(L) Akb0048

[chaosprophet]

Originally Posted by Kazu-kun

Well, the preview says as much so...

Funny enough, it does say "During that, new Succession Kirara...!?", which still have some ambiguity left, especially on that "new" part. One way it could be interpreted is that new succession Kirara = new names to be succeed (as in, the girls would "keep" their names while making them available for future generations to succeed).

Well, I don't think that will be the case, but because of the wording there I think that's still a possibility. Anyway we are going to know the answer in around 17 hours from now, and a bit more for those who wait for subs.

[Kinn]

In Sub that I attend only on Sunday will leave T ^ T

[DragoonKain3]

Originally Posted by Animenz

Here is my Piano cover of Aruji Naki Sono Koe, the OP of AKB0048 next stage.

Awesome! The cover was really well done.

To be quite honest, I'm in the same boat as you. At first I didn't like OP2, but one day I found myself singing myself the chorus. And now? I think it may even be my favourite No Name song. XD

[Random Wanderer]

Originally Posted by DragoonKain3

To be quite honest, I'm in the same boat as you. At first I didn't like OP2, but one day I found myself singing myself the chorus. And now? I think it may even be my favourite No Name song. XD

NOTHING beats Kibou ni Tsuite.

[DragoonKain3]

I thought so as well, but I'm replaying Animenz's cover of Aruji Naki Sono Koe currently on repeat, while I have only played his Kibou ni Tsuite only once.

[Random Wanderer]

Originally Posted by DragoonKain3

I thought so as well, but I'm replaying Animenz's cover of Aruji Naki Sono Koe currently on repeat, while I have only played his Kibou ni Tsuite only once.

I have the original of Kibou ni Tsuite on my iPod, and I have listened to it so many times on repeat during the days at work that I cannot even begin to count them. Well over 100 times. Probably well over 200 times, or even many times that number. EDIT: *does some math* Oh definitely many times that. In an 8 hour day, I could listen to it 117 times. I was at the time working 9 or more hour days, listening to the song on continuous repeat almost constantly, for a good week without listening to anything else. Even after that I listened to it intermixed with other things (and still do) many many times.

[Azuma Denton]

Mass-succcesion??
And i hope that Takamina-Kanata issue resolve nicely in this finale.

[sa547]

I'm ready for the worst. Batten down the hatches, grab the helmets, 'cause the storm's gonna hit down and straight.

[asaqe]

Spoiler for 26:

Stand United! STAND STRONG!

Yuuko's back! It turns out it wasn't her time to become a true Center Nova yet and that she still needs to be an inspiration to the Senbatsu. And with Chieri both became a Duo Nova.

Also Yuuka and Mamoru decided to against all odds rekindle their relation, you got some classic shoujo vibes in AKB0048

And AKB0048 show what they are, that even their songs can warm the hearts of death.

[Kazu-kun]

Originally Posted by asaqe

Spoiler for 26:

And with Chieri both became a Duo Nova.

No, actually

Spoiler for 26:

Nagisa became Acchan and Chieri became Center Nova (without becoming a successor). Nagisa almost matches Chieri's Center Nova radiance because she's Acchan but Chieri is the sole Center Nova.

[chaosprophet]

Spoiler for ep 26:

Well, that was a good finale! My only regret is that I really wanted to know who each girl would succeed (especially Kanata as her succeeding someone would solve the whole Kanata x Takamina issue) and we just got Nagisa now.

The way it ended, it's open for continuation. Although if it happens, likely not in the near future otherwise they could have announced at that last ep. Maybe after Kawamori's current "Fool project".

[asaqe]

Originally Posted by Kazu-kun

No, actually

Spoiler for 26:

Nagisa became Acchan and Chieri became Center Nova (without becoming a successor). Nagisa almost matches Chieri's Center Nova radiance because she's Acchan but Chieri is the sole Center Nova.

Spoiler for The New Acchan:

Still this really plays up the whole situation Iwata faced, I still remember how someone mentioned Karen Iwata and how she felt she should be back home instead of playing dress up with her bandmates. Not to mention how Acchan's rise to becoming the head of AKB48 was pretty much something she wasn't ready for.

[Kazu-kun]

Originally Posted by asaqe

Spoiler for The New Acchan:

Still this really plays up the whole situation Iwata faced, I still remember how someone mentioned Karen Iwata and how she felt she should be back home instead of playing dress up with her bandmates. Not to mention how Acchan's rise to becoming the head of AKB48 was pretty much something she wasn't ready for.

You know, I like the fact that

Spoiler for 26:

the new Acchan isn't the Center Nova. It helps to demystify the name, I think, at least in the context of the series.

[sa547]

Spoiler for 26:

John Price: (sighs as he sits down on the pavement and holsters the nicked-up Colt 1911) "I guess I'll get used to this Miss Nagisa being the new Acchan from now on, and you have Miss Chieri now confirming herself as the new Center Nova."
David Mason: "Me too, sir. But then... I wonder if they'll try again to spoil the party."
Price: (laughs as he pulls out a cigar from its tube, a Cohiba, then lights it.) "No, son... This time the DGTO just stumbled so hard on this that those blokes will never recover, now that 0048 is back at double the strength it has than ever before."
Mason: (smiles) "Who says the revolution can't be televised?"
Price: "It's just the beginning, son... I think it's also a good time to get a Guinness for this occasion. You and me."

[asaqe]

Originally Posted by sa547

Spoiler for 26:

John Price: (sighs as he sits down on the pavement and holsters the nicked-up Colt 1911) "I guess I'll get used to this Miss Nagisa being the new Acchan from now on, and you have Miss Chieri now confirming herself as the new Center Nova."
David Mason: "Me too, sir. But then... I wonder if they'll try again to spoil the party."
Price: (laughs as he pulls out a cigar from its tube, a Cohiba, then lights it.) "No, son... This time the DGTO just stumbled so hard on this that those blokes will never recover, now that 0048 is back at double the strength it has than ever before."
Mason: (smiles) "Who says the revolution can't be televised?"
Price: "It's just the beginning, son... I think it's also a good time to get a Guinness for this occasion. You and me."

Spoiler for 26:

Diamant: "Switches on the Comm" Zodiac's backers took a nasty blow today, I made sure Zodiac's personal strike team was completely dismantled. Target Sagitarrius was confirmed KIA on his battlecruiser "Chiron" when he tried to attack a bunch of AEPS planets.

Colbly: Still, letting the guy die his way kind of pissed me off, I was ready to behead the bastard for what he has done to everyone on Akibastar. Still what are we going to do with mopping up Zodiac's backers?

Diamant: Shin has made sure to remove any financial backers of the company, Zodiac will have to look for a new CEO in the meantime with their own old one killed from corporate politics. Ronaldo organized a defensive perimeter to make sure any AEPS planet won't get hit as hard as the Akibastar siege. But Colby, about Acchan...

Colby: Got a chance to speak with her, she told me that she is having a dandy time. She is planning to release a new song to the idols soon...but I got to ask you? Does this galaxy have a place for violent rebels like us? I mean AKB0048 shown mercy to those DES jackboots, if we were there I would have shot a .44 hollowpoint into his eyeballs before stomping his face in.

Diamant: These girls want to fight the good fight, let them do it. We will be there when negotiations fail.

OOC: Really didn't expect that, the final episode was a velvet concert.

[chaosprophet]

Originally Posted by Kazu-kun

You know, I like the fact that

Spoiler for 26:

the new Acchan isn't the Center Nova. It helps to demystify the name, I think, at least in the context of the series.

Spoiler for 26:

Well, there really wasn't any need to demystify the name. While we talked more about Acchan because an Acchan was the last Center Nova, just by looking at the 4 last Center Novas we can see it varies a lot. Even girls unlikely to be the very center of akb48, like Mii-chan and Yui-han got successors that were Center Nova.


On a side note, we got a few more successors faces this time... one really look like a Mayuyu, which I guess could only be Mayuyu Mk2?

[xizro345]

Spoiler for Stage 26:

A lot of flash, music,good feelings, giving equal spotlight to Chieri and Nagisa, but the resolution felt too sudden.

Final impressions:

The anime was based on an absurd premise and actually worked.... Most of the time. Drama, especially in the first part of the series was sometimes a little too over the top, but that's Okada.
Next Stage, sadly, ended up a little worse. It seemed to me that a lot of time was wasted on episodes that just were "needed" to show some AKB-related events. In the end, the final episode was also a bit of a gigantic infodump because they had to rush and explain things. A couple plot points were never addressed and events that "seemed" important were never referenced again.
In the end, I think enjoyed the first half more. Next Stage became more of "let's sell AKB CDs" than the previous part, and I think it really suffered a result. An enjoyable, but flawed show.
Also I'm glad that someone from the cast started a career as voice actress, but by all the gods, don't let Nagisa's VA dub again. She's the one that never got better at all.

[Kazu-kun]

This needs to be posted here.

Spoiler for translation:

Center Nova
Sono Chieri

[mechdra]

ENCORE!!!

The final episode do feel a little rush and it can't be helped since this series needs to end due to graduation of the voice actress. I do hope there will be OVA to continue the story but it will be better if there is season 3 but chances is very very low.

[sa547]

Originally Posted by xizro345

but by all the gods, don't let Nagisa's VA dub again. She's the one that never got better at all.

What?


It's understandable it's a flawed work from day one (given that being an original work, and thus limited to a fixed number of episodes, and yeah, Okada), but as for voice acting, don't be too harsh, man. She busted her ass for this first-time effort. If anyone could translate her G+ entry (after the finale), then I hope everyone would understand how much it means to her -- enormously.