I’m getting into minor Next Stage spoilers if I go into any further details but if you want it spoiled:
Takamina basically tells Kanata that she (Takamina) is the one keeping Kanata from being a member of the successor group, due to the fact that they are both successors to Takahashi Minami, and since AKB somehow follows the Highlander Rule (There can be only one in the Successor Group) She can’t join until the current Takamina graduates.
Wow, the dub of Next Stage just came out and you’ve already watched the entire series? 
Like most of us, he watched it subbed when it was first put on CR.
I’m…sorry to hear that. My condolences.
While I understand that you prefer dubs…
I’m sorry that you feel the need to post snobbish elitist commentary like this in response to a clarifying statement to a question.
This kind of stuff is just as bad as the opposite side of the spectrum when others post on here saying:
“DUBS SUCK! SUBS ARE WAY BETTER!”
Post was in jest but not in mockery. I can’t help but believe that viewing this in Japanese does a disservice by providing an inferior experience, for reasons including but not limited to the recent discussion of Aria The Scarlet Ammo and how the viewing language played a role in altering the perception of the show.
If I’m given the reputation as being the “counter” to the “subs rule, dubs suck” knee-jerk reactionaries then someone is gonna be disappointed.
(EDIT: holy text wall, batman!)
I hate having to look up lyrics, such a pain. whine
By the way in case anyone is interested, thanks to ANN here’s a picture of Atsuko Maeda, the original A-Chan.
I take it that the actual akb48 has no plans to selectively breed with husbands who have the genetic traits required to create children who resemble them?
…I still want to know what the family that did such in AKB0048 did with the kids who didn’t resemble the character (or were male) as, after all that time, there had to be at least one kid who didn’t look right.
Hmmmm…would that be an actual ‘dark secret’ of the AKB0048 girls? Almost a frightening thought, except that in a fictional universe it is possible that the problem has never come up. Then again, maybe they failures didn’t get a special photo placed on the wall and weren’t allowed to try out for AKB0048, or maybe they had different family names so that most wouldn’t learn they were a failure of the breeding program. Lot’s of possibilities, most of which are pure speculation and mostly meaningless.
We can, already, to some degree control appearance via genetic manipulation. Granted, our ability to do so is rudimentary. But then again, we’re talking about a society where interstellar travel is about as routine as walking to the mailbox…
(In reply to the comments about wishing that the soundtrack was included in the DVD sets).
Yes, I really liked the music. But it was frustrating–the music was always being overridden by people talking, explosions, or the kiraras squealing. I really wanted to just properly hear Kibō ni Tsuite, so I actually ordered the CD from Amazon (just search for Kibo ni tsuite under Music and it should turn up.) Three songs (six tracks) on the CD “Kibō ni Tsuite (About a Hope)”, Yume wa Nando mo Umarekawaru (Dreams Are Forever Reborn), and Niji no Ressha (The Rainbow Train). I got the Type B cover art, with the trainees instead of the AKB48 girls who voiced them.
The other three tracks were the instrumental (karaoke?) versions of the above three songs.
I spent the extra $6 to get the DVD. WARNING: Region B encoded. And probably not worth the trouble–the animated music ‘video’ was not up to the production standards of the show, although it was interesting.
Douga
I’m probably asking the wrong place but anyone seen a similar image as the link below (I’d like to try it as a wallpaper for my tablet).
You Nagisa comment is serious spoiler material. Everything else is ok
Oddly enough it was this comment that made me view the spoiler as the email didn’t include the massive spoiler. Well, I haven’t even seen season 2 yet in its entirety and I’m not all that surprised by it…
I’d be more surprised if they settled on a consistent pronunciation of “nagisa” but that quirk is part of the charm 
Sorry fixed it 
As much as I enjoyed the first season, I’m really struggling with the second. It just doesn’t have the same feel to it, I guess you could say.
Well one reason could be the fact that they turn Nagisa into a second class character till the last episode :pinch: Well thats my reason since i love Nagisa the most
No, it’s not that. None of the 77th generation trainees are particularly strong characters, at least not on their own. Nagisa, for example, only seems to shine brightly when Cherri is around. Sonata exhibits the same characteristics with her older sister, Kanata. I suspect it’s more plot or storyline related.
Chi-ehr-ee, Cheery, Cherry…whatever her name is. Did they “nail down” the name pronunciations in Season 2’s dub?
I’m still convalescing from Season 1 so I haven’t braved the Moe Meltdown yet. 
