News

New Visual Revealed for Yasushi Akimoto-Produced Idol Unit 22/7

The official website for 22/7, the new "dimension-crossing" idol group that AKB48 founder and producer Yasushi Akimoto is producing, updated with a new visual for the project on Friday.

In addition, the site revealed the jacket art for the "Type-B" packaging of the group's "Boku wa Sonzai Shiteinakatta" debut single, which features the characters Nicole Saito and Ayaka Tachikawa. Yukiko Horiguchi drew both the above and below illustrations.

The site also revealed that "Boku wa Sonzai Shiteinakatta" will get a full 3D CG music video. Ryo Ando, who directed and storyboarded the opening animation for the Tiger & Bunny The Movie -The Rising- movie and made his directorial debut in January with the Interviews with Monster Girls anime, will direct the music video. Tatsunoko Production will animate the video. The website didn't specify if the full 3D CG music video is the anime project that the group announced last month.

The single will ship on September 20.

The group held their first live concert on July 22 in Tokyo. During the live event, 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, and its sixth and latest domestic sister group, STU48, launched this summer. Akimoto also founded AKB48's "official rival group" Nogizaka46.

Source: The Mainichi Shimbun's Mantan Web