History YMMV / AKB0048

* ValuesDissonance: Episode six tells us that if a fan sends you violent death threats because they don't like the job you're doing as a professional entertainer, they ''really'' just want to make the act better and you should take their advice to heart. (It doesn't help that said fan is about to make good on that threat if not for someone intervening at the last minute.) Contrast that with American media, where such people will ''always'' be portrayed as unhinged, Mark David Chapman-esque nutjobs who have to be tracked down before they fly off the handle and kill somebody. In fact, two years after that episode, somebody ''did'' try to murder members of [=AKB48=] with a hacksaw at a fan meeting, which resulted in a sweeping revamp of venue security and one of the injured singers left (or was forced to leave) since she was psychologically incapable of attending further meet-n-greets.

* ValuesDissonance: Episode six tells us that if a fan sends you violent death threats because they don't like the job you're doing as a professional entertainer, they ''really'' just want to make the act better and you should take their advice to heart. Contrast that with American media, where such people will almost ''always'' be portrayed as unhinged, Mark David Chapman-esque nutjobs who have to be tracked down before they fly off the handle and kill somebody. It doesn't help that said fan is about to make good on that threat if not for someone intervening at the last minute.

* SpiritualAdaptation: A famous real-life band leads a revolution against a tyrannical regime that has [[CulturePolice banned everything fun]]? This is an anime adaptation of ''VideoGame/RevolutionX'', except with Music/AKB48 instead of Music/{{Aerosmith}}. It's also been described as "anime ''Film/{{Footloose}}''.

* ValuesDissonance: Episode six tells us that if a fan sends you violent death threats because they don't like the job you're doing as a professional entertainer, they ''really'' just want to make the act better and you should take their advice to heart. Contrast that with American media, where such people will almost ''always'' be portrayed as unhinged, Mark David Chapman-esque nutjobs who have to be tracked down before they fly off the handle and kill somebody.

* SpiritualAdaptation: A famous real-life band leads a revolution against a tyrannical regime that has [[CulturePolice banned everything fun]]? This is an anime adaptation of ''VideoGame/RevolutionX'', except with Music/AKB48 instead of Music/{{Aerosmith}}.

* FamilyUnfriendlyAesop: At least two episodes imply that you need to be selfish/greedy in order to accomplish your dreams. Indeed, episode 20 has Mimori [[spoiler:after becoming Mariko Shinoda the 8th]] being portrayed as "sadistic" ([[spoiler:supposedly as sadistic as the "real" Mariko Shinoda]]) by telling Kanata that if she wants to become a successor, she has to be "greedier".
** The next episode seems to imply that you can only accomplish your dreams alone (i.e., without other people backing you up). At least, that was the conclusion Yuko came to when trying to figure out how to become the Center Nova, which was all brought on when the former Minami Minegishi the 5th told her about [[spoiler:"Position Zero"]].
** However, this is subverted later on when it's discovered that [[spoiler:Yuko wasn't actually a true Center Nova, due to her refusal to recognize others.]]

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: One popular theory is that instead of a freedom fighting group, [=AKB0048=] is actually unknowingly trying to awaken an EldritchAbomination. The DGTO and DES forces are merely {{Well Intentioned Extremist}}s taking measures to prevent said abomination from awakening.

* HilariousInHindsight: Anime/MacrossDelta has several of the major setpieces of AKB0048, and strongly seems to be a SpiritualSuccessor '''''for''''' this series, when this series is one to Anime/{{Macross}} '''''itself'''''.

** And let's not go into it's similarities to the [[Anime/{{Macross}} animation juggernaut]] Shoji Kawamori is much more well known for... Too much.

* CastingGag:
** EVERY single one of the Understudies is voice acted, at least in the Japanese version, by active and former members of the REAL Music/AKB48 group.
** Also semi-averted in one way. They didn't have Chieri Sono or Mimori Kishida voiced by the same person as they become in ''Anime/AKB0048''.

* LesYay: Episode 10 has loads of this, specifically Kanata/Takamina, Suzuko/Makoto, and Nagisa/Chieri. The RealLife Music/AKB48 is ''no stranger'' to do LesYay moments.
* OlderThanTheyThink: A group of singers leading a revolution against a government bent to destroy all entertaiment. Does that sound like the plot of ''VideoGame/RevolutionX'', except replacing Music/{{Aerosmith}} with Music/AKB48?

* FamilyUnfriendlyAesop: At least two episodes imply that you need to be selfish/greedy in order to accomplish your dreams. Indeed, episode 20 has Mimori [[spoiler:after becoming Mariko Shinoda the 8th]] being portrayed as "sadistic" ([[spoiler:supposedly as sadistic as the "real" Mariko Shinoda]]) by telling Kanata that if she want's to become a successor, she has to be "greedier".
** The next episode seems to imply that you can only accomplish your dreams alone (i.e., without other people backing you up). At least, that was the conclusion Yuko came to when trying to figure out how to become the Center Nova, which was all brough on when the former Minami Minegishi the 5th told her about [[spoiler:"Position Zero"]].

* OlderThanTheyThink: A group of singers leading a revolution against a government bent to destroy all entertaiment. Does that's sound like the plot of ''VideoGame/RevolutionX'', except replacing Music/{{Aerosmith}} with Music/AKB48?

* OlderThanTheyThink: A group of singers leading a revolution against a government bent to destroy all entertaiment. Does that's sound like the plot of ''VideoGame/RevolutionX'', except replacing Music/{{Aerosmith}} with Music/AKB48?

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: One popular theory is that instead of a freedom fighting group, AKB0048 is actually unknowingly trying to awaken an EldritchAbomination. The DGTO and DES forces are merely {{Well Intentioned Extremist}}s taking measures to prevent said abomination from awakening.

* FanNickname: The DES are oftentimes called the Fun Police.

* TearJerker: Any dedicated Music/AKB48 fan probably choked up a little bit when Yuko told the girls that [[TheAce Acchan the 13th]] was the final center nova, and that no one would ever replace her--the RealLife Acchan had announced her graduation from Music/AKB48 only a month or so prior to the premiere of the anime.

** The next episode seems to imply that you can only accomplish your dreams alone (i.e., without other people backing you up). At least, that was the conclusion Yuuko came to when trying to figure out how to become the Center Nova, which was all brough on when the former Minami Minegishi the 5th told her about [[spoiler:"Position Zero"]].

* TearJerker: Any dedicated Music/AKB48 fan probably choked up a little bit when Yuuko told the girls that [[TheAce Acchan the 13th]] was the final center nova, and that no one would ever replace her--the RealLife Acchan had announced her graduation from Music/AKB48 only a month or so prior to the premiere of the anime.

* FamilyUnfriendlyAesop: At least two episodes imply that you need to be selfish/greedy in order to accomplish your dreams. Indeed, episode 20 has Mimori [[spoiler:after becoming Mariko Shinoda the 8th]] being portrayed as "sadistic" ([[spoiler:supposedly as sadistic as the "real" Mariko Shinoda]]) by telling Kanata that if she want's to become a successor, she has to be "greedier", though [[JerkassHasAPoint Kanata has got a point]] since the promotion would had led to Takamina being taken away by DES forces and wasn't willing to watch someone die for a chance succession.

* TearJerker: Any dedicated Music/AKB48 fan probably choked up a little bit when Yuuko told the girls that [[TheAce Acchan the 13th]] was the final center nova, and that no one would ever replace her--the RealLife Acchan had announced her graduation from Music/AKB48 only a month or so prior to the premiere of the anime.
** '''Takamina.'''

** In fact, the group has been hit with a few scandals recently.

* FamilyUnfriendlyAesop: At least two episodes imply that you need to be selfish/greedy in order to accomplish your dreams. Indeed, episode 20 has Mimori [[spoiler:after becoming Mariko Shinoda the 8th]] being portrayed as "sadistic" ([[spoiler:supposedly as sadistic as the "real" Mariko Shinoda]]) by telling Kanata that if she want's to become a successor, she has to be "greedier", though [[JerkassHasAPoint Kanata's got a point]]] since the promotion would had led to Takamina being taken away by DES forces and wasn't willing to watch someone die for a chance succession.

* FamilyUnfriendlyAesop: At least two episodes imply that you need to be selfish/greedy in order to accomplish your dreams. Indeed, episode 20 has Mimori [[spoiler:after becoming Mariko Shinoda the 8th]] being portrayed as "sadistic" ([[spoiler:supposedly as sadistic as the "real" Mariko Shinoda]]) by telling Kanata that if she want's to become a successor, she has to be "greedier".

** Mii-chan the 5th's whole role in Next Stage seems to echo creepily with her real-life love scandal. In episode 22 Ushiyama comments that Mii-chan seemed liable to fall for the wrong sort of guy. Also at the end Mii-chan muses that she'll have to start over from square one... just like Minami Minegishi's real-life demotion.

** Mii-chan the 5th's whole role in Next Stage seems to echo creepily with her real-life love scandal. In episode 22 Ushiyama comments that Mii-chan seemed liable to fall for the wrong sort of guy. Also at the end Mii-chan muses that she'll have to start over from square one... just like her real-life demotion.