The National Exchange Tournament was a grand event that drew in political, entertainment, sports, and international reporters all at once.
In Japan, the far-right aligned Morita Koichi from Sankei Newspaper recently felt quite dissatisfied with the behavior of the Korean media.
[The Unique Magic Sword “Future of the Name” that drove Japan to the semifinals, “Is it a collaboration with NoName?” speculation rises.]
[Katsuhata Sect steps up after training in Korea.]
[Will NoName be selected as the youngest participant in the National Exchange Tournament? Some say it’s entirely possible.]
“This isn’t just some nationalistic TV, but an article published by a major media outlet; Korea must be at its end.”
While there was no direct mention, most articles aimed to downplay the performance of Japan while boosting NoName.
Lately, news had spread among some netizens that NoName had participated in training with the Katsuhata Sect and provided assistance.
There were quite a few Japanese people who believed this wholeheartedly.
Katsuhata Emika is Japan’s pride.
Her skills must be entirely subordinate to Japan.
[Is bragging about taking down a kid while hitting 249 times really something to be proud of? Wow, the Japanese people’s understanding of the Magic Battle isn’t any better than this -]
Morita Koichi decided to use this to tarnish NoName’s reputation within Japan.
To win the National Exchange Tournament and ensure all the spotlight focuses solely on Katsuhata.
Above all, anti-Korean business is profitable.
“Watch over Katsuhata, I’m protecting the honor of Japanese wizards.”
Recording without consent is illegal.
Therefore, he armored himself with a circumvention program and anonymously released the recording in the community.
As expected, the community went flame! crazy.
Comments like “How rude!” and “Needs some parenting!” and “So arrogant!” flooded in.
Once the post matured a bit, he captured netizens’ reactions to write up an article.
“The ones who crossed the line first are from the Korean side. Who could participate in the National Exchange Tournament and still be so rude!”
Koichi was so focused on writing this article that he missed the semifinals match.
Later, he smiled warmly watching Emika’s interview.
It was then that NoName made an unexpected appearance.
Coming out dressed only in a bathrobe, she looked quite precarious.
However, the responses in the broadcasting station’s chat window were very positive, unlike what Koichi had seen in the anonymous community.
– This is not just a cuteness from this world.
– Look at those really bright, big eyes haha!
– Her skin looks so white and fluffy like a baby haha!
– If I could just have a younger sister like that, I’d have no regrets.
– Sign: NoName’s wink.
– Who was the girl with her? Sister?
While Na-me dried her hair with magic, Emika continued to boast about Na-me.
[Na-me is both a precious friend and my second mentor. Without Na-me, I couldn’t achieve my dreams of external manifestation and unique magic. Thank you for your support, Na-me, and I’ll do my best until the finals!]
[If you keep it up like today, you can definitely do well. Show them that hard work doesn’t betray you. Katsuhata Emika, keep fighting till the end!]
[Ah, NoName, before you go, could you please do a heart with your face?]
[Yes, like this?]
[Hahaha, instead of finger hearts, these days you should make a half heart on both cheeks.]
[Ahh, um… okay, I’ll do it. Emika, since I’m doing this for you, you must come back with a win.]
[Okay! Love you, Na-me!]
Na-me made a round shape with her palm on her cheek.
Her small hand didn’t quite form the heart shape correctly.
Yet, the lethal cuteness made the observers scream dolphin cries in real-time.
Even if provocative and hate-filled articles could bring in money,
the majority of people preferred stories that warmed their hearts.
A supportive Korean girl and a Japanese girl expressing endless gratitude towards her.
Despite the fierce political rivalry, the friendship between the two girls moved both nations.
Meanwhile, Morita Koichi found himself in a difficult situation.
– The culprit destroying the friendship of girls across borders and ages.
– A cheap article only worthy of a 100-yen newspaper.
– The world has become so nice. Just sitting on a kotatsu and tapping at the keyboard brings in money.
“Morita! Why aren’t you answering your phone? Take that article down immediately!”
Morita received a call from his senior with a stiff face.
“Seriously? You’re interrupting when things are going well? Be mindful and write after reading the situation! You need to read the public sentiment; a reporter can’t be this inflexible… The editor-in-chief is furious with you!”
“I-I’m sorry…!”
“Be prepared to write a self-reflection. That recording was yours, right? Delete it quietly so the higher-ups won’t catch wind of it.”
—
The photo of the water-type Na-me was re-exported to Korea.
[Gallery Master updates the legendary Arctic bear edition hahaha]
Who even thought to put a bear-hood on a children’s bathrobe?
How delightful! I’m about to explode with kisses of a million haha!
Gallery Master looks harmless and insignificant, yet so cute hahaha!
[Comments]
– Just promoting birth rates, GOAT.
– Is it really harmless when an Arctic bear can rip you apart?
– If I save this, won’t it get cut?
└ It’s not showing any skin, so chill! It’s fine.
– Kawaii! Huh?! Soft and fluffy hahahaha!
– Someone who didn’t even participate in the National Exchange Tournament in the top 10 of the popularity vote?
└ Japanese entertainment is truly baffling hahaha!
└ There’s no celebrity in Japan who doesn’t know NoName.
– Even an 80-year-old can learn from the nine-year-old Na-me.
– She’s always hearing good things, huh?
[Simply put, there are clear reasons why Na-me is so praised.]
(heart hand Na-me.jpg)
If you argue against it, you’re wrong!
[Comments]
– MCh! lets go MCh!
– Ahahaha, just showing some charm works wonders hahaha!
– I really want to see NoName fighting. Why doesn’t our country hold magic battles like Japan?
– Everyone is busy studying at the academyㅠㅠㅠㅠ
– Instead, we poured all our resources into the martial arts competition!
[Curiosity about NoName’s staff assessment.]
I wonder what she did that made everyone say she was like a monster.
I don’t usually watch these exchange matches, but if it’s anywhere near last year’s Academy Competition level, how does it compare?
[Comments]
– If you’re an otaku at Altair Academy, you might break into the top 64, and with a stroke of luck, even the top 32!
└ It’s not an otaku, it’s an otaku; get your terminology right.
└ Wow, you guys are too much lol! Her real name is Oh Deok-jae hahaha!
– The National Exchange Tournament is on another level.
– Federico Mancini’s official stance is 3 losses in 3 matches.
└ If that were true, the world would already be in chaos.
└ Didn’t Na-me already flip the world upside down once?
[Personal opinion) No matter how talented Na-me is, mocking the 249-hit combo crossed the line.]
Here’s the leaked conversation recording of NoName that caused an uproar across Japan.
(▶Source: 5ch)
Even if NoName is a super ultra mega genius, Katsuhata Emika is just a junior wizard about to claim the three title.
Honestly, let’s all admit some things.
The National Exchange Tournament is already kept in the top 5 legendary highlights of all time, so where exactly did Katsuhata fall short?
[Comments]
– Are you a Japan fan?
– Well, a kid can have those thoughts too. Why take this so seriously?
– Now they’re trying to pick fights even with a nine-year-old lol! Awesome, Magda-man!
– When you’re young, everything about the ultimate ability seems cool. You only realize the value of each hit as you grow older. Na-me will understand this someday too.
└ Trying to teach is a bit disgusting.
└ Didn’t they prove everything in the competitions? What else do you want?
– I think that’s a fair point, right? If you hit 249 times, why isn’t the game over?
└ In the end, she finished off with that bizarre unique magic again, didn’t she?
Meanwhile, a new controversy ignited in the community.
Was Katsuhata Emika’s final performance really her best?
While most Japanese believed it was excellent, unexpectedly, opinions in Korea were split.
[Wagal Katana, any ranked players come join! Let’s test it out.]
Discerning the ‘essence’ and ‘palm’ of a swordsman wrapped in aura is quite a challenging task.
Sometimes what looks like a mistake could actually be a psychological tactic to provoke a reaction from the opponent.
For half a day, the discussions about bait kept rolling.
During that process, 1200 general users and 58 regulars were blocked.
– Instead of just fighting amongst ourselves, why not ask Na-me directly?
In Korea, it’s hard to find someone skilled in swordsmanship.
Even the Katsuhata Sect uses their own unique sword techniques.
So, it was concluded that the streamer who trained with Na-me would be the one who knows the most.
[Is there a notice for NoName’s upcoming stream?]
(7pm Katsuhata Emika semifinals recap stream.jpg)
It’s out, so let’s post it lol!
[Comments]
– I’m proud I manipulated the upvotes using 50 different accounts to post thisㅠㅠㅠㅠ
└ Was that you?
└ The main character of “I didn’t manipulate; I just clicked upvote with 50 accounts” is here hahaha!
└ Thank you. I appreciate it.
—
[NoName]
[Just Chatting – National Exchange Tournament Semifinal Matches Recap]
[Broadcasting Time – 0:03:28]
[Number of Viewers – 21,044]
“I announced today’s broadcast time in advance, so I’ll skip the opening.”
– Honey Badger got cut finally!
– We’re finally having a normal broadcast…!
– Can we recap the quarterfinals instead?
– Na-me, which part of the 249 hit combo do you think went wrong?
– Can we watch Katsuhata vs De Sampaio one more time, teacher?
Adella chased out with Hey, go do some shopping and turned on the stream at the hotel.
The viewers seemed more interested in the semifinals.
[“User ‘Alarm Guy’ donated 10,000 won!”]
– Professor NoName, did you see the community discussions from yesterday and today?
“I sort of got the gist of the discussions.”
Addicted to community chatter, Adella rambling until late couldn’t have missed it.
“There are parts where I seem to have taken a strong stance that led to misunderstandings, but let’s talk about that later… Let me explain why I’m saying this.”
In every country, the number of polite people is matched by an equal number of rude ones.
As I started to bring up the story of the reporters I’d met in Japan, the chat room ignited.
“What I want to say is this: Emika performed far superior to the 249 hit combo in the first half, but since most people overlooked that, I felt a bit saddened. Of course, she did make some mistakes. Let me break it down step by step.”
Until she took a fatal blow from Cecilia, Emika had chipped away about 67% of the barrier from a distance.
“The first half was flawless. Though she did give up a lot of the barrier, she gained far more than she lost. The point where it seems hard to judge may be around the 6th and 13th minutes; let’s see… At 6 minutes and 13 seconds, Cecilia interrupts Adela’s magic. All the Mana she painstakingly injected into the magic circle is wasted, but this is actually the right judgment here, isn’t it?”
Just because Cecilia is a wizard, doesn’t mean she only attacked from a distance.
“Cecilia cleverly closed the distance along with the mace magic and Emika skillfully evaded it. What could Emika gain at this point? She could seize the center of the arena, take the initiative with her magic, and, if necessary, lure Cecilia into a close-combat situation.”
Emika mercilessly pressed her opponent.
And then, just 20 seconds later, Cecilia’s barrier was down to 15%.
In the extreme moment of accelerated reaction, there was no situation where she would become careless.
Both took their gambles, but the winner of the minor skirmish was Katsuhata.
– Whoa, look at the design!
– They thought all this while they fought?
– The battles in the tournament are at a seriously funny level.
– They’re just monsters.
– The snowball from 20 seconds ago rolled this way, huh?
“The Academy Competition isn’t less than the Exchange Tournament. The competition relies on split-second judgment, whereas the Exchange Tournament engages in relatively patterned fights.”
It’s a difference in learning.
If you gather Academy Competition winners and educate them for just a year, they could transform into such monsters.
However, in Korean society, such actions are considered unnecessary, so no one steps up to do so.
It’s risky as it could mean wasting a year outright. This fear of falling behind makes it hard for candidates to emerge.
In the end, it’s a difference in cultural perspectives.
“This is so fun… Do I really need to win for it to be fun?”
I refocused again, concentrating on the broadcast.
“Isn’t it entertaining to watch? This is why I love dueling. Now, let’s neatly wrap up the controversy surrounding the 249 hit combo. After thinking about it for an hour today, I could summarize the clear mistakes as the 158th, 208th, 233rd, and 234th, while the slightly disappointing parts could be the 41st, and 112th to 115th, and the 193rd.”
– ?????
– Wait, 113 to 115 wasn’t a mistake but just slightly disappointing?
– And 112 just got added in there.
– 233rd and 234th were mistakes, for sure. Katsuhata’s focus really seemed to drop suddenly then.
– 158 was, in the end, the correct deduction on the community, wasn’t it?
– But why was the 208th a mistake?
– What was the 41st again? It seemed almost perfect for the earlier ones.
“Ooo…”
A variety of opinions flowed.
I climbed onto my chair to get a closer look at the comments popping up.
Not even realizing that the broadcast filled the screen with my face, my eyes darted around enthusiastically.
– Squishy cheeks, oh myyy…!!!
– Suddenly it’s a neck-slice lol!
– Suddenly having some aegyo here… well okay!
– What’s that? What’s going on!
Whoa, these people.
They seem surprisingly attentive to the duel!
Moreover, their background knowledge is splendid.
While physically grappling is of course enjoyable, I also enjoyed discussing battles.
Here, there’s no belittling relations just because it’s called fighting.
“Since everyone is listening so well today, I’ll give each of you a compliment sticker!”
I look forward to future broadcasts.
