Guys, this show…it’s the real deal.
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Summary
The girls are given a selection exam in which they have to successfully defend the current generation of AKB0048 from the government until the last note of their song Beginner is sung in a guerilla concert. The girls are dropped down onto the planet, quickly attract the attention of the enemy mecha and are fired at, and are forced to respond with their own gunfire. As the situation looks bleak, more and more girls drop out of the exam. Nagisa runs to aid Chieri and the two manage to take out a mecha by themselves, until Nagisa is caught in its line of fire and Chieri is forced to intercept the shot.
Impression
Che, this anime really knows how to mess around with my emotions. Like nearly everyone else, I fell for it, and truly thought that the trainee idols were dropped on enemy territory where entertainment was banned, and were really in risk of their lives. I remember thinking to myself how much of a cruel and harsh selection process they were going through, and gasped when some of the girls were “blown up”. Coupled with Beginner playing in the background, and some troll use of rain as pathetic fallacy, it was one hell of an episode even though I took it completely wrong. Either way, I think we all screamed “CHIERIIIIIIIII” when she was shot xD
I think what Mayuyu meant by Chieri not making it through at that rate was that they needed to show some form of teamwork to protect comrades in a real battle situation, which she did when she took the hit for Nagisa. Likewise, conviction and willpower is needed as well, which clearly some of the background auditionees didn’t have as they went to protest against having to fight – something they didn’t sign up for. Someone like Sonata, who wasn’t even selected from singing ability yet had the determination to illegally sneak on board was something that the manager probably saw as courageous, hence why she was allowed through.
Nagisa sure made some quick assumptions by thinking that the current AKB generation were all fighting xD I actually went and found out more about the real-life AKB48 – they’re actually quite an interesting group, situated in Akihabara (hence, Akibastar). Also I finally get the Mayuyu joke about her being a cyborg…something about being so cute she can’t be human? Man, it’s like an entire huge fanbase all by itself ^^
On another note I took a closer look at the OP this week, and next to the current member names there’s a number as well, so like…Oshima Yuko the 9th or Takahashi Minami the 5th. Suddenly I have this really bad feeling…is it possible that trainee members literally replace old ones, and take up their names, personalities and everything? That would somewhat explain the crying in the OP.
Putting that aside, we now have our main trainee cast, very neatly picked through this battle simulation that nicely weeded out everyone with a normal hair colour xD Let’s hope for some proper idol training next week – more AKB insert songs wouldn’t hurt either. And will they ever explain what’s up with the priest-like temple thing that a scene always randomly swaps to each ep?
This is damn good stuff.
I’m guessing when the new members take the names of the AKB the old ones retire that is probably why they do auditions.
So glad Chieri didn’t die but I feel like someone might actually die in the future T.T
The undertones they’re hinting at certainly imply that something bad’s going to happen in the future. Let’s just hope it doesn’t happen to Chieri xD
Chieri’s too cool and badass to die that easily, but I was a bit worried lol. Thanks god nothing happened.
BTW, this episode marks the third time Chieri saves Nagisa’s butt. How cool’s that for someone who seemed not to care about her team mates. In fact she does care, maybe more than anyone else….
She most likely does care, and is just too tsundere to admit it ^^ She pulled through in the end with working in a team though, which might be why she managed to pass.