Anime about idols from quake-hit Tohoku to air on TV, play in theaters in early 2014

The cast for Wake Up, Girls! , the new anime from director Yutaka Yamamoto (Kannagi, Fractale, episode of Lucky Star), was unveiled at an event at Wonder Festival 2013 [Summer] on Sunday. The anime, which follows aspiring idols from Japan's quake-hit northeastern Tohoku region, will air on television and play in theaters simultaneously in early 2014.

Mayu Yoshioka as Mayu Shimada

15-year-old first-year high school girl unrivaled in her talent for singing and dancing

Airi Eino as Airi Hayashida

15-year-old first-year high school girl who is not particularly talented, but has a lot of drive

Minami Tanaka as Minami Katayama

14-year-old third-year middle school girl who is the "little sister" of the group and sets the mood

Yoshino Aoyama as Yoshino Nanase

16-year-old first-year high school girl who already has experience in the business as a local commercial actor and model. A cool beauty with the most sense of responsibility in the group

Nanami Yamashita as Nanami Hisami

13-year-old second-year middle school girl who adores "Hikarizuka Revue" (a nod to Takarazuka Revue). She has been training in singing and dancing since she was very young, and is very prideful

Kaya Okuno as Kaya Kikuma

18-year-old third-year high school girl who is responsible for the group's sex appeal and fashion

Miyu Takagi as Miyu Okamoto

17-year-old third-year high school girl who is indecisive and prone to crying. She is an idol otaku who works part-time at a maid café

Shintarō Asanuma as Kōhei Matsuda

The manager of Green Entertainment. He went to college in Tokyo to become a recording artist, but suffered a setback and came back home to Sendai

Noriko Hidaka as Junko Tange

The president of Green Entertainment. Born in Kumamoto Prefecture in southern Japan, she lived in Tokyo and Osaka before finding herself in Sendai far from her birthplace



The story follows these seven girls who aspire to star in the so-called "idol sengoku jidai " (idol warring states period) of modern day. The Green Leaves Entertainment is a tiny production company on the verge of going out of business in Sendai, the biggest city in Japan's northeastern Tohoku region. The agency once managed the careers of magicians, photo idols, fortune-tellers, and other entertainers, but its last remaining client finally quit. In danger of having zero talent (literally), the president Tange hatches an idea of producing an idol group. On the brash president's orders, the dissatisfied manager Matsuda heads out to scout raw talent. Matsuda makes a fateful encounter with a certain girl….

Yamamoto is directing the project at his studio Ordet and Tatsunoko Productions. The staff also includes scriptwriter Touko Machida (Lucky Star, Battle Girls - Time Paradox, The [email protected]), composer Satoru Kousaki (Lucky Star, Battle Girls - Time Paradox, The [email protected], The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya), and character designer Sunao Chikaoka (blossom, Abnormal Physiology Seminar, Kyo no Gononi). The production company Avex (Ayumi Hamasaki, Kumi Koda, AAA, Super Girls) and the voice talent agency 81 Produce (Kana Asumi, Emiri Kato, Megumi Toyoguchi) held open auditions with over 2,000 female candidates last fall. The winners will not only star as the main characters of the new anime, but also sing the anime's theme song.

The anime's setting of Tohoku is an area that was heavily affected by the earthquake of March 11, 2011. Yamamoto (also known as "Yamakan") has been visiting the Tohoku region frequently, particularly the damaged hometown of Kannagi manga creator Eri Takenashi, and he already made blossom, a charity anime for the region.

The cast will appear at the anime's booth at Comic Market 84 next month, and the booth will also offer the anime's official book WU,G! as well as advance tickets for a preview screening with a signed poster. There will also be "showcase events" every month from September to December.

Thanks to Woun Thisworld for the news tip

Sources: Animate.tv, MoCa

Images © Green Leaves/Wake Up, Girls! Production Committee