Okay, so, guys who are knowledgeable about this stuff...

What's the joke with Tomochin's harelip?

You know, I absolutely love the design of the outside of their dorms. That building looks like it's composed of a good half-dozen different architectural styles.

...So all the centers have disappeared under mysterious circumstances. That's totally not suspicious at all. Really, considering how close-knit these groups seem to be, one would think they'd at least talk to their fellow successors about it beforehand... if they could. No sign of contact since then either. Yuko says they graduated, but it's sounding to me like they're using "graduated" as a blanket term for "stopped performing," with types off graduations ranging from deciding to retire to being killed in action.

At least Chieri and Nagisa were able to interact better. There's still hope. *hugs Chieri* It's ok, I still love you!

Yeah an interesting bit of information about the centers. No chance that they all just happened to mysteriously vanish by chance. Of course a variety of explanations, though if the cause came from within 0048 then it'd make more sense. The ones in the easiest position to remove those centers are those running things. Though I have no idea why they'd be doing that. Maybe the old centers are getting converted into Kiraras :heh:.

A funny little day off for everyone. No one quite had the day they'd have expected though some had it easier than others.

Hope the cook found a larger rice cooker....for his own sake :heh:.

so one of the requirements to marry a Tomochin is basically having the SAME face as them!? :twitch:
what the heck!? :heh:

Oh yeah... this will NOT end well for a lot of people. They're just doing the cute slice-of-life now so they can sucker-punch us later.

I think Acchan at least must still be alive, if for no other reason than I don't believe they series' creators would have brought in Sawashiro Miyuki just for that minimal presence in the first episode. I hope so, anyway, due to the following.

Since numerous folks around here seem to think Nagisa is going to replace Acchan, I suspect that some time after that happens she will disappear in the same way, and the other girls will rip the secrets wide open to find her.

When the Mayuyu wants more food, you will give the Mayuyu more food. :heh:

The disappearance seems to be more related with being a center rather than being Acchan. While I think Nagisa will likely become a center later on, maybe the next one to reach that position will be Yuuko, considering she seems to be working hard to reach that.

AKB0048 05 - Love Pheromone

I know it's been a consistent aspect of the show's character design since the first episode, but I only noticed it this week. Everyone has a heart outline in their hair. I'm not sure what to think of that. It's a unifying design, sure, but it makes them look like humanoid Care Bears.

I can always appreciate a good collection of short stories, and that's what this week was. Mimori and her pheromones made her a quick favorite of mine, even if idols are supposed to be about purity. The seeds for S4 that have been planted are almost certain to pay off down the line, and I look forward to seeing where this mystery goes. The Casa de Tomo was a little creepy. Nagisa and Chieri's friendship/rivalry was as fun to watch as ever. Not just S4, all the stuff brought up this week will probably pay off later.

I just need to tune out the hair-hearts.

All primary characters have hearts both in their hair, and in their eyes. Except for Tsubasa-san, who has a diamond-like shape in both. That was the main way back in episode three to separate the future members from the hopefuls who weren't going to make it. Those who weren't protagonists lacked the hair and eye hearts.

I thought about saying Yuuko, but I didn't want to, because as cool as she is I don't think her disappearance would cause the frenzied search requred to weed out the truth the same way Nagisa's would. Which, I fear, means that if Yuuko disappears she might disappear for good. And I don't want her to disappear for good. She's too much fun.

It's ahiru-guchi, a trait that makes Tomochin popular (and also hated) by the young females XD Love it or hate it. It's more funny when Sasshi did it when cover Tomochin's "Dear J"

In real life, Yuko is the real center right now since Acchan is leaving so having her being center in the anime is a real possibility. It would leave Nagisa to be the center and lead the trainees. That seem much better ending than Nagisa leaving the center and go to the seniors since Nagisa and Chieri was shown in the OP together.

If the center disappear....does that mean they get offer up to GodKi-P? :D



....Just...she have a duck lip. Gyaru/shibuya fashion crowd people think it's cute, other girls think she use it too much :p

http://thumbnail.image.rakuten.co.jp...00x300&s=0&r=1

If all the older members of AKB0048 (including Acchan) will die at the end of first season, then you'll cry like Chris Crocker.

Seems that a member who had retired/"graduated" gets a diamond-shaped shine to denote such a status (i.e. Tsubasa, the older Tomochins), while chosen (or should I say, fated) trainees and regulars have the heart-shape shine.

As for those aspiring to become a Center... with Yuko talking about the fates of their predecessors, kinda worrying even without pineapple cake or salad.

Otherwise in general this episode left me laughing despite a bit of apprehension. And Okada got most of her homework just right with those inside jokes about the real-life members.

Maybe the ex-centers evolved into balls of energy and are battling evil in another dimension.

That's what would happen on Star Trek.

If the center disappear....does that mean they get offer up to GodKi-P? :D[/QUOTE]
The trainees may become successors themselves in a near future and likely with a short space between the first and last to do so, considering the pace the story is going, with a 1 month skip between episode 4 and 5, and that the story may all happen within one year (after all they're in the fateful year 0048 XD).

I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. Maybe the real motivation behind the creation of the AKB0048 was to gather and help girls flourish their idol aura, which may be needed in some way for S-Quadruple. In that case though I would expect most of the characters to be unaware of it. If someone like Tsukasa knows though, then it is probably a sacrifice that is very important.


On a side note, I wonder if the order the girls appear on the ED may be a hint to the order they will become successors.

well their space ship do have warps speed/warp drive :cool:

LOL if the center become human sacrifices, it would explain the shinto shrine and GodKiP sooo much.

btw...i just noticed another reference. I think the Tomochin army might be a joke about her new horrible B side song Clone lol http://vid48.com/watch_video.php?v=SY2DNARD1143

Too many girls in one bathroom was just lol
Girls are getting used to living together.
It's kinda ridicules that this one is more fun than Hyouka.
When I first heard about it I though it would be kinda stupid, but it just opposite.
This time it was relaxed with them just having fun.

Ah, Kana Ueda is Tomochin! I was just watching the episode again, and caught the distinctive sound of her voice during one of her conversations. I should have caught it before. Now I'm conflicted. I love listening to Kana Ueda talk, but Tomochin is one of the less visually-appealing characters in the show (in my opinion).

Four Tomochins speaking in unison is creepy, though.

It would be interesting. We just need to make sure none of the current or upcoming generation of girls get killed in the process of finding out the truth.

EDIT: Oh yeah, I was wondering... the OP was slightly different this time around. Rather than having two lines of dialogue on a starry backdrop, it had all the trainee girls linking hands and saying "Se no, AKB0048!" I wonder why it changed.

The line up is suppose to be AKB team huddle. Even the hand pose they did in the beginning was the same
http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4...h3p5o1_500.jpg

I think it's a sign to show that these girls are finally becoming an AKB trainee and will carry on the AKB0048 name.

btw~ love the refernce to Kasai Tomomi when Mimori was doing sexy poses lol

http://i45.tinypic.com/34y8s8y.jpg

pheromones chiyuu~

tho i'm really hoping Okada would chill on the inside jokes for people that aren't AKB fans can enjoy it too lol I guess she's really an AKB fangirl...:D

If Okada manages to do a story in which J-Pop idols are sacrifices to a demonic musical producer, in a show financed by the real life version of said musical producer, I will acknowledge her at the greatest anime writer ever.

Of course, it's possible the clues so far are part of a massive troll a la the third ep of HanaIro.