AKB0048 S1

If you've ever thought "I wanna see a sci-fi show about a big idol group, where music performances are illegal, the idols fight the bad guys through a mix of performing and combat, and there's some mysterious, unexplained presence pulling the strings from behind", then this is the odd show for you.

Part 1/3 is just kinda interesting enough to keep going. Part 2/3 tows the line even more, due to the much larger cast, but again is just interesting enough to keep watching, even though it never really leaves you feeling satisfied. Things finally pick up in eps 10-13, leading to a satisfying (tho predictable) ending.

While there's a core group of main characters, the much larger cast makes it a bit too hard to connect to the characters that deeply. I find it hard to really connect to the characters that deeply. It's not the first time I've had that problem with a large idol cast, so maybe it's just a "me" thing. A lot of the sci-fi setting is just never remotely explained, even after it's brought so prominently into the spotlight. While there's plenty of really unrealistic elements (esp where combat is concerned), you can mostly overlook those, cuz it's a feel good idol show. There's plenty of cute moments, and sometimes you can really feel for the characters. I found the songs to be "just okay", which is a pretty big flaw for an idol anime - but maybe that's just my taste.

This show has a lot of sci-fi vocab, as well as ALB0048 specific lingo, and unfortunately doesn't appear to have JP subs anywhere I could find. So I definitely had some moments where things went a bit over my head (maybe I'd have had a slightly more positive impression, if there had been subs). You may want to read their Wikipedia page first, to get some familiarity with how they're run and such.

Anyway if you like idols or AKB48 specifically, you'll probably enjoy it. Otherwise there's way more interesting shows out there.