The animated film "Aikatsu! x PriPara THE MOVIE - The Miracle of Encounter!", a collaboration between the popular anime and game series "Aikatsu!" and "PriPara," was released on October 10th. "Aikatsu!" and "PriPara" were the driving forces behind the "Heisei era girls' idol anime and games" of the 2010s. We look back on the era of "Aikatsu!" and "PriPara."
◇ Changing the landscape of toy stores
Bandai is developing the amusement game for "Aikatsu!", while Bandai Namco Pictures is producing the anime. Meanwhile, Takara Tomy Arts is developing the game for "PriPara," while Tatsunoko Productions is producing the anime. Although "Aikatsu!" and "PriPara" are supposed to be rivals, an unprecedented "miraculous collaboration" has been realized to commemorate the 10th anniversaries of the two works.
The amusement game "Aikatsu!" began operation in 2012, and the anime began at the same time. "Pripara," part of the "Pretty Series," which began with the game "Pretty Rhythm Miniskirt" in July 2010, began simultaneous development of the anime and amusement game in July 2014. Both are idol-themed anime and games.
The roots of these two works lie in the game "Oshare Majo Love and Berry (Love Berry)," which was released between 2004 and 2008 and caused a boom among elementary school girls at the time. Some say that the arcade game "The Idolmaster," which was released in 2005, is the original model, but it seems that "Love Berry" had a major influence.
Shinichiro Ohba of Takara Tomy Arts, which has produced the "Pretty Series" since its inception, said, "A few years after 'Love Berry' ended, girls disappeared from toy sections. It all started with wanting to bring girls back to the sales floor." Over 10 years ago, when he interviewed a person in charge of "Aikatsu!", he revealed that he had been conscious of "Love Berry."
The "Pretty Series," which includes "Aikatsu!" and "PriPara," revived amusement games for girls and changed the landscape of toy stores.
◇The influence of AKB48
The influence of the idol group "AKB48," which was incredibly popular at the time, was also significant. "AKB48" spread not only among idol fans but also among children, and grew into a national idol. During this time, when the "Idol Warring States Period" was entering, idol-themed shows like "Aikatsu!" and "PriPara" were born.
The first installment of the Pretty Series, Pretty Rhythm Miniskirt, was a collaboration with Miniskirt, an idol unit formed by trainees of AKB48, and Aikatsu! was also a popular collaboration series, with former members Itano Tomomi and Shimazaki Haruka serving as special collaboration partners.
◇Relationship with the Heisei girl boom
Having covered "Aikatsu!" and "PriPara" for over 10 years, it seems that the scenery at events has changed. When the series was first broadcast and in operation, events featuring voice actors and singers were often attended by male anime fans known as "Aikatsu Uncle" or "PriPara Uncle," but in recent years the number of female fans has increased. As the series has been running for over 10 years, it seems that fans who were children when it was broadcast have grown up and are now attending events. There is also an increase in merchandise aimed at female fans.
There has been a lot of talk on social media about the "Heisei Girls Boom," a trend that sees a re-evaluation of the culture that women who were children during the Heisei era were crazy about, and it seems that "Aikatsu!" and "PriPara" are also attracting renewed attention from female fans. While it may be a bit of a stretch to link them to the "Heisei Girls Boom," as there are many fans who have poured their love into these anime collaborations for many years, there is no doubt that there are adults who feel nostalgic for the collaboration anime.
These two works are not just character content, but have also fostered a multifaceted culture in areas such as fashion, music, and live performances, becoming symbols of the lineage of "girls' culture" that continues from the Heisei era to the Reiwa era.
