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Originally Posted by Kazu-kun
This seemed like a slip of logic in the writing department to me, actually. After all, Lankaster is a perfect example of how even though their concerts don't have direct effect on the ban, they can still inspire people to fight for their rights and achieve social changes on their own. This is what happened in Lankaster, and that's why Nagisa seemed so confident about it. She had context that Chieri didn't.
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Really? What changes did we see in Lankaster (or however it was spelt) as a result of the AKB0048 concert in the opening episode? Four girls were recruited, and a short concert took place. We do see scenes where the recruits, Nagisa in particular, talk as if that concert changed everything, but it doesn't look like that to me. Orine was still working in that industrial plant and trying to get by with handouts from nice older folks. I didn't see much evidence that the social and political structures there had changed after the concert. I thought Nagisa had a distorted view of the real importance of AKB0048 while growing up, one that shows up again briefly in her comments comparing this town and her own.
What about this concert on Tundrastar? Again it seems to have provided a brief uplifting of spirits and recruited another young girl. Are those people suddenly going to throw off their oppressors, rise up, and create a new village of freedom? It doesn't seem very likely to me.
If so, if this bleak theme really sits at the core of this story, I tip my hat to Okada-san. A theme like that upends the whole concept of idol worship and places AKB0048 squarely in the "circuses" category of the traditional "bread and circuses" approach to controlling the masses. It certainly fits best with the world depicted so far. The girls have small victories, but the forces of the DES and company are enormous and extend across the galaxy or wherever this takes place. The early
Star Wars films, especially episode five, "The Empire Strikes Back," have an equally bleak outlook. The Empire is enormously powerful, and we are just a bunch of rebels in a few outclassed ships. The Rebel Alliance actually builds a military force, though; our young heroines so far work with the WOTA and aspiring young idols. The WOTA are effective, but I'm not sure they are ready to take on the Death Star.
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Originally Posted by Random Wanderer
Hmm... Kirara definitely lit up a little when Nagisa was singing for the girls. Not much, but it was definitely a sign that she was on the right track. I'm glad to see it again. Kirara's been missing ever since it faded out due to Chieri's embarrassment two episodes ago.
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Having watched scenes from episode one again recently, I think it's really Nagisa's kirara even though it ended up with Chieri. In that episode the kirara sits in front of Nagisa's chest and points at her heart when she's full of emotion. It then returns to Yuuko (I think), but stays behind when she leaves. It does settle on Chieri's outstretched finger at the end and obviously leaves with her. By the time they are reunited on the ship three years later, the kirara isn't glowing much for Chieri any more. There's also a scene where we hear both their thoughts, Nagisa wondering why it didn't follow her home, and Chieri wondering why it has never glowed for her even after following her. It does seem to glow much brighter when it is with Nagisa than when it's with Chieri as in this episode. If this is one of Yuuko's kirara, is this a hint that Nagisa will become the next Yuuko? Why didn't it follow Nagisa home?