[TV] AKB48 1st Anime + Manga "AKB0048"

[YKT]

AKB0048 seiyuu senbatsu unit, "NO NAME" will release their debut CD "Kibou ni Tsuite" at 08/1.

- AKB48 Journal

- Type A and Type B. Type A cover will be the NO NAME girls and Type B will be the anime ver.
- Kibou ni Tsuite, Yume wa Nandomo Umarekawaru and a new song will be included in the cd.
- Kibou ni Tsuite will have a PV featuring the girls (in Type A) and the anime ver of the PV will be included in Type B.

- aakun

Source http://www.oricon.co.jp/news/music/2012318/full/

Please post news, pics, clips etc relating to AKB0048 unit, "NO NAME" - 1st single "Kibou ni Tsuite" at the following thread http://forum.jphip.com/index.php?topic=33038.0

[YKT]

EDIT subs out http://evetaku.com/blog/2012/05/akb0048-episode-05-released/#more-5393

Subs for episode-06 out

http://evetaku.com/blog/2012/06/akb0048-episode-06-released/

[YKT]

Next episode preview

[Seigus]

Just noticed this image on the homepage of the AKB0048 site. Not sure if it was there earlier. I only noticed the KKS image (2nd pic in this post) previously.





Anyway, both pics make nice desktop wallpapers

[Seigus]

Metal plate strap collection from Bandai! Too bad it falls under the gachapon (capsule toy) category so good luck to finding the gachapon machine in your area.



Magazine scan (click thumbnail for bigger image)

[Seigus]

[YKT]

Preview of ep8




Subs out for ep7

http://evetaku.com/blog/2012/06/akb0048-episode-07-released/

[Seigus]

A look at some of the original members!

Original Mayuyu


Original Yukirin


Original Takamina


Original Yuko


Original Mayuyu I hope that the anime will explain why the current (and perhaps previous) Mayuyu is a cyborg. My guess is the original Mayuyu was so CG-perfect that it was impossible to find someone suitable to succeed her, hence they needed to make some modifications. While they were at it, they decided they might as well add in a cool missle-launching arm

[Rayle]

Ep 6:

1. AUGH DID NOT WANT ANIME BIKINI48 WTF WAY TOO SKINNY AUGH DID NOT WANT

2. SHUT THE FUCK UP MAKOTO I NEED TO BITCH-SLAP A BITCH. She needs a character development episode stat.

3. Not used to 0048 Takamina and Sayaka's voices. Not deep enough, too anime-ish, lol. Keep in mind I like Iwata's voice the best because it's the most natural-sounding.

4. Hating all of these filler "slice-of-life" scenes. But I guess they were trying set up a contrast in tone. At least they gave us the scifi action crack this episode, otherwise I was starting to think it was getting too much like AKB49.

5. LOL perfect timing of the anti-sentiment about Sashihara. (One week in advance, even.) I wonder if the 0048 Sashiko ended up on Hakatastar?

6. I love bitch!Chieri. She's awesome. Badass!Chieri is even better, both in cutting off the hater and taking out the mecha. Can't go wrong with boy!Chieri, either. She's clearly the writer's favorite.

7. Wooooo Takamina is classic, doing both the win and suberi. The writer really is a fan, or Aki-P is giving all sorts of suggestions for these senbatsu moments.

8. Heh, the evolution of the Yuka/Chieri dynamic continues.

9. LOLOLOLOL at the moment of bonding between Orine and the hater. Glorious crack is glorious!  SCIFI WOTA OMGWTF LOLOLOLOLROFLMAO.

10. The Orine development was cheap. Again, clearly the writer only likes Chieri, and maybe Kanata, and only knows how to fill the rest with cliche'd CHEESE. Hoping Orine gets more proper development instead of a shoehorned morality tale next time. She's still current the character with least amount of personality. We're told and not shown anything about her, like her being a former mechanic or being a Sasshi fan.

Ep 8:

1. Woo SonataSuzuko is so much win.

2. Lolwut Kazakhstar.

3. SonataKanata is win, too.

4. That's right, 76th, Chieri's a badass combo breaker. Suck it.

5. Heyo, River! That song's choreo was never meant to be animated.

6. Huh, Kanata for Takamina? Didn't expect that. Then again, they're probably going for a AcchanYuko two top instead of a AcchanTakamina thing for NagisaChieri.

7. Lol indirect Oshiri Sister-ness in YukoChieri.

8. Ooh, I wonder how this will affect the ChieriKanata dynamic.

9. HOORAY MIDGET LOVE AND MAYUKI PERVINESS.

10. Not only does the writer only like Chieri and Kanata out of the 75th and 77ths, (other than making Nagisa and Suzuko Mary Sues) it seems that she likes the senbatsu members more than the rest of 77th, too. (Although she doesn't like Saeyaka or Haruna much, and this episode shows the writer's senbatsu biases, what with how they actually got character develpment, for fuck's sake.)

11. I really like Harukyan's acting this episode. Plus she has a more natural-ish voice, which helps.

12. Lolololol cry tally is at fucking six episodes in a row. And this time they tried to capitalize on Mayu's crying skills, but, well, they don't exactly translate well in sound form only.

13. It took 7 episodes in for us to finally be getting some actual plot development and true darker undertones. This anime is doomed to middle-tier quality, although it can still achieve upper-middle-tier.

14. Damn, the successor Kirara this ep sunk my prediction of what 75th/77th's destiny might be, and I don't mean Kanata being Takamina messing up my successor predictions. Ah well. Guess my fic will just have to be AU. 

[Seigus]

[SomethingWild]

1. AUGH DID NOT WANT ANIME BIKINI48 WTF WAY TOO SKINNY AUGH DID NOT WANT

+1.

This show has lost a bit of momentum for me. I prefer the sequences with concerts and battles, whereas the behind the scenes member drama isn't all that interesting.

Best bit about Ep 7 was the Kirara area 

[Rayle]

Oh, and people on anime fansites have pointed out that Takamina has tripped so many foreshadowings for character death. Arguably she and Yuko have received the most character "development" of the senbatsu members, which might have been to make their eventual deaths more poignant. (Because come on, there's no way the succession for TakaYukoAcchan is going to be any peaceful graduation bullshit, assuming graduation isn't some sort of Madoka-style dark twist anyways.)

[YKT]

EP8 SUBS + DDL

http://evetaku.com/blog/2012/06/akb0048-episode-08-v0-released/

[Seigus]

After a couple of slower episodes, episode 8 makes up for it with a whole lot of action and character and relationship development! There were some heart-stopping moments that had me on the edge of my seat. I swear I almost had a cardiac arrest in the second half of the ep!

What I love about Episode 8:
- SUZUKO HEADBUTT! Maybe Suzuko will succeed HardHead!Fresh Lemon (provided that Lemon is part of AKB0048)
- Heartwarming and adorable ChierixNagisa bonding time. I can hear the chemistry between the two seiyuu Mayuyu and Karen growing with each episode. Plus, both of them are surely relaxing into their roles over time. Now I no longer picture Mayuyu in my mind whenever Chieri speaks in the anime. It's only when I rewatch her scenes then I will deliberately imagine Mayuyu voice acting.
   
- Yukirin's airhead expression The anime production team is really playing up her airhead princess image. I'm hoping to see her Black side too.
   
- Midget-loving time! Takamina and Yuko have been stealing the show recently and even more so in this ep! Taka Captain is so precious that I want to hug her to bits while Yuko is an all-around awesome person and friend/comrade. I love the anime's portrayals of them as they are pretty darn close to the real deal. Takamina is an emotional person who constantly questions herself and her decisions while putting up the confident leader front. The fun-loving Yuko, just like the real Oshima, can be serious and demonstrate great wisdom when the situation calls for it. I'm getting so attached to the current successors that I don't want any one of them to graduate!

Can't wait for episode 9!

[inari]

I've watched 7 episodes so far and I'm not sure whether I find the new girls interesting at all. Then again, this anime is probably not aimed at the mainstream, just like most of the AKB48 stuff.

Viewers who are already fans might enjoy the several references, though. Things I enjoyed so far:
- the Wota army
- Yuuko is being a perv
- Takamina's banana outfit, just like in AKBingo's fashion show
- While several girls are already the 9th successor of an original member, Mariko is still the 1st one because she is never ever going to graduate

I don't know where the story is going right now but I'll continue to follow the show just for these references 

[Rayle]

Ep 8:

1. So does anyone know who's voicing 76th? Is it the runner-up girls from the auditions? They don't sound like pro VAs.

2. And once again, writer shows their Sonata/Suzuko bias, getting the best non-character-development moments, not that I mind. Kuumin can do now wrong so far, although Sawako's breathiness was a little too noisy this ep. Is she biting down on her tongue or something to get that truncated speaking effect? Also would have liked to have heard her go deeper and clearer to really show how Suzuko changes when her quiet demeanor is broken.

3. Still not quite buying Mayu's acting for Chieri. She's a better visual actress, her voice tends to be a little too intentional,(if that makes sense) breaking my suspension of disbelief. Really did not buy her scene with Nagisa other than her usual being awesomely bitchy, which was awesome. Lolorange.
 
3a. Part of the problem is the budget. All of those "make a surprised noise to denote being surprised/inquisitive/respond to anything" gasps I never buy, and making those noises especially doesn't fit Chieri's character, but they're necessary because they can't afford to animate their faces changing expression that way instead. (Much less with the subtlety a real-life Chieri would react, probably with no facial expression change, but a body-language cue instead. At least, that's how I imagine it.)

4. Whoa, didn't see that Yuka development with the boyfriend coming. Interesting! So currently we have two with daddy opposing, one with boyfriend opposing, and two whose daddy died fighting the opposing. Huh.

5. Heh, the Kachuusha. These in-jokes never get old. "Captain, this is the Headband requesting permission to board."

6. Huh, Sae development, and dealing with successor angst at that? I didn't see that coming. Interesting stuff, but it really highlights how little of fucks the writer gives about actually developing Orine, Sonata, Suzuko, and Makoto. On the other hand, then I can't wait for what stuff they have planned for the rest of senbatsu, like Sayaka, Haruna, and Yukirin. Especially our dear cyborg, lol. Sae and Takamina's actions this episode have been the most realistic and non-anime-caricature yet, and the way Takamina was trying to over-compensate for how the original would act especially rang true.

7. TakaYuko and TakaminaKanata are both brilliant dynamics. Highlighting them both in this episode was a highlight of the entire series thus far. All they needed was a "Don't call me Takamina-san" line to be perfect.

8. Well, shit, I really thought they were going to kill the Captain off. I can't tell if that's copping out or a great trope inversion, side-stepping our predictions.

9. Loving the successor angst storyline so far. It was one of the biggest questions I had when I found out about the succession system, (even before the Kirara thing) so it's great that they're seriously addressing those things, Starting with Chieri's words in Episode 1 about the juxtaposition of friends and rivals. And while Episode 1's resolution was black and white, (don't give your friends to the evil space soldiers, snort) now they're addressing the issue in the messy way it is, giving both sides fair support. (Huh, I wonder if part of being a successor involves their old member dynamics? Is being a part of TomoTomo written in that Tomochin family scroll, I wonder. )

9a. Plus, it's really putting those legendary VAs' skills to use. Ryoko Shiraishi's acting this episode really conveyed Takamina's self-doubting and depression well.

10. I really like the little throwaway line about how this Takamina isn't a strong singer like the original, really highlighting how these are human successors, not meant to be taken as clones of the original. (Other than Mayu, lol)

11. Lol listened to the ED for the first time in a while, and man Yuki no Hana does not work with those subtle-as-a-raging-ox synths and percussion.  Expecting Mika-vocals from those girls is a bit unfair, I guess, although I know at least Kumi could give a somewhat more suitable vocal performance.

12. Cry tally still going since we got tears from Takamina. I'm surprised we didn't get a Yuko breakdown, sheesh.

[winner]

The thread title totally needs [spoiler alert] added. You guys are detailing way too much stuff on day 1.

I like how guys here are reviewing the show from an AKB fan perspective (checking all the details), and also a normal anime fan perspective (story progress, character growth, plain entertainment).

One moment I liked was Kanata's fight in the end which only showed for a few seconds.
The idea of idols having an 'ideal' to hesitate when fighting manned-fighters is interesting.
The enemy is trying to kill/capture you, yet they still try to follow this ideal. It's like "idols don't fart" magnified to 1000.   that sounds weird...

[Seigus]

^ What this board needs is a spoiler tag

[Rayle]

Ah, sorry if I spoiled anything.

I'll make sure to just throw up a general spoiler alert on my reviews from here on out, since they'll all probably be like that. (Which means that the show is engaging my interest, though, comparing Ep 8's wall of text to the much shorter reactions I was having for early episodes.)

I'll have to remember spoiler alerts for MG3, as well.

[YKT]

Ep 9 preview from the official AKB48 YT channel