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「その名前、誰のもの？」 (Sono Namae , Dare no Mono?)
“That name, to whom does it belong to?”
Succession dramas! Space battles! Death-flag trippin’! AKB0048 just seems to get better with every passing week.
While it didn’t give the impression amongst the hooray of AKB0048’s earlier episodes, the weird succession process was always one of the most intriguing facets of the show. With a proper explanation of how it actually works last week, episode 08 takes what we’ve learnt about the idol’s soul, and delves proper into the various implications succession has for our cast, looking from a good number of perspectives what this rule meant not just for the main girls, but for the members of 00 at large.
Naturally, much of this succession drama came from the fallout that was last week’s grand revelation; Takamina, upon discovering Kanata’s rights to succession as the idol possessing the closest spirit to that of the original Takahashi Minami, has a newfound awkwardness in dealing with her biggest fan. And Kanata, in the dark as she is, doesn’t want to let up and takes every opportunity to prove herself in front of the person she idolizes above all. Kanata’s drive makes for a great student-mentor relationship, except that the showcase of her abilities after the Kiraras’ revelation is making Takamina sink further into self-doubt pertaining to her rights as a successor. At this point, I’d honestly have to agree with you if you said our despairing captain was wading through a minefield of death flags. And for a second there, she comes close, ultimately surviving what seemed like a dead end in a space battle with DES…but for how long more? There is a growing air of animosity in the show, and I suspect it won’t be long before shit hits the fan and the realities of “graduation” are forcibly brought into focus. (Or they could make a B-team of Kenkyuuseis. Just throwing the idea out there. But that’ll be the ultimate copout, so I demand my drama!)
It’s not just in the context of a predetermined successor do we see this tension, as the show delves into the dynamics of a 76th generation Kenkyuusei who went ahead of her peers to succeed the Miyazawa Sae (Nakahara Mai) name. It brings into stark focus the competitiveness within the group –a reflection of the music industry at large- and the theme is reinforced by the 77th generation going ahead of the 76th as stand-ins for the successors. Sink or swim, that’s the message being conveyed here as we look at the emotions of those that failed, and those that were chosen. Playing on this idea, the show also does a great job at contrasting the collective ideals of teamwork, friendship and empathy with the incredibly individualistic succession process, the prime example being Yuuko’s advice to Takamina that while the ideals were important, an idol’s individual dream takes priority. It’s a message with much conviction -and perhaps truth- behind it, yet what of people like Chieri, whose dream is to stand atop the stage with her friends by her side? It is also here where we see how similar Yuuko and Chieri are; certainly, the personality of the extroverted Yuuko is vastly different from Chieri’s more introverted one, but here Yuuko shows the same stubbornness, conviction and silent concern we have seen from Chieri time and time again, making me wonder if Chieri being chosen as her stand-in was more than just a coincidence.
Banking on these examples, AKB0048 drives home the point that before, and even after they became successors, these paragons of entertainment were girls not all that different from our dream-chasing Kenkyuuseis. In her moment of defeat from the DES forces, we see this most clearly from Takamina in a heart-wrenching confession about her desire to continue chasing this fickle dream despite the self-doubt in her abilities.
It’s rare, and honestly great, to see a show exploring a single concept this well, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to end there just yet, what with the succession of the main cast likely to be brought into question at some point of time in the future of the show. I’ve previously complained on a number of occasions how AKB0048 tends to rush towards a resolution of its dramatic conflicts without exploring the compelling possibilities of the consequential tensions, and this is the first time that they’ve really taken an idea and gave it a proper run over, so kudos to the team for finally delivering. (Admittedly, this is the theme that stands at the core of AKB0048’s drama.)
It was perhaps in lieu of the death flags that the space battle in this episode felt like a whole different ball game. I mean, blood! If there’s one that convinces me that shit just got real, its blood! Hell, even when the idol-wannabes were getting knocked around by explosions, all they got were bruises. But now, blood!
Okay, I’m clearly exaggerating there, but DES finally gave me the feeling of being a proper threat for the very first time, not only by holding out against the idols, but also successfully taking Takamina out. It helps to cast their previous incompetence in a new light, as if they’ve been holding back all this while. (That, or the writers just can’t keep power levels consistent. Hmm, that sounds more plausible.) They are, after all, the paramilitary organization that basically controls much of the known AKB0048 galaxy, and I’d at least expect them to show some competence on their missions.
AKB0048 seemed to have finally hit its stride with a direction it wants to settle on, and the dramatic moments have been improving not just in its acting and writing, but in the themes it brings out as well. Against all expectations I had at the start of the season, the show is cementing itself as one of the most fun series to follow in what has been a spectacular spring season, and I sure hope it doesn’t lose steam any time soon.
Full-length images: 01, 06, 08, 12, 16, 19, 20, 33, 36.
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As a guy ( no offence to you others) i have absolutely no idea why i am watching this (ok so maybe if you use the word ‘Macross’ enough it will mind trick me into watching) but with plot twists like this(reffering to last week also) that make me laugh I really cant say i regret it.
Is it me or did the really ramp up the animation quality this episode?! Everything looks stellar!
Yeah even the CG dancing looked good for once. I guess Satelight is finally getting used to the shading and lighting.
Takamina would not BE Takamina if she were willing to give up on her dream. She showed herself to have a soul worthy of the name in the past, and though she has been shaken I do not think she will break. By the same token, she would not be Takamina if she were willing to abandon Kanata: one of her kohai, who needs her support. To be who she is, she must be willing to stand up for both for her right to her name, and for Kanata’s right to become a successor, and I refuse to believe that those two goals cannot be reconciled.
Management has shown that they respect audacity. Takamina should stand up to them and make it plain that she will neither step down from her name, nor crush Kanata’s dreams in favor of her own. Tell them that if they cannot see a path to handle that within their traditions, then she will MAKE one, if that is what it takes. Just as Nagisa’s will in episode 2 made Chieri’s kirara glow, so, I believe, would Takamina’s if she confronted Tsubasa will that determination. And I don’t believe Tsubasa would stand against the kirara.
As for the option of creating a B-team for the trainees, I don’t see it as a cop-out. There’s precedent for it in AKB48 history, as I understand it, and it would help viewers to not have to suddenly call these girls we’ve known for the whole series by different names.
Best moment this episode was Suzuko HEADBUTTING the whining 76th gen girl. I guess I can add her to the GAR list now along with Nagisa, Chieri, Orine and Kanata. Speaking of the 76th gen I’m quite interested in Megu. While she plays an antagonistic role, she does present an interesting dynamic to the cast even if she was only introduced very recently.
As for Takamina, its amazing how many death flags she tripped this episode and still came out alive. I just hope she comes out of it for the better.
TakaMina survived the death flags because she’s so short they passed right over her.
Sorry, sorry. I said I’d stop, but dammit!
Takamina has good lucky due to the 4/8/???? b-day and height 148cm( 4.8 feet). THEY ALL GOT 48 I tell you. 48s!! @_@
This show is exceeding my expectations. I’m glad I picked it up.
Did anyone else notice that Yuko’s speech this episode is a somewhat more mature take on Chieri’s “Abandon your rivals to the space-marines” speech in episode 2? I like how there’s so much contrast to be had, because while on the surface Yuko’s speech seems more morally acceptable, (chasing the dream is still tempered by ideals) we know now that Chieri’s blunter statements are actually a cover for her trying to toughen up her buddies to ensure that they become successful together, which in a sense is a less selfish dream than Yuko’s. Perhaps it’s that small difference that will also lead to Chieri surpassing current-Yuko in soul-compatibility for the Yuko position.
Oh, and Yuko’s stance here is based off of and in line with things the real-life Yuko has said. Her real-life friendship with and support of Takamina is pretty true to life, as well. Realistic portrayal of senbatsu FTW.
It helps to cast their previous incompetence in a new light, as if they’ve been holding back all this while. (That, or the writers just can’t keep power levels consistent. Hmm, that sounds more plausible.)
Well they did say that DES had a manned machine this time and it seems it was a competend pilot.
Looks like DES stopped playing it safe.
Although there weren’t any pineapple cake or salad present throughout, nevertheless Takamina came razor-sharp close to having dinner with Roy Focker in the afterlife.