Editor’s Note: We changed some pictures around a little bit so as to not get nailed for copyright infringement. Cool? 
“AKB0048“, an anime lost in the world of anime. Discovering it became my wallet’s undoing. Figures, CD’s, and posters galore! Honestly, I would have never thought that I would get so sucked in to this anime. What makes this anime so appealing, and why did my boyfriend and I binge watch the entire first season in one day? These are the questions that will be answered throughout this review, and hopefully it’ll convince you to try this epic idol anime as well.
The first thing you should know about this anime is that it is not like every other idol anime ever created. Cute girls? Yes. Singing and dancing? Yes. However, there is death, explosions, mysterious ghost beings, post apocalyptic scenery, hover boards and epic weapons. The anime takes place on a post apocalyptic era where entertainment has been banned. Planets all over the galaxy are forced to put away anything that would involve entertainment, such as concerts and movies. It starts off with the four main characters Nagisa Motomiya, Chieri Sono, Orine Aida, and Yuuka Ichijou running through the sewers of their city at a young age to avoid being caught by the Destroy Entertainment Soldiers [DES] while going to see an AKB0048 concert. When they get there, a futuristic spaceship comes out of the sky where we see the idols giving a performance to the despairing city. Basically AKB0048 is a group that has guerilla entertainment concerts for the people on planets that have an entertainment ban. Obviously, seeing this performance inspires the girls to fight back when they are older and join the group. The rest of the episodes the girls are grown up and well, I’d rather not spoil the rest of the show.
The really cool thing about the show is that it is actually based off of a real band! The band is called AKB48, and the show follows the general premise of the band. The girls that are joining the band are called “Trainees” and take on the name of the idol that they are replacing. In the anime it is the same thing. Those idols that “graduate” from the program after they outgrow the band are replaced by these trainees. In the anime the girls actually have the spirit of the original idol within them and then take the name of that idol. Kind of creepy, but awesome at the same time. The girls in the show are voice acted by a group called NO NAME, which is a small branch off from AKB48.
Now, what makes this anime so awesome? The music and the explosions. Music and entertainment is illegal, so obviously there will be bloodshed and fighting at these concerts. Terrorist attacks and child warriors and groupie rebels. What is there not to love? This anime is also extremely dramatic, but a cute and girly anime are certainly not the words I would use to describe this anime. Each character is so well thought out. The girls are also not overly sexualized, which is wonderful for a viewer who wants to watch anime for content rather than…well…boobs. As the seasons go on, the girls get stronger and their bond with each other grows. They discover secrets and mysteries about the group and fight for the right of entertainment. The music in this series is fantastic. I love how catchy the songs are and how powerful the lyrics are. The sub for this anime is fantastic because they translate the song lyrics. If you read the songs, they sing you begin to understand more about the world and what this group is really about.
I’d recommend this anime to anyone who enjoys an anime with a good story and great music. It’s super cute, and super intense, which in my opinion, makes it the perfect date night anime.
Until next week, happy watching minna!