minhtam2448 started this project in late December prior to Christmas.  It has encountered delays and rules rewrites and constant requests for help and translators … but it has gotten off the ground and is progressing smoothly in its sixth week.

http://www.internationalmoeleague.com/index.html

If you enjoyed the latest Saimoe competion in Japan or are still reeling from the abruptly closed SaiGAR, then you have another grand tournament to satisfy your urges this spring and summer.

The International Saimoe League (ISML) takes 64 top moe icons and pits them in a round-robin matchup. No more awkward drama-ridden controversy-laden single-elimination matches of other Saimoe tournaments. Here each girl faces off against every other girl, so you get the most fair spread of votes and decisions.

When the “regular” season ends in August, a double-elimination playoff will be held with the top 16. And then I suppose a “Super Bowl” of sorts for our moelicious finalists will occur.

This is a huge effort. And things stay mostly on schedule for what I’ve observed of the tournament in the last week or two. minhtam is doing a whole lot on his own, and it’s exam week right now for him, too, bless his heart. But he does have a staff of graphic designers and programmers to help with the aesthetics and execution, and I’m sure he’s looking for more good help, too, if you are offering your time and skills.

The rules seem nicely detailed and concise. If some may find the 64 contestants a little lopsided, I think it will balance out over the years. And since some of them are fan-voted prior to the start of the tournament, there may be some bias based on who’s around. But it overall shouldn’t be a bad mixture. That’s why the round-robin system is there, so the best girl will be able to stand out no matter who her competition is.

As for the current rankings, I’m surprised that Sakagami Tomoyo is undefeated, but we’re only a quarter of the way through. It’s unlikely any girl will have a perfect 63-0 record (either Tomoyo or Haruhi at this point) by the end of the season. I’m looking forward to some interesting catchups or major upsets. Else the top 16 we see now just might end up being the top 16 at the end. Either way, being able to vote 3 times a week (plus overtime matches if any!) for the entire summer is fun for me. I’m enjoying this.

So go vote! Oh, and if you’re too lazy to read the schedule, then just bookmark the voting page, and every time you load it, make sure the “Vote” button appears at the bottom. If it’s not there, the voting period hasn’t started yet, and you’d be clicking on radio buttons for nothing.

~Crisu