Series synopsis
Aikatsu!, also known as アイカツ！ is a Japanese animation comedy drama kids sci-fi & fantasy television series that premiered on TV Tokyo on October 8, 2012. It ended on March 31, 2016. It stars Sumire Morohoshi, Ayaka Ohashi, Azusa Tadokoro and Aya Suzaki.
Ichigo Hoshimiya is a regular, ordinary middle school girl. But when her best friend Aoi invites her to join the idol training academy, Starlight Academy, her whole world is turned upside down. As she encounters all kinds of rivals and learns what it takes to be an idol, she uses her Aikatsu Cards to challenge countless auditions.
Premise
Ichigo Hoshimiya is a regular, ordinary middle school girl. But when her best friend Aoi invites her to join the idol training academy, Starlight Academy, her whole world is turned upside down. As she encounters all kinds of rivals and learns what it takes to be an idol, she uses her Aikatsu Cards to challenge countless auditions.
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Sumire Morohoshi as Ichigo Hoshimiya (voice)
- Ayaka Ohashi as Ran Shibuki (voice)
- Azusa Tadokoro as Aoi Kiriya (voice)
- Aya Suzaki as Mikuru Natsuki (voice)
- Sanae Fuku as Lisa Shirakaba (voice)
- Shino Shimoji as Akari Ōzora (voice)
- Kotori Koiwai as Nono Ōji (voice)
- Kaya Matsutani as Orihime Mitsuishi
Supporting cast
- Yuu Wakui as Sumire Hikami (voice)
- Kiyono Yasuno as Sakura Kitaooji (voice)
- Yui Ishikawa as Hinaki Shinjou (voice)
- Aya Saito as Juri Kurebayashi (voice)
- Makoto Yasumura as Johnny Beppu
- Haruka Terui as Yui Hattori (voice)
- Yuuki Takada as Rin Kurosawa (voice)
- Asami Yano as Nina Doujima (voice)
- Miki Mirai as Hinaki Shinjo (singing voice)
- Minako Kotobuki as Mizuki Kanzaki (voice)
- Ruka Endou as Akari Oozora (singing voice)
- Waka Kirishima as Ichigo Hoshimiya (Singing Voice)
Guest cast
- Eri Aino as Kokone Kurisu / Maria Himesato / Sakura Kitaooji / Sora Kazesawa (singing voice)
- Risuko Sasakama as Mizuki Kanzaki (singing voice)
- Yuna Mimura as Kaede Ichinose (voice)
- Sunao Yoshikawa as Ran Shibuki / Sora Kazesawa (singing voice)
- Yuna Ichikura as Kaede Ichinose / Kii Saegusa / Ran Shibuki / Shion Kamiya (singing voice)
- Toshiyuki Toyonaga as Naoto Suzukawa
- Remi Mitani as Otome Arisugawa / Yurika Tōdō (singing voice)
- Moe Yamazaki as Yurika Toudou (singing voice)
- Chihiro Kawakami as Madoka Amahane
- Akira Sekine as Miyabi Fujiwara
- Minami Takahashi as Sora Kazesawa (voice)
- Misako Tomioka as Maria Himesato (voice)
Episodes
This series spans 4 seasons with 178 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 50 | October 8, 2012 | September 26, 2013 |
| Season 2 | 51 | October 3, 2013 | September 25, 2014 |
| Season 3 | 51 | October 2, 2014 | September 24, 2015 |
| Season 4 | 26 | October 1, 2015 | March 31, 2016 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
I Can Become an Idol? Ichigo Hoshimiya is a bright young girl who is always helping her mother out at a takeaway bento place. After accidentally messing up her brother Raichi's photos of top idol Mizuki Kanzaki, Ichigo goes to her best friend Aoi Kiriya, who manages to get them some tickets to Mizuki's concert. The three of them go to Mizuki's concert, which leaves a strong impression on Ichigo. |
October 8, 2012 |
| 2 |
So Many Idols! Ichigo and Aoi begin their first day at Starlight Academy, taking in the sights before moving into their dorm. They then meet up with the headmistress, Orihime Mitsuishi, who gives them the Aikatsu cards they selected in the audition, as well as an Aikatsu Phone used to store their cards. |
October 15, 2012 |
| 3 |
I Want to Know More About You As Aoi begins her job as Mizuki's temporary manager alongside her usual manager, Honoka Tsukikage, Ichigo decides to pursue them in secret. She is soon caught stowing away, but Mizuki lets her tag along regardless. |
October 22, 2012 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
That Rock Chick is a Dream☆Girl One year after Ichigo left for America, a new rival idol school, Dream Academy, has been formed, raising its own idols. Meanwhile, at Starlight Academy, where Otome is the current Starlight Queen, Aoi and the others meet a peculiar girl, though can't identify her amongst the listed idols. |
October 3, 2013 |
| 2 |
Welcome Back ♫ Strawberry After Ichigo rekindles with everyone, Seira decides to test if she can pull off a Constellation Appeal, with Aoi letting her take her place in the concert. Ichigo manages to pull off a Constellation Appeal, which results in the contest ending in a draw. |
October 10, 2013 |
| 3 |
La la la ☆ ★ rival After failing to find some concrete details on what Ichigo got up to during her year in America, Kii sends Seira over to Ichigo's house to ask her in person. |
October 17, 2013 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Let's Aikatsu☆Ready Go!! During a rainfall, the roof in Akari's dorm room starts leaking, resulting in Akari and her roommate, Yuu, having to move into separate dorms, with Akari moving in with Sumire Hikami, who she met by coincidence that morning. |
October 2, 2014 |
| 2 |
Positive Reading On the day before her job with Ichigo, Sumire gets a less than favorable horoscope, but finds a way to twist it into something positive. Later, Akari helps Sumire read up on Ichigo, with Ichigo herself giving her a bag of things to look over. |
October 9, 2014 |
| 3 |
Aikatsu Dash! Akari meets Hinaki Shinjyo, a child actor from Sumire's class, who has been interested in her ever since her entrance audition where she inadvertently introduced herself as Ichigo. |
October 16, 2014 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Let's Fly, Look Out Vast World! When the three members of Luminas began their Luminas☆Japan Tour, their very first location was the Land of the North, Hokkaido. In this land filled with the presence of nature, an encounter was made with the Sing and Dance Lovers, Nono Daichi and Lisa Shirakaba. When their encounter begins, right here, right now opens the curtains of the beginning of the two idols' Aikatsu! |
October 1, 2015 |
| 2 |
We'll Take that Potato, and Replace it with a Mic After meeting Luminas, the pounding hearts of Nono Daichi and Lisa Shirakaba are unstoppable. This came from the strong feeling of admiration towards them as an idol. And so, in order to express this feeling of theirs, the two have decided to participate in the Entrance Audition for Starlight School...! |
October 8, 2015 |
| 3 |
Thrilling Carat☆ The now hottest Jewelry brand "Thrilling Carat" is holding a CM (commercial) audition, and Akari Ōzora, Sumire Hikami and Hinaki Shinjō have been invited to participate in the audition. The three did a lot of research about Jewelry despite their busy schedule in order to pass the audition, and enjoyed it very much. Inspired by the trio, Nono Daichi and Lisa Shirakaba decides to join in on researching...! |
October 15, 2015 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | TV Tokyo |
|---|---|
| First aired | October 8, 2012 |
| Last aired | March 31, 2016 |
| Runtime | 24 minutes |
| Status | Ended |
| Schedule | Thursday at 18:00:00 |