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Hypnosis Mic Writer Yūichirō Momose Launches New Datewars Franchise

Hypnosis Mic franchise writer Yūichirō Momose announced a new project titled Datewars on Thursday, with Hanaharu Naruko (Kamichu!, Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet, Kandagawa Jet Girls) as character designer, and Mino as music producer, video creator, and music commentator. The "timeless music IP project" aims to bring new life to musical styles from the 70s to the 2000s, and will involve 14 voice actresses, with plans for the franchise to expand into manga, anime, mobile games, concerts, films, and stage events. The franchise's production committee includes talent agencies Twin Planet and INCS Toenter, creative agency UUUM, media company EXNOA, printing company Dai Nippon Printing (DNP), Hamachi Network 2, and content creator company LuaaZ.

The franchise's YouTube channel also uploaded its first music video for the song "Jailbird."

The story of Datewars is set in a world where songs are more respected and feared than any weapon, with particularly famous songs lending tremendous power. The world has been united by an organization known as Einstürzende Neubauten, which has abolished the death penalty, and instead doles out sentences that can reach 100 million years of labor, which can pass onto a criminal's descendants even after they die. Such descendants serving out the punishment of their ancestors' crimes are known as "The Damned." A terrorist organization known as The Garden of Possibility/Birthday has gained the ability to travel to the past. The organization seeks to establish a timeline where Einstürzende Neubauten is not established, and to this end, they seek to steal famous songs to add to their arsenal, or to manipulate them to be unusable by their enemies. To confront them, the Special Combined Force of Einstürzende Neubauten's Department of Cultural Protection establishes "The Timeless Travelers," a group of Damned who go out on missions against the terrorists by using songs as their weapons. The more they win in so-called "Amnesty Battles," the more they commute their sentences and earn their freedom.

The 14 characters are divided into teams each focusing on songs from a particular decade. The "70s Timeless Travelers" (in pink jump suits left to right in the visual above) are Rinrin Ruru (Reina Kondo), Miki Ikomiki (Natsune Inui), and Mai Maimai (Anri Tanaka). The "80s Timeless Travelers" (in blue jump suits left to right in the visual above) are Ume Kamiatakaashitsuhimenomikoto (Anna Nagase), Tone Sukunahikonanokami (May Tachibana), Hatsu Kuebiko (Meiku Harukawa), and Tomi Kushinadahime (Hinaho Takeda). The "90s Timeless Travelers" (in yellow jump suits left to right in visual above) are Shuro Kogarasumaru (Rin Mizuki), Matatabi Kotetsu (Takako Tanaka), Marumero Nenekirimaru (Ayumu Kotomiya), and Shara Kitsunegasaki (Kokona Natsume). The "2000s Timeless Travelers" (in gray jump suits left to right in image above) are Niko Tanaka (Momoko Seto), Ichiko Tanaka (Miharu Hanai), and Miko Tanaka (Hina Yomiya).

Sources: Datewars franchise's website, Comic Natalie