Theatrical Release of 'Aikatsu!'! Girls Nationwide Go Wild for This Early Christmas Present!

On December 13th, the opening day stage greeting for the movie version of Aikatsu! was held at Shinjuku Wald 9 in Tokyo.

Appearing at the venue were Sumire Morohoshi, who plays the protagonist Ichigo Hoshimiya, along with Azusa Tadokoro, Ayaka Ohashi, Shino Shimochi, Kiyono Yasuno, Yuna Mimura, and Chief Director Ryuichi Kimura. Additionally, Kanna Hashimoto, serving as the 2015 Special Collaboration Partner for Aikatsu!, took the stage wearing a "Special Collaboration Dress" to celebrate the opening day.

"Aikatsu!", immensely popular among elementary school girls, is a digital kids' card game themed around "idols" and "fashion". The TV anime began airing simultaneously with the game in October 2012. Its popularity exploded instantly, with cumulative card shipments exceeding 110 million units (as of end of March 2014). It has become a hugely popular content, captivating not only elementary school girls but also their parents.

Hashimoto, serving as the special collaboration partner for the "Aikatsu!" 2015 series, stated: "The movie depicts the feelings passed down from seniors to juniors, which I personally related to deeply! My single released on December 3rd includes the collaboration song 'Koi Iro Passion' with 'Aikatsu!'. It sings about the fluttering feelings of first love, and like the movie, it's a bright and wonderful song that makes you feel like you can embrace a beautiful tomorrow."
When asked about her Christmas plans, she replied, "It's between live performances, so I'll probably be intensively training in singing and dancing (laughs)."

Morohoshi, who plays the protagonist Hoshimiya Ichigo, added, "It's become a sparkling movie full of pure energy. I'd be happy if people watch it focusing on Ichigo's hard work and also pay attention to the new song created for the film."

Director Kimura further excited the audience with a tease about a potential sequel: "(If there were a sequel) there are so many idols who've appeared so far (laughs), but I'd love to make a movie where they all gather together."

Finally, giant crackers added a festive touch to the venue, and the event concluded amidst great excitement.

For more details on the film, please visit the official website.
http://www.aikatsu-movie.net/