AKB0048: Season One

AKB0048 is set in a future where all forms of entertainment have been banned on the inhabitable planets in the universe. Enforcing this ban is a group known as DES, which will stop at nothing to ensure that no singing takes place. But DES's reign of terror is being challenged by the young girls of AKB0048, futuristic fictional heirs to the real-life all-girl Japanese pop band AKB48. The 13-episode debut 2012 season starts with American Idol-style auditions, after which the chosen girls learn to work together as performers and as fighters against DES treachery. Unfortunately, however, the characters are bland, the plots uneventful, and some viewers may find the J-pop soundtrack to be something of an acquired taste. Nonetheless, the idea of girl singer-soldiers rocketing around the galaxy with guns on their hips and songs on their lips carries a certain charm, and the series deserves some credit for its good-humored musical spin on a well-worn anime genre. Presented in DVD and Blu-ray dual-language sets, rated TV-PG, this is a strong optional purchase. [Note: AKB0048: Season Two is slated for release on Feb. 4.] (P. Hall)