(L) Akb0048

[Undertaker]

Originally Posted by sa547

^
One of the things I see about the election system... the problem is that some extreme fans buy albums by the bulk just to vote heavily on their favorite oshimen, so I'd like to see the election system fixed up so that there should be one voting ballot for every fan... But when that kind of reform would happen, I'll never know.

My take is different, yeah it a could be a issue for top member, but at same time who's to said that number 32 (just a random number) wasn't helped by a fan with 50-100 votes? and the impact there is much more than say the alleged 5000 votes on Yuko last year.

BTW, that doesn't even making sense last year, I can understand fans bitching if Yuko was the top last year or it was the usual A-chan Anti. But it wasn't and the result is pretty decisive in the end for top members.

Besides, election was just a way to make fans "think" they have control to begin with, asking too much and you don't even gets to vote at all. And there really is not point just to up the system, it's just a popularity estimation more than anything.

Members have love-hate relationship with it, and it seem the fans do as well. Though I always have a laugh with people who question the whole thing is complete fixed (with all the counts), I mean really, if that's the way they think, they there is no votes and elections on Earth that is real. If they are not willing to believe the system itself, then why bother comment/participate on them?


@mochichan

just looked her up, she from NMB, Mita Mao, but what's with this final episode talk, I thought the anime is going to be a split-cour series? I mean there is a lot of question that is unanswered and I find it hard for them a address it in 4 episodes.

[totoum]

Originally Posted by Undertaker

I thought the anime is going to be a split-cour series? I mean there is a lot of question that is unanswered and I find it hard for them a address it in 4 episodes.

Well nothing has been officially announced but Thomas Romain (a french staff member) posted this shortly before the show aired

The first show should be 13 episodes long and a sequel with as many episodes is planned shorty afterwards (I have no idea if I the right to say this,oh well...)

He posted again a couple weeks ago that it was very likely that there'd be more than 13 episodes.

I'm guessing it's happening unless sales completely bomb

[Kazu-kun]

Originally Posted by mechdra

Yuko seems to be the selfish type and I can see why Takamina is shocked to hear that from her.

She shouldn't be. What Yuuko said is just what the real Yuuko would say. And I think if the real Takamina was there she would have said the same thing.

And it's not selfishness. Giving up your dream for someone else's sake is pointless since being an idol is a constant competition to begin with. It's the same in real life: If you get promoted, it means someone else won't. Your success is someone else's failure. There's no way around this, and giving up is just running away.

[mochichan]

Yuko isn't being selfish. It's normal to be passionate about your own dream. Honestly who can easily step down and give up their dream for others?

The real Takahashi Minami wouldn't falter just after hearing about Kanata as the more qualified. Her speech for the past 2 elections had been about how hardwork will pay off and that success will only come after suffering. So right now Takamina isn't like the original member definitely... But I want to see her fight to keep her spot with the same passion Takahashi Minami have :3

So right now..i feel like cheering for Takamina over Kanata lol.....I'm really hoping what Yuko said to Takamina triggered something in her to make her fight back.

[Undertaker]

Originally Posted by totoum

He posted again a couple weeks ago that it was very likely that there'd be more than 13 episodes.

I'm guessing it's happening unless sales completely bomb

Then let's hope that's the case, because I hate when a series ends in a half-ass state. There are more and more series with terrible ends since the industry is shifting toward 1-cour production for majority of the series.

The blog that was posted a few post back had me worried because she starts off saying final episode.

Oh and agree on what Kazu-kun said you got to be a little selfish in a idol group, worse thing you can do in a friendly, real competition is if you purposely throw the game away.

That is not to say that A-chan made the wrong decision in real life, transition got to start somewhere and the truth is that at current point A-chan is more beneficial to AKB than reverse and AKB is actually more of a hindrance in her reaching her goal and being the absolute top is pressure job. In all truth, in recent TV appearances, especially in variety shows, I haven't seen A-chan looks that happy in those shows and throughly enjoy them in a long time.

[mochichan]

^
also Acchan was so hated and pressure in AKB.
Being call an "attention hogging b*tch" even tho she was against being promoted in the first place. Having all that expectation on her shoulder...she is way too relax and happy after announcing her graduation....:|

Talking about Acchan...can't wait till they get to her story and explain why she's missing because it's obviously she's going to have an appearance in the anime since they hired Miyuki Sawashiro to voice her.

Also I got a feeling that once Acchan make an appearance..someone will end up dying after that. It sound like a good time for Kawamori's annoying tendency to kill off people.

[Random Wanderer]

Originally Posted by mochichan

So right now..i feel like cheering for Takamina over Kanata lol

I don't think we're at a point of going for one "over" the other. I am quite confident that Kanata does not want to take Takamina's place, and if she were to find out what's been bothering Takamina she would become very upset with the people in charge for putting her in this position. I told Takamina that the best thing to do was stand up for both herself and Kanata, and I meant it. She's earned her name. She has the right to keep it. Kanata has earned the right to move forward as well, and neither of those rights should have to take priority over the other. Takamina needs to take this to Tsubasa, and demand that a change be made.

[Haak]

Originally Posted by Kazu-kun

She shouldn't be. What Yuuko said is just what the real Yuuko would say. And I think if the real Takamina was there she would have said the same thing.

And it's not selfishness. Giving up your dream for someone else's sake is pointless since being an idol is a constant competition to begin with. It's the same in real life: If you get promoted, it means someone else won't. Your success is someone else's failure. There's no way around this, and giving up is just running away.

It was my impression that Takamina has just been outright told that Kanata is more similar to the real Takamina than her and only reason Takimina is still there is not due to her own abilities but simply due to the rules, in which case Takamina's success isn't really Kanata's failure, and to her it feels like she's cheating than competing fairly.

Yuuko was essentially saying it was okay to cheat which is a surprisingly cynical (but probably realstic). But real problem lies with the rules which are pretty fuzzy to begin with...

[Kazu-kun]

Originally Posted by Haak

Yuuko was essentially saying it was okay to cheat which is a surprisingly cynical (but probably realstic). But real problem lies with the rules which are pretty fuzzy to begin with...

I don't see it like this. Tsubasa herself told Takamina that the selection doesn't depend only on the similarity of the soul. Kanata is just closer to the original Takamina, soul-wise, but if Tsubasa is to be believed, that alone doesn't necessarily make her a better choice than the current Takamina right now. Takamina has qualities that Kanata still lacks, so it's not only the rules.

Takamina is over thinking all this way too much but I don't think she's cheating at all. At this moment she still deserves to bear the name of Takahashi Minami more than anyone.

[Haak]

Oh I see. If that's the case though, then I guess the problem is the fact that she still thinks Kanata deserves to be promoted more than she deserves to stay simply because Kanata has had to take a lot more unneccessary crap and is in an extremely unfortunate position. It's a bit hard to sing songs encouraging you to reach your dreams when your denying someone else their dream in doing so (and pretty ironic).

But why did Takamina cry to Tsubasa that she didn't want to graduate and why did Yuuko angrily say to Tsubasa that Takamina couldn't be replaced, if Tsubasa was already reassuring her that she deserved to hold her place?

[Kazu-kun]

Originally Posted by Haak

But why did Takamina cry to Tsubasa that she didn't want to graduate and why did Yuuko angrily say to Tsubasa that Takamina couldn't be replaced, if Tsubasa was already reassuring her that she deserved to hold her place?

My take is because they all care about the soul thing way more than they should, so they all got a little bit too emotional. Certainly Takamina admires (or even idolizes) the original Takamina, so much so that becoming her successor was enough to boost her confidence. Now she can't claim that her soul is the closest to her idol anymore, so it's natural she's feeling like shit. But you know, she shouldn't depend on external validation to boost her confidence. Rather, she should believe more in her own skills.

Anyway, what Yuuko said in this episode comes from her determination to fulfill her own dream, which is to become Center. If Acchan was still in the team, becoming Center would mean to shoot Acchan down from that position. But Yuuko still would go for it, even if it meant to crush Acchan's dream.

So Yuuko wanted Takamina to understand that nothing is free. If someone wins, someone else will lose. It can't be helped.

[Random Wanderer]

Originally Posted by Kazu-kun

Anyway, Yuuko's words in this episode comes from her determination to fulfill her own dream, which is to become Center. If Acchan was still in the team, becoming Center would mean to shoot Acchan down from that position. But Yuuko still would go for it, even if it meant to crush Acchan's dream.

I disagree entirely. Her whole reason for wanting to become center was because of how much she admired Acchan. If Acchan was still there, Yuuko wouldn't have a reason to try to become center. She would have ended up expressing her admiration in a different way.

[mochichan]

IDK about their relationship in the anime but the real Yuko wanted to leave AKB after she heard Acchan is graduating. I think if Acchan was still the center, Yuko would still try her best to be center because Yuko see Acchan as her rival as well as someone she admire. I think Okada would include the similar relationship in the anime.

Anyway if the anime Yuko was so passionate about Takamina pursuing her own dream instead of just give way to Kanata, I think she's passionate about being center as well even if Acchan was there.

I feel bad for Takamina but I get that like Kanata should not be neglect either.
The problem is juniors will be sad if they end up forcing their seniors out of the position but they can't move forward if the seniors are still there. Seniors can't give up their dreams but they might feel guilty about taking away others.

...wow........this is complicated.............:|

[Kazu-kun]

Originally Posted by Random Wanderer

Yuuko wouldn't have a reason to try to become center. She would have ended up expressing her admiration in a different way.

I agree with mochichan. I think anime Yuuko would act the same way real life Yuuko would, specially since Okada loves to draw parallels between the characters in the show and their real life counterparts.

[Random Wanderer]

You people are depressing. Nobody's dreams need to get crushed. There is always a better way.

[Kazu-kun]

Originally Posted by Random Wanderer

You people are depressing. Nobody's dreams need to get crushed. There is always a better way.

Sorry, I didn't mean to sound depressing. Although I'm not the idealistic type either so....

At any rate, if somehow the understudies get to form a new team and keep their names, I'm all for it!!! Not so much because I don't want the current members to leave, but more so because this whole thing about taking someone's name and identity is starting to give me the creeps.

I'll be honest. I just would like Chieri to be just Chieri.

[Haak]

Originally Posted by Random Wanderer

You people are depressing. Nobody's dreams need to get crushed. There is always a better way.

Well I think that depends on your POV but there is certainly potential for a third option in this case, due to the sheer lack of transparecy in these rules regarding successions. I mean for one thing, they're factoring the opinions of a bunch of blobs who for all we know could just be doing this for shits and giggles...

[chaosprophet]

Originally Posted by Haak

Well I think that depends on your POV but there is certainly potential for a third option in this case, due to the sheer lack of transparecy in these rules regarding successions. I mean for one thing, they're factoring the opinions of a bunch of blobs who for all we know could just be doing this for shits and giggles...

The problem is that with the info we got on the glossary so far we know the Kirara are very important, being one of the only two ways of interstellar travel. And likely the best one considering it's renewable and easy to obtain while Dualium seems hard to obtain.

Why would that same Kirara shows the souls of people connecting them with similar souls of specific people long ago? It seems to me there is more importance to the fact of becoming one of the original members successors than what we know so far. Maybe the original Kirara came from superspace to earth attracted by the original AKB, which make them somehow connected to them.

[serenade_beta]

Originally Posted by Kazu-kun

Preview:

The artwork is getting shitty...

Eh~, it's not too bad yet.

[FlareKnight]

Originally Posted by serenade_beta

Eh~, it's not too bad yet.

I don't know about that. Chieri's arms near the end of that preview were damn hilarious in how bad they looked.