Saimoe 2011

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. Saimoe is serious Walpurgisnacht business. Blood will be spilled. The cast of Puella Magi Madoka Magica is participating in the 2011 tournament.

Mami Tomoe Wins Saimoe 2011! Winner of the Championship Match (11/04 EST or 11/05 JST): Mami Tomoe

Victory Speech

Hello, Mitakihara. Good morning.

If there is anyone out there who doubts that Japan is the center of the greatest animation ever conceived, who still wonders if the young women that dominate our lives are relevant in the interests of this era, who still questions the power of its dedicated supporters regardless of gender, tonight is your answer.

It's the answer told by users that hailed from humble homes to large universities, from big business complexes to temples and houses of worship, from the freezing north of Sapporo to the sultry warmth of Okinawa, who believed that the power of choosing a female face to lead this country will be the key to success and prosperity.

It's the answer spoken by young and old, salarymen and office ladies, magical girls and espers, tsundere and yandere, time travelers, shrine maidens, maids, cats, squids, Strike Witches and succubi, the normal and the abnormal...Japanese men and women who sent a message to an ever-evolving society that guides this planet that we are not weaboos or otaku or nerds...we are Japanese, and we will always, always love all things moe.

It's the answer that has been guided in the past by a driving force in the form of power pop-such powerful, sweet melodies-and shift the focus to the cause of those who are blessed with unbelievable powers, who have pure intentions to spread the message of a brighter tomorrow.

It has taken one year of reckoning, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in the tenth year of the 2channel Anime Saimoe Tournament...the Puella Magi have arrived in Japan.

I had a heart-to-heart talk with Sakura Kyouko-san earlier today. She is someone that I know very well, is one of my juniors, and is a confidante of Miki Sayaka-san, who was defeated earlier in this tournament by Kaname Madoka-san. She is a warrior by nature, who endured a difficult past to turn her life around and become an experienced fighter with so much accomplished. She now stands with me tonight in solidarity, and I look forward to working with her and all the Puella Magi under Kaname-san's guiding hand in the coming months ahead.

I want to thank Miki-san herself for being gracious in defeat. She is also a proud fighter and is fiercely loyal to our cause and our message. History has made us friends. Our quarterfinal matches have made us equals. And this victory makes us sisters-in-arms.

I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of someone who has been a great ally to us and someone who we can count on., Akemi Homura-san. She fought a valient battle against Mikoto Misaka, but we have avenged her defeat this morning. Our victory will no doubt lift your spirits and allow you to fight at your best from this point forward.

To the dessert witch, Charlotte, who may have helped me get over the top with the "Mogu Mogu" phenomenon that spread worldwide...I forgive you now, and I thank you for your solidarity.

To Kaname-san, I thank you for reaching out to me and giving me a second chance to prove my worth. And I repaid you in kind by winning this tournament not just for you, but for the Puella Magi who are out there doing good in the world. I am forever in your debt.

And although my parents are not here with me, they are watching, and they are proud of what I have accomplished. They mean so much to me, and I wouldn't be here without them. Mom and Dad, I love you both.

But of all those who I would like to thank, I want to thank you, the voting public. Each and every one of you.

You see, I was never the likeliest candidate to win this tournament. I was given a chance by Kyubey to become a Puella Magi. Had I not elected to go with my wish, which was to connect myself with the life I love and to appreciate it the fullest, I wouldn't be standing here speaking in front of you this morning. But I chose to, and I came to terms with my mission. After Kaname-san brought me back to life, I regained a new sense of purpose, and I realized that I am no longer alone in the world.

As fate would have it, there were many citizens tracking these events online and offline, and that is when my campaign started to take shape. From Mitakihara City, to the 23 Special Wards of Tokyo, to the restaurants and shopping malls of Osaka, and the playgrounds and schools of Yokohama, my story and our message spread.

And our message was preached by men and women of all different walks of life who made the decision to log into Futaba Channel, wait for their code, and then make their decision over the course of months and rounds; and it grew in strength thanks to those who swore allegiances to other worthy candidates but ultimately chose our cause as their final answer; from the millions of Japanese who campaigned on different internet forums and even non-Japanese who debated and professed their love and loyalties and proved that more than a decade later, the Anime Saimoe Tournament is more than just a popularity contest; it is a celebration of the moe aspect that makes anime special. This is your victory.

Now I know that you didn't do this just because Puella Magi Madoka Magica dominated the Newtype Anime Awards or won Animation Kobe, and you didn't do it just because this is our show with Kaname-san's name on it. You did this because our message transcends all others. As we celebrate this morning, we all understand that there will be other shows that will be airing, with new faces, new mentalities, and new outlooks on this thing we call life. There will be new girls who want to follow my lead-our lead, I should say. They want to be the new It Girl, just like Nakano Azusa-san was last year. There are others that will become the new "MAI WAIFU" while for others it's a "DO NOT WANT."

I may not be able to spread my message to every corner of the world-indeed, there is a contest that involves characters from shows in the past, whose spirit and legacy I have the utmost respect for. But I am not one who is willing to back down from a challenge, and so I will seize the opportunity to reach out to those who need my guidance. That has been my promise since day one, and that is my promise today.

There will be those who will not agree with my policy as the champion of this tournament, and not all fans will agree on who is better or who is best. But I was an honest person before I took on my current role, and I remain entrenched in being honest with those I know and those I watch over. I ask you all, who now are aware of the cause that we as Puella Magi fight under, live under, and suffer under...to spread the message: whether by social networks, word-of-mouth, blogs, news articles. Even a simple shout from the rooftops will suffice.

What began seven months ago cannot end on this cool autumn night. This victory only announces our arrival, but it is only a foundation for greater opportunities that will come calling for us and for you.

Let us summon a new purpose, of responsibility and trust where each of us encourages to take a stand, but with a clear, ethical conscience. Let us remember that fake voting may lead a candidate to success early, but could set that candidate up for defeat later, and that running clean, fair races is the only solution that is best for this country and the 2channel BBS.

Let us realize that those who try to invade the planet with their own message cannot try to imitate those who have gone before them and were successful in their own right. Let us remember that it was a main magical girl that won this 2channel Anime Saimoe Tournament ten years ago, a feat that has now been successfully replicated twice. And while the Puella Magi has won a great victory this morning, we do so with a measure of humbleness and confidence to ease the minds of those voters whose own confidence and faith in this competition have been shaken irrepairably. To those in Japan whose support I have yet to earn: I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices, I need your faith, and I will be your Goddess and Saimoe Prime Minister too.

And to all those watching across the Pacific in the Americas; to those across the Sea of Japan, our brothers and sisters in Korea; and to those in Australia, Africa and Europe: your belief in us has been intangible yet invaluable, and so your prayers have been answered with a new dawn of Saimoe leadership now at hand.

To those demons who are born out of curses: we will defeat you. To those who seek cuteness and awesomeness: we support you. And to all those who have wondered if the people who organized this tournament had lost their minds by not allowing non-Japanese IPs to vote, we proved once more that this has always been Japan's tournament, and it will only be the voice of the Japanese people that determines a competition that features characters that have large eyes, small noses, flat faces, tall irises, bodies 5.7 heads tall, thin limbs, large heads, colorful hair, bangs over eyes like myself and those standing before you, a neotenized face, ahoge, and may not be perfect in nature in terms of personality, but don't need to be because we all are moe and we Saimoe now.

That is the true genius of Japan - that Japan believes in Saimoe now. Our country is the home of the most beautiful women ever to be created. And what we have already created today will pave the way for those that will come forth into the world tomorrow.

Look around you. You see the faces of those who are blessed to be alive for another year. So many things have happened in this world that have prevented people like you from accomplishing this honor, young as you may be or old as you already are.

Think about what this country means to you, and think about those around the world who think about what their world means to them. And so the message becomes engrained in your mind. You are not alone.

When the strife in Western Asia and Northern Africa reached critical mass, you saw the people rise against their leaders and call for change through the power of revolutions. You are not alone.

When the most calamitous natural disaster ended the lives of more than 15,000 of your friends, neighbors and loved ones, you saw the global community reach out to you with open arms and help you get back on your feet, and you became stronger than ever. You are not alone.

When destiny came calling in London, you watched as a young man of royalty, in the prime of his life, take the hand of his beloved in marriage in one of the world's most celebrated houses of worship in the Anglican Communion. You are not alone.

You were there to see a new country form in Africa, an American space shuttle program complete its run over decades, two countries in South Asia make peace with one another and floodings sink Thailand and Cambodia to their knees. You are not alone.

You helped those who suffered a catastrophe like yours in Turkey and watched two of the cruelest men in the world meet a bloody end in the quest of freedom and peace.

And tonight, in this contest, you waited for your code and casted your vote online, because, whether in one year or ten, through the good and the bad, you know how Japan and the world can change. You are not alone.

Japan, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there are other shows that will keep the Anime Saimoe Tournament fire burning. So this morning, let us ask ourselves: if we can be so lucky to be living here, enjoying a free world-a free and peaceful world, what will the future hold and what new messages and causes will await us?

This is our chance to reignite that fire. This is our moment. This is our time to shine, so that now, in this, the year 2011, in spite of anything that happens in this world or in your backyard or in front of you on your television set...don't forget. Always somewhere, someone is fighting for you. As long as you remember her...

You Are Not Alone. Thank you. Madoka blesses you, and may Madoka bless Japan and the world.

-Tomoe Mami November 6, 2011 Mitakihara Junior High School Quadrangle Mitakihara, Japan

How To Vote

The tournament placed tight restrictions on IP addresses for the preliminaries, so voters outside Japan had difficulty getting codes. These restrictions remain in place for the main tournament, so you may need a Japanese IP address to get a code. If you're able to get in, here are the steps:

1. http://saimoe.jpn.org/2011/code.cgi to start code generation. After 1-2 hours, refresh to get the code, which looks like [[AST1025-6BN.I58Q-Rd]]-01195
2. Copy your character's name from the generator or animesaimoe.org including brackets, like <<鹿目まどか＠魔法少女まどか☆マギカ>>
3. Go to the current voting thread to post your code, name, and an extra message about your character. Example:

[[AST1025-6BN.I58Q-Rd]]-01195 <<鹿目まどか＠魔法少女まどか☆マギカ>> I wish to vote for Madoka in every match, in every timeline, with my own hands.~っす

For a more complete explanation, see the Voting Details section. See animesaimoe.org for another guide and links to current voting threads.

Finals

The eight group winners face each other in single elimination playoffs determined by a new random draw.

Championship Match

11/04 EST or 11/05 JST

• 

  Kyoko Sakura
  435 votes
• 

  Mami Tomoe
  512 votes

Semifinals

Semifinal 1 (11/01 EST or 11/02 JST):

334 votes - Erica Hartmann - Eliminated

509 votes - Kyoko Sakura - Advances to Final

Semifinal 2 (11/02 EST or 11/03 JST):

392 votes - Madoka Kaname - Eliminated

407 votes - Mami Tomoe - Advances to Final

Quarterfinals

Quarterfinal 1 (10/27 EST or 10/28 JST):

340 votes - Astarotte Ygvar - Eliminated

363 votes - Erica Hartmann - Advances to Semi Finals

Quarterfinal 2 (10/28 EST or 10/29 JST):

657 votes - Kyoko Sakura - Advances to Semi Finals

568 votes - Kuroneko - Eliminated

Quarterfinal 3 (10/29 EST or 10/30 JST):

371 votes - Madoka Kaname - Advances to Semi Finals

327 votes - Sayaka Miki - Eliminated

Quarterfinal 4 (10/30 EST or 10/31 JST):

612 votes - Ika Musume - Eliminated

710 votes - Mami Tomoe - Advances to Semi Finals

Main Tournament

The 288 characters that passed the preliminaries were divided into eight groups and brackets for the single elimination 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.

Saimoe Records

• Puella Magi Madoka Magi holds the record for the most consecutive wins in Saimoe by an anime, 17 if not including intraseries battles, 22 if included. The prior record was 11, set by in Azumanga Daioh in 2002.
• Second highest with 22 victories in one season.
• First one cour (12 episode) anime to win Saimoe.
• First series to have three candidates in the semi-finals.
• Mami, at 70.11%, holds a top 5 record in highest vote percentage win for a match.
• Mami is the first non-pettanko winner.
• Mami is the winner with the shortest anime appearance in Saimoe history.

Group Finals

Group C (10/19 EST or 10/20 JST):

415 votes - Madoka Kaname - Advances to Quarter Finals

232 votes - Elucia De Lute Irma - Eliminated

Group E (10/21 EST or 10/22 JST):

464 votes - Sayaka Miki - Advances to Quarter Finals

283 votes - Haqua du Lot Herminium - Eliminated

Group F (10/22 EST or 10/23 JST):

427 votes - Mami Tomoe - Advances to Quarter Finals

182 votes - Shirayuki Hotogi - Eliminated

Group G (10/23 EST or 10/24 JST):

428 votes - Kyoko Sakura - Advances to Quarter Finals

250 votes - Index - Eliminated

Four Madoka characters survived to the quarter finals: Madoka Kaname, Sayaka Miki, Mami Tomoe, and Kyoko Sakura.

Round 3

Group C (10/10 EST or 10/11 JST):

421 votes - Madoka Kaname - Advances to Group Finals

207 votes - Hercule Barton - Eliminated

Group E (10/12 EST or 10/13 JST):

519 votes - Sayaka Miki - Advances to Group Finals

396 votes - Charlotte Dunois - Eliminated

Group F (10/13 EST or 10/14 JST):

410 votes - Mami Tomoe - Advances to Group Finals

183 votes - Miyafuji Yoshika - Eliminated

Group G (10/15 EST or 10/16 JST):

532 votes - Kyouko Sakura - Advances to Group Finals

306 votes - Kokoro Akechi - Eliminated

Four Madoka characters survived to the group finals: Madoka Kaname, Sayaka Miki, Mami Tomoe, and Kyoko Sakura.

Round 2

Group C (9/24 EST or 9/25 JST):

333 votes - Madoka Kaname - Advances to Round 3

119 votes - Mio Isurugi - Eliminated

56 votes - Ingrid Sorveig Sorgrims - Eliminated

Group E (9/29 EST or 9/30 JST):

519 votes - Sayaka Miki - Advances to Round 3

281 votes - Kazari Uiharu - Eliminated

155 votes - Ruiko Saten - Eliminated

Group F (9/29 EST or 9/30 JST):

571 votes - Mami Tomoe - Advances to Round 3

286 votes - Nymph - Eliminated

87 votes - Mikan Yuuki - Eliminated

Group G (10/06 EST or 10/07 JST):

481 votes - Kyoko Sakura - Advances to Round 3

169 votes - Charlotte E. Yeager - Eliminated

58 votes - Tsumugi Toudou - Eliminated

Four Madoka characters survived Round 2: Madoka Kaname, Sayaka Miki, Mami Tomoe, and Kyoko Sakura.

Round 1

Group A (8/15 EST or 8/16 JST):

585 votes - Homura Akemi - Eliminated

696 votes - Misaka Mikoto - Advances to Round 2

57 votes - Sara (Jewelpet) - Eliminated

Group A (8/17 EST or 8/18 JST):

109 votes - Ume-sensei - Eliminated

Group B (8/19 EST or 8/20 JST):

138 votes - Charlotte - Eliminated

265 votes - Hibiki Houjou (Suite Pretty Cure) - Eliminated

297 votes - Sui Shijima (Hanasaku Iroha) - Advances to Round 2

Group C (8/26 EST or 8/27 JST):

285 votes - Madoka Kaname - Advances to Round 2

67 votes - Chiriko Tsurumi (Ano Hana) - Eliminated

120 votes - Erika Sendou (Fortune Arterial) - Eliminated

Group E (9/04 EST or 9/05 JST):

445 votes - Sayaka Miki - Advances to Round 2

40 votes - Kusano (Sekirei) - Eliminated

291 votes - Yuina Wakura (Hanasaku Iroha) - Eliminated

Group F (9/08 EST or 9/09 JST):

447 votes - Mami Tomoe - Advances to Round 2

209 votes - Sanae Nagatsuki (Ika Musume) - Eliminated

64 votes - Noel Kannagi (Sora No Woto) - Eliminated

Group G (9/14 EST or 9/15 JST):

338 votes - Kyoko Sakura - Advances to Round 2

82 votes - Kanata Sorami (Sora No Woto) - Eliminated

180 votes - Ritsu Tainaka (K-ON) - Eliminated

Four Madoka characters survived Round 1: Madoka Kaname, Sayaka Miki, Mami Tomoe, and Kyoko Sakura.

Preliminaries

First Preliminary Rounds

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 12 highest scoring characters advance to the main tournament, and the remainder of the top 35 get another chance to qualify through the second set of preliminary rounds.

ROUND 1

65th - 10 votes - Gin no Majo <<銀の魔女＠魔法少女まどか☆マギカ>> (Gisela)

ROUND 2

44th - 18 votes - Geijutsuka no Majo <<芸術家の魔女＠魔法少女まどか☆マギカ>> (Izabel)

57th - 12 votes - Viking-style Puella Magi <<ヴァイキング風の魔法少女＠魔法少女まどか☆マギカ>>

60th - 11 votes - Torikago no Majo <<鳥かごの魔女＠魔法少女まどか☆マギカ>> (Roberta)

ROUND 3

1st - 433 votes - Akemi Homura <<暁美ほむら＠魔法少女まどか☆マギカ>>

41st - 28 votes - Class representative Witch <<委員長の魔女＠魔法少女まどか☆マギカ>> (Patricia)

42nd - 27 votes - Kage no Majo <<影の魔女＠魔法少女まどか☆マギカ>> (Elsa Maria)

ROUND 4

17th -　91 votes - Walpurgis Night (Butai Souchi no Majo) <<ワルプルギスの夜（舞台装置の魔女）＠魔法少女まどか☆マギカ>>

ROUND 5

1st - 372 votes - Sakura Kyouko <<佐倉杏子＠魔法少女まどか☆マギカ>>

65th - 8 votes - Puella Magi in a war <<戦火の中の魔法少女＠魔法少女まどか☆マギカ>>

ROUND 6

-

ROUND 7

-

ROUND 8

1st - 410 votes - Tomoe Mami <<巴マミ＠魔法少女まどか☆マギカ>>

ROUND 9

5th - 202 votes - Charlotte Okashi no Majo <<シャルロッテ（お菓子の魔＠魔法少女まどか☆マギカ>>

44th - 32 votes - Hako no Majo <<ハコの魔女＠魔法少女まどか☆マギカ>> (Elly)

ROUND 10

1st -　392 votes - Miki Sayaka <<美樹さやか＠魔法少女まどか☆マギカ>>

14th - 90 votes - Kaname Junko <<鹿目詢子（まどかの母）＠魔法少女まどか☆マギカ>>

ROUND 11

62nd - 14 votes - Puella Magi in a volcanic island <<火山島の魔法少女＠魔法少女まどか☆マギカ>>

ROUND 12

51st - 19 votes - Puella Magi in the grasslands <<草原の魔法少女＠魔法少女まどか☆マギカ>>

62nd - 13 votes - Cleopatra look-alike Puella Magi <<クレオパトラ似の魔法少女＠魔法少女まどか☆マギカ>>

Patricia Iinchou no Majo <<パトリシア（委員長の魔女）＠魔法少女まどか☆マギカ>> Duplicate eliminated

ROUND 13

56th - 15 votes - Himeko look-alike Puella Magi <<卑弥呼似の魔法少女＠魔法少女まどか☆マギカ>>

55th - 19 votes - Jeanne d'Arc look-alike Puella Magi <<ジャンヌ・ダルク似の魔法少＠魔法少女まどか☆マギカ>>

71st - 10 votes - Puella Magi in a savanna <<サバンナの魔法少女＠魔法少女まどか☆マギカ>>

76th - 9 votes - Puella Magi in the train <<列車中の魔法少女＠魔法少女まどか☆マギカ>>

ROUND 14

25th - 51 votes - Saotome Kazuko <<早乙女和子＠魔法少女まどか☆マギカ>>

33rd - 30 votes - The Puella Magi carrying a teddy bear <<クマのぬいぐるみを持った魔法少女＠魔法少女まどか☆マギカ>>

ROUND 15

57th - 15 votes - Gertrud Baeren no Majo <<薔薇園の魔女＠魔法少女まどか☆マギカ>>

15th - 133 votes - Shizuki Hitomi <<志筑仁美＠魔法少女まどか☆マギカ>>

ROUND 16

1st - 459 votes - Kaname Madoka <<鹿目まどか＠魔法少女まどか☆マギカ>> (Naturally, she doesn't go into action until the very last round) (Also naturally, she turned out to be the most powerful magical girl!)

Second Preliminary Rounds

ROUND 1

-

ROUND 2

29th - 70 votes - Walpurgis Night (Butai Souchi no Majo) <<ワルプルギスの夜（舞台装置の魔女）＠魔法少女まどか☆マギカ>>

ROUND 3

-

ROUND 4

56th - 32 votes - Puella Magi carrying a teddy bear <<クマのぬいぐるみを持った魔法少女＠魔法少女まどか☆マギカ>>

ROUND 5

17th - 107 votes - Shizuki Hitomi <<志筑仁美＠魔法少女まどか☆マギカ>>

29th - 71 votes - Kaname Junko <<鹿目詢子（まどかの母）＠魔法少女まどか☆マギカ>>

ROUND 6

48th - 43 votes - Saotome Kazuko <<早乙女和子＠魔法少女まどか☆マギカ>>

Preliminary Tournament Results

• Madoka Kaname scored the highest total of the first preliminaries with 459 votes, completing a 5/5 first place sweep for the main cast.

Madoka characters that have qualified for the main tournament:

• Homura Akemi (Group 3: 1st Place)

• Kyoko Sakura (Group 5: 1st Place)

• Mami Tomoe (Group 8: 1st Place)

• Charlotte (Group 9: 5th Place)

• Sayaka Miki (Group 10: 1st Place)

• Kaname Madoka (Group 16: 1st Place)

Madoka characters that have been eliminated from the tournament:

• Walpurgis Night (Group 4: 17th Place) (Second Preliminary Group 2: 29th Place)

• Puella Magi carrying a teddy bear (Group 14: 33rd Place) (Second Preliminary Group 4: 56th Place)

• Hitomi Shizuki (Group 15: 15th Place) (Second Preliminary Group 5: 17th Place)

• Junko Kaname (Group 10: 14th Place) (Second Preliminary Group 5: 29th Place)

• Saotome Kazuko (Group 14: 25th place) (Second Preliminary Group 6: 48th place)

• Gisela (Group 1: 65th Place)

• Izabel (Group 2: 44th Place)

• Viking-style Puella Magi (Group 2: 57th Place)

• Roberta (Group 2: 60th Place)

• Patricia (Group 3: 41st Place)

• Elsa Maria (Group 3: 42nd Place)

• Elly (Group 9: 44th Place)

• Puella Magi in a volcanic island (Group 11: 62nd Place)

• Puella Magi in the grasslands (Group 12: 51st place)

• Cleopatra look-alike Puella Magi (Group 12: 62nd Place)

• Himeko look-alike Puella Magi (Group 13: 56th Place)

• Jeanne d'Arc look-alike Puella Magi (Group 13: 55th Place)

• Puella Magi in a savanna (Group 13: 71st Place)

• Puella Magi in the train (Group 13: 76th Place)

• Gertrud (Group 15: 57th Place)

• A special mention to Ume-sensei, Ume Aoki's personification and a character in Hidamari Sketch voiced by her, who qualified for the main tournament.
  (2nd preliminaries, Group 5: 11th place)

Voting Details

• http://animesaimoe.org and the synchroom will link to the current voting threads.
• Voting threads can be found here: http://yuzuru.2ch.net/vote/ and you can get a list of the relevant threads here: http://find.2ch.net/?STR=%A5%A2%A5%CB%A5%E1%BA%C7%CB%A8%A5%C8%A1%BC%A5%CA%A5%E1%A5%F3%A5%C82011+%C5%EA%C9%BC%A5%B9%A5%ECRound&COUNT=50&TYPE=TITLE&BBS=ALL
• Alternate voting threads can be found here: http://jbbs.livedoor.jp/anime/8440/ These threads give people who are unable to post on 2ch a place to vote.

The extra message (called a moebun) is required. It doesn't have to be fancy, but good campaign messages might help your character and interesting content, ascii art, and image links are encouraged. Do not post trash talk, trolls, or flames.

• If the last line in the generator page includes times, you just have to refresh the page (once at a time, don't spam, since it will only send the code one time) after the specified time. The generator updates at every 55th minute, so if you start at 1:45, the process starts at 1:55 and finishes at 2:55. At 2:56, you can get your code.
• If the last line on the code generator is コード発行制限中。。。しばらく待って。 then it's saying "please wait." A code might become available later, or you might stay blocked. If this message persists, try a different IP. Using one from a different ISP or country is more likely to work than using another IP within the same subnet. As of the preliminaries, only Japanese IPs are working reliably.

2ch ID numbers: Votes only count if they have unique 2ch ID's. These are based on your IP address, so if you share your internet connection, there may be other people voting with the same ID. Make sure to use a separate IP to post your vote, and if you're not sure whether it's safe, make a non-vote post (with actual campaign content supporting your character, not just a lame "test"), and search all of that match's voting threads for its ID to see if there's any other posts with it.

Other errors:

• If the code generator page says "ERROR:PROXY" in red, you'll need a different IP address, since the one you're using has been banned for being a proxy.
• エラー。。。つなぎかえ多重は止めましょう。。。 also known as the "bridging multiple Kaedes" error. It means that the generator thinks you're trying to vote multiple times by changing your IP. You might have cookies left over from a previous attempt at voting in this match.
• あなたには本日既にコードを発行しています！ means a code has already been issued to your IP for this match.
• 2ch threads are capped at 1000 posts, and there's limits on how many characters and lines your post can contain.

Voting tips:

• Sniping: Assassinations run rampant in Saimoe. Homura has already fallen victim to this in round one and Madoka will be a top priority target for every voter who sees her as a threat to their candidate of choice, so remain vigilant and make sure to vote for her and the other Madoka Magica characters in every round. Don't be like Mami and relax too soon when you're headed into battle.
• Sniping the enemy: Turnabout is fair play, and being a fan will be less suffering if certain opponents are taken out. When the tournament brackets are released, look through your favorite characters' groups and identify threatening girls. If two groups of fans from other factions are at war, join the fray.
• Split votes: The first round includes three-way matches where it's possible to have two girls from the same show divided against an enemy, which can make both of them lose. Handle this by following Japan's lead and focusing on the stronger character. Wait until it becomes clear which one of your faction's characters has the most support, and then add to that lead. Wait at least 4 or 5 hours instead of deciding early in the match, since it's common for enormous amounts of fake votes to be used in the first hour or two to trick people into voting for the weaker character.
• Fake votes: The trackers that count vote totals for in-progress matches can be fooled by fake votes that are made using invalid codes. Fake votes are used to mislead voters into becoming complacent or giving up. Don't let your guard down.

Other Moe Contests

In 2011 Korean's Best Moe Tournament, Homura Akemi won for 2011. This makes two tournament wins this year for Puella Magi Madoka Magica characters.

Several of the other Madoka characters made it as far as the quarterfinals.

External links

• Official Site (Japanese)
• Unofficial English Site
• English Saimoe Wiki
• Saimoe 2011 Synchroom (English)
• Coverage and Charts (English)