members are very resistant to truly integrating at first. There are also a number of occasions when the members hide important secrets from each other. Admittedly, this is a minor issue, as these are mostly short-term, and the resolution of the problem brings the group closer together, but incidents like Nadeshiko's sudden unannounced departure to Amu set up the situation for the major conflict of the second half of the first season. Also, for a while spoiler[Kairi is a spy in their midst, with the other members blindly trusting him. Admittedly he does join them honestly shortly after it's revealed.]
Ala Alba demonstrates the unity of its members by having them undergo a rigorous weeks long training regimen, to the point where its members are aware of each other's strengths and weaknesses, and can compensate for them on the fly. The Guardian Council is equally aware of members' skills, but doesn't quite have the same impressiveness with effective responses in unexpected situations.
I'll also throw in the likely useless argument that I made the initial nomination for the Guardian Council and wrote the guide entries for both these teams, and am ultimately choosing Ala Alba.

Round C-20
TERRA, RahXephon vs
MITHRIL, Full Metal Panic franchise
Voting for: MITHRIL
Because: A tough choice, both are effective organizations, with at least some diversity in their members, but I give the edge to MITHRIL for being a little more flexible in both their capabilities and characters personalities.

Round C-21
Strategic Military Service/SMS, Macross Frontier vs
Nirvana crew, Vandread
Voting for: Nirvana crew
Because: Because it feels like all of the characters connected with each other. I don't recall the pilots and the bridge crew from Frontier mingling much.

Round C-22
Ouran High School Host Club, Ouran High School Host Club vs
Silvana crew, Last Exile
Voting for: OHSHC
Because: I'm a little surprised how unenthusiastic I am about this one. Win to the Host Club for being tight-nit despite the drastically different personalities of the members.

Round C-23
Mew Mews, Tokyo Mew Mew vs
Student Council, Revolutionary Girl Utena
Voting for: Mew Mews
Because: The student council barely beat a lackluster team last round, the Mew Mews seem much better.

VOTE CHANGE
Round C-24
Band of the Hawk, Berserk vs
Wolf Brigade, Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade
Voting for: Band of the Hawk
Because: Farichada's comments this round.


Last edited by Dorcas_Aurelia on Sun Oct 25, 2009 1:38 pm; edited 1 time in total
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mow123



Joined: 10 Apr 2008
Posts: 339
PostPosted: Tue Oct 20, 2009 4:30 pm Reply with quote
Not ready to vote yet, but I thought that I might throw out an observation. Compared to the previous tournaments, the number of votes gained in the nomination phase phase is a much weaker predictor of team's success. Wolf Brigade had 3 nomination votes compared to Band of Hawk's 9, and it appears that this match will be one sided against the clear favorite based on the nominations. Impassioned arguments were made against the Band last round, but I am little surprised to see them getting slaughtered by a team with so few nomination votes, especially since Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade is a fairly well known series. Is the Wolf Brigade a hidden gem or is Abunai correct when he claims that neither of these teams are that special?
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