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MATCH #15: 6. LUM VS. 27. MARIN KITAGAWA
Not only did a vampire crush Rei, but Asuka essentially won the Asuka vs Rei pseudo-match.
Today, for the penultimate match of Round One, we have old school versus new school with a lovey-dovey ayy oni facing off a lovey-dovey gyaru otaku.
We introduce a real classy lady today. Besides Nausicaä, Lum is the only girl to appear in an anime show pre-90's; in fact, if you count the manga, Lum is the only girl the whole tournament who appeared before the 80's. Her continued presence online and off only shows her power as an anime girl. With the second season of the anime remake going on and going strong, Lum may be "old", but she remains relevant and impactful as ever. There is so much to say about Lum and her series that it would take a whole essay just to get through it all. She is a worthy contestant.
Lum is a Space Oni from the planet Oniboshi. Her father is a high commander of Oniboshi's imperial space forces, which he decides to invade Earth with. He chooses his daughter Lum to represent the Space Onis. To save Earth from destruction, a "champion" from Earth must beat Lum in a game of tag. The champion so happens to be the horn-dog jock and Japanese high schooler Ataru Moroboshi. By sheer dumb luck, Ataru beats Lum and accidentally "proposes" to her, starting a long romance that spans solar systems and decades.
** RR 26. Marin Kitagawa / My Dress-up Darling **
Marin is the new comer of the match. While her win was the weaker ones of the Royal Rumble, Marin still held strong in the hearts of Fedi frens as her infectious smile and bubbly attitude helped her win. She is no flavor of the month, with fan art and merch still pouring in, her manga still going strong, and a second season of the anime coming in a year or two. Her being new might be a disadvantage against the classic space oni, but we've seen stranger results in this tournament and Marin may have the beginner's luck necessary to beat Lum at her own lovey-dovey game.
From the Royal Rumble match:
"Every guy's fantasy is a girl that is simultaneous pretty, popular, and is a complete and utter nerd-dork. Wakana Gojou hit the jackpot finding his sweetheart cosplaying gyaru-otaku from Tokyo. Marin always shows a bubbly light whenever she appears on page or on screen, always the optimist and seeing the best out of anyone but the worst of people.
Even being a relative new comer, her influence in otakuism can be seen with girls like Asuna, Boryeon, and Owari and in the Fediverse with her many fans and her own personal picture bot.
If you love cosplaying cuties, vote for Marin."
