Sony Music Entertainment Japan's UniteUp! gets second promo video

Sony Music Entertainment Japan's "next dimensional idol project" UniteUp! received a new promo video that focuses on Akira Kiyose and the rest of Protostar singers. In the PV, Akira was seen scouted by sMILea production, after which he met his co-stars Banri Naoe and Chihiro Isuzugawa. Other idol group members from Legit, Jaxx Jaxx, and AneLa were also featured.

UniteUp! will premiere on January 7, 2023, on Tokyo MX, Tochigi TV, Gunma TV, and BS11 at 11:30 pm JST (9:30 am EST). The series will also be broadcast on HTB Hokkaido TV, MBS, Me-Tele, and Fukuoka Broadcast. Muse Asia has relieved international fans by announcing that the platform has included UniteUp! in its massive catalog. However, the distribution details are yet to be revealed.

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The opening theme song for UniteUp! Will be performed by the existing cast members

Besides giving a brief sneak peek at Akira Kiyose's journey, the PV also revealed the titular opening theme song UniteUp!, performed by the cast members of the series. The ending theme song has not been announced yet.

However, given the anime is an idol-themed series, it can be expected that the cast members will once again spellbind anime and music enthusiasts with a befitting ending theme song.

Here’s the list of cast members separated by Idol groups:

Protostar:

• Akira Kiyose: Kikunosuke Toya (Denji in Chainsaw Man)
• Banri Naoe: Ryotaro Yamaguchi (Tsubaki Yukinaga in Futsal Boys!!!!!)
• Chihiro Isuzugawa: Amon Hirai (debut)

Legit:

• Daiki Takao: Magura Sukegawa (debut)
• Eishiro Nijo: Shinnosuke Morikage (debut)
• Fuga Togo: Ryuichiro Sakata (debut)

Jaxx Jaxx:

• Gakuto Haruka: masa (debut)
• Homare Katsura: Yūki Shimomae (debut)
• Izumi Kashii: Takumi Magoshi (debut)
• Jun Wakasa: Kosei Tsubokura (debut)
• Kanata Morinomiya: Gaku Takamoto (debut)

AneLa:

• Lin Otsuki: Soma Saito (Tatsumi in Akame ga Kill!)
• Maoto Tsujido: Yoshiki Nakajima (Yoshifumi Nitta in Hinamatsuri)

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A brief synopsis of the anime

The anime follows Akira Kiyose, a high-school student who loves singing, usually on a video streaming platform under the moniker "KIKUNOYU." Being exceptionally talented, he eventually gets scouted by sMILlea Production, a talent agency founded by Lin Otsuki and Maoto Tsujido, the retired legendary idol pair AneLa.

Later, Akira meets Banri Naoe and Chihiro Isuzugawa, also recruited by the agency. The three eventually form the idol group, Protostar, and make their debut alongside Legit and Jaxx Jaxx, the other new idol groups with sMiLea Production.

Shinichirou Ushijima, the director behind I Want to Eat Your Pancreas, will be directing UniteUp! at Studio Cloverworks, the production house that animated Spy x Family, Bocchi the Rock!, and Hormiya. Rino Yamazaki will be penning the scripts. Besides the character designs for the series, Majiro is also the chief animation director alongside Yurie Hama and Asami Komatsu.