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Kannagi's Yamakan Reveals 'Wake Up, Girls!' Anime's Story, Visual
posted on by Lynzee Loveridge
The official website for the new anime Wake Up, Girls! opened on Monday and revealed the story and first piece of key visual art. The story is set during the "idol sengoku jidai" (idol warring stages period) and follows seven girls who persevere during these tumultuous times.
Green Leaves Entertainment is a tiny production company on the verge of going out of business in Sendai, the biggest city in Japan's northeastern Tohoku region. The agency once managed the careers of magicians, photo idols, fortune-tellers, and other entertainers, but its last remaining client finally quit. In danger of having zero talent (literally), the president Tange hatches an idea of producing an idol group. On the brash president's orders, the dissatisfied manager Matsuda heads out to scout raw talent. Matsuda makes a fateful encounter with a certain girl….
Director Yutaka Yamamoto (Kannagi, Fractale, episode of Lucky Star) is collaborating with scriptwriter Touko Machida (Lucky Star, Battle Girls - Time Paradox, The IDOLM@STER), and composer Satoru Kousaki (Lucky Star, Battle Girls - Time Paradox, The IDOLM@STER, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya) on this new anime. The production company Avex (Ayumi Hamasaki, Kumi Koda, AAA, Super Girls) and the voice talent agency 81 Produce (Kana Asumi, Emiri Katō, Megumi Toyoguchi) held open auditions with over 2,000 female candidates last fall. The winners will not only star as the main characters of the new anime, but also sing the anime's theme song.
Wonder Festival 2013 will host a special event to unveil the seven audition winners on July 28. Yamamoto, Machida, and Kousaki will appear at the event with voice actress Emiri Katō serving as the emcee.
The anime's setting of Tohoku is an area that was heavily affected by the earthquake of March 11, 2011. Yamamoto (also known as "Yamakan") has been visiting the Tohoku region frequently, particularly the damaged hometown of Kannagi manga creator Eri Takenashi, and he already made blossom, a charity anime for the region.
Image © Green Leaves/Wake Up, Girls! Production Committee
