News

Pretty Series, Aikatsu! Franchises' Virtual Crossover Concert Gets Theatrical Screenings

The official Twitter account for the "Dream Collaboration Festival" collaboration project between TAKARA TOMY A.R.T.S and syn Sophia's Pretty Series franchise and Bandai Namco Entertainment's Aikatsu! franchise announced on Sunday that the project's virtual live concert will have a special edited version that will screen in theaters from January 6 to January 19. The concert was held virtually on Virtual Avex on December 10 and 11, and was live streamed.

Some participating theaters will hold "non-vocal cheering screenings," in which fans can clap and wave lights as in previous cheering screenings, but not shout or sing along.

The collaboration also held an exhibition looking back on both franchises at the Tokyo Anime Center at DNP Plaza Shibuya from November 11 to December 11.

The Pretty Series of projects began with syn Sophia's Pretty Rhythm: Mini Skirt arcade game in 2010. The game inspired four television anime series, as well as five anime films and the spinoff King of Prism franchise. The sequel game PriPara (Prism Paradise) launched in 2014 and inspired four television anime series and four anime films.

The first anime season of Kiratto Pri☆Chan premiered in Japan in April 2018. The second season then premiered in April 2019. The show's third season premiered in April 2020 and ended in May 2021. Crunchyroll streamed the anime as it aired.

A new magic-themed television anime, Waccha PriMagi!, premiered in October 2021 to mark the franchise's 10th anniversary. The series ended with its 51st episode on October 9, ending 11 and a half years of uninterrupted television anime broadcast history. HIDIVE streamed the series. Sentai Filmworks licensed the series, and it will release it on home video.

Idolland PriPara, a new smartphone app for the franchise, will debut in spring 2023. The app's associated anime, which will stream within the app, is the franchise's first new anime in three years. While the anime's regular run will be delayed alongside the app, the anime has so far had online preview screenings of the "episode 0" prequel and episode 1 in October 2021. Episode 2 had an online preview screening on January 12, and episode 3 had preview screenings in May. These episodes streamed again with new audio commentary tracks on November 2 (episode 1), November 16 (episode 0), and November 30 (episode 2).

The Aikatsu! franchise began with the original arcade card game in October 2012. The game inspired a television anime that ran from 2012 to 2016, and three anime films. The second entry in the franchise, Aikatsu Stars!, inspired a television anime that premiered on TV Tokyo and its affiliates in April 2016. Aikatsu Stars! received an anime film in August 2016.

The third entry in the Aikatsu! franchise, Aikatsu Friends!, premiered in April 2018 along with the accompanying Aikatsu Friends! Data Carddass arcade game. A sequel television anime titled Aikatsu Friends! ~Kagayaki no Jewel~ (Shining Jewel) then premiered in April 2018 with its own aracde game tie-in. The sequel is set two years after the story of Aikatsu Friends!, with the main character Aine Yūki now in high school.

The Aikatsu on Parade! television anime premiered in October 2019 with the new lead character Raki Kiseki and characters from the previous Aikatsu! anime series.

The Aikatsu! Planet seires premiered on January 10, 2021 and ended in June 2021. BN Pictures' Gekijō-ban Aikatsu Planet! film opened on July 15 alongside Aikatsu! 10th Story ~Mirai e no Starway~ (Starway to the Future, an apparent reference to the Japanese translation of the Led Zeppelin song "Stairway to Heaven"), the franchise's 10th anniversary film. The latter is spawning another new film that will open in Japan on January 20, 2023.

Sources: Dream Collaboration Festival project's Twitter account, Mainichi Shimbun's Mantan Web