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BanG Dream! Holds Auditions for Roselia's New Keyboardist

The official website for the BanG Dream! franchise announced on Wednesday that auditions will be held to recast the role of keyboardist Rinko Shirokane from the project's band Roselia. The deadline to apply is August 13.

The auditions are open to females age 13 to 20 who have piano and keyboard experience. Amateurs as well as people affiliated with particular productions may apply. Successful applicants will be notified by August 20, and the second phase of the auditions will be held in Tokyo in early September.

The franchise's website announced in June that Satomi Akesaka (seen below left) will "graduate" from the project's Roselia band in September, due to sudden hearing loss. Akesaka's agency Amuleto reported that doctors diagnosed her with the condition, which makes it difficult for her to continue performing concerts and rehearsals in the band. However, she will still continue her voice-acting career outside BanG Dream!

Akesaka, who plays Rinko Shirokane in the BanG Dream! franchise, will formally graduate from Roselia at the Roselia Fan Meeting 2018 event at the Culttz Kawasaki venue on September 17. The franchise will recast Rinko Shirokane, including in the smartphone game BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! The staff will announce the character's new voice as soon as they make the decision.

Amuleto reported that Akesaka experienced sudden hearing loss twice in March. Despite recovering from both incidents with early treatments, doctors determined that it would be difficult for her to continue performing music without the danger of recurrence.

The franchise announced in May that the franchise's main anime will premiere two more seasons by the SANZIGEN Animation Studio in January and October of 2019, respectively. The staff also announced then that the BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! game app is inspiring DMM.futureworks and SANZIGEN's BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! ☆ Pico mini anime which premiered on July 5.

Yuki Nakashima replaced Yurika Endō as the voice actress of the Roselia band member Lisa Imai, when Endō retired from the entertainment industry after a final live concert on June 1.

The main BanG Dream! television anime's first 13-episode season from ISSEN and Xebec premiered in January 2017, and Anime Network Online and Crunchyroll streamed the first season as it aired in Japan.

Sentai Filmworks released the first season with English subtitles on home video on June 19, and it describes the story:

When she was a child, Kasumi Toyama (played by Poppin' Party's lead singer, Aimi) felt a heart-pounding thrill every time she gazed at the stars, and she's been looking without success for something that could inspire the same feeling ever since. One day, she comes across a star-shaped guitar in a rundown pawnshop and, for the first time, discovers the thrill she's been searching for. Kasumi becomes determined to form an all-girl band, and her search leads her to four like-minded souls: Saya, Arisa, Rimi, and Tae (all brought to life by the members of Poppin' Party). Does this band have what it takes to make their dreams of stardom come true?

Bushiroad launched the BanG Dream! multimedia project in January 2015, and the company formed the Poppin' Party band for the project in February 2015. The project's other bands include Happy World!, Pastel*Palettes, Afterglow, Roselia, and most recently, an all-male Argonavis band in a separate world setting. The band members consist of voice cast members who portray the characters in the story, and they play the same instruments as their characters.

The BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! smartphone game launched in Japan in March 2017, and an English version launched in April.

Sources: BanG Dream! franchise's website, Bushiroad Music, MoCa News