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AKB0048 Idol Sci-Fi Anime's TV Ad Streamed

A television commercial for AKB0048, the television anime inspired by and starring the all-female idol group AKB48, began airing in Japan. 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 real-life AKB48 members who will play the fictional AKB0048 group's newest trainees are:

• Sayaka Nakaya (AKB48 Team A) will voice 13-year-old Orine Aida
• Amina Satō (AKB48 Team B) will voice 14-year-old Yuuka Ichijō
• Sawako Hata (SKE48 Team KII) will voice 14-year-old Suzuko Kanzaki
• Sumire Satō (AKB48 Team B) will voice 17-year-old Mimori Kishida
• Haruka Ishida (AKB48 Team B) will voice 15-year-old Kanata Shinonome
• Kumi Yagami (SKE48 Team S) will voice 10-year-old Sonata Shinonome
• Mayu Watanabe (AKB48 Team B) will play 13-year-old Chieri Sono
• Karen Iwata (AKB48 Trainee) will voice 13-year-old Nagisa Motomiya
• Mao Mita (NMB48 Team M) will voice 16-year-old Makoto Yokomizo

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.

[Via Yaraon!]