Aikatsu! (anime)

"My burning-passionate idol activites―Aikatsu! is starting!"

- Ichigo Hoshimiya and Akari Ōzora

Season 1
Aikatsu! (アイカツ!), short for Aidoru Katsudō! (アイドルカツドウ), is a collectible card game by Bandai. An anime adaptation was made by Sunrise that began airing on October 8, 2012. In addition, there are also Aikatsu! manga, an Aikatsu! Cinderella Lesson, and an Aikatsu! novel.

Plot
Ichigo Hoshimiya is an ordinary middle schooler who works at her mother's bento shop. One day, after attending an idol concert (featuring Mizuki Kanzaki) with Aoi Kiriya (her best friend who has a dedicated knowledge for idols), and Raichi Hoshimiya (Ichigo's little brother), Ichigo was left with a huge impression to become an idol. Later, Aoi told Ichigo that she is going to enroll in a school known as Starlight School (a female-only school dedicated in training girls to become idols) and suggests that Ichigo should enroll with her. Soon after taking their respective entrance examinations and getting accepted into the academy, Ichigo begins her life as an idol-in-training.

The series itself primarily focuses on Ichigo's journey to become a famous idol. She goes through the desire to become an idol while going through hardships of distrust.

Season 2
The 2nd Season for the anime began airing on October 3, 2013 and the 2014 Series of the Data Carddass Game began on October 10, 2013. The 3DS game titled "Aikatsu! Both of my princess" was also released on November 21, 2013.

Plot
With the rise of the new idol school, "Dream Academy", Starlight School has been placed in a predicament! With large rookie idol with perfect pitch "Seira Otoshiro", and producer-in-training Kī Saegusa, Starlight Academy will start facing new rivals which appear one after another, multiplied by the rivalry to take the seat of top idol! The girls driven into Idol Activities with overlap, encounter, and interact with new rivals. Ichigo and the others' Idol Activities will continue to go on!

Season 3
The third season for the anime began airing on October 2, 2014 along with the 2015 Series of the Data Carddass Game, with Akari Ōzora as the new central protagonist. A new 3DS game titled, "Aikatsu! 365 Idol Days" was also released on December 4, 2014.

Plot
This season marks the end of the central protagonist, Ichigo Hoshimiya and the first generation and the beginning of the second generation. Middle school first year, Akari Ōzora is now the new central protagonist and along with her new friends, Sumire Hikami, the "Blooming Ice Flower of the Stage", and veteran idol Hinaki Shinjō, they will continue to do Idol Activities together and succeed in their senpais' footsteps!

Season 4
Season 4 of the anime began airing on October 1, 2015 along with the 2016 Series of the Data Carddass Aikatsu Game, with idols from all over the country making appearances. A new 3DS game titled "Aikatsu! My No.1 Stage! was also released on November 26, 2015.

Plot
Deciding to embark on a new journey, the girls of Luminas hop onto the Aikatsu! Wagon and hold a nation wide tour around Japan. Along the way, they encounter various idols coming from different areas of the country. In Hokkaido, they meet Nono Daichi and Risa Shirakaba, two average girls, and inspire them to become passionate Aikatsu! idols at Starlight School.

Staff

 * Planning, Original Work: Sunrise (Episode 1 ~ 126) → BN Pictures (Episode 127)
 * Original Concept: Bandai
 * Director: Ryuichi Kimura
 * Series Composition: Yoichi Kato
 * Character Design: Hiroko Yaguchi
 * Character Design Assistance:
 * Ayumu Kawamura
 * Shigeki Fujiwara
 * Kaori Kimoto (Episode 1 - 24)
 * Supervisor: Seiji Mizushima
 * CG Director:
 * Kenya Taniguchi
 * Shin Kitada (Season 2)
 * Design Works:
 * Kayoko Ishikawa
 * Satomi Watabe
 * Art Director: Yūji Ōnuki
 * Color Scheme: Masumi Ootsuka
 * Director of Photography:
 * Junko Miyakawa (Season 1)
 * Hiroshi Ōgami (Season 2)
 * Editing: Yoshihiro Kasahara
 * Music: MONACA (Keiichi Okabe, Ryuichi Takada, Kakeru Ishihama, Keigo Hoashi, Hidekazu Tanaka, Kuniyuki Takahashi (starting Season 2))
 * Music Production:
 * MONACA
 * Sunrise Music Publishing
 * Music Production Assistance:
 * Lantis
 * TV Tokyo Music
 * Sound Director: Hiromi Kikuta
 * Executive Producer:
 * Yukio Kawasaki (TV Tokyo)
 * Keisuke Furusawa
 * Masaki Endou
 * Masayuki Ozaki
 * Producer:
 * Nara Hatsuo (Season 1)
 * Yōsuke Imai (Season 1)
 * Ryuta Wakanabe
 * Nobuyuki Hosoya (Season 2)
 * Takanori Itō (Season 2)
 * Animation Producer:
 * Haruhisa Yamamichi
 * Kōhei Itō
 * Animation Production Cooperation: Telecom Animation Film (Season 1)
 * Production: TV Tokyo, Dentsu, Sunrise (Episode 1 ~ 126) → BN Pictures (Episode 127)