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AKB0048's Themes Sung by AKB48 Spinoff Unit 'No Name'

It was announced on Thursday that a new nine-member unit consisting of members who will be voice acting in the upcoming AKB0048 anime called "No Name" will be singing the opening and ending themes for the series. The group will feature Mayu Watanabe, and will sing the AKB0048 opening, "Kibou ni Tsuite," and its ending, "Yume wa Nando Demo Umarekawaru." The last sub-unit related to the AKB48 idol unit to be formed was "DiVA," which featured Sayaka Akimoto and was created last May. Lyrics for both songs were written by AKB48 producer Yasushi Akimoto, and release dates for both singles have yet to be announced.

The nine members of No Name are Mayu Watanabe, Sayaka Nakaya, Amina Satō, Haruka Ishida, Sumire Satō, Karen Iwata, Kumi Yagami, Sawako Hata, and Mao Mita. Yagami and Hata are members of the SKE48 idol group, while Mita is a member of the NMB48 idol group. The other 6 members are members of AKB48.

The AKB0048 television anime is inspired by and stars the all-female idol group AKB48. In the story's dystopian future setting, a new generation of idols-in-training join a guerilla idol group to battle an oppressive government.

The nine members of No Name will voice the newest trainees of the fictional AKB0048 group, while Kana Ueda, Mamiko Noto, Ryōko Shiraishi, Yukari Tamura, Yui Horie, Akemi Kanda, Miyuki Sawashiro, Ayako Kawasumi, and Mai Nakahara will play the current generation of AKB0048. Mari Okada (anohana, HanaIro, Toradora!) is supervising and writing the scripts, and Mikan Ehime (Macross Frontier, Gravion Zwei) is designing the characters. Yoshimasa Hiraike (Working!!/Wagnaria!!, Amagami SS, Sketchbook ~full color'S~) is the actual hands-on director of the anime at Satelight (Macross Frontier, Aquarion, Shugo Chara!).

Shōji Kawamori, the co-creator of the Macross franchise and the co-director of Macross: Do You Remember Love?, is the project planner and the chief director, and Toshimichi Ootsuki (Evangelion: 1.0 You Are [Not] Alone) is the executive producer. AKB48 producer Yasushi Akimoto himself is planning and supervising the project.

The series will premiere in Japan on April 29.

Source: Oricon Style