It’s that time of year again where ISML participants need to start considering the girls they would like to nominate for the 2012 season. Nomination begins on the 1st of the year, and there are a ton of changes for this year’s nomination phase. The most notable change is the decision to break the contestants into two divisions: Nova and Stella. As summarized by KholdStare88, “Nova contains characters, (a) newly aired in the past 2 years, or (b) aired in the past 2 years after taking a long break. Stella will harbor all other eligible characters, notably characters who made their first appearances over 2 years ago.” Or, to put it in layman’s terms, veterans and newcomers will be divided into their own categories. This is the first time that ISML has attempted anything like this, and hopefully it will help filter the contestants into a more even showing. My main issue with girls in the past was the sheer number of single-anime contestants, such as CLANNAD and K-ON! For full details about the new Charter, please visit the main site!
As usual, there are auto-qualifiers to the Preliminaries; however, no one can auto-qualify for the Regular Season. Nominations need to take these auto-qualifiers into account and avoid re-nominating them. Participants have 12 nomination slots, and at least 5 must be filled with at least 3 different anime titles represented. The phase lasts a full week.
Below are my current choices, subject to change, for the 2012 Nomination Phase:
- Ika Musume (Shinryaku! Ika Musume) I’ve had a love for Squid Girl ever since her first season in 2010, and the second season that just now finished really grounded just how awesome she is. I thought it was a crime that she didn’t make it into the 2011 season, so I’m hoping a larger fanbase will be able to push her into 2012.
- Makise Kurisu (Steins;Gate) – One of the most intelligent anime of the year, Steins;Gate gave us a slew of memorable characters. Makise Kurisu is my favorite of the females, with her intelligence, sexiness, shyness, and firm faith in Okarin.
- Shinonome Nano (Nichijou) – What isn’t there to love about an almost perfect human robot with a key sticking out of her back? Her and Hakase’s skits were my favorites of this great comedic anime.
- Anjou Naruko (AnoHana) – AnoHana was all about drama, drama, drama, and Naruko was a big participant in that. I love her character that tries so hard to fit in and please, as well as that side of her that can’t get enough of gaming and manga.
- Yune (Ikoku Meiro no Croisee) – Yune is the epitome of adorable, with her small stature and sweet personality. She somehow makes everything around her more colorful and beautiful.
- Ayase Chihaya (Chihayafuru) – From a currently airing shoujo anime, Chihaya is probably one of the most oblivious females in a love story that I’ve seen. Her life circles almost solely around her love for karuta, but that’s the main reason why I adore her.
- Irisviel von Einzbern (Fate/Zero) – Fate/Zero has got to be one of the most beautifully animated anime of the year, and there’s just something haunting about Irisviel’s ethereal form. She completely outclasses her daughter and almost rivals Saber in strength of character.
- Mizunashi Akari (ARIA) – My all-time favorite female from my all-time favorite anime, including Akari is a no brainer. She creates sunshine wherever she goes, living life to the fullest.
- Hoshii Miki (The iDOLM@STER) – My liking for her may be in large part because of her arc in the anime, but Miki’s spunk and natural talent really make it hard to not like her. She’s “…got the moves like Jagger” :p
- Shiguma Rika (Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai) – Perverted scientists unite, and glorify in the clashing of hard metal bodies! Rika was the most hilarious cast member of Haganai. I couldn’t get enough of that horrendous laugh of hers, and the way in which she’d excitedly clutch herself in her lab coat.
- Millia il Velch Cutrettola Turan (Last Exile: Ginyoku no Fam) – This is one of my questionable entries since I’m not sure if Millia has yet enough character for me to be completely drawn to her, but she’s definitely the most interesting of the female leads in her anime. She has already grown a lot in the short number of episodes that have aired, and she doesn’t let her loss of country and family stop her from fighting the Ades Federation.
- Holo (Spice and Wolf) – Holo is probably my second favorite female character of all time. She’s past her prime, but that doesn’t mean I can’t helplessly cling to the hope that her magnificent tail will sweep up a win.
As you can see, I have a significantly larger amount of Nova contestants than Stella. A few choices I would have had for Stella have already auto-qualified, including Senjougahara Hitagi, Saber, and Aisaka Taiga. Nova characters like Yuno of Mirai Nikki, Mai of Nichijou, and Hakase of Nichijou all came very close to making my list, and they still might considering the short amount of time I have left to choose: 2 days until the start of the phase, and a week until the phase ends.
So! If you find this year-long event interesting, choose your girls and prepare to vote on January 1st, 2012, 0000 GMT. See you there 🙂
Anime B&B 