(12/23/2011~12/24/2011) A-cho Melty Blood Anniversary Tournament

[Komidol]

Just under ten years ago the original Melty Blood was released for PC at winter comiket.  Four years later Melty Blood Act Cadenza was released in arcades in Japan and soon became a national fighting game phenomena that let to the releases we all know well today.  This anniversary tournament is to celebrate five years of Melty Blood in major arcades and nearly ten years of franchise.   

The tournament will take place at A-cho game center (Neo Amusement Omega Fun) in Kyoto, Japan.  The schedule is currently as follows:

Players from Kansai, Tokyo, and Kyoto have all confirmed attendance.  This event is confirmed to be an official major.  Unlike HydraGP, this tournament is not an invitational and freely open to any participants.  From East Japan, Hare, Waka, and several Tokyo residents have announced their attendance, and several West Japan players such as GO1 and BAB have confirmed as well.

This tournament is the third commemoration held at A-cho.  It's ranbat format and begins at 12pm on the 23rd and the 24th.  There won't be time for casuals after the tournament on the 24th (acho will close early for Christmas Eve), but there will on the 23rd, if anyone plans on attending.

If you have the opportunity to attend this tournament, you should do so.  Get hype.

[Komidol]

GO1 spared me 5 minutes of his time between the break for Acho's Melty Blood single's finals and brackets on the 23rd of December, 2011.

Komidol: Thanks for taking the time out to answer some questions.
Go1: No, no, I was happy to hear someone came from so far away to show support for Melty Blood!

Komidol: Let me also say congratulations on your AquaPazza win at SBO this year.
Go1: Thank you so much!  So many talented players from other games started playing AquaPazza so quickly, the level of competition was very high!

Komidol: Thank you for defeating the Konomi army. 
Go1: ...

Komidol: So you've done a lot for MBAACC and even affected the game's development.  With the skip 1.06 and do a 1.05->1.07 petition, I think we can all thank you because the balance seems a lot better.  How long have you been playing MB?
Go1: Since it came out in arcades on MBAC. 

Komidol: We all know you're a champion of a lot of fighters, where do you think Melty blood stands in comparison?  Which fighter do you think is the best?
Go1: Well, it's definitely impossible for me to pick a favorite fighter.  I think they're mostly all fun mediums for competition.  What I will say though, is Melty Blood is definitely one of the most interesting and detailed fighters out there.  Needless to say, I've kept playing it for a reason.  These days, a lot of younger champions are rising in Melty Blood....We will see how they do at Tougeki.

Me: So who do you think are the strongest players in the melty blood community? 
Go1: Over time I think Ieda, Leo, Hato, myself, Ten, and a handful of Tokyo-region players have proven themselves over and over again. 

Me: Tokyo players like Hare, SAT, Taka, and Hagi?
Go1: Yes, certainly.  I will team with Hagi today for the same-character tournament as Akiha. 

Me: Well, I know you're low on time since you need to prepare for Top 8 of singles, so can I just ask if you have any message for the American Melty Blood community?  As you know, it's much smaller than Japan's, but I think there is a number of dedicated players out there. 
Go1: Well, I think the melty blood scene is small all together, but let's work together to hype it up!  In America and in Japan!

I'll post pictures later.