The final day is ISML Preliminary Period is upon us. This is their last day, their last chance into having things done right on their side of the support base. There is no point in wasting anytime; the would have to go all out like they have never done before. For the sake of those who have lost, for the sake of those who are waiting for them, they will fight and fight until their fingers touch the final seats awarded to them in Regular Season. Here are the matches that I believe are noteworthy due to how close they will be in terms of vote difference:
Arena 5 – Eyes are mostly set for this match in particular. The main reason I believe Sakura Kyōko and Tsumugi’s match is considered close instead of a clear cut victory for Kyouko is due to Kyouko’s own random deviation in strength. On matches that Kyouko puts an effort to, Kyouko will show her dominance, but there are some instances where she tends to slack off, which ultimately causes her downfall. Since Tsugumi has been improving in terms of strength and Kyouko has been slightly decreasing in terms of power, it would be interesting to see how this match will end when all is said and done. I am hoping that Kyouko would be the victor here.
Arena 8 – Another match that appears to be very close in terms of outcome. I have to admit, though, that neither of the two combatants are that strong in terms of strength. Kasugano Sora has remained as strong as she was last year, and while Kaname Madoka improved during the year gap, I do not think the improvement was much in comparison to characters from BakaTest or KamiNomi. With Sora in staying power and Madoka not looking to hot out there, it seems to me that Sora will come out of this match as the victor. Whether this result is good or bad is up to the voters.
Arena 14 – To be honest, I think both of them are pretty equal strength-wise, Suzutsuki Kanade is not really that strong of a contender despite her third place finish in Prelim 2, and Alice is one of the stronger fourth place finishers out there after the events of Prelim 2. This match could really go either way, but if I had to choose, I would believe that Kanade will win this one.
Arena 15 – Shimada Minami has been on a roll here since Prelim 2. With the way things are going, she should have no trouble taking out Tomoe Mami from her misery. At the same time, that does not mean Mami will not be showing off her all. Since this is her last chance on making it big, Mami, and PMMM as a whole, really need to push their game such that they can have a majority of their girls in. While this does not look good for Mami, at the very least, she can try to see how far she is able to go.
Arena 16 – This match would be very interesting in terms of strength. Honma Meiko is not really going that great, but she is a very strong competitor as far as how she fared in her previous matches. The main question, then, is the strength of Shinomiya Ayase. Had Guilty Crown not made their ending featuring her, Ayase would not have that great of a chance against Menma. Because it does, the question for Ayase is how strong she is currently to take on someone like Menma. Menma may not really that strong, but she can be dangerous when the situation calls for it. In this case, I would think Ayase would get the close victory, but it looks to be anyone’s game here.
Arena 17 – The reason why I think this match would be close is an odd one. Last time I have checked, Ikaros has never defeated Saten Ruiko before in terms of singles competition. Sure, both of them have had a one-year haitus, but what does not mean for both of these girls. Ikaros recently had a movie related to her, so she may have a slight advantage coming out of this one, but Ruiki has the Toaru fanbase that is very supportive when it needs to be. This may be Ikaros last chance, and bet, to take advantage of her movie and come out of this match victorious, whom I believe will win.
Arena 23 – A lot of eyes are going to be focused on this match as well. Over the years, Fate Testarossa has been one of the more dominating forces to be reckoned with, but as time moved on, her popularity slowly decreased and almost faded away. Then again, her opponent is Shirai Kuroko, and she has beaten her before last year. Can she do it again is the question. With Kuroko looking to have some favorable staying power while Fate’s strength gradually decreases, this match up looks to be a neck-to-neck run with a very close victory. I am hoping that Fate win this match once more, then possibly say goodbye to ISML for the years thereafter.
Arena 24 – I actually think this match is going to be close. Sure, Clannad has long been forgotten, and Ibuki Fūko is not the strongest girl out there, but after her match with Yin. Fuuko actually looks as though she has a chance against her opponent Shiina Mafuyu. While Fuuko has more years of ISML experience, Mafuyu has recently by her side. However, Mafuyu’s power is rapidly dwindling. Despite this, it may be enough her her to get the victory, which I believe she will.
Arena 31: With Okazaki Ushio getting the victory, Hecate has a harder chance of claiming a spot in Regular Season than if she were to face Alice. Hecate’s strength is a bit in the gray area. While I know that she has made a decent improvement thanks that the Final Season, I wonder if her boost is enough to take Ushio down. While Ushio is not the strongest Clannad representative out there, she has a lot more experience in the Saimoe field that Hecate could ever have. If Hecate wants to win, she has to really step up her game such that she can get her first taste of what partaking in a moe tournament would be. I think Hecate should win this one.
Arena 32 – Ichinose Kotomi and Tainaka Ritsu are really neck and neck in terms of strength. With the weakest of the K-On! group against the fourth strongest of Clannad’s representative, both of which are not saying much, it would be very interesting to see which of the Kyoto Animation fanbase will have their say by the end of this one. Ritsu has garnered a victory from her already in Prelim 2, but that included a third representative. Now that the two are alone, they can finally settle the score to see who among them is the better of the two. I actually do not know who will win, but if I have to guess, I would assume that Ritsu will win.
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