The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls U149

The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls U149 (アイドルマスター シンデレラガールズ U149, Aidorumasutā Shinderera Gāruzu U149, officially stylized as THE iDOLM@STER CINDERELLA GIRLS U149) is a Japanese spin-off manga series of the The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls free-to-play simulation video game by Cygames and Bandai Namco Studios. The series is created by Kyowno, focusing on girls under 149 centimeters tall to be idols. An anime television series adaptation by CygamesPictures began airing on April 5, 2023.

The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls U149
Cover of the first manga volume
アイドルマスター シンデレラガールズ U149
(Aidorumasutā Shinderera Gāruzu U149)
GenreIdol[1]
Created by
Manga
Written byKyowno
Published by
ImprintCycomi × Ura Sunday
MagazineCycomi
DemographicShōnen
Original runOctober 15, 2016 – present
Volumes12
Anime television series
Directed byManabu Okamoto
Written byOki Murayama
Music byMakoto Miyazaki
StudioCygamesPictures
Licensed byCrunchyroll
Original networkTV Tokyo, AT-X, BS11, BS Nittele, TVQ
Original run April 5, 2023 – present
Episodes5

Plot

When the president of 364 Productions forms the Third Entertainment Division, he decides to have it mainly focus on the agency's younger idols who are still in elementary school. With the veteran producers reluctant to get involved with such an unconventional unit, a newly promoted Producer is assigned to manage the division. With this unfamiliar situation thrust upon him, the Producer decides to create a stage for his idols that nobody as seen before.

Characters
See also: List of The Idolmaster characters
Arisu Tachibana (橘ありす, Tachibana Arisu)
Voiced by: Amina Satō[2]
One of the more mature idols of the group, Arisu is intelligent but distant, often preferring that others only call her by her family name. Due to her parents largely working for most of the day, Arisu has decided to become an idol and is willing to go to any length to achieve that dream.
Momoka Sakurai (櫻井桃華, Sakurai Momoka)
Voiced by: Haruka Terui[2]
A very polite and well mannered girl who is excellent at acting and her family owns the powerful Sakurai Group.
Miria Akagi (赤城みりあ, Akagi Miria)
Voiced by: Tomoyo Kurosawa[2]
One of the younger idols of the group, Miria has a younger brother and is one of the friendliest and outgoing of the idols, and she dreams of being able to do a handshake meet and greet after she debuts.
Risa Matoba (的場梨沙, Matoba Risa)
Voiced by: Hana Tamegai[2]
One of the older idols who is always keeping up with the latest fashion trends and is very eager to debut as an idol. She also has great admiration for her father and seeks a way to legally marry him.
Haru Yūki (結城晴, Yūki Haru)
Voiced by: Makoto Koichi[2]
One of the older idols who is very athletic and talented at sports, particularly soccer. She is a tomboy who was forced to join the agency by her father in hopes that she would learn to wear more feminine clothing.
Chie Sasaki (佐々木千枝, Sasaki Chie)
Voiced by: Asaka Imai[2]
Kaoru Ryūzaki (龍崎薫, Ryūzaki Kaoru)
Voiced by: Natsumi Haruse[2]
Nina Ichihara (市原仁奈, Ichihara Nina)
Voiced by: Misaki Kuno[2]
One of the younger idols of the group, Nina enjoys dressing up as various types of animals and enjoys attracting attention to herself due to her father currently being away overseas and her mother too busy at work.
Koharu Koga (古賀小春, Koga Koharu)
Voiced by: Yuri Komori[3]
A young idol who has a love for animals and fairy tales. She keeps a pet iguana named Hyou-kun and she wants to become a princess like in the fairy tales. However, she has a tendency to get lost, necessitating Hyou-kun to help her get out of trouble.
Producer (プロデューサー, Purodyūsā)
Voiced by: Yūki Yonai[2]
He is the new producer of the Third Entertainment Division who is short. Although he likes to cultivate older and mature idols, seeing the situation in the division, he decided to lead the young girls to the stage of their dreams.

Media

Manga

The manga began serialization on October 15, 2016. A total of 12 volumes have been released online.

No. Japanese release date Japanese ISBN
1 July 28, 2017[4]978-4065092040
2 January 28, 2018[5]978-4065092453
3 May 30, 2018[6]978-4065118689
4 October 30, 2018[7]978-4065129432
5 May 30, 2019[8]978-4065163085
6 April 30, 2020[9]—
7 April 28, 2021[10]—
8 April 28, 2021[11]—
9 April 28, 2022[12]—
10 April 28, 2022[13]—
11 March 30, 2023[14]—
12 April 28, 2023[15]—

Anime

The anime adaptation was announced during the final concert in "The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls 10th Anniversary Magical Wonderland!!!" tour on April 3, 2022.[16] It is directed by Manabu Okamoto, who is also the sound director, with Hiroyuki Takashima serving as assistant director, Oki Murayama handling the scripts, Norie Igawa designing the characters for animation, Nippon Columbia producing the music, Makoto Miyazaki composing the music score and CygamesPictures animates the series.[2] The opening song "Shine In The Sky☆" is performed by the titular in-story U149 idol unit.[17] Crunchyroll holds the license to stream the series.[18] Plus Media Networks Asia simultaneous broadcast the series in Southeast Asia.[19] The anime began airing on April 5, 2023.[2] An original video animation would be bundled with the release of the series' fourth Blu-ray.[20]

No.Title [lower-alpha 1]Original air date
1"When Can't You See Your Own Face in the Mirror?"
(Japanese: 鏡でも見ることができない自分の顔って、なに？)		April 5, 2023 (2023-04-05)
Young idol Arisu Tachibana is a member of 364 Productions, but is waiting to be assigned to a proper unit. She grows increasingly frustrated with how her parents are almost never home due to their long working hours. Meanwhile, the president of the agency pushes for the creation of the 3rd Entertainment Division, which will mainly star younger idols who are still in elementary school. The veteran producers are reluctant to get involved with such an unconventional unit, and instead assign a newly-promoted Producer to manage it. He arrives at the office and meets his idols, including Arisu, Kaoru Ryuzaki, Nina Ichihara, Mirai Akagi, Chie Sasaki, Risa Matoba, Haru Yuuki, Koharu Koga, and Momoka Sakurai. While Arisu initially has no confidence in the Producer, they bond over their mutual fascination with idols and the Producer promises to make a stage for his idols like nobody has seen before.
2"What says 'I'm Home' even though it's leaving?"
(Japanese: おでかけなのにただいまをするもの、なに？)		April 12, 2023 (2023-04-12)
Nina arrives at the office with a collection of her kigurumi animal costumes, which she shows off to the others. The Producer then takes the idols to have promotional photos taken. However, Nina refuses to take her kigurumi off, due to feeling insecure without it. After practice, the idols return to the office while the Producer heads off to a meeting, though Nina accidentally leaves one of her kigurumi behind. The idols Shiki Ichinose and Frederica "Fred" Miyamoto find the kigurumi and decide to return it. Meanwhile, the Producer returns to the office where the idols are looking for the missing kigurumi. The Producer and Arisu accompany Nina through the city looking for it until Shiki and Fred catch up with them. Nina reveals she feels wearing kigurumi is the only way to get people to notice her due to her parents usually being away for work. The Producer assures her that it is her personality that attracts people, and promises to make her an idol so her father can listen to her no matter where in the world he is. The Producer later tells the other idols that he intends for all of them to debut as a group, and they take the opportunity to take a group photo.
3"What Sinks in the Ocean and Doesn't Get Wet?"
(Japanese: 海に沈んでもぬれないもの、なに？)		April 19, 2023 (2023-04-19)
The Producer attempts to secure a venue for his idols to perform at, but everybody he meets is reluctant to host a unit consisting solely of elementary schoolers. Arisu and some of the other idols begin to become skeptical of the Producer's ability to secure work. When the Producer notices that Miria and a few other of the idols are big fans of the show Sugar-Min TV, hosted by idols Abe Nana and Shin Satou at the same agency, he has the idea to have his idols collaborate with Sugar-Min TV to gain some publicity. The idols film some segments with the hosts, but Shin accidentally turns on her livestream while showing her setup to Miria. Seeing how Miria is instantly popular with the stream audience, Shin plays along and continues the stream. Despite being chastised by his section chief, the Producer is ultimately proud of Miria finding the courage to livestream. Afterwards, thanks to the publicity from the videos, the 3rd Entertainment Division begins gaining more followers and securing job requests.
4"What Flies With Broken Wings?"
(Japanese: 羽が折れているのに飛んでいくもの、なに？)		April 26, 2023 (2023-04-26)
Momoka is invited to star on a variety show where if contestants get a quiz answer wrong, they must go bungee jumping as a punishment game. While the Producer tells the other idols that Momoka, who has a refined and polite demeanor, was selected due to being the least likely to bungee jump, in reality she was chosen because her family's business, the Sakurai Group, sponsors the show. Suspicious of the Producer's motives, Arisu decides to accompany him and Momoka to the filming of the show. Arisu is shocked to learn that the entire show is scripted, and that Momoka is able to perform as a skilled actress as well. However, Momoka herself has doubts about how to act like a "normal person". When Momoka hesitates to bungee jump, the Producer offers to go first, and Momoka is reassured to know that even adults can show fear. She then performs the bungee jump with ease and is able to maintain her composure, which impresses her fans, and she tells the Producer she became an idol because she wants to spread her feelings of love to her audience. Some time later, the idols watch the finished episode and praise Momoka, while the group gains some new followers.
5"What's Really High But Underground?"
(Japanese: すごく高いのにずっと地下にあるもの、なに？)		May 3, 2023 (2023-05-03)
Risa begins to get anxious when she sees Momoka's idol prospects advancing ahead of her own. She presses the Producer for some work, and he's able to find the opportunity for her to audition for the lead role in an upcoming movie. As Risa tries to improve her acting skills, the Producer provides her with an audition plan and, per her request, promises to reward her if she secures the role. While Risa is not chosen for the lead role, she is instead offered a supporting one, and accepts it. Despite this, Risa still blames herself for not being good enough, and fears she will let down her dad, whose attention she values greatly, to the extent she claims she wishes it were legal to marry him. Meanwhile, the Producer consults with his sister over how to help Risa, and decides on involving the other idols to help her prepare for her role. After filming is complete, Risa has the Producer invite all of the other idols to watch the film together.
6"What Gets Cooler the Hotter it Gets?"
(Japanese: 暑くなればなるほどかけるもの、なに？)		May 10, 2023 (2023-05-10)
The Producer enlists Haru and Risa as replacement backup dancers for one of the agency's other idol groups, LiPPS. However, the assignment is on short notice, meaning the two have to learn the dance choreography before the weekend. During practice, they have a brief encounter with Shiki before the Producer arrives with the costumes. However, Haru is opposed to wearing wearing cute or girly outfits, preferring tomboy-ish and cool clothes, and gets into an argument with Risa before storming off. The Producer goes after her, and she reveals to him that her father forced her to join the agency in an effort to make her dress and act more like a stereotypical girl. When Haru asks what the appeal of being an idol is, the Producer shows her a recording of a LiPPS concert. While inspired by the concert, Haru is still reluctant to wear a dress, so the Producer wears a skirt himself to put her at ease. She finally pushes through her discomfort and agrees to wear the outfit, though she is allowed to wear compression shorts underneath. Despite being nervous, Haru is able to perform her part in the concert, and becomes excited at the thought of becoming an idol, with Shiki challenging her to catch up to her level. The Producer then promises to Haru that she can perform at the girls' own concert next.
7"What Speaks Without a Voice?"
(Japanese: 声を持たないのに語るもの、なに？)		May 17, 2023 (2023-05-17)
One day, Koharu decides to bring her pet iguana Hyou-kun to the office and show shim off to the other idols. She explains that she always used to get lost, but ever since she bought Hyou-kun as a pet, her parents always managed to find her quickly, leading her to consider Hyou-kun her knight. That night, she makes a wish to spread her happiness to others, and the next day, the Producer tells her about a job offer to appear on a show that features rare animals with Hyou-kun. Koharu accepts the offer and tells the other idols that she became an idol so that she could become a princess that everybody loves. Koharu and Hyou-kun's appearance on the show proves to be a huge success. However, after the show, Koharu wanders off following a butterfly, forcing the Producer, Momoka, and Chie to scramble to look for her. Meanwhile, a rainstorm starts and Koharu takes shelter in a gazebo, only for Hyou-kun to seemingly abandon her, and she begins to reflect on what it means to be a princess. Hyou-kun finds the Producer and leads him to Koharu's location. On the way home, Koharu tells the Producer she's decided what kind of princess she wants to be, and stops to help a lost child.

Notes
  1. All English titles were taken from Crunchyroll.

References
  1. Loo, Egan (September 4, 2022). "The Idolm@ster Cinderella Girls U149 TV Anime's Teaser Video Reveals 2023 Debut". Anime News Network. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  2. Loo, Egan (November 27, 2022). "The Idolm@ster Cinderella Girls U149 TV Anime's New Video Reveals Staff, Cast, April 2023 Premiere". Anime News Network. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  3. "「アイドルマスター シンデレラガールズ U149」古賀小春役は小森結梨、コメントも到着（動画あり / コメントあり）". コミックナタリー (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc.
  4. 【新装版】アイドルマスター シンデレラガールズ U149 1 [New Edition The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls U149 1] (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  5. 【新装版】アイドルマスター シンデレラガールズ U149 2 [New Edition The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls U149 2] (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  6. 【新装版】アイドルマスター シンデレラガールズ U149 3 [New Edition The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls U149 3] (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  7. 【新装版】アイドルマスター シンデレラガールズ U149 4 [New Edition The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls U149 4] (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  8. 【新装版】アイドルマスター シンデレラガールズ U149 5 [New Edition The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls U149 5] (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  9. 【新装版】アイドルマスター シンデレラガールズ U149 6 [New Edition The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls U149 6] (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  10. 【新装版】アイドルマスター シンデレラガールズ U149 7 [New Edition The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls U149 7] (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  11. 【新装版】アイドルマスター シンデレラガールズ U149 8 [New Edition The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls U149 8] (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  12. 【新装版】アイドルマスター シンデレラガールズ U149 9 [New Edition The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls U149 9] (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  13. 【新装版】アイドルマスター シンデレラガールズ U149 10 [New Edition The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls U149 10] (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  14. 【新装版】アイドルマスター シンデレラガールズ U149 11 [New Edition The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls U149 11] (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  15. 【新装版】アイドルマスター シンデレラガールズ U149 12 [New Edition The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls U149 12] (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  16. Loo, Egan (March 3, 2022). "The Idolm@ster Cinderella Girls U149 Manga Gets TV Anime". Anime News Network. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  17. Pineda, Rafael Antonio (February 14, 2023). "The Idolm@ster Cinderella Girls U149 Anime's Video Reveals Opening Song, April 5 Debut". Anime News Network. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  18. Mateo, Alex (April 5, 2023). "Crunchyroll Streams Stella of the Theater: World Dai Star, The IDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls U149, The Marginal Service Anime". Anime News Network. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  19. Pineda, Rafael Antonio (April 5, 2023). "Aniplus Asia Airs Simulcast of The Idolm@ster Cinderella Girls U149 Anime". Anime News Network. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  20. Hodgkins, Crystalyn (April 6, 2023). "The Idolm@ster Cinderella Girls U149 Anime Gets New Episode on 4th Blu-ray Disc Release". Anime News Network. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
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