Anime: AKB0048

This was supposed to be the end of animé as we know it. One of our greatest living directors had revealed his next great project... and it was promo material for a pop group; commentators lined up to rehash The End of the Creator-Driven Era in TV Animation. But as on that occasion, AKB0048 rather undermined such critics, by the simple expedient of being rather good.

Perhaps even more importantly, AKB0048 is not afraid to bite the hand that feeds it. Idols are ordinary, flawed humans; they get jealous, fight with each other, and use the bathroom like anyone else. While the combat side of this show provides ample grounds for drama, it seems like just as much stress is coming from idol performances, their own management team, and even each other. Several incidents are apparently based on real-life events, often for the same member who is now voicing a character - the older members are voiced by regular voice actors, but AKB48 members play many of the leads. Other people have opined one way or the other on their performances, but honestly I couldn’t tell the difference.

I should mention here that the cast is enormous. Four characters are notionally leads, but get upstaged for a large chunk in the middle by a dramatic plotline focusing on the understudies’ leader, Kanata, and TakaMina, the girl she hopes to replace. Beyond these six I count at least ten more who get at least some backstory or development, dropping into and out of the limelight more or less at random. One real flaw with this show is that it tends to park its storylines until it needs them; there are perhaps four plots running concurrently, but we often see one arc take over (particularly Kanata/TakaMina), leaving everything else apparently where it was for two or three episodes until it’s picked up. In the same way, AKB0048 is remarkably short on fanservice until the fifth episode, then piles on the pandering before returning to the plot for another four - and then, as if by clockwork, episode ten is a trip to the beach.

But the plot, when it has time to run, is good, very good. The premise of a world where entertainment is banned is so ridiculous as to be unbelieveable. But the show makes it real, with characters and settings that bring the story to life. It's the little touches more than anything. The off-colour British flag in a Lancastar classroom (the name itself both an obvious reference and a subtler one). Kanata struggling to reconcile her upbringing as a resistance soldier with the cutenes demanded of an idol. Yuuka leaving her boyfriend behind, and his reaction upon their reunion - so normal, and yet so rare to see in animé. Perhaps it's not really the plot that I love, but the setting.

And the animators love it too. Akibastar has perhaps the most realistic future town I've ever seen (though Bodacious Space Pirates would be a close second), its architecture a glorious mishmash of places and times that still somehow manages to convey taste and refinement. Its monorail sways gently, just enough to remind us that this is a transportation system, not just a backdrop - and on the transport theme, the train/rocket from episode 1 must be the coolest vehicle ever. Other planets impress us with their differences - the siberian snowscape of Tundrastar, the smokestacks and soot-coated cottages of the aforementioned Lancastar - but the style remains continuous enough to convey an underlying shared culture. Everything from the mechs to the incredibly detailled uniforms seems to be drawn with a real sense of love.

Except, curiously enough, the performances. For these AKB0048 opts to use some very visible 3DCG (even adding some generous camerashake (impossible with conventional animation) to show it off), rather remniscent of Initial D. Of course technology has improved since that show's day, and there's certainly enough detail in the CG scenes, but I know some viewers find that style inherently annoying. Oddly, the show also tends to adopt a low angle for some of these shots, putting an unhealthy focus on the dancing idols' bums.

Which is entirely unreflective on the show as a whole. If anything AKB0048 is likely a more serious show than it presently seems, given that a larger underlying plotline has been pushed back to the next part sometime in 2013. With luck, it could pull together some of the various threads into a more coherent whole, making the three or four distinct plot arcs seem like more of a single show.

But for me at least AKB0048 has made it already. The world is so glorious, so tangible, and the characters so interesting that I don't need anything to actually happen. In that respect I’m reminded of Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere, another show where plot took a back seat to worldbuilding - but the problem with AKB’s pacing is not too little action but too much. I know this lack of coherence will be an issue for some viewers, but this show has earned a place among my favourites, and anyone who considers themselves a fan of science fiction should watch it.

Well now, here's something that I was expecting to be a giant pile of horse crap. I mean, come ON, a show about AKB48 saving the world through song? That's so freaking dumb. And then I remembered Macross already did that... Wait... Kawamori Shouji is directing it? THE HELL? The director of Macross Zero, Aquarion, and Macross Frontier (among others) is directing a AKB48 anime? Color me intrigued. Series is composed by Okada Mari, who has some very good titles under her belt (Hanasaku Iroha, Gosick, Wondering Son). All in all, the production team seems solid.

So yeah, that's how I started watching this show, in spite of all the ridicule I got from my friends. Am I sorry I watched it? Hell no, it turned out to be one of my favorites this past season. Please keep in mind that this review will contain spoilers.

Overview:
In hindsight, there have been far worse plots then "let's save the world through song". I'm looking at you, Queen's Blade. But, seems that the story is not exactly that. In the future space travel is possible. But in a strange twist, entertainment is banned on many planets. While they do not go in depth into what "entertainment" means in this world, from what I can tell, singing, dancing and concerts are against the law. I haven't been able to find out too much about this, but apparently, in 1948, Japan passed the Entertainment Business Control Law which was similar, but much less intrusive, then what is presented in this show. All in all, it's not completely implausible. We've already seen shows where books are banned. At first we aren't given a reason as to why this is happening, but we'll get into that later. AKB0048 is a rogue idol group that sweeps in and hold illegal concerts on planets where entertainment is banned, while fighting off the DES (anti-entertainment army). DES actually uses live ammo, so the idols could very well get killed. Still, they fight back with non-lethal weapons. During one such concert of Lancaastar, four young girls, Nagisa, Yuuka, Chieri and Orine, watch the concert and decide to join the group when they are older. And so begins their adventures from passing the audition, to actually getting there, to becoming part of their beloved idol group.

Plot:
The plot moves fairly fast. It takes two episodes for the girls to actually reach AKB0048 and another three for them to get to their first event. During that time, they train in both entertaining and fighting. Kawamori "The Troll" Shouji gives us an episode 3 right out of Macross, to the point where I was wondering if I downloaded the wrong show. The plot really starts to deepen around the half point, where we learn that to become a successor (someone to takes on the name of one of the original AKB48 members) it is not enough to just train or to have talent. The current girl holding that title must retire, as there can only be one of each successor at a time. Also, each understudy can only succeed a certain founder. The selection process hasn't been completely explained yet, but it has something to do with the cute little Kirara aliens, who along with the "manager" of AKB0048 (an entity who has not been revealed yet, but is definitely not human) match each girl with the soul of a fonder. This process is not known by any of the members, and creates some friction when it is leaked to some of the current successors. The final part of the series beings us back to Lancastar, which has fallen completely under the entertainment ban. Nagisa and the girls must hold their first solo concert there, but resistance from DES is at a deadly level. Needless to say, all's well that ends well, after some high speed battles, songs and angst. Yup, that's our Kawamori. Also, there's a fan service episode at the beach... with plot in it. Don't see many of those.

Characters:
Here's where it gets interesting. The characters are a joy to watch. Nagisa is determined, but detests conflict. Yuuka is outgoing, and enjoys being in the center of attention. Orine is shy and very soft-spoken. Chieri is cold, distant and extremely competent. Of course, she gets much more mellow once we learn her reason for being so cold. She also tends to be painfully blunt when trying to help, which makes her seem mean and only out for herself. On the way to AKB0048, they meet three more girls: Sonata, Suzuko and Makoto. Sonata is the youngest of the group, full of energy and well... adorable. Suzuko is quiet and very knowledgeable Makoto is shy, loud, and has low self-esteem. Not sure how she got there... to be honest. Once on Akihabastar (yes, horrible pun, I know) we meet the final two understudies: Kanata and Mimori. Kanata is Sonata's big sister and Mimori is Kanata's best friend. These two have been understudies for two years. That's a LOT. At first, it seems to be because Kanata hates singing, and only wants to be in AKB0048 to get revenge on DES for killing her father. But after she has a change of heart and becomes much more competent, we learn the real reason why she hasn't been promoted: she's already at the level of a successor, but her stop is not vacant yet, so she cannot be promoted to the group. But since they don't know that, she things she's not good enough. Mimori is pretty much an enigma. We know she's talented, but we have no idea if her stop is also taken or if there's some other reason why she's not been promoted. Of these characters, most get some decent development, while some are neglected for now. They act surprisingly realistic for this type of show, and the dynamics between them are quite good. They are, in a way, paired up to each other (Nagisa & Chieri, Yuuka & Orine, Suzuko & Sonata & Makoto, Kanata & Mimori). Still, some of the best character development comes from the current successors of Takamina and Yuuko, part of the first to learn the selection process and the fact that Takamina is crushing Kanata's dream to maintain her own, as Kanata was chosen to be the next Takamina. Since Kanata adores Takamina, and she took it upon herself to train Kanata, this crushes Takamina for a while, since she does not want to leave the group, but she can't stand hurting Kanata. They will probably develop the characters even more in the second season, coming 2013.

Art:
The art is hit and miss. No, not hit OR miss. The normal art for the characters, the backgrounds and the rest is fine. I am very fond of the character designs. But, during the concerts, the switch to CG for some of the dance. It looks jarring, and really, I don't know why they keep doing this. Still, it's not unwatchable, even though the CG in the first couple of episodes is pretty bad. The action scenes are great. Well, he directed Macross, for Pete’s sake, they'd better be.

Voice acting:
OK, this one's special. The main character are voiced by actual members of AKB48. Now, the girls of AKB48 are not voice actors, and that's painfully obvious in the first episodes. I got used to their voices fairly quick though, and they do a good job of making you feel the right emotions. The current successors are voiced by very experienced staff and do a great job. Not much to say about this, really.

Music:
AKB48 songs, what did you expect? Still, they are very good, and the singing battles are fantastic. I especially loved Beginner and Ooge Diamond. The emotions transmitted during those songs were absolutely fantastic (despair and team work, love and hope). There are a ton of songs, and they are all quite decent, but those two are fantastic. Oh, and the OP/ED are featured in the last episode, with the ED actually being a plot point.

Final thoughts:
This was entertaining as all hell. I couldn't wait till the next episode, and now I'm going to have to wait till 2013 for more. This show got a lot of hate, much of it before it even aired, just for being about AKB48. Many still bash it, even though they most likely haven't seen it. If you enjoyed Macross Frontier, you will enjoy this. Just watch it, and make a decision for yourself. I hope this review got you at least a little bit interested.

The season before this show aired, there was Black Rock Shooter, (BRS) an infomercial aiming to sell via name to its established audience. AKB0048 (AKB) was doing the same thing, made to cater the fans of the homonymous teen idol group. Another thing both of them had in common was how they were trying to have a pseudo-serious premise for attracting the unsuspected.

The story is of course completely retarded and no more than a piss-poor excuse for some conflict, other than cute girls doing cute singing, to exist. No matter how much they tried to spice it up by making the pop-idols a resistance group waging war against an intergalactic oppressive government that hates entertainment, it still plays out as your typical moe-flick where nothing of importance ever happens … even when it is supposed to.

Normally, I would have liked this show more than your typical pop-idol garbage because the stakes are higher than “Oh no, people didn’t like my singing, I guess I will have to find a different job now”. And yet I like it even less because everything is an afterthought. There is no actual tension since nothing dangerous ever happens to them, thus the dark setting is going to waste, and the premise becomes pretentious.

It’s the same problem I have with other titles such as Idol Master Xenoglossia and Bodacious Space Pirates. I love space adventures and giant robots blowing up shit, but when they become background decoration for generic moeblobs, I am angered by this disservice. There was so much they could have done with the premise. What if some of them where occasionally getting injured or killed? What if the girls realized they are sacrificing everything without an actual pay-off?

And none of that happens, it’s the same old coming of age nonsense where they spend most of the time training how to dance and sing about love, than trying to liberate the universe from the dystopian government. All you get is a bunch of cutely dressed pretty girls hovering in the air and singing J-pop songs, while the army is trying to capture them with nets and firework missiles.

Do I even need to point out how this is dealing with an industry that thrives on the dreams and hopes of young people by making it look like they are the saviors of the universe? Just look how they treat the girls in the show as if they are spare parts in a huge emotionless machine. They are not allowed to sing their own songs; they must learn the established songs of the past pop idols and they must dance in the exact same way as they did. They are not even allowed to have their own personality and name, the goal is to replace the older generation of AKB instead of being individuals. Not to mention that mysterious leader figure of their planet. It looks like a demon who has absolute control over everybody’s lives. For all we know pop idols could have been banned to prevent the demon from taking over the galaxy by brainwashing people with cute girls.

That is what I loved in Looking for the Full Moon; the heroine there refused to sing the cheesy lyrics others wrote for her and was dead set on doing her own song. She had only one pop idol and yet she had a million times more characterization than these 47 cardboards. She was being active and was trying to change things. There is none of that here, it’s just girls singing shallow music before turning 30 and are kicked out for fresh blood. Or in the sleazy context of the show, they mysteriously disappear.

And it’s not like I hate everything about pop-idols; you can have a good dark story about the perils of escapism. Perfect Blue, and Millennium Actress are great with the theme. Hell, the very director of AKB is the same guy who directed the original Macross. The way he mixed singing with giant robots and space battles was amazing. Unfortunately he then sold out to the otaku industry and made this garbage, before moving to completely killing the Macross franchise with Delta. It’s sci-fi first and j-pop second, not the other way around. How hard is that to understand?

Anyways, this is not a show of mass appeal despite trying to make it seem like the fans of space adventures will like it as much as fans of coming of age. It was made specifically for people who dig pop idols; most won’t even give it a second glance because of the stupid story, and no amount of good visuals can change that.