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Mekakucity Actors' 9th Ad Highights Takuma Terashima's Shintarō

The ninth commercial for Mekakucity Actors, the television anime of the Kagerō Project (Heat Mirage Project) by Vocaloid musical composer and writer Jin (Shizen no Teki-P), aired on Saturday:

The commercial introduces Takuma Terashima as Shintarō, the seventh member of the Mekakushi Group. The shut-in has an IQ of 168. Although he was an ace student in middle and high school, he dropped out of his first year of high school after a close friend committed suicide. Since then, he has been absorbed in the mysterious software Ene that infiltrated his PC. He is Momo's true older brother.

The cast also includes:

Yūko Kaida as Kido, the first member of the Mekakushi Group. The girl serves as the leader of the group. She is always listening to music on earphones. She is basically good-natured, but she is struggling to assemble the idiosyncratic members of the group. Thanks to her ability to "Conceal the Eyes," she can erase awareness of herself and her surroundings within a fixed distance.

Sōichirō Hoshi as Seto, the second member of the Mekakushi Group. Seto is from the same orphanage as Kido and Kano. He works at a flower shop in the shopping district…but he also works various other gigs like traffic control and newspaper delivery. He was the main one who invited Marry into the Mekakushi Group. He has a case of wonderlust. Thanks to his "Steal the Eyes" ability, he can read information off his target, but he dislikes this "unpleasant theft-like power" and rarely uses it.

Shinnosuke Tachibana as Kano, the third member of the Mekakushi Group. He is always smiling, with an ambiguous personality unconcerned with small matters. Because he often teases Marry and Momo, one might think he is a playboy, but he can be relied on when it counts. He has the "Deceive the Eyes" ability to change the perception of those around him.

Kana Hanazawa as Marry, the fourth member of the Mekakushi Group. She is a quarter Medusa, and three-fourths human. Mary makes and sells artificial flowers as her side job, but her income from it is very low. She has the "Contact the Eyes" ability, which allows her to stop the movement for a few minutes of those who look her directly in the eyes.

Nanami Kashiyama as Momo, the fifth member of the Mekakushi Group. She is a hugely popular idol in town and a first-year high school student. Ever since an accident with her father in her early childhood, she gained the "Dazzle the Eyes" ability to attract attention, no matter people's interest and concerns. She possesses a peculiar sense of fashion and taste, and she has many views not shared by others.

Kana Asumi as Ene, the sixth member of the Mekakushi Group. She is an innocent cyber girl who resides inside Shintaro's computer, and is able to invade other electronics. Ene used to be human, but due to a certain experiment, she lost her body. She has the "Awaken the Eyes" ability that grants her immortality.

Misuzu Togashi as Hibiya, the eighth member of the Mekakushi Group. He visited the town with Hiyori. He can be both mature and impudent, and he is always bickering with Momo. He has been trying to save Hiyori after a certain accident. He has the "Strain the Eyes" ability to perceive distant things from a bird's-eye view.

Mamoru Miyano as Konoha, the ninth member of the Mekakushi Group. He is a young man who has amnesia, and a foster child at Hiyori's older sister's house. He is quite naive and does things at his own pace. He has an extraordinary amount of stamina, and likes to play baseball with the other children in his neighborhood. He is also is full of curiosity.

The official website for the series also opened in January, revealing character descriptions and shadowed outlines for the character designs. Starting in January on Tokyo MX TV, BS11, and Niconico, the show's staff is debuting a new commercial each week that unveils a new anime character visual and cast announcement.

Tower Records reported in August that Akiyuki Shinbo (Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Bakemonogatari) will direct the series at studio SHAFT. JIN will be writing the show's scripts, and Shizu and Wannyanpu are handling the original character designs. Shizu will handle the storyboards for the opening theme, and will also create the ending theme animation as well.

The series will premiere on April 12 on Tokyo MX TV, BS11, and Niconico. The show will air for one cour or one quarter of a year.

Thanks to Maxim Firsov for the embedded video