News
22/7's Nao Aikawa Goes on Hiatus to Focus on Studies
posted on by Crystalyn Hodgkins
The official website for the idol group 22/7 announced on Saturday that group member Nao Aikawa will take a hiatus from the group starting on January 19 so that she can focus on her studies. She will not attend the "52OSAKA ~Girls Castle~" event on February 19, but will attend the planned "Nana Niji Live 2023" events on January 16 and 18.
The website will announce at a later date her planned return time to the group.
Aikawa joined the group as part of eight new members who joined the group in February 2022. The group now has a total of 14 members.
Since December 2020, five members have "graduated" from the group, including Urara Takatsuji, Ruri Umino, Mizuha Kuraoka, Aina Takeda, and Chiharu Hokaze. Hokaze graduated from the franchise in December 2020. Takatsuji left in November 2021. All five of the members' respective characters have also graduated from the franchise.
The 22/7 Ongaku no Jikan (22/7 Music Time) rhythm mobile game launched in May 2020 for iOS and Android devices and ended service in December 2021.
The 22/7 anime premiered in January 2020. The series had 12 episodes, plus a 13th "extra episode" titled "8+3=?" featuring all 11 main cast members at the time. Aniplex of America streamed the show as it aired in Japan on FunimationNow. The anime debuted on Crunchyroll in February 2020.
AKB48 founder and producer Yasushi Akimoto is producing the titular "dimension-crossing" idol group. The group originally had eight anime idol characters, with their respective voice actresses performing as idols in the real world.
