Aikatsu Planet! Idol TV Series Gets Film Next Summer

The Sunrise Festival Regeneration 2021 screening of the Aikatsu Planet! series ended with an announcement that a theatrical film has been green-lit for release next summer. Lead actress Kaaya Date, chief director Ryuichi Kimura, and producer Dai Kimura presented the news in person at the Tokyo screening.

Aikatsu Planet! was the Aikatsu! idol franchise's first television project that combined animation, 3D CG, and live-action.

The story revolves around "Aikatsu Planet," a world where anyone can assume the role of an avatar and become an adorably cute idol. Mao Otoha, an ordinary first-year student at the private academy Seirei High School, becomes the #1 idol Hana when Hana's previous alter ego Meisa Hinata suddenly disappeared. However, Mao's new role as the avatar Hana is a secret to everyone else. The tagline of the project is, "To become the 'me' I want to be, I enter the mirror."

The project used anime and CG to depict the scenes in the "Aikatsu Planet" world, and it used live-action footage to depict Mao's daily life.

BN Pictures was credited with the project's development, original story, and production, and Bandai was credited with the original concept. Ryuichi Kimura served as both chief director and director, and Misuzu Chiba supervised the series scripts. Risa Miyadani designed the characters. Tohokushinsha Film Corporation produced the live-action footage. The characters Mao, Ruli, Kyōko, and Shiori sang the opening song "Bloomy*Smile," and the new unit Starry Planet sang the theme song "Happy ∞ Aikatsu."

The Aikatsu Planet! seires premiered on January 10 and ended this past June.

The Aikatsu! franchise began with the original arcade card game in October 2012. The game inspired a television anime that ran from 2012 to 2016, and three anime films. The second entry in the franchise, Aikatsu Stars!, inspired a television anime that premiered on TV Tokyo and its affiliates in April 2016. Aikatsu Stars! received an anime film in August 2016.

The third entry in the Aikatsu! franchise, Aikatsu Friends!, premiered in April 2018 along with the accompanying Aikatsu Friends! Data Carddass arcade game. A sequel television anime titled Aikatsu Friends! ~Kagayaki no Jewel~ (Shining Jewel) then premiered in April 2018 with its own aracde game tie-in. The sequel is set two years after the story of Aikatsu Friends!, with the main character Aine Yūki now in high school.

The Aikatsu on Parade! television anime premiered on Saturday, October 5, 2019 with the new lead character Raki Kiseki and characters from the previous Aikatsu! anime series.