AKB0048 - Episode 1

Lolis and idols; music and dancing. Best show of the season?

"Aitakatta, aitakatta, aitakatta, yes!"
Indeed, I have been waiting for quite some time now; the best was arguably (I won't say "definitely") saved for last. The animation for the performance sequences was very smooth and fluid. The songs were catchy (I absolutely loved 少女たちよ) and AKB0048s idea of "fighting while singing" was entertaining, unlike Symphogear's. For amateur voice actresses, the members of AKB48 did a decent job in voicing their characters. Even the story, which I wasn't expecting to be strong, managed to surprise me as it is seemingly based on the interesting topic of throwing away everything one has in order to pursue a dream. The three girls' willingness to do this showed just how passionate they are about entertainment; I'm sure I'd do the same if I were them since I can't imagine a life without music, let alone entertainment.

Information on insert songs used in this episode can be found below.

One thing that I think many people overlooked was the supposed disappearance of Chieri (the blue-haired girl in the beginning). There's nothing hinting what might have happened to her and the other three girls seem to act like she doesn't exist (they don't mention her even once afterwards). Whether it's a plot inconsistency or an actual part of the plot is still a mystery, though I would surely like to find out soon.

Only the OP (played as the ED) was used in this episode.
OP: I really, really liked this song, especially since the melody, to me, fit in so well with the final scene of the episode. It was really catchy, too. Unfortunately, it was slightly overshadowed by the couple of intense minutes at the end so hopefully, the next episode will provide a cleaner version of the song.

Insert Songs
Kanji	Romaji	English	Links
会いたかった	Aitakatta	I Wanted to Meet You	Lyrics | Video
少女たちよ	Shōjotachi yo	Girls	Lyrics | Video