(L) Akb0048

[DragoonKain3]

Chieri? Less kawaii and more bitch, please. Nearly darn killed me with moe overload when she did her solo speech.

[FlareKnight]

Now this was pretty darn good. Though a few times was wondering if Takamina or Kanata were going to get into serious trouble. How big of a curve would it have been for those two at the end to get attacked? Not that I wanted that to happen, just after the close call the other episode have been a bit wary.

But really a good episode for everyone. Nagisa and Chieri get closer and really all four remove some of the distance Chieri had built up. Though while I was thinking "Nagisa singing right now might be a questionable decision" it did work out. A solid friendship in the end. Sometimes Nagisa needs Chieri's strength to keep out of trouble and Nagisa's energy way of thinking can pull Chieri out of her negative thinking. Give Chieri credit for that part of one song that even had Nagisa shocked at how cute it was.

Of course this Takamina and Kanata situation continues on. Does seem like at the end Takamina is going to graduate and let Kanata take that spot. Of course tough for her to resent Kanata when she's being so damn likable. Enduring everything and just focusing on improving herself. Even when Takamina ran in there to take away her chance to perform the girl just swallowed her frustrations and did her job. If anyone's taken major steps forward as a character (other than Chieri) it's been Kanata. Now she's truly ready to take on that name. Even Yuuko couldn't bring her down with that intense practice. Regardless if this is it for Takamina at least she got one hell of a last stand out there. Does make you resent that system a bit since both should be up there.

Also little developments here and there. Mimori helping Megumi find her energy and fire her up. Guess they wanted to add more reasons for her to be gloomy other than the 77th generation taking the spotlight. Having a close friend move ahead while you're left behind would bring some down a bit.

[chaosprophet]

Originally Posted by serenade_beta

Spoiler for ep9:

And Takamina and Kanata live another episode! Though it looks like Takamina might finally have decided to give up.

It's not... bad using foreign languages, but not only was it sudden, but those girls would talk Russian one moment and then Japanese the next and that wasn't really explained.
In general, a great episode though. Who was the protagonist again...?

I believe Japanese may be the common universal language (which may not even be Japanese story wise) for the D.G.T.O, where some planets may also have their own local language too.

[Eisdrache]

Apparently Chieri's cuteness can even cause avalanches.

[chaosprophet]

More info on the main site about the special event to who buys the show DVD/BD. The event is planned to happen around January 2013, but no exact date for now. Someone need to buy the first edition (as in the first manufactured version) of each of the volumes 1-6 of the DVD or BD. Each comes with a ticket, which someone need to gather to participate.

This does make me wonder what will the vol 06 be about. We already had 5 DVD/BD volumes announced where vol 1 have 1 episode and vol 2-5 have 3 episodes each, already covering all 13 episodes. Maybe the show will have more than 13 episodes? Or will be an extra disc with one or more BD/DVD only episode?

They also posted info about volume 02 of the BD. It will cover episodes 2-4. Unfortunately, different from volume 1 t doesn't seems like this one have longer episodes than the ones that aired on TV.

[Midonin]

AKB0048 09 - Mission: Planet Russia

And there's the ground battle. Seeing Nagisa repeat the events of the first episode, now part of AKB herself, was a really nice and heartwarming touch. That scene with Nagisa and Chieri... those two have quite the dynamic with each other. I hope more episodes focus on that, though there's enough plotlines among the whole cast to cover a wide variety of stories. good on Takamina for performing like she did, and good on Kanata for being okay with waiting a little bit longer. The scenery of Planet Russia, while drab, was also pretty beautiful looking once the concert lights started going up across it. Really good episode this week.

[ookamigirl]

Tundrastar - the next concert.
Takamina wasn't too happy she was out of the concert due to injuries.
The stroll around town was kinda gloomy and sad.
Well, at least girls got a chance to see how other, less lucky people live.
Guess they have fans in every city and planet ^^ no matter how they live.
Bonding with the fans was nice.

[mochichan]

Originally Posted by serenade_beta

Spoiler for ep9:

And Takamina and Kanata live another episode! Though it looks like Takamina might finally have decided to give up.

It's not... bad using foreign languages, but not only was it sudden, but those girls would talk Russian one moment and then Japanese the next and that wasn't really explained.
In general, a great episode though. Who was the protagonist again...?

The girl that did the Russian language was HKT48, Anna Murashige, who's half russian and japanese so probably why the switching. Or maybe planetary education system has improved and now teach kids multiple languages lol

BTW...I wonder if the Russian planet have anything to do with AKB48's performance in Moscow

Spoiler for vid:

BTW...i love the ending how Kanata said she's not right to wear Takamina's uniform yet after seeing how much Takamina fought back. ;A;
But at the end..look like Takamina might be stepping down....

[Sylphic]

This show throws some utterly ridiculous ideas out at us viewers, but somehow makes it convincing enough that it's enjoyable. If you think about it objectively, linking poverty and no idols makes no sense, but somehow the show makes it seem plausible.

Man, I want to live in the future. I want to see a real live performance with those floating platforms!

This last episode was really really good, I'm really sad to see Takamina go though. I can't possibly be the only one who likes the current Takamina a lot more than Kanata.

Also... why does my Yukirin have like no lines all the time? I can count the number of times she's talked with my fingers!!!!!

LIVER! LIVER! LIVER!!! :P

[sa547]

With low expectations (given the heavy competition), I looked into the stalker figures for the day since this episode's broadcast, and I was surprised that Volume 1 was jockeying for top position against more established titles (those based on existing media).

Here's yesterday's figures by day's end:

2012/06/26(火) 01:32:35.02

***,*39位/***,*40位 ★ (**7,873 pt) [*,*58予約] 12/06/29 12/04 氷菓 限定版 第1巻 (Hyouka) [Blu-ray]
***,*53位/***,*57位 ★ (**6,317 pt) [*,***予約] 12/06/20 12/04 咲-Saki-阿知賀編 1 (イベント先行購入抽選券付属初回生産仕様) (Saki) [Blu-ray]
***,*59位/***,*60位 ★ (**4,078 pt) [*,*15予約] 12/06/27 12/04 AKB0048 VOL.1 【初回特典有り】 [Blu-ray]

http://logsoku.com/thread/engawa.2ch...ty/1340640476/

[RDF2050]

Imagine what will happen with the DVD/BD sales with the broadcast from the TokyoMX channel. Sadly, there is a lot competition (DAT FATE ZERO) that will make it hard for many anime to sell well.

[SeijiSensei]

Originally Posted by Sylphic

This show throws some utterly ridiculous ideas out at us viewers, but somehow makes it convincing enough that it's enjoyable. If you think about it objectively, linking poverty and no idols makes no sense, but somehow the show makes it seem plausible.

Really, the whole notion that the planet's people are waiting in soup lines because of a lack of entertainment made me wince. First it trivializes the whole issue of poverty, but even if I accept the notion to stay within the show's conceit, it makes Chieri's concerns even more powerful and troubling. What is going to change for those people after our idols zip off to yet another planet in need of a good dose of "River?" I'll give Okada some kudos if she really does address this issue in the coming weeks. Frankly I'd consider that a step up in maturity now that we've gotten past the whole "combat idols" premise that was the first hint that there was possibly more to AKB0048 than you might have expected.

I wonder if Tokyo MX will start re-broadcasting the series from the beginning. They could have a marathon day with only nine episodes to show. Having it aired on MX still won't give us any ratings, though. I don't see MX on the invaluable Geocities page, nor can I find programs on MX reported in our ratings thread.

If AKB0048 hadn't found a Tokyo broadcaster, I was waiting to see it show up on Ginga TV!

[sa547]

Looking closely, and as the guerilla concert is a once-in-a-lifetime job--

Chieri: Is holding a concert really a good idea?
Nagisa: Huh?
Cheri: Once the concert's over, they'll just go back to living under the ban. It's like we're giving them hope, only to take it away later.

If they were doing it for decades, there should be a big change in their usual operating procedures, to tip the scales of the conflict into their favor by taking a more proactive stance in subverting DGTO's control -- rather than performing at the fringes, why not take the fight into the very center of government control?

(On a sidenote, I'm watching Equilibrium right now.)

[chaosprophet]

Originally Posted by Sylphic

This show throws some utterly ridiculous ideas out at us viewers, but somehow makes it convincing enough that it's enjoyable. If you think about it objectively, linking poverty and no idols makes no sense, but somehow the show makes it seem plausible.

Actually the idea of no entertainment at all, does feel like the kind of government that does heavy control of it's people, that wants them not as human individuals, but as pieces of a machine. And in that case a life of poverty seems fitting with that concept imo.

The part that I think the show exaggerates is how idols are such a universal symbol of the highest of entertainment. XD

[Kazu-kun]

Originally Posted by sa547

Cheri: Once the concert's over, they'll just go back to living under the ban. It's like we're giving them hope, only to take it away later.

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.

But that's the problem. It's hard for me to believe that Chieri wouldn't know about Lankaster and how its situation changed thanks to AKB's influence. I mean, sure, she's a rich girl and probably very sheltered, but she has always seemed pretty knowledgeable about AKB-related stuff at the very least, so she should know this.


So all in all, this whole scene seemed a bit forced to me. Like Okada was struggling to make Nagisa stand out and logic on Chieri's thought process suffered as a result.

At any rate, I hope this sort of thing won't happen again. The writing has generally been very tight, stellar even, and it would be a pity if things begin to fall apart now. Keep your game together, Okada!

[chaosprophet]

Originally Posted by sa547

If they were doing it for decades, there should be a big change in their usual operating procedures, to tip the scales of the conflict into their favor by taking a more proactive stance in subverting DGTO's control -- rather than performing at the fringes, why not take the fight into the very center of government control?

They may not be strong enough for it. On one of the glossary entries it mentions they don't even have half of the names available occupied, they seems to have such a big shortage of idols that they needed to recreate the under system.

I would guess a big problem of them is that from time to time, if they give a big slip, that could be enough for 5-10 of their idols being killed at once, which is a pretty big blow to them.

With some of the current 77th, 75th and 76th girls becoming successors, they may have enough idolpower to make a decisive strike against the entertainment ban.

EDIT: Kazu-kun, it did felt natural to me. Nagisa is someone who goes more with her emotions and feelings. While Chieri is more of a logical person (and that's how each of them can help the other in what they lack). Looking at such a gloomy planet made Chieri start over thinking things, which imo is right up her character alley.

[Kazu-kun]

Originally Posted by chaosprophet

EDIT: Kazu-kun, it did felt natural to me. Nagisa is someone who goes more with her emotions and feelings. While Chieri is more of a logical person (and that's how each of them can help the other in what they lack). Looking at such a gloomy planet made Chieri start over thinking things, which imo is right up her character alley.

I didn't say it doesn't work emotionally. What I meant is that it doesn't make sense from a logical stand point.

To put it simple. It makes sense for Chieri to feel discouraged after seeing that gloomy planet. What it doesn't make sense is for her to think the concert doesn't help when the situation in Lankaster shows the concerts do help.

EDIT: also, look at Nagisa's respond here:

Cheri: Once the concert's over, they'll just go back to living under the ban. It's like we're giving them hope, only to take it away later.

Nagisa: But even though, planets that have seen 00...

That's when they got interrupted by the lolis, but Nagisa's line here proves she's very conscious of the influence AKB's concerts have on plants like this one. She knows this stuff, and at that moment she is the one working on logic instead of feelings, while Chieri is letting her feelings take over.

But this scene only works if we assume that Chieri lacks the knowledge Nagisa is relying on. That's what seems a bit of a stretch to me, since Chieri's always seemed pretty knowledgeable about AKB-related stuff.

[Kaoru Chujo]

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....

That struck me at the time, too, but the way the emotional payloads were delivered made me eventually not care. Maybe I was just in the mood or something, but this episode worked excellently well, for me.

As for logic, the way the troops seemed powerless and the girls could just slide away over the rooftops was far from realistic. The show has plenty of cartoony illogicalities right at its heart, but they end up being part of the show's charm, for me.

[ars89]

Liked how the girls were remembering when they first saw AKB and now they're giving dreams to little girls. Did i hear right, Tsubasa was Mariko-sama! Glad the girls got to sing to help keep des disrupted. Too bad Kanata couldn't perform, but it's just like her to stay positive and praise Takamina.

[Kazu-kun]

Originally Posted by Kaoru Chujo

That struck me at the time, too, but the way the emotional payloads were delivered made me eventually not care. Maybe I was just in the mood or something, but this episode worked excellently well, for me.

Oh, it worked for me too. It's just that it's the first time something like this happened in this series. I didn't mind too much, but since this is Okada, it made me a bit wary.

Basically, I just hope/expect this was an isolated case, and the writing will keep being top notch overall.