News

Yasushi Akimoto-Produced Idol Unit 22/7 Gets Anime Project

22/7, the new "dimension-crossing" idol group that AKB48 founder and producer Yasushi Akimoto is producing, announced at their first live event on Saturday that the group is getting an anime project.

The group's official YouTube channel also posted a lyric video for their song "Boku wa Sonzai Shiteinakatta," but the video is region-locked to Japan only. The unit's debut single with the song will ship on September 20.

During the live event on Saturday, the group performed on stage as themselves, but also put on a motion capture performance as their anime characters.

The group based on the concept of "idols who cross dimensions" has eight anime idol characters, with their respective voice actresses performing as idols in the real world. A different character designer is handling each member's anime design. Sony Music Records and Aniplex received 10,325 applications for the idol group and held five rounds of auditions.

The cast members, their characters, and the characters' designers are as follows:

Chiharu Hokaze as Reika Satō, 17 years old. She is the student council president and an honor student.
Character design by Hirokazu Koyama of Type-Moon (Fate/Grand Order, Mahōtsukai no Yoru)

Ruri Umino as Jun Toda, 16 years old. She acts high class and is a tsundere.
Character design by Masayoshi Tanaka (your name., Toradora!, anohana)

Sally Amaki as Sakura Fujima, 17 years old. She is the daughter of a good family.
Character design by Kantoku (The "Hentai" Prince and the Stony Cat., Garakowa -Restore the World-)

Kanae Shirosawa as Akane Maruyama, 17 years old and cool.
Character design by Tometa Ohara of QP:flapper (Girl Friend BETA, Girlish Number)

Mizuha Kuraoka as Miyako Kōno, 15 years old. She is egotistical and speaks in a Kansai dialect.
Character design by Mieko Hosoi (Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash, Aiura)

Mei Hanakawa as Nicole Saitō, 17 years old and an idol.
Character design by Kurehito Misaki (Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend)

Nagomi Saijō as Miu Takigawa, 16 years old. She is an otaku and is a bit ignorant.
Character design by Yukiko Horiguchi (K-ON!, Tamako Market, Kokoro Connect)

Reina Miyase as Ayaka Tachikawa, 16 years old. She is aggressive and militant.
Character design by Koharu Sakura of QP:flapper (Girl Friend BETA, Girlish Number)

In addition, the website lists three additional cast members without roles: Aina Takeda, Urara Takatsuji, and Moe Suzuhana.

Akimoto founded the AKB48 idol group in 2005, with its sixth and latest domestic sister group, STU48, launching this summer. Akimoto also founded AKB48's "official rival group" Nogizaka46.

Source: MoCa News