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DeNA's Hacka Doll News App Inspires TV Anime (Updated)

DeNA revealed during a stage event at the "Machi Asobi 14" event in Tokushima on Sunday that its Hacka Doll news app is inspiring a television anime series. Hacka Doll the Animation, which will be a series of anime shorts, will air on the Tokyo MX TV and BS 11 television channels' "Ultra Super Anime Time" programming block starting in October.

The upcoming 30-minute anime programming block "Ultra Super Anime Time" will air three anime shorts for the summer season and three shorts for the fall season. The summer shows include the second season of Miss Monochrome, the Wooser no Sono Higurashi Mugen-hen anime, and the Wakaba Girl anime. The fall shows so far include Tomoya Takashima (Yamishibai: Japanese Ghost Stories) and studio Tomovies' Kagewani anime and an unnamed new project from Hiroyuki Imaishi (Kill la Kill) and Studio Trigger.

Studio Trigger (Kill la Kill, Ninja Slayer From Animation) previously animated a two minute promo video for the app last year.

The anime personifies the app's customization engine as three "Hacka Dolls" — the personal entertainment AI and main navigator Hacka Doll #1 (played by Miyu Takagi), the anime expect Hacka Doll #2 (Kaya Okuno), and the knowledgeable otaku Hacka Doll #3 (Nanami Yamashita). The Hacka Doll's three voice actresses also sing the anime's theme song "First Heart Beat," while Reimi Yukarino voices the user. Ikuo Geso (Kill la Kill key animator) served as the director, storyboarder, animation director, editor, designer, and digital painter for the anime.

The Hacka Doll app delivers a customized feed of news for each user. The user answers some simple questions when launching the app for the first time, and then the app will filter the news that caters to the user's personal interests — boys love (BL), cosplay, anime, manga, games, light novels, voice cast members, and more. With daily use, the app automatically analyzes and learns which news articles the user reads and recommends to further personalize the feed.

The app delivers 25 news articles three times a day (morning, noon, and night). Articles about products have direct links to order each item from Tsutaya Online Shopping.

The news app is available on Apple's App Store for iOS devices and on Google Play for Android devices.

DeNA also released a web version of the app on Sunday. The company will also have a display booth for the franchise at the Comic Market 88 (Comiket) event in August.

Update: The news website CNet Japan is reporting that Geso will return to direct the TV anime series. Creators in Pack will be the main animation studio, and Studio Trigger will collaborate on the animation. Each episode will be 10 minutes long. CNet also reported that the title of the series will be Hacka Doll the Animation. [Via Yaraon!]

Source: Dengeki Online