AKB0048 Ep 3

Episode 3 starts out with Nagisa, Yuka, and Orine summarizing what has happened to them so far in one line. They are surprised to see so many girls that have been accepted into the selection round. 

The person who walks in is Katagiri Tsubasa. 

Orine is surprised to hear the word "manager". (To those who don't know, the manager position in AKB48 is held by Togasaki, who has helped Aki-P create AKB48 from the ground up whether it be finding the location for the theater to be built, listening to fans' feedback, or delivering important announcements. He is revered by AKB48 members, and fans alike for all his hard work. It's only fitting that the importance of the manager position is also reflected in this anime. Of course recently, Takamina has become general manager of AKB48 as announced in the shuffle at Tokyo Dome.)

AKB0048 Ep 2

Onwards to episode 2! What will you learn about AKB48 next?

This episode starts out with Orine, Yuka, and Nagisa walking around a "spaceport" (you know, an airport but in space ^_^"), and Orine is bumped into by someone who looks like they are in a hurry. There is a close-up on the monitor, saying that the heiress of the Zodiac Corporation is either missing or kidnapped. The "in a rush" person notices the monitor, and is then joined by a kirara. Who could this person be? 

After the opening, we see Yokomizo Makoto, a girl who seems to only be thinking about the worst-case scenario, especially being in space with only a metal wall separating her from the nothingness.

If the worst-case scenario did happen, her only regret would be not making it to the second round of auditions. She also says to her parents from afar that she's sorry for running away.

Morning Musume's Newest Member: Oda Sakura

I'm a bit late, but congratulations to the newest member of Morning Musume: Oda Sakura!

I don't know very much about Oda Sakura, other than that she auditioned for S/mileage's New Member Audition, and did not make it through. Here's the video of her audition. Her singing starts just before the 1:30 mark, and it sounds like she's just imitating the S/mileage members' voices. It sounds like she's trying to force herself to sound cute. This is most likely the reason why she didn't make it into S/mileage.