"Asobi" http://randomc.net/2012/07/26/akb0048-13-end/ Kawamori and Studio Satelight again prove why they are one of the industry’s go-to for animating concert scenes thanks to their signature style – one of blindingly flashy colors, dazzling visual effects, impressive shots from a dizzying variety of angles and pans, ambitious sequences, as well as the impeccably timed inserts that flow alongside the wild scene-shifts between performances and fights [...] Few other studios and directors have managed to capture the same frenetic energy that so defines these musical performances and translated it onto the animated screen, much less with the panache and flair these people have shown. Also, where was poor Megu during the entire episode!? [Left behind in infirmary, presumably, and not having Takamina's firmness or Chieri's boldness to thrust herself into the action again.] [His prose is as purple as mine.] What would’ve otherwise been an above-average psychological drama on a group of girls wanting to be idols transforms itself into a meta-documentary of the realities in the idol business, touching on the themes of adversity, competition and the personal hardships faced by every individual in such a career. [unfamiliar with iM@S, which is exactly what he's describing; 00 is different.] There is a sense of the immense respect paid to AKB48 throughout the anime, and while admirable, very little is given to the questioning of this pervasive, religious-like worship of the group and their anime counterpart. I’d especially like to make a note of the Takamina-Kanata arc, my favorite in the entire show, as the stand out which brilliantly captured the paradoxical nature of competition within the group, playing on the contrast between teamwork and individual success while integrating this idea into an extremely sentimental character arc for two aforementioned idols. [he's making me glad that Ani-nouto is going down the route of the street-smart writing and not gushing endlessly anymore] http://hanners-anime.blogspot.com/2012/07/akb0048-episode-13-completed.html I have to give this series some kudos for daring to be different and striking out in a very different direction than I expected, complete with some cheekily presented twists and turns to keep us on our toes early in the season. Conversely, its main plot also proved to be the show's downfall to some degree - the idea of an entertainment ban is fine, but to see it pursued so aggressively became increasingly ridiculous and hard to stomach the longer the series went on, especially when played with such a straight bat despite all of its "mic-sabres" and glowstick homing missiles. [weakly phoned in] http://www.seaslugteam.com/2012/07/24/akb0048-13-final/ [cheeky captions] http://peterburd.wordpress.com/2012/07/24/akb0048-finale-muv-luv-4/ The kirara, who mutated so much this episode that I figured there was something radioactive in one of the Lacastar mines. -- congrats on the good guess, as was explained by Mii-chan in the episode; someone's not paying attention "Even while giving pep talks Nagisa’s father is still a dick." -- stop sucking