is a Japanese

television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...

starring members of the idol group

Hinatazaka46 is a Japanese idol group produced by Yasushi Akimoto. The group was established as a subgroup of Sakurazaka46, Keyakizaka46 named Hiragana Keyakizaka46 on 30 November 2015, and was renamed and spun off into its own group on 11 February 2019. ...

. The show follows the students daily lives as they attend a

voice acting Voice acting is the art of performing a character or providing information to an audience with one's voice. Performers are often called voice actors/actresses in addition to other names. Examples of voice work include animated, off-stage, off-sc ...

school. The show aired on

Nippon TV JOAX-DTV (channel 4), branded as (NTV) or Nippon TV, is a Japanese television station serving the Kantō region as the flagship station of the Nippon News Network and the Nippon Television Network System, owned and operated by the , a sub ...

at 1:00 AM to 1:30 AM on Thursdays, and was available on

Hulu Japan Hulu, known outside Japan as Hulu Japan, is a Japanese Subscription business model, subscription Streaming media, streaming service owned and operated by HJ Holdings, a subsidiary of Nippon Television, Nippon Television Network Corporation. Laun ...

after it finished airing. The series is the third television series to feature Hinatazaka46, after '' Re:Mind'' and '' Dasada'', but ''Koeharu!'' is the first to not include every member.

Premise

Meiko Hinowa (

Mirei Sasaki is a Japanese singer, model, actress, and reporter. She is an exclusive model for the fashion magazine ''Non-no'' and a former founding member of the Japanese idol group Hinatazaka46. Sasaki has appeared in dramas such as ''Women's Gourmet Bur ...

) decides to enroll in a

academy named "Kirameki Academy" to audition for a role in her favorite

manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...

series that is getting an

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

adaptation. She befriends people at her dormitory and school as they all work towards their dream roles.

Cast

Hinatazaka46

as , soft-spoken and introverted student that's inspired to become a voice actor due to Enjō Kinakuji's manga work. *

Akari Nibu is a Japanese singer, voice actress, and television presenter, represented by Sony Music Records. She is a former member of the idol group Hinatazaka46. Early life Nibu was born in Tochigi Prefecture and lived in Gunma Prefecture until she wa ...

as , student at the academy and self-proclaimed Meiko's rival. * Miho Watanabe as , student at the academy. Attended the same high school as Meiko. * Miku Kanemura as , older student at the academy. Aspires to be an idol. * Hina Kawata as , student at the academy and admires Yukina. * Hinano Kamimura as , student at the academy. Looks up to Meiko as a mentor. * Ayaka Takamoto as , former student and dorm mother. * Konoka Matsuda as , Chizue's classmate and part of the idol duo "Maririn & Ruby" * Sarina Ushio as the voice of , the narrator and the character on Meiko's handkerchief. Also appears as herself in the final episode.

Others

Kōichi Yamadera is a Japanese actor, narrator and singer from Shiogama, Miyagi Prefecture. He graduated from Tohoku Gakuin University's economics school and is currently affiliated with Across Entertainment. Before that, he was affiliated with the Tokyo Acto ...

as , headmaster at the academy *

Aya Hirano is a Japanese actress and singer. Beginning in the entertainment industry as a child actor in television commercials, she appeared in her first Voice acting in Japan, voice acting role in the anime television series ''Angel Tales'' (2001). In ...

as , instructor at the academy *

Naoto Takenaka is a Japanese actor, comedian, singer, and director from Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, affiliated with From First Production. He is married to idol singer and actress Midori Kinouchi. He is also known as the voice of Samuel L. ...

as , manga artist *

Keiko Toda is a Japanese actress, singer and narrator. Her most famous role is the voice of the children's hero Anpanman on the long running anime ''Soreike! Anpanman''. She was also the voice of Thomas the Tank Engine in the Japanese dub of ''Thomas & F ...

as Meiko's grandmother

Episodes

Production

The series was announced on March 27, 2021 during the second day of Hinatazaka46's 2nd anniversary concert. ''Koeharu'' aired on

between April 29 and July 1, 2021, and was available on

after its broadcast. An accompanying talk show was also included on Hulu where Sarina Ushio, the narrator of the series, interviewed other Hinatazaka46 cast members.

Soundtrack

The opening and closing theme song, "Koe no Ashiato", is included in Hinatazaka46's single " Kimi Shika Katan". In the storyline, there are also two musical groups who each record a song in the series' soundtrack: by Maririn & Ruby (Konoka Matsuda and Suzuka Tomita), and "Hell Rose" by Chocola Chocola (Hina Kawata, Hiyori Hamagishi, and Mei Higashimura).

References

External links

* -

{{Authority control Hinatazaka46 2021 Japanese television series debuts Nippon Television dramas