Sankaku Complex Forums » Anime

81. 

    VillainousHanacha
    

    It's that time again...

    *UPDATE TIME!!!*

    We got a far more light-hearted episode this time around. Our trainees spending their day off in various ways.

    On an intriguing note, I noticed that the Manager has not a Heart in her hair, but a Diamond like the kind you would see on a playing card. I think I also saw Tomochin's mother have the same Diamond in her hair. Maybe there is some deal of significance to this, as all the idols have Hearts in their hair. I doubt that the difference is purely coincidental.

    Also as Sylphin brought up, all of the previous Centers have disappeared due to unexplained circumstances. I think there is an interconnected web or things relating to this. One having to do with "Sensei-Sensei", the Kirara, and the "Soul of the Idol." Acchan was described as having so many Kirara light up around her that she was cloaked in a dress of light. The Kirara are supposed to shine when in the presence of a "Soul of the Idol" so it's safe to say that Acchan had a soul that shined brighter than any Idol. I think that in order to be a Center, one would have had a "Soul of the Idol" just as strong as Acchan. Now here is where I get speculative. I personally think that the weird dark void behind the Torii gate with the Miko standing beside it is this "Sensei-Sensei." It mentioned some deal of interest in the current batch of Idols, so I think it has some interest in the "Soul of the Idol" for purposes unknown, beyond having charismatic Idols that enrapture audiences. I also think that the Kirara are messengers or "embodiments" of the void behind the Torii (aka Sensei-Sensei) who seek out those with the "Soul of the Idol." When a large amount of them are drawn to a single girl, the void's focus on the girl in question reaches critical mass, and she is spirited away by the void behind the Torii (aka Sensei-Sensei) for some other purpose. Though at this point, I don't really feel that Sensei-Sensei "true purpose" for the "Soul of the Idol" is evil or malicious. I have no evidence to support that, it's just a feeling I have.

    Granted this is all just speculation on my part, and I could be completely wrong.

    As for the content proper it was a nice little episode. I wonder if Orine and Yuka are gonna get close to Chieri again. Chieri doesn't seem to be fully tuned into the power of friendship just yet, but I think she and Yuka will come around eventually. It was also quite funny to see Mimori and all her "Pheromone" laced glory. She might want to invest in a good sports bra however (actually, screw that, because I couldn't see her jiggle otherwise). It was also equal parts amazing and creepy to see the Itano family as a true lineage/dynasty of Tomochins.

    Also as a final note, I don't think episode 4 will be the last we see of Kanata's misconception on what being an Idol is all about.

    Keep 'em comming Satelight! I am hungry for more crazy awesome Idols, melodrama, friendship (hopefully some Class S friendship), and pheromones.

    Posted 3 years ago #
82. 

    GANTZ Playboy!
    

    VillainousHanacha said:
    It's that time again...

    *UPDATE TIME!!!*

    We got a far more light-hearted episode this time around. Our trainees spending their day off in various ways...... And a WHOLE Lotta stuff

    Might I say VillanH - I like the enthusiasm here! Impressive detailed analysis, examples give, plot speculation...THIS reminds me of an elder poster named QUEN.

    Quen was a good man! I would call him 'Moe-Sensei' as he was a passionate disciple of "K-On!" and MOE ideals. His passion & reviews were often fun reads for me. You Mr. Villian have something I haven't seen on these forums in awhile... PASSION!

    Don't let these 'Haters' steer you wrong. You Post what you want on here! Even if you want to attack me- go for it!

    As you can see by this thread I am New to the world of AKB48 (the 3-D Live ones) and I think this Anime is a quality showcase for all the girls involved and I like how it's moving along thus far.

    Posted 3 years ago #
83. 

    John Hayabusa
    

    This anime is on my watch list. I am not a fan of AKB48 but I am enjoying the idol group's anime. I love the art style, the setting, and the characters. I cannot say much right now but this show is going well so far.

    Oh yeah and I find the Tomochin family to be a bit creepy.

    

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    1. vlcsnap-2012-05-30-19h52m20s154_2.jpg 3 years old

    Posted 3 years ago #
84. 

    VillainousHanacha
    

    JohnHayabusa said:
    This anime is on my watch list. I am not a fan of AKB48 but I am enjoying the idol group's anime. I love the art style, the setting, and the characters. I cannot say much right now but this show is going well so far.

    One thing I definitely appreciate about the Anime is that you do not need intimate knowledge of the AKB48 proper in order to enjoy this Anime. It stands on it's own 2 feet as a show, and for anyone with potential interest in the AKB48 proper it will serve as a gateway drug.

    At the end of the day, it's genesis was probably as a marketing vehicle, but it stands on it's own merits regardless.

    Posted 3 years ago #
85. 

    MasterInfamous
    

    I have seen too many animated series staring pop musicians to be cautious with this anime.

    Posted 3 years ago #
86. 

    VillainousHanacha
    

    MasterInfamous said:
    I have seen too many animated series staring pop musicians to be cautious with this anime.

    Just give it 2 episodes.

    You can get a good general feel of what the Anime is like by watching the first 2 episodes. If you got the time I highly recommend giving it a try.

    If you watch them and like them, you can be rest assured that the rest of the series will be just like the content in those episodes, and you can watch ahead without fear. Same thing applies if you watch and you don't like the first 2 episodes. The rest of the series will be just like those episodes, and you can then feel no guilt in dropping it.

    I will say this as a primer however. The show has plenty of crazy awesome moments in it, but it requires not just a good tolerance but a certain appreciation for melodrama and cheesiness. Also if you dislike the theme of "The Power of Friendship" I would recommend you stay away from it.

    Posted 3 years ago #
87. 

    MasterInfamous
    

    @VillainousHanacha

    For you, I'll try.

    Posted 3 years ago #
88. 

    Myballz
    

    Yeah, I manage to watch the first episode I might try to see the rest later.

    Posted 3 years ago #
89. 

    Sylphin
    

    Something about the current Yuuko is off, she mention in episode 5 that Acchan disappear when she was still her understudy, but from what is shown in episode 1, she is indeed a main member since before Acchan's disappearence(The opening shows that too), and she remember's seeing those 4 girls at the cliff with those Kirara before she did a pose and went off, so my question, how can she be a understudy when Acchan disappear, while being one of the main member with Acchan since the start.

    Posted 3 years ago #
90. 

    VillainousHanacha
    

    Is it time for a banana? No, it's...

    *UPDATE TIME!*

    It's less of a "lore" related episode this time, we return to our successors and their quest to become the very best.

    This time is the actual debut of the successor idols. We get to see their PV which previews them to the public (as well as some tasty beach graveur shots) and then we learn that they will have their debut proper in a handshaking event, not a concert. Fitting I say, I mean at the end of the day they are idols and it's a good way of reminding us of that. I also suppose they are too new to have a proper concert.

    Then we get to the main conflict of this episode, the fact that Orine got a hater as soon as the PV was made public. A rather nasty kid if I do say so myself. It's a good thing that the Manager screens the mail normally.

    Orine understandably feels rather glum and defeated for a while (and it's not helped by Chieri's expected blithe and blunt handling of the situation). But in a very heartwarming moment she perks right back up at the handshaking event proper. The hater actually shows up some time during the handshake event, and in a very nice gesture Chieri blocks the way between him and Orine using herself.

    But then the stadium falls under attack by DES, which at first the idols think that the hater kid made good on his bomb threat. It's Orine that actually holds the others off from following the kid, and then we are treated to another cool fight scene. Orine goes to rescue the the kid, who acts like an ungreatful bastard at first. But because the bastard child's hatred is motivated by love, Orine finds it in her to empathize with the kid, and the reverse happens as well (Considering that the actual AKB48 is in this, I'm surprised that they actually tried to make the hateful bastard child sympathetic).

    Then we get treated to the in-universe version of super Idol Otaku, The Ota. Given that in-universe the idols do what idols normally do and fight when the culture police DES come a knockin', the Ota take the idea of Idol Otaku and apply it in-universe to the logical conclusion. They fight alongside the idols with glow stick lightsabers, pilot mecha coated in decals (Ita-Mecha I suppose), and wear awesome delinquent-esque clothing. They are a new dose of pure awesome in this show and actually manage to make Idol Otaku absurdly cool. During this pure awesome fight, Orine realizes that the hater is not all bad, as it makes her realize her own faults and helps her to improve upon them (it is helped along with advice from her seriors). At the end of it all the hater sends a new message where he acts all Tsundere and complements her after some half-hearted insults.

    All in all a very nice episode, quite nice to see some action again. The Ota were awesome and I was actually quite surprised to see a hater being shown somewhat sympathetically in a show containing proper Idols. At the end of the day he was still being a fanbrat because his reasons for hating Orine were really shallow. But all in all, great regardless.

    (Also, I wonder what exactly Chieri recalled when bringing down that machine? Maybe her family has ties to DES somehow, and they attacked because they want to bring her back home. I wonder...)

    Posted 3 years ago #
91. 

    Nin
    

    VillainousHanacha said:
    Is it time for a banana? No, it's...

    *UPDATE TIME!*

    

    Attachments

    1. R10.gif 3 years old

    Posted 3 years ago #
92. 

    VillainousHanacha
    

    I back!?!?!? With MOAR...

    *UPDATE TIME!*

    We have an interesting episode with #7 on our hands. One that raises question with just what are the effects of the idols being chosen by the idea of having "it" (the epinonimous "Soul of the Idol").

    It seems that as the laws against entertainment lessen across the galaxy, the idols of AKB0048 will return more and more to their original roles as just dancing songstresses (what with the original definition of "stand-in" being brought back). Thanks to the selection of who will stand in for who, we get to see that there is in fact a 76th generation of understudies between the failed generation and the current 77th gen (I was wondering where they were this whole time). I noticed that despite them having the hearts in their hair (as most young girls in this show seem to sport, as opposed to the diamonds in the hair of the older women) their colors (their hair, eyes, clothing, etc...) is rather drab compared to the the failed gen and the 77th gen. Maybe it's to represent that their souls do not shine with the spirit of the idol (their personalities back this up as well, as they are portrayed as rather catty and somewhat petty).

    The 76th gen serves to set one of this episode's plotlines. Chieri is the sole member of the 77th to get picked as a stand-in, and the 76th girls get a bit jealous. So to retaliate the dig up a bit of dirt on her and reveal what was hinted to in the 6th episode. That Chieri's family makes the mechs that the culture police DES uses (as well as harkening back to the second as she reveals to Nagisa that she ran away from home). Chieri naturally feels guilty about this, and we see that she contemplates running back home. However what is really sweet is that it's not Nagisa who cheers her up, but Kanata (who was also picked as a stand-in). Kanata earlier stated her reasoning for joining the AKB0048 was for revenge against DES for killing her father, seeing the AKB0048 not as an idol group, but more as a revoluntionary militia. It is however very clear that she is tuned into the power of friendship now that she views the AKB0048 for what it is and wants to become a successor idol. For Kanata to connect and forgive Chier of all people shows that she has grown as a character, and has moved past her baggage. It may or may not be 100%, but she functionally has moved past revenge.

    Also Kanata being picked as a stand-in details the other plotline of the episode. A few of the current idols try and find out just how a successor is chosen, and find out that the Kirara evaluate each idol's soul to see if it mirrors the original girls (basically proving my hunch that the Kirara are involved in choosing who succeeds). It also proves my hunch of Sensei-Sensei being that dark void beyond the Torii gates, but we still know nothing more than that. What I found interesting about this is that the idols are shown to be visibly upset by the fact that successors are choses seemingly so arbitralily, as well as being upset that whether you succeed or not is down to having "it" as would be said in the music industry. The conflict comes from the fact that Kanata was reflected by the Kirara as the next successor (this as well shows her development, as prior she was too absorbed in a false idea of what being an idol is in order to truly be one, however she is now considered "worthy").

    However, what I liked about this situation is that although skill does factor into it, being more or less "the chosen one" is a lot bigger of a factor than it was even previously suggested to be. I like how the girls showed a bit of frustration at the arbitrary nature of "the chosen one" and feeling of futility at not being able to change that. I like the theme of being blessed by fate/ being forsaken by fate juxtaposed. This theme has been an undercurrent ever since Chieri introduced her Kirara, but it is now in the forefront (interestingly enough, having "The Soul of the Idol" is no a deciding factor in being a stand-in, or at least no a large factor, which is why I suppose Chieri got the part. This also kind of shows the whole blessed/forsaken by fate, as you can get on stage by skill alone seemingly, but there is a glass cieling between stand-in and true successor. You can go a good distance on skill, but to truly be a star, you have to be born one. That seems to be the implcation). I don't think the show will get too dark despite having this theme, because the show's tone is optimistic and hopeful at heart. I am very interested to see how this will turn out.

    Posted 3 years ago #
93. 

    alex251
    

    VillainousHanacha said:
    I back!?!?!? With MOAR...

    do you have a blog ?
    you should come to /a/ and discuss shit, i.e. http://archive.foolz.us/a/thread/67846390/
    especially while livewatch and subs are out

    

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    Posted 3 years ago #
94. 

    VillainousHanacha
    

    alex251 said:

    do you have a blog ?
    you should come to /a/ and discuss shit, i.e. http://archive.foolz.us/a/thread/67846390/
    especially while livewatch and subs are out

    My friends have wondered why I do not actually have a blog, and sometimes I wonder myself why I do not have one. The only reason I can really give is laziness.

    As for the second part, I generally steer clear of 4chan for one reason or another, though as time has gone by I have realized that those reasons are pretty much bullshit. I've made SanCom a part of my online life, and it's not like SanCom is really any better or worse than 4chan as far as additudes go. Maybe I'll start discussing on /a/ as well...

    Posted 3 years ago #
95. 

    Baronight
    

    VillainousHanacha said:

    My friends have wondered why I do not actually have a blog, and sometimes I wonder myself why I do not have one. The only reason I can really give is laziness.

    This part contradict with your post in sancom...you always give lengthy post when it comes to anime, with all the detail and opinion you had for that particular episode. I don't see why you cant convey it in blog when you have much more freedom to express your thought

    Posted 3 years ago #
96. 

    VillainousHanacha
    

    baronight said:

    This part contradict with your post in sancom...you always give lengthy post when it comes to anime, with all the detail and opinion you had for that particular episode. I don't see why you cant convey it in blog when you have much more freedom to express your thought

    Laziness does not have to make sense my friend!

    I guess it's just because coming to SanCom has become almost reflexive for me, so I just post here because it's convenient I suppose. I never claimed to actually have a good excuse, it's just the only half-assed reason I can muster.

    Posted 3 years ago #

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