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22/7 TV Anime's 2nd Promo Spotlights All 8 Idols, Previews Nicole's New Voice

The official website and Twitter account for the television anime of the 22/7 idol project began streaming the second promotional video on Saturday. Unlike the first promotional video which focused on the idol Miu Takigawa, the new promotional video shines the spotlight on all eight idols in the 22/7 group. It notably previews Uta Kawase as the new voice actress for Nicole Saitō, and previews the opening theme song "Muzui."

Kadokawa and the anime's staff also previewed the front cover of Newtype magazine's February 2019 issue, which will go on sale on January 10. Both the cover and a B2-sized poster included in the issue feature an illustration of Miu Takigawa by character designer Yukiko Horiguchi.

On the anime's premiere date, the main Akihabara Gamers store will be handing out a free postcard inspired by the G.I.P. letter that Miu Takigawa receives in the anime.

The anime's website also debuted the three jacket illustrations (two types of limited first pressings and the regular edition) for the February 26 CD single of the anime's "Muzui" opening theme song:

The anime will premiere on January 11 at 11:00 p.m. on the Tokyo MX, Gunma TV, Tochigi TV, and BS11 channels. Aniplex of America will begin streaming on FunimationNow on January 11, and it will debut on Crunchyroll on February 10.

In the first episode, titled "Sayonara, Watashi no Sasayaka na Sekai" (Farewell, My Small World), Miu Takigawa (Nagomi Saijō) receives a mysterious letter from the GIP talent agency. Miu and 7 other girls have been drawn together by fate itself. "You will make your major label debut as an idol group" ... Led by a man named Gōda, Miu finds herself before a secret underground facility and a mysterious wall. Miu and the others step onto a fateful stage where light and darkness swirl around them.

AKB48 founder and producer Yasushi Akimoto is producing the titular "dimension-crossing" idol group. The group based on the concept of "idols who cross dimensions" has eight anime idol characters, with their respective voice actresses performing as idols in the real world. Sony Music Records and Aniplex received 10,325 applications for the idol group and held five rounds of auditions.

Takao Abo (The Rising of The Shield Hero, Norn9) is directing the series at A-1 Pictures. Chiaki Nagai (The IDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls, Utano☆Princesama Legend Star) and Reiji Miyajima (Rent-A-Girlfriend, Mononote - Edo Shinobi Kagyō manga) are in charge of series scripts. Majiro (Macross Delta, Barakamon) is handling the animation character designs and serving as chief animation director. Akira Takata (Durarara!!, After the Rain) and Satomi Tamura (Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai, Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dreaming Girl) are also chief animation directors.

The 22/7 idol group performs the anime's opening theme song "Muzui" (Difficult) and ending theme song "Sora no Emerald" (Emerald of the Sky).

The series will have 12 episodes plus a 13th "extra episode" titled "8+3=?" featuring all 11 main cast members, including Moe Suzuhana as Mikami Kamiki, Urara Takatsuji as Yūki Tōjō, and Aina Takeda as Tsubomi Hiiragi. Mei Hanakawa played the character Nicole Saitō for the project earlier, but she announced this month that she is leaving the idol group for health reasons.

The group announced in July 2017 that they were getting an anime project. The group began releasing animated music videos in 2017, and their first character videos debuted in English in May 2018.

Sources: 22/7 anime's website and Twitter account, Comic Natalie