Finally managed to watch this, so let's post random thoughts! Note:
SPOILERZ.The emphasis of this docu is definitely on the rain. It offers a behind the scenes insight into the various drama that has befallen AKB48 the past year, taking Acchan's graduation and the center position as its basic premise. It shows the girls in their darkest moments which is one of the things that sets AKB48 apart from other idol groups.
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Acchan's graduation announcement. The reaction of the crowd when Acchan starts to stumble is so impressive. Everybody knows what she's about to say, but it's hard to grasp. The group will lose it's (f)ace. We won't know the true impact of Acchan leaving until after several more years, I think.
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Rumi and Nacchan's apologies at the handshake event at Tokyo Big Sight. Seeing TGSK in tears is pretty special. He's not the heartless monster some people make him out to be, like after the shuffle announcements and whatnot. Seeing the fans cheer for these girls despite their scandals is heartwarming. It shows the deep bond between the girls and their fans.
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The election. Three moments stood out. Firstly, Yuko talking to Mayu after the election, telling her she'll be the next center. Secondly, Kaoru who looked super mature compared to the girls she was hanging with and afterwards collapsed from the disappointment of not ranking. Finally, Akicha. What a horrible year she has had.
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Sasshi's scandal and transfer. First of all, Aki-P making the announcement on a live radio show is pretty brutal, not to mention the transfer will be immediate. Secondly, seeing the HKT members express their concern, in particular Shimono and Murashige was pretty special to see. Sasshi's into speech was very emotional too. "I know you probably don't like this..." etc. She tried to be be strong, but then broke down not much later. She kept true to her promise, she made HKT48 a great group. If Aki-P would have known it would have turned out like this he is truly a visionary.
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Tokyo Dome: Acchan's graduation and the shuffle. Plenty of nice Acchan memory lane footage throughout. Plenty have been written about all this already. This AkiRie moment was particularly sad:
The chaos in Akihabara after Acchan's final stage. They should have just gone through with the little tour like they originally intended. Then the chaos would have been a little bit better regulated. Once again, it showed Acchan's massive popularity.
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Jo Eriko. Seeing the old Acchan footage they give of a similar vibe. Must be the hair. Jo had been featured earlier too, but this segment was really nice. I didn't know Jo was such a huge Acchan fan. Seeing Acchan comfort Jo in front of pretty much everybody was beautiful. Sad Jo decided to leave, because I think she underestimated her own charms.
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UZA and the Janken Tournament. Not much to say about it. I guess becoming the center really is something else. Seeing how Mayu, Jurina and even Paru approach this made me realize Yuki and Yui will never be the group's number one. It's a different mindset.
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Masuda Yuka's scandal. Not much to say about this either. Somehow the entire thing felt less emotional than the Rumi/Nacchan situation. Sad to see Yuko though. Best bit was Jurina's giggle:
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Itano's graduation announcement. Genius idea to do it in a movie. Shock the people in the theater. I completely understant Tomochin leaving, but especially in the current era it sucks to see her leave.
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Jurina! Save the best for last. 11 year old Jurina's hair was so awesome. As you may recall I did my own version of the
1830m walk from Akihabara to Tokyo Dome and I am truly happy I made the detour to Ochanomizu to find the Oogoe Diamond PV locations. Pooring rain, hungy, lost, tired, but totally worth the effort.
My pic:
To me, this is one of the most important spots in AKB48 history. This is when their uprise began.
Acchan is gone and the future is theirs.
In sum, this docu is for the fans. People who don't know the girls will hate this docu and/or will use it as an excuse to make AKB48 look like a slave camp. Personally, I really liked seeing it. It's a glimpse in their true emotions which you don't see often in the world of idols.
Topic: [2013.02.01] Documentary of AKB48: No Flower Without Rain (Read 22038 times)