Love Live! School Idol Project Acquired by NIS America for the North American Market

Santa Ana, CA (December 26, 2012) – NIS America is thrilled to announce its acquisition of Love Live! School idol project for the North American market. Love Live! is a brand-new anime series set to begin airing in Japan this January. Putting an interesting spin on the anime world, Love Live! features fictional animated characters and living, breathing group members side by side! The package release date information will be announced in the coming months. For those interested in a sneak peek, visit Crunchyroll to get your early fix of Love Live! beginning January 8, at 8 a.m. PST. For more information on streaming the show, visit Crunchyroll.com

Love Live! School idol project

About the show: Otonokizaka High School stands on the border of three cities: Akihabara–a pop culture mecca that's evolving by the minute; Kanda–a conservative, cultured city where history and tradition reign supreme; and Jinbo–a quiet area reserved for a more mature, sophisticated population. Amidst this culture clash, the school now faces closure due to the enrollment of fewer and fewer students.

With the school planning to close within three years, nine female students come together with one thing in mind—form a pop idol group to revive the school's popularity and keep it from shutting down. “In order to protect our beloved school, there's only one thing we can do...become pop stars!”

Their goal is simple: Become an overnight sensation and use their nationwide media exposure to promote their school and bring in a wave of new students to the ailing area. A simple but solid plan, they figure. Naturally, they're nervous and wonder if this plan can really succeed, but for better or worse their new journey has begun...

“All we can ask for is just a tiny bit of support from you. We truly believe that with your help, we can change the world around us. We will make our dreams come true!”

Cast
Emi Nitta as Honoka Kosaka (Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere)
Yoshino Nanjō as Eri Ayase (Joshiraku, ROBOTICS;NOTES)
Aya Uchida as Kotori Minami (Kiddy Girl-AND, Strike Witches)
SuzukoMimori as Umi Sonoda (Milky Holmes, BTOOOM!)
Riho Iida as Rin Hoshizora (first appearance in an animated series)
Pile as Maki Nishikino (first appearance in an animated series)
Aina Kusuda as Nozomi Tojo (Yamato 2199)
Yurika Kubo as Hanayo Koizumi (Total Eclipse)
Sora Tokui as Niko Yazawa (Milky Holmes, ROBOTICS;NOTES)

Produced by
Animation: Sunrise Inc. (Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere, Accel World)
Director: Takahiko Kyōgoku (Pretty Cure All Stars, UN-GO, Kekkaishi)
Series Composition: Jukki Hanada (STEINS;GATE, ROBOTICS;NOTES, Nichijo, K-ON)
Character Design/Animation Director: Asako Nishida (Fate/Zero, Fate/stay night)
Music Production: Lantis (Haruhi, Lucky Star, Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere)

About NIS America
In 2003, NIS America was established in Southern California to bring exciting, one-of-a-kind Japanese culture to North America. NIS America's team members devote themselves to the fans. Their respect for their fans is at the heart of everything they do. As an established entertainment publisher in the U.S., NIS America is committed to continuous growth and improvement. NIS America is a subsidiary of Nippon Ichi Software, Inc., a Japanese company famous for its unique line of strategy RPGs with titles such as Disgaea, Phantom Brave, and Makai Kingdom. NIS America has also become a publisher of Japanese anime titles, such as Toradora!, anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day, and Bunny Drop.