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Crunchyroll to Stream UniteUp! TV Anime

Crunchyroll announced on Thursday that it will stream the television anime of Sony Music's "next dimensional idol project" UniteUp! for the winter 2023 season in North America, Central America, South America, Europe, Africa, Oceania, the Middle East, and the Commonwealth of Independent States.

The show will premiere on Saturday on Tokyo MX, Tochigi TV, Gunma TV, BS11, HTB Hokkaido TV, and MBS. Fukuoka Broadcasting and Nagoya Broadcasting Network will also air the anime.

The anime's story centers on Akira Kiyose, who sings on a video streaming site under the singer name "KIKUNOYU." One day the talent agency sMiLea Production scouts him. sMiLea is an agency founded by the retired legendary idol pair AneLa to train new budding idols. Akira then forms an idol group with Banri Naoe and Chihiro Isuzugawa, who were also scouted. Their new group, Protostar, will have their debut alongside other new idol groups with sMiLea Production: Legit and Jaxx Jaxx.

The anime will feature four idol groups including:

Protostar:

• Kikunosuke Toya as Akira Kiyose
• Ryotaro Yamaguchi as Banri Naoe
• Amon Hirai as Chihiro Isuzugawa

Legit:

• Magura Sukegawa as Daiki Takao
• Shinnosuke Morikage as Eishiro Nijo
• Ryuichiro Sakata as Fuga Togo

Jaxx Jaxx:

• masa as Gakuto Haruka
• Yuuki Shimomae as Homare Katsura
• Takumi Magoshi as Izumi Kashii
• Kosei Tsubokura as Jun Wakasa
• Gaku Takamoto as Kanata Morinomiya

AneLa:

• Sōma Saitō as Lin Otsuki
• Yoshiki Nakajima as Maoto Tsujido

Shin'ichirō Ushijima (I want to eat your pancreas) is directing the anime at studio CloverWorks. Rino Yamazaki (Akebi's Sailor Uniform, Shadows House, Spy×Family) is overseeing the series scripts. Majiro (22/7) is designing the characters and is also the chief animation director, alongside Asami Komatsu and Yurie Hama. Yuki Hayashi (My Hero Academia, Haikyu!!) is composing the music.

Other staff members include:

• Action Director: Hiromi Ishigami
• Design Works: Yurie Hama, Keiko Takagi, Iori Nonoshita, Yōko Kubara Shiori Mizutani, Hiromi Ishigami
• Art Design: Yuri Sanan
• Art Director: Masakazu Miyake
• Color Design: Kazuko Nakashima
• Director of Photography: Yukiko Nagase
• 3DCG: 5 Inc.
• 3D Director: Makoto Honda
• Editing: Akinori Mishima

The cast will perform the show's theme song "Unite up!"

Sony Music launched the YouTube project to feature various artists and "hidden talents" in December 2021.

Source: Crunchyroll (Kyle Cardine)