Saimoe 2013
The Anime Saimoe Tournament is an annual contest held by 2ch to determine the most moe girl of the year. The tournament is not meant to directly measure popularity (despite common misconceptions) but rather focuses on each character's moe appeal, and is intended to be a festival in which fans can promote shows, characters, artwork, and other material they enjoyed. After Mami Tomoe's victory in 2011, the Madoka Magica cast returns to participate in the 2013 tournament.
Madoka Kaname wins the Saimoe 2013!Winner of the Championship Match (11/23 EST or 11/24 JST): Madoka Kaname
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Victory Speech
Thank you, thank you, thank you everyone. Tonight, in this, the 12th edition of the most storied Saimoe Prime Minister election ever contested where such contests are serious business for many people and fans, the task of keeping the moe dream alive for our country moves forward.
It moves forward because of each and every one of you. It moves forward because you believed that hope, love and justice are the deciding factors in making our nation better, and that perseverance and determination transform hope into success and achievement. From despair to ecstasy: that is the belief that while each and every one of us has their own favorite, we are a Japanese family, and we rise and fall as one nation and people, on the faith of the one person we support.
Tonight, on the 23rd day of November 2013, Heisei 25, you, the voters of 2channel, reminded us that while the road to fulfillment has been hard and our journey has been full of suffering, we have picked ourselves up, dusted ourselves off and got back to fighting the good fight and finishing the race. And thus, we know deep down inside that for this great country the world calls Japan, the best is surely yet to come.
So now I want to thank every Japanese man and woman who participated in the Anime Saimoe Tournament and this general election...whether you voted for the first time or had to find a place to vote for a long time due to IP restrictions. We're working on that; bear with us. Whether you went on sites like Livedoor or 2channel, whether you were on foreign sites that covered this event or tweeted results as they came, whether you held a Madoka Kaname sign or a Sayaka Miki sign, you made your voice heard and, in the process, you made a difference so give yourselves a hand.
Minutes ago, I spoke with Sayaka-chan and I congratulated her on a well-fought, well battled race. We have fought fiercely, online and offline, but it's only because we believe in this country and you so much we would give our lives up for you. Sayaka-chan has given back to Japan through her advocacy of the Saimoe movement and the support of the anime and manga industry and her legacy is what we honor and applaud tonight. Thank you, Sayaka-chan, and best of luck in the future.
Now in the weeks ahead, I look forward to talking with Sayaka-chan on ways to improve this country and promote the importance of pop culture and the interests of youth so that we can move Japan forward. I want to thank Toki Onjouji, the outgoing Saimoe Prime Minister, who has been an ally of mine and who has been a staunch supporter of my cause. I want to thank Kyouko Sakura, who is also a strong advocate of what I do and who is a powerful, influential person fueled by faith and ideals.
Of course, Mami Tomoe is a person that I look up to, and she has also run a solid race in her own right. To my father Tomohisa, my mother Junko and my younger brother Tatsuya: tonight, your daughter and older sister will lead Japan forward next year. I am ready to do my best.
But the one person I want to really thank for being the special someone who saved me and really made me who I am: a person who loves life and cherishing true happiness is the key to my happiness, Homura Akemi. Homura-chan, you don't realize how much I love you but maybe you do. I am here to return these feeling tenfold because I am just beginning to appreciating the things you do for me. I want us to be together, to experience the future together, even though I am an angel and you are a devil. That only makes our bond stronger than steel. Let us enjoy the time we now have, with you forever at my side. But I will also say that we have class on Monday, so don't go crazy with the things you like to do for love.
Moderation and discipline are important to living a happy life and help keep selfish love balanced with selfless charity and service to others. That is another message that I brought with me on this campaign, and speaking of which...
Here's to the best campaign team and volunteers in the history of Saimoe. You're the best. You're the best ever. I've had new faces join me on this journey too, and I've had familiar faces join me once again. All of you, however, are part of my family. So no matter what you do or where you go from this point forward, you will remember this night, and the history we made together, and the life-long appreciation of a grateful goddess, now Saimoe Prime Minister Thank you for believing in me, though the dark valley and into the shining hills of Yuri Valhalla.
This victory is for you. You filled me with hope and gave me love this entire time, and I will always in debt for everything that you have done and all the hard word you put it to make this a reality. Again, this victory is for you.
It's not a secret, everyone: Saimoe campaigns can sometimes seem ridiculous, despite being serious business, and you know that there has been talk by many critics that this tournament has declined in terms of popularity and relevance and that this year has been dominated by one part, the Puella Magi part. Allow me to counter with this: if you ever get the chance to talk to people in Mitakihara, in Kasamino, in Tokyo, in Osaka, in Sapporo, in Hiroshima, in Nagoya, in Niigata, in Yokohama, in Fukuoka, in every internet cafe and school, in every shopping mall and local gathering spot for fans and enthusiasts...you're going to experience something else, something magical.
You're going to hear the determination in the voice of a Madoka Magica fan who has an extensive figurine collection, is a college student and is looking to be rich through the intervention of his favorite heroes.
You'll hear the pride in the voice of a volunteer awash in rose, pink and white who's spreading the good word about hope and love and is boosted by the news that his significant other of a few years got promoted.
You'll hear the deep patriotism and pride in the voice of a fan of one of our main contributors, Gen Urobuchi, who works at the desktops late to ensure voters have a legit code, because no one needs to be turned away from making their voice heard. No one. The patriotism and pride comes from knowing that this is Japan's tournament, Japan's time to shine, Japan's time to make itself proud of its moekkos.
And that's why we do this. That's why we're here. Deny obvious, uphold the inane, that's how we roll. That's what Saimoe can be. That's why this tournament matters. It's not in decline, it goes on and remains part of Japan's cultural cloth. It's big and important. Saimoecracy in an island nation of 126 million can be noisy and messy and annoying and teeth-grinding and full of ragequit and shitposting. We know this. We've been there. And every one of us has our own beliefs and tastes. When we go through the tough times that we have gone through, when we make big decisions as an online community and a country, it naturally stirs passions, stirs up burning desire, controversy, chaos and madness. It can be suffering.
And that will not change after tonight, and why should it? After all, these arguments, these debates on who is best girl is a sign of us being a free country, free to voice out as who is better and who is your No. 1 and my No. 1. We must never forget that we speak, people in other countries are risking their right to sound off on their opinions on matters involving the world and make their own choices, like you have done tonight.
But despite all of our difference in opinions, most of us, if not all, share certain hopes for the future of Japan. We want our young men and women to embrace the ideals of those young maidens who have the type of personality they can relate to and be motivated by.
We want to be a country that has strong relations with the United States. I hold dual citizenship and I have also talked with Mr. Barack Obama, the President of the United States of America, about his plans to help improve the situation in his country. It also helps that I can also speak perfect English. But that's a different story. The USA is our top ally, and we want to help improve global security through our special partnership.
We take pride in investing in many concerns in the world. We possess 13.7% of the world's private financial assets, the 2nd largest in the world, at an estimated $14.6 trillion and as of 2013, 62 of the Fortune Global 500 companies are based here in Japan.
We remain one of the top economies worldwide and as Saimoe Prime Minister, I expect that it will remain that way. We are the world's 3rd largest automobile manufacturing country, we have the largest electronics goods industry, and we are often ranked among the world's most innovative countries leading several measures of global patent filings. The best high-tech and precision goods, such as optical instruments, Hybrid vehicles, and robotics, are found here in this country.
Our country will not be burdened by debt, weakened by inequality, or threatened by a warming planet, so long as I am in charge. I want this country to leave its legacy as a safe country that believes in peace, self-defense and not initiating conflicts but preventing them through our Self-Defense Forces.
And I want to be a country that lives on with confidence beyond war, and use the ideals of peace and hole to provide freedom and dignity for those in world that are disadvantage. I am here to reach out to everyone and listen to the concerns of you, because I believe that compassion and tolerance are just a couple of fundamental parts in modern-day Japanese society.
I want to reach out to the young, struggling otaku who may have a dakimakura of me, who needs a well-paying job, and wants to be a salaryman. I want to reach out to the young girl in Okinawa who wants a life beyond the islands and find a family and a future in whatever calling she answers to. I want to help young people move forward with their lives and be the best citizens they can be. That's my mission, that's my calling.
Now, as you all know too well, some people will disagree to the point of being on the edge about how the road will be paved, how to get to the promised land. For more than a decade, progress comes in spurts and short hops. It's never a straight line or a smooth path; it's a rocky road filled with curves.
That said, the fact that we have common hopes and dreams won't end the debate as to which girl is more moe or who is a more deserving leader to help solve Japan's problems, as well as build consensus and compromise to move this Saimoecracy forward. However, the common bonds of hope and love is the foundation. Our economy has rebounded, the wars are ending. We're on the up and the world is getting better. Of course, Homura-chan is responsible for a good deal of this, but that's a different story.
But as I want to reiterate, even if you voted for a different magical girl or a different Saimoe character, or voted for the old guard of the previous session, for example, I have listened and learned from you and you've helped me become the Saimoe Prime Minister I am today. Through your stories and struggles, our party returns to the Saimoe Prime Minister office more determined, more inspired and more serious about the work that we need to do and the future that awaits us all.
Tonight you voted for hope and love, not tanoshii and futuristic players. You elected us to focus on your issues and not ours. So in the coming weeks and months, I look forward to reaching out to many people, including International Saimoe League Champion Ruri Gokou, to meet the challenges we can only solve as one. We have an Olympics coming up in a few months, followed by a World Cup. I expect our country to do well at those two events. And when my term is over, I look forward to helping make the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics a success. The organizing committee for those games has my full support and blessings.
As for you, your work is not over. The role of voters in our Saimoecracy does end with your vote tonight. Japan, as you must understand, has never been about what can be done for us but what can be done for us together through the promotion of many interests, including pop culture, anime and manga. That's the greatest gift to the world concerning this country: anime and manga.
We are one of the wealthiest nations in the world, but it's not the wealth that make us rich. We have one of the strongest self-defense forces in the world, but that's not what makes us strong. Our many universities—Toudai, Waseda, Keio, Kyoto, Tokyo Tech, Tohoku, Kyushu, Nagoya, Hokkaido and Tsukuba, among others—are world-class in their own right but that not what keeps the world full of knowledge and skills.
What makes Japan amazing and exceptional...is its culture. Popular culture, that is Japanese popular culture not only reflects the attitudes and concerns of the present but also provides a link to the past. Japanese cinema, cuisine, television programs, anime, manga, and music all developed from older artistic and literary traditions, and many of their themes and styles of presentation can be traced to traditional art forms. This is what makes Japan the greatest nation on earth. Our pop culture is celebrated in all corners of the world through conventions and cosplay, through sales of anime Blu-Ray discs, figurines, plushies, posters, manga volumes, doujinshi and other clothes and sundries.
The power of cuteness and moe, combined with a spirit of hope and love, is what has made me confident about the future of Japan. I've seen it at work. I've seen it around the world. You just can't dislike this nation and its people. I've talked with people in the anime industry about new trends and new ways to help develop it further and help it move forward. I've seen it in people in America at conventions like Anime Expo and Otakon and Comic-Con International where cosplaying is celebrated. I've seen Japanese pop culture celebrated in Europe and Africa and Latin America, where I would check in and see the latest trends in popularity. I would listen to the debates on which famous anime girls are better and which girls have some work to do to earn the fans' trust. I've seen it. I've seen it all.
And I witnessed, before my eyes not too long ago, the story of how I was given my second chance at living the life I now love. As I floated in to purify Homura-chan's soul gem, she grabbed my hand, took my power and liberated me from the grasp of the Incubators.
I realized, days later, that she what she did wasn't wrong, but it was something that would allow me to come back to my family and friends and value the time I spend with them. The importance of life and looking out for oneself was something that I learned to appreciate.
I know that every Japanese citizen wants to have a bright future and a sense of optimism when they head into the real world. That's what we're all about. That's the country I'm so excited and honored to lead as your Saimoe Prime Minister.
And tonight, despite everything we've been through, through all the suffering and frustration we've had over the past several months, I've never been more hopeful about the future of Japan.
I've never more hopeful about Japan and the world, and as the Goddess of Hope, I ask you to sustain it, and keep hope and love alive in your hearts and each other. This isn't blind optimism, which ignores the massiveness of the tasks ahead or those roadblocks that we have to put up with. And this isn't about idealism that allows us to sulk in our own soul gems of despair and pretend that everything is okay. No, that's not the hope I'm talking about.
As I have realized, hope is actually that special something that tells us that despite what all the naysayers may say, despite all the detractors that come crashing down on our doorstep, keep reaching, keep working, keep fighting and turn it into confidence and positive motivation.
Japan, I believe we can build on the progress that the Puella Magi Party under Mami Tomoe made and continue to fight for better jobs, better opportunities and better anime and manga for everyone to throw money at. I believe we can keep this promise that you should not forget, that someone is fighting for you and as long as you remember her, you are not alone. It doesn't matter whether you're Japanese or gaijin; whether you're straight, gay or lesbian; whether you're male or female; whether you're rich or poor; whether you're pro-Puella Magi or anti-Puella Magi; you can make it here in Japan if you're willing to ante up.
I believe we can take advantage of the future together because we are not as divided as people may say we are. We're not cynical as critics say we are. We are the country that brought anime to the forefront, manga to the forefront and moe to the forefront. This is Japan, the pride of Asia.
And together, with your help and the grace of myself and Homura-chan, we will continue this journey forward and remind the world and the universe why we are still, forever and always, the greatest nation on the face of the planet Earth.
Thank you Japan. We send our blessings on this country and the world. Take care of yourselves and be good to yourselves. I love you all. You Are Not Alone!"
-Madoka Kaname
2013 2channel Anime Saimoe Tournament Champion
National Olympic Stadium, Tokyo, Japan
November 23, 2013
Finals
The eight group winners and the eight playoffs winners face each other in single elimination playoffs determined by a new random draw.
Championship Match
23/11 EST
Madoka Kaname
277 votes
Sayaka Miki
191 votes
Semifinal
Semifinal 1 (20/11)
- 116 votes - Kyoko Sakura - Eliminated
- 191 votes - Madoka Kaname
Semifinal 2 (21/11)
- 129 votes - Main Character (Mankind has Declined) - Eliminated
- 203 votes - Sayaka Miki
Two Madoka character survived the semifinals: Madoka Kaname and Sayaka Miki.
Quarterfinals
Quaterfinal 1 (15/11)
- 182 votes - Kyoko Sakura
- 86 votes - Tsukiko Tsutsukakushi (Henneko) - Eliminated
Quaterfinal 2 (16/11)
- 272 votes - Madoka Kaname
- 250 votes - Kuroneko (Oreimo) - Eliminated
Quaterfinal 4 (18/11)
- 162 votes - Mami Tomoe - Eliminated
- 256 votes - Sayaka Miki
Three Madoka character survived quaterfinals: Kyoko Sakura, Madoka Kaname and Sayaka Miki
Last 16
16-1 (06/11)
- 185 votes - Kyoko Sakura
- 125 votes - Sawa Okita (TARI TARI) - Eliminated
16-3 (08/11)
- 272 votes - Madoka Kaname
- 145 votes - Ayase Aragaki (Oreimo) - Eliminated
16-7 (13/11)
- 250 votes - Mami Tomoe
- 141 votes - Miho Nishizumi (Girls und Panzer)- Eliminated
16-8 (14/11)
- 187 votes - Sayaka Miki
- 82 votes - Yoshino (Date a Live) - Eliminated
Four Madoka characters survived Round of 16: Madoka Kaname, Kyoko Sakura, Mami Tomoe, and Sayaka Miki
Playoffs
Before the finals, there was a repechage round. At the end, Madoka Kaname win this round and clasified to the final rounds.
Round 1
- 88 votes (30.77%) - Akana Akaza (Yuru Yuri!) - Eliminated
- 198 votes (69.23%) - Madoka Kaname
Round 2
- 192 votes (67.37%) - Madoka Kaname
- 93 votes (32.63%) - Kuroko Shirai (To Aru Kagaku No Railgun) - Eliminated
Final Round
- 251 votes (65.23%) - Madoka Kaname
- 139 votes (35.64%) - Eru Chitanda (Hyouka) - Eliminated
Main Tournament
The 288 characters that passed the preliminaries were divided into eight groups and brackets for main tournament through a random draw, which took place shortly after the end of the last preliminary round. The winner of each group advances to the finals.
This year, the 32 characters who came second in a match against a Group Winner are shuffled into the Losers Block. The 8 winners of this block compete with the winners of each regular group in the finals.
Round 1
Group A (08/24):
- 214 votes (50.47%) - Mami Tomoe
- 42 votes (9.91%) - Wakaba Saegusa (Vividred Operation)
- 168 votes (39.62%) - Koneko Toujou (High School DxD)
Group B (08/27):
- 293 votes (50.34%) - Homura Akemi
- 20 votes (3.44%) - Asuka Langley Shikinami (Neon Genesis Evangelion)
- 269 votes (46.22%) - Nanoha Takamachi (Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha)
Group B (08/28):
- 207 votes (41.99%) - Yukari Akiyama (Girls Und Panzer)
- 249 votes (50.51%) - Madoka Kaname
- 37 votes (7.51%) - Taeko Hiramatsu (Kore Wa Zombie Desu Ka?)
Group C (09/01):
- 69 votes - Chiaki Minami (Minami-ke) - Eliminated
- 168 votes - Aoi Futaba (Vividred Operation) - Eliminated
- 205 votes - Kyoko Sakura
Group H (09/18)
- 235 votes - Sayaka Miki
- 52 votes - Anastasia Nasuhara (Onii-chan Dakedo Ai Sae Areba Kankeinai Yo Ne!) - Eliminated
- 104 votes - Haruka Minami (Minami-ke) - Eliminated
Five Madoka characters survived Round 1: Madoka Kaname, Homura Akemi, Sayaka Miki, Mami Tomoe, and Kyoko Sakura.
Round 2
Group A (09/20)
- 103 votes - Iwai Mushanokouji (Dansai Bunri No Crime Edge) - Eliminated
- 526 votes - Mami Tomoe
- 374 votes - Yozora Mikazuki (Boku Wa Tomodachi Ga Sukunai) - Eliminated
Group B (09/22):
- 438 votes - Ayase Aragaki (Ore No Imouto Ga Konna Ni Kawaii Wake Ga Nai)
- 201 votes - Homura Akemi - Eliminated
- 413 votes - Madoka Kaname - Eliminated
Group C (09/28):
- 155 votes - Mihoko Fukuji (-Saki-) - Eliminated
- 107 votes - Tsukihi Araragi - Eliminated
- 362 votes - Kyoko Sakura
Group H (10/01)
- 281 votes - Sayaka Miki
- 189 votes - Teru Miyanaga (-Saki-) - Eliminated
- 106 votes - Airi Kashii (Ro-Kyu-Bu!) - Eliminated
Three Madoka characters survived Round 2: Sayaka Miki, Mami Tomoe, and Kyoko Sakura.
Round 3
Group A (10/05):
- 673 votes - Mami Tomoe
- 589 votes - Yuu Matsumi (-Saki-) - Eliminated
Group C (10/08):
- 429 votes - Kyoko Sakura
- 298 votes - Rikka Takanashi (Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai!) - Eliminated
Group H (10/12):
- 309 votes - Sayaka Miki
- 140 votes - Shirai Kuroko (To Aru Kagaku No Railgun S) - Eliminated
Three Madoka characters survived Round 3: Mami Tomoe, Kyoko Sakura, and Sayaka Miki.
Group Finals
Group A (10/14):
- 503 votes - Mami Tomoe
- 230 votes - Toki Onjouji (-Saki-) - Eliminated
Group C (10/14):
- 491 votes - Kyoko Sakura
- 220 votes - Azusa Azuki (Henneko) - Eliminated
Group H (10/17):
- 280 votes - Sayaka Miki
- 183 votes - Eru Chitanda (Hyouka) - Eliminated
Three Madoka characters survived to the quarter finals: Mami Tomoe, Kyoko Sakura, and Sayaka Miki.
Preliminaries
The preliminaries consist of several rounds in which large groups of characters are voted on at once. Each voter can vote for up to 10 characters per round. The 14 highest scoring characters advance to the main tournament, and the remainder of the top 40 get another chance to qualify through the second set of preliminary rounds. In the second preliminary round, the characters who are in the top 16 of their respective groups advance to the main tournament. Everybody else is eliminated.
Characters qualified for the main tournament:
| First Preliminaries | ||||||||
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| Group 8 | Group 11 | Group 15 | ||||||
| 1st | 219 |  Homura Akemi
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1st | 205 |  Sayaka Miki
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1st | 209 |  Madoka Kaname
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| 3rd | 202 |  Kyoko Sakura
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2nd | 206 |  Mami Tomoe
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Characters eliminated from the tournament:
- Junko Kaname (Group 10: 38th Place; Second Preliminary Group 3: 85th Place)
- Charlotte (Group 15: 21st Place; Second Preliminary Group 1: 54th Place)
- Walpurgis Night (Group 15: 40th Place; Second Preliminary Group 4: 100th Place)
- Kazuko Saotome (Group 10: 44th Place)
- Hitomi Shizuki (Group 6: 28th Place; Second Preliminary Group 3: 37th Place)
How to vote
See Anime Saimoe's Voting Guide for detailed instructions.