The slavedriver returns

President Igarashi is in a heck of a lot of trouble now.

Looks like we need to break the first tie of the tournament!

For the next hour, an additional poll is open for an overtime battle between Rikka Takanashi and Misaki Ayuzawa. If after the hour the two combatants are still tied, a winner will be chosen randomly.

But don’t let a silly coin flip decide the winner. YOU decide the winner. 

Rikka vs. Misaki: Click here to break the tie!

Don’t forget to cast your vote for today’s First Round match-up —  Rikka Takanashi (Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai!) vs. Misaki Ayuzawa (Kaichou wa Maid-sama!) vs. Retsu Unohana (Bleach) — before the poll closes tomorrow at 8 am PT.

Every little vote counts, so please help do your part to send (or prevent from sending) the first female otaku character into the Sweet 16!

Click here to vote now!

The tournament’s third otaku battle is one of a kind — it features the only all-female match-up of the First Round.

At first glance, these ladies may seem harmless, innocent, submissive and weak, but they’re more than meets the eye. That is especially true for the eye-patched Rikka Takanashi (see what I did there?), whose chuunibyou provides her with the ability to banish unsuspecting (and non-believing) opponents from this world. Misaki Ayuzawa may have the reputation as an aggressive boy-hater, but she’ll have no problem showing the other girls her demonic side. And underneath the kind and respectful personality of Retsu Unohana, lays a master swordsman who thirsts for violence and bloodshed.

Who will be the first female to advance in the Otaku Bracket? Help decide by voting after the break!

Is this solution too perfect?

Grand entrances are Misaki’s specialty. 

No worries about Misaki’s fire here.

How far will Misaki go to get Usui back again?

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We all know when the cliché moments are gearing up in our favorite shoujo manga series. Perhaps the characters are at the school festival or trip, or maybe a new character has arrived to stir up trouble and fall in love with our main character, Heroine-chan.

It can be easy for a series to fall into the same patterns as those that came before. Honestly, the common clichés in shoujo come into play because they easily create drama and cliffhangers. I’m not one to hate on the typical plot device, but the manga that really stand out to me are the ones that take a situation that usually leads to a cliché and make it completely original. As I may have indicated, the unique shoujo manga is my favorite source of entertainment, and many of them become unique by changing up the patterns.

Read on for my top 5 shoujo clichés turned on their heads.

The tragic love story of Usui’s parents.

Family history revelation and Misaki’s resolve.

Usui may be more akin to a prince than we suspected.

The future is on everyone’s minds as the year draws to a close.

Misaki contemplates her feelings on her current situation.