(♥ o ♥)
Blogger's Note: Midterm time + real life has limited the time that I can spend on blogging. Thanks to the one-week hiatus for a few series, I'm not that far behind yet. Will try to catch up with everything soon.
If the amount of drama wasn't enough in the previous episodes, this one manages to really take it to the next level. It is not just the understudies who are affected by this, but the successors as well. The mystery regarding Sensei-sensei and the behind-the-scenes sacred place which is only known to the higher-ups is being slowly revealed now. In terms of pacing, I feel the producers are doing a great job right now. Each episode has enough material to keep me entertained, but is also moderated so that it doesn't feel rushed. I was really happy about getting to know more about Chieri's past as it helped to justify her actions, and also about the Kirara of Succession as they add another element to the mystery surrounding the 0048 system.
Information on insert songs used in this episode can be found below.
As Chieri is my favourite understudy, this episode was especially a treat to watch given all the cute scenes with her that were shown. Everything from the scene in the screenshot to how she strives to be like Yūko was entertaining to see. Furthermore, the conversation she had with Kanata in the end both justified her actions in the past and made me appreciate Kanata's character more. However, although it seems like all is good for Chieri now, something tells me that she'll fail to succeed Yūko in the end, losing to Nagisa (whom I'm starting to get annoyed of) solely because of the "main character" factor. But to be honest, I think Chieri fits Mayuyu so much better (well, Chieri's VA is Mayuyu so it's no surprise there). That's why, even though I don't really like Nagisa and want her to fail at becoming a successor, her doing so would enable Chieri to possibly succeed Mayuyu.
On the side of the successors, Takamina must be feeling very conflicted now. On one hand, she recognizes Kanata's successor-level abilities and would like nothing more than to help her kōhai become one. However, seeing that Kanata has now become closer than her, in terms of soul, to the original Takamina has probably made her think twice about that. Whether she wants to keep the role she loves to herself or give it up to someone who is more qualified (according to the Kirara) is the big question now. And because of this, I wasn't surprised when Takamina ran away in frustration; the stress of having to decide sooner or later might have just been too much for her to handle. Through this unfortunate situation, the door to conflicts between understudies and successors might just have been opened. On one hand, the successors would like nothing more than to see their kōhai succeed. But on the other hand, would they be willing to help make that happen at the cost of their own positions? This can similarly be applied to the understudies.
Upon looking up and reading through the lyrics of the full insert song, I realized that they fit extremely well to the overall theme of the episode, especially in Chieri's case. In a nutshell, the lyrics of this song are words of encouragement for one to keep moving forward in their lives, comparing it to crossing a raging river. The crossing to the other side signifies that one has reached their goal. Right now, Chieri (and some of the other characters) can be seen as crossing this imaginary river, struggling to get to the other side. In the end, only the ones who persevere and work hard will be rewarded—in this case, with the position of a successor. Personally, I would like nothing more than to see Chieri reach her dream, seeing as how she's currently being discriminated against by the 76th generation girls just because her father is someone who is for anti-entertainment.
| Insert Songs | |||
| Kanji | Romaji | English | Links |
| N/A | N/A | RIVER | Lyrics | Video |
I don't think Chieri would be able to succeed Mayuyu. The Episode 0 prequel manga makes it clear Mayuyu is a gynoid who has been on the group for more 20 years (possible even more), and in the case of getting damaged, she would just be repaired instead of replaced.
ReplyDeleteAs for Chieri becoming Yuuko's successor, there was a subtle hint in episode 7, although I suppose only hardcore AKB fans would get it:
http://i46.tinypic.com/10wsj6w.jpg
As you see, Chieri's outfit during her flashback matches Yuuko's suit from "Nakinagara Hohoende".
Of course, this doesn't confirm anything. Nagisa becoming Yuuko's successor is still a possibility as well. But if that happens, I expect Chieri will become Acchan's successor, since her personality matches Acchan's perfectly: "slightly shy and reserved", as Yuuko described her.
In any case, I think it's really obvious that Nagisa and Chieri will succeed Acchan and Yuuko (not necessarily in that respective order). The group's two biggest names for the two lead characters.
I'm not a hardcore AKB fan myself so I thank you for pointing these things out.
DeleteIn terms of succeeding Acchan, I recall that she had graduated and is no with the group. Thus, does that mean no one can succeed her anymore? Or is succession still possible, regardless of whether the member in question is currently present?
Acchan having graduated means the position is free for anyone to succeed.
DeleteIn fact, it's better for succession if the previous successor is already graduated and out of the group, otherwise you would have a problem like what's happening with Takamina and Kanata, in which Kanata can't succeed because Takamina still hasn't graduated.