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Voice Actress Aya Hirano, 9nine to Star in Live-Action Show

Japanese voice actress Aya Hirano (The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Seikon no Qwaser) and female pop group 9nine (theme songs for Star Driver, live-action Ranma 1/2) will star in the upcoming live-action television series Konna no Idol Janain!? (This Ain't an Idol!?).

Hirano will portray Mari Gonda, a former aspiring idol and idol fanatic who has memorized every detail of Japan's idol history since the 1980s. As a teacher in the teen comedy, Hirano's character advises the "I Want to Become an Idol Club" at an all-girls finishing school.

The five singers of 9nine will play the members of the "I Want to Become an Idol Club." In the story, the girls' senior student scouted them to debut as idols at the school's culture festival. The singers then form the club and devise outlandish lessons to train themselves as performers. Each episode of the series will also include a performance by 9nine as the club members strive to become musical stars. This will be 9nine's first regular leading roles in a television series, and the "nain" ending of the show's title references the pronunciation of the pop group's name.

Konna no Idol Janain!? will begin airing in Japan on January 11.

Source: Mainichi Shimbun's Mantan Web