Let’s Appreciate Anime AKB0048 EP3

Tommy Kono May 29, 2012

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Stardust selection….

In the beginning, AKB0048’s mother ship made its first appearance.

It seems that after Kirara Drive in the ending scene of the last episode, Flying Get met up with and attached to the mother ship.

This small wing like part at the very top is Flying Get, I guess.

It looks this ship is heavily equipped.

Will this ship will transform like Flying Get?

Girls are waiting for the audition.

Crescent shape, mushroom shape…. cellphone design is too radical in this time period (Star Age 48)!!

Episodes in audition venue is often mentioned among fans and members such as “Haachan felt Yukirin, who is one number before her, is on the same wavelength as her, and spoke to her.” or “Sayaka Akimoto joined the audition in jersey wear.”

While Nagisa is with Yuka and Orine, and Sonata is with Makoto, Chieri is standing alone looking at nowhere. Suzuko is also depicted as a girl who do thing at her own pace, as she is inputting Ota data to create her own AKpedia??

Orine blushes as she is looking at Tsubasa (Mariko),

while Yuka is obviously showing her defiant attitude towards her.

Did you notice that heart shapes are on their hair?

Tsubasa’s hair doesn’t have a heart shape on it any more….

She used to have it in the first episode…

Some people said highlights in her eyes have also changed from heart shape to star shape,

though I can’t confirm with my own eyes…

When Tsubasa announced that the song for the audition is Beginner,

Nagisa and Orine expressed their anxiety while Yuka, who is confident with her dancing skill becomes very cheerful.

Makoto is also pleased as Beginner is one of the songs she can perform better, but she is completely ignored by Suzuko, who somehow looks like…. Memolist-san*??

Sonata is dancing the choreo of Beginner? I’m not sure

*Memolist: The man who owns free-passes for all AKB theaters and concerts.

He watches almost all stages and concerts, and records the contents of them on his blog.

He is often dubbed “Official Observer of the history of AKB48.

If you saw a man who is rapidly typing on his laptop at the theater, that’s him.”

Assault Mic Saber.

This sword shows its light blade according to its owner’s mind.

That means that if it’s used by a girl who doesn’t have a strong enough will, the blade doesn’t appear.

This sword is produced not to hurt humans (but machines?).

So, even though Nagisa got upset when the blade suddenly appeared, it wouldn’t hurt anyone if someone got hit by the sword.

Without any hesitation, Tsubasa accepts Sonata, who failed to pass the first screening of the audition.

It’s strange, but maybe it’s because Tsubasa knows that Sonata is the younger sister of Kanata, who is 2 generation senior to these girls.

Your sweat become songs, and your tears become stars.
AKB0048 will come to meet you traveling over the space.

AKB0048 EP3 starts!!

Suddenly the description of the lesson starts with this scene!!

「こ、、、これが、アイドルのレッスン！？！？」

” This is….. this is a lesson to be an idol!?!?”

Karen’s voice for Nagisa in this scene is amazing!!

Or…. Nagisa is the ideal character to fully draw out her true potential??

Only Chieri is poised and focused in this training where trainees are practicing with real rifles.

According to 2channel, this is the model of the rifles depicted in the Anime

Made in China.

Come on!! Fix the rifle butt on your shoulder!

Maybe we can’t expect Nagisa to be good at fighting…

About half of the trainees have already dropped out…

「ライブのラストを飾るBeginner。それを歌い終えるまでライブを守り切る。

それがセレクション！」

“The last song of the live concert, Beginner. Protect the whole concert venue until the song ends.

That is the selection!!”

Somehow Nagisa and girls are persuaded by Tsubasa’s eloquent speech….

Trainees of AKB48 are required to (virtually) risk their own lives… it sounds legit.

I couldn’t get what they are trying to tell in this scene….

Where the heck are Yukirin’s breasts???

Sayaka is trying to make exhausted trainees eat beef steaks…!!

Uhmm I don’t think I have seen this costume before…

3rd prototype Mayuyu is casually eating a ton of steaks.

1st Mayuyu in AKB48 is not known to be a big eater…. I don’t know where they got this idea from…

Or… since they can’t depict Acchan in most episodes of this Anime, they gave each of Acchan’s characteristics to each member in AKB0048?

Bee nest. Is this a metaphor that trainees are working bees?
And… actually working bees are female.

Buddha statue….

Followed by Linda for Suzuko, Makoto has become another victim for weird nickname named by Sonata…

「私アイドルになりたかったのに、、」

“I thought I came here to become an idol….”

「歌って、踊って、キラキラして、」

“Sing, dance, shining on a stage….”

But being an “idol” is not an easy, happy profession.

Though in this Anime, the girls have learned how tough it is being an idol through training, real Karen has learned this from watching her senior members gruelingly push themselves to both physical and mental limits.

Finally the complaining girls annoyed Chieri, and she scolded them.

Normally, Karen would express her disagreement to Yuka and Orine as she has already understood that 0048 is not only about outstanding stage performances.

But maybe they wanted girls to realize this directly from 0048 members, so instead of Nagisa, they let Chieri speak to the girls.

「襲名メンバーはこんな遅くまで練習してるんだ・・」
“0048 members practice till that late…..”

Current 0048 members’ dance lesson scene.

Graphic quality of this scene is a bit low. Maybe… because the scene they dance in these clothes is only once in whole episodes? (This scene is made by Chinese sub-contractor.)

In the ending scene of 1st episode, there’s a brief cut where 0048 members are dancing the choreo of Beginner.

Maybe it’s because their budget and time is limited, so they wanted to use the same motion capture data?

That means maybe the reason why the choreo in the ending scene of this Anime is 初日 / Shonichi because Nagisa and girls will perform Shonichi is the main story??

8 members

Certainly Acchan isn’t there.

And… certainly Takamina is doing this pose with Doyagao face…?

No fighting!!

Nagisa got the wrong idea that 0048 members are fighting each other, and tried to stop them.

These scenes where members roughly arguing against each other can often be seen in AKB’s documentary films or making footage.

Yuko and Sayaka are frolicking each other while Mayuyu is stroking Yukirin’s head…

Tomochin looks so indifferent…. lol

By the way, I think from this image no one can imagine this is the lesson scene of AKB48, as members usually wear more casual clothes such as jersey wears in their lessons.

「開き直って、開き直って、どうにかなるさ～！！」

“Forget negative thoughts and just try it!! It will somehow work out!”

They naturally (?) incorporated Beginner’s lyric into Anime…..

「喧嘩と気持ちをぶつけあうのは違うんだね。。」
“I understand that letting our honest thoughts all out is different from fighting …”

“I didn’t hear that our selection is gonna be a real fight….”

By depicting this scene from this angle, it gave us a feeling that we are overhearing their secret conversation.

“It’s not fair that only us have to fight while 0048 members are singing…”

“Bee nest” and this scene may suggest the “real” of trainees of AKB48…..
Your honest feeling doesn’t necessarily be always understood by other members…

“She pretend to be nice girl!!”

“She really annoys me…. she is being cocky!”

“I said the same thing what Chieri said before….. I… understand…. that what Chieri is not wrong…. But……. I don’t know why…. I…..”

This line of Yuka voiced by Amina is so touching….

They are training with a Robot who doesn’t complain even if they break his arms or legs…

Why don’t they let these robots protect them!?!?

LOL Many of trainees relax as they get tired of training… this scene is too loyal to the real AKB….

“Takamina is feeling sick!! Stop fool around!!” lol

Yuka still can’t open her mind to Chieri.

Why she loves a gun so much…. lol

First encounter of Voice actress Yukari Tamura and Mayu Watanabe!!

Mayuyu played by Yukari Tamura and Chieri played by Mayuyu…. it’s so complicating…

Anyway it’s obvious that the creators of this Anime wants to depict Mayuyu as a girl who always eating something…

“If this goes on, you won’t pass the selection.”

Chieri looks upset by her word, but…. because it’s Mayuyu, it may have no significant meaning?

Like….. she just wanted to advise her to eat more?? lol

Katiowa = Cachucha?

Ota (we) are entering the concert venue!!

Sayaka called trainees to join the circle.

While the 3 girls showed hesitation, Chieri joined them without hesitation as she put her hair up in a ponytail.

Uhmmmm I vaguely remember that this is how the members make the finger chain.

「いつも感謝、冷静丁寧正確に！」

“Always keep gratitude in mind! Calm, careful, precise!”

「やりたい事やってるかぁ～～！！」

“Are you doing what you really want to do???”

「イェッサァ～～　AKB００４８！！」

“Yes sir!!! AKB0048!!!!”

This is completely loyal to new team A’s circle call!!

Kirara~~~~ in tone shape!!

The concert venue is now filled with aura of idols!!

Flying Get detached from the mother ship… swiftly turned around and began its descent to the surface of the planet.

Shuttle ship containing trainees detached from Flying Get. This vehicle was used to save Nagisa and the other girls in the 2nd episode, too.

“Aitakatta~~~!!” “Hai Hai Hai!!”

The Ota chants in the 1st episode were missing, which usually is essential for AKB’s stages.

Probably it’s because “entertainment” is banned in Lancaster.

Anyway since these audiences know how to call, we can say they are Ota!!

Uekara Mariko!

As 0048 are singing cheerful tune, Ponytail to Chuchu…..

As this sweet (but somehow sounds childish in this serious situation) song is playing,….

Enemy raid!!

I like this depiction that trainees encounter enemies as they are listening to this ridiculously cheerful song outside the venue.

Takamina: “In Your Position Set!!”

Because this is Beginner, it’s a no brainer that the following scene will be grotesque virtual reality….

It seems the creators of this Anime first select the song and MV that they want to make reference in the Anime, and create pictures so that audience have fun to find out which scene is a homage to what episode of AKB48.

Sayaka, Tomochin, Mayuyu, Yukirin, Takamina, Yuko, Kojiharu, Sae….

Takamina is playing as center for this song instead of Acchan.

They are wearing the costumes for Iiwake Maybe.

To my eyes, their costumes only change colors but not to other designs….

This white costume for Shojo Tachiyo…

This was….. for AKB Sanjo in 2nd Episode?

Most of the girls drop out before they reach the stage….

Just like in Beginner’s banned MV, trainees are killed one after another in this “training”.

Chieri is fighting like a professional soldier,

Yuka is also fighting bravely.

She showed her ability to flexibly react to the situation in 2nd episode when she threw a glass bottle to divert the enemy’s attention, or to topple a trash bin to block their way…. she is actually the best fighter among the 3 girls!

Now there are 10 members…. so basically there are many other members other than the ones who are listed on the official website.

「脱落、脱落、脱落」

“Drop out, drop out, drop out.”

It sounds like “cool” Mariko…

This is completely an homage to Beginner’s original MV….

I feel that this Anime is gradually becoming hard to enjoy unless viewers have decent knowledge about AKB48. Can overseas fans really enjoy this Anime??

Names of trainees seems to have no particular meaning.

From this scene where one girl fell down in the middle of the field,
Nagisa’s (she sounds like she is talking about a past event) narration confessed her thought…

「不思議だった。星を出てから半月ちょっとで、」
“It was a strange feeling. Just a half month after I left our star…”

「それまで私たちどこにでもいる普通の女の子で、」
“Until then, we’d been just a normal girl…”

「でも、感じていた。今までいた普通の女の子じゃなくなる瞬間を！！」
“But I was feeling…. the moment when I became a girl who are not normal.”

Suzuko is perfectly cut out to be a soldier…lol

Nagisa jumped into Chieri’s place. Her visor fell off… while Chieri still puts on her visor.

「だめだよ、一人じゃ。。」
“No…it’s dangerous to do it alone…”

「私はライブを守る。私たちの夢を、私達に夢を与えてくれたあのライブを！！」
“I will defend the “live (concert)”, our dream…. “

The song sings….

「古いページは破り捨てろ、さあ始めようぜ」
“Get rid of old pages, let’s start over!!”

“We can reborn all the time!!”

「僕らは夢見てるか？未来を信じているか？」
“Are we dreaming? Are we believing the future?”

Chieri is at the last extremity!!

Gun fire from the enemy!!!???

No…. it was Nagisa’s grenade!!

Chieri looks affectionate while still being shy.

When they relaxed for just a moment, out of the blue, a laser sight appears on Nagisa….

少女たちは傷つきながら夢をみる。。

Girls are dreaming about as they are getting hurt….

Girls even (virtually) die in this Anime…

This despairing mood infused with a girly, optimistic world view is something that makes AKB48 so captivating…

「なぎさぁぁぁ！！！！」

Nagisa!!!!!!!

I hand’t thought Mayuyu’s acting in this Anime was impressive until I saw this scene….
I have to admit in this simple scene where Cieri is shouting Nagisa’s name Mayuyu’s acting is marvelous…!!!

Because Karen’s voice has a special texture which brings deeply emotional touch in this Anime, other voice actresses’ voices in this Anime sounds somewhat monotonous.
But that does not mean Mayuyu, Nakayan and Amina aren’t doing an amazing job.
It’s just because Karen is… Nagisa is… so special.

Chieri tries to save Nagisa, and gets shot….

This scene where Chieri was falling down is depicted in slow motion.

Her visor was also falling off in this scene, the moment when the mental barrier she had built in her mind has fallen down….

But she was already shot…… finally she is able to be honest to her true feelings…..

No sound in this scene.

As the sound of rain starts reappearing, the song resumes.

「君は生まれ変わったBeginner!!」

“You are reborn-ed Beginner!! “

Tragedy and excitement of the live concert cross-cut each other, making the sorrow and solitude outside the concert venue even deeper…

While going forward toward their dream at full speed is AKB’s bright side, the cruel reality is that some KKS leave the group due to injury….. Some due to financial reasons….. and the remaining members carry on their dream…. this is also the “real” of AKB…