YMMV / AKB49 – Renai Kinshi Jourei

• Esoteric Happy Ending: AKB is doing fine, no major controversies have leaked, and everyone has kept their lips sealed about Minoru's crossdressing, up to and including the tabloids who tried to publish the story. In addition, Hiroko's career as an idol is in good spirits, which was what Minoru wanted for her. However, Minoru has gone back to his humdrum life and convenience store job with the same lack of respect he's always gotten, and he and his love interests don't really resolve any of their tension. At the very least he gets a few drop ins from Alice, but other than that, nothing. Quite a few western readers were upset at this turn of events, feeling like the outcome was a very somber end for our protagonist.
• Harsher in Hindsight: Hiroko's apology video is very similar to Minegishi Minami's real viral one, although Hiroko doesn't shave her hair.
• Hilarious in Hindsight: At first there's Ai Okabe. Then it's revealed her mother's name is Ran Okabe, a.k.a. Miss Aphrodite. Then in 2014, Rin Okabe joined the real-life AKB.
• Unconventional Learning Experience: Quite a few fans of this series confessed to knowing nothing about AKB's history or culture until they read it.