(L) Akb0048

[Sylphic]

Originally Posted by Nachtwandler

It would be even better if Sunrise made it. The main problem of Satellite: it has great directors and choose projects and scriptwriters carefully but it just can't get enough money to animated it on the best level and use to much 3d to compensate it (((.

It's really not that they have no money.

Satelight's style is their 3D rendering. It's what sets them apart from all the other studios.

To be fair it looks great when rendering their mecha and it worked fantastic in Macross Frontier and even Basquatch. I think this the first time then went this far in rendering a human character and it's really not that bad, just a little jarring when put next to the 2d drawn version.

[chaosprophet]

Interesting preview XD, AKB0048 now on tv shows...

[Undertaker]

I agree with Sylphic, you just aren't used to it.

I mean, what's with this notion that 3D is cheaper and 2D animation?

3D is actually more expensive to produce, and it's been used more and more in high-budget anime and anime movies.

Anyway, this episode is great, it also helps to have two of my favorite team songs, Shonichi and Pioneer as insert songs, and we even got a full version of Pioneer.

Anyway, obligatory live version of songs:

Images

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[Benigmatica]

Originally Posted by sa547

Funny, no Arashi the Animation yet forthcoming.

Same here, no Johnny's anime or whatsoever... Maybe the management doesn't want to take a risk against fujoshis!

Anyways, can't wait for the next episode!

[Wild Goose]

So, just watched it, loved the ep - the important thing for a show is that it entertains, and this delivered.

Also, it continually amuses me how much Tsubasa goes "I'm Katagiri Tsubasa, AKB0048's manager," and the crowd screams "MARIKO-SAMA! MARIKO! MARIKO! MARIKO!"

[Raiga]

It looks like Next Stage has been in the works for quite a while. The special feature that came with the OP/ED single from last season included a segment in which Satou Amina (Yuuka), Ishida Haruka (Kanata), and Satou Sumire (Mimori) visited Satelight to see what anime production was like.

Kawamori and the rest of the staff were having a script meeting where they were reviewing a scene where the girls appear on a variety show. At first I thought the scene had been cut from the first season or something, but I guess they were already going over the scripts for Next Stage.

[Kazu-kun]

Episode 15 (next stage ep 2) preview:

In the last shot it seems Nagisa and Chieri are looking at some videos of Acchan. Chieri notes the glow of the Center Nova.
And yeah, variety shows. That's going to be fun.

[RDF2050]

Are they going to add an AKBINGO kind "program" into the anime? That will make it even more interesting

[serenade_beta]

Originally Posted by Utsuro no Hako

Last time Sunrise did a series based upon idols, we got this:

Ah...

[Azuma Denton]

Yay, a variety show episode next week...
My guess that Makoto will complain again how she looks in front of tv...

[sa547]

Originally Posted by RDF2050

Are they going to add an AKBINGO kind "program" into the anime? That will make it even more interesting

Looking closely, we'll be getting:
* a singing contest (Sonata)
* a face-making contest (Kanata)
* some sort of a test of will (Makoto)
* bungee-jumping contest (Nagisa)

Hopefully, there should be a
* danso/ikemen (cross-dressing) contest
* fashion/swimsuit contest (Mimori should be here)

It'll be more interesting than Miss Macross.

[Kazu-kun]

Originally Posted by sa547

* danso/ikemen (cross-dressing) contest
* fashion/swimsuit contest (Mimori should be here)

I see Chieri doing the danso (since Mayuyu's danso is almost legendary ) but she could make good competition for Mimori in the swimsuit contest too.

[Raiga]

Actually, looking more closely at the background, Sonata's participating in the "Impressions Contest". Wonder who she'll be trying to do an impression of. It looks to me like Makoto's cowering in fear at the same bungee jump that Nagisa's show standing on a scene later, but it could be something else.

[Requiem-x]

A variety show, eh? Definetly sounds like the perfect way to blow some steam after that hectic first episode, for both the girls and the audience, though I definetly forsee some comparisons with Idolmaster now, after all, their variety show episode was one of the best parts of the series, so it will be interesting to see how the AKB crew holds up in that field.

I also forsee lots of despair for poor Grumbly

[Chiibi]

Episode 14....

Yuuko is awesome. Stating the obvious, I know. XD But with her optimism and friendly, strong personality, she's always been a favorite of mine!

I think the 3D animation has improved since the first season's. The girls in that mode used to look like odd little...digital dolls and now they look more like...well, how they're supposed to.

[Undertaker]

I demand cream pie and powders....

And that bungee reminded me of the time the real life AKB was force to jump off Macau Tower, the world's highest bungee, in the night.

[Random Wanderer]

Originally Posted by Undertaker

And that bungee reminded me of the time the real life AKB was force to jump off Macau Tower, the world's highest bungee, in the night.

Someone tries to get me to jump off one of those, I'm pushing them off first. And then still not jumping off.

It looks to me like Makoto's cowering in fear at the same bungee jump that Nagisa's show standing on a scene later, but it could be something else.

While Makoto's grumblings are comical, in this case I agree (assuming that's the case. Being Makoto, she could easily be panicking about... well... anything, really).

[Patriot's Blade]

Originally Posted by Utsuro no Hako

Last time Sunrise did a series based upon idols, we got this:



With Satelight, even at their worst, you get a sense that they're putting real effort into their work -- Muv Luv had tons of problems, but their fight scenes were still superior to, say, Sword Art Online's still-frame theater. And AKB0048 isn't Satelight at their worst. The dance numbers could be better, but all the other CG fits the visual style of the show.

does their version of Idolmaster with GIANT ROBOTS count? well that was an example of Sunrise doing idols

[Kazu-kun]

So, what if Chieri really is a genetically engineered idol?

Her personality and physical traits are like a mash-up from the main members. I see a bit of Yuuko, Acchan, Yukirin, Mayuyu and even Kojiharu in Chieri, to be honest.

What if that's exactly the case? I mean, what if she carries the DNA of some of these girls, the original girls? Maybe she getting into the group was part of papa Sono's plan to begin with (unbeknown to her, of course)?

When I was rewatching the first season I noticed a few things. For example, why was Chieri alone when she went to that concert in Lancaster in episode 1? It's pretty weird that her father left her alone that day, she being so young and all. Shouldn't the heir of the largest weapon manufacturer in the galaxy be accompanied by bodyguards, for instance? Furthermore, Chieri already knew AKB, and was pretty familiarized with their shows. But how?

All this is really suspicious, as if papa Sono planned the whole thing. If that's the case, Chieri will be devastated when she finds out. She might believe her dream is a lie, as her father led her to that path instead of her own will.

That's why I hope I'm totally wrong.

[Azuma Denton]

Originally Posted by Kazu-kun

So, what if Chieri really is a genitally genetically engineered idol?

Her personality and physical traits are like a mash-up from the main members. I see a bit of Yuuko, Acchan, Yukirin, Mayuyu and even Kojiharu in Chieri, to be honest.

What if that's exactly the case? I mean, what if she carries the DNA of some of these girls, the original girls? Maybe she getting into the group was part of papa Sono's plan to being with (unbeknown to her, of course)?

When I was rewatching the first season I noticed a few things. For example, why was Chieri alone when she went to that concert in Lancaster in episode 1? It's pretty weird that her father left her alone that day, she being so young and all. Shouldn't the heir of the largest weapon manufacturer in the galaxy be accompanied by bodyguards, for instance? Furthermore, Chieri already knew AKB, and was pretty familiarized with their shows. But how?

All this is really suspicious, as if papa Sono planned the whole thing. If that's the case, Chieri will be devastated when she finds out. She might believe her dream is a lie, as her father led her to that path instead of her own will.

That's why I hope I'm totally wrong.

Now that Papa Sono deliberately put a camera to measure the Kirara power, that route becomes possible...

Maybe Papa Sono really wanna harness the power of Kirara, and Chieri is like you say, the genetically engineered idol. And the mystery disapperance of idol, it all done by Papa Sono...

Suddenly the plot thickens...