A3!

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A3!
Game
DeveloperLiber Entertainment
Publisher
  • Liber Entertainment
  • Cybird (worldwide)
GenreLife simulation[1]
Platform
Released
  • JP: January 27, 2017
  • WW: October 23, 2019
Anime television series
Directed by
Written byNaoki Hayashi
Music by
Studio
Licensed by
Original networkTokyo MX, SUN, KBS, BS11
Original run January 14, 2020 – December 29, 2020
Episodes24 (List of episodes)

A3! (acronym for "Act! Addict! Actors!"[2]) is a Japanese mobile game developed by Liber Entertainment. The game was released on January 27, 2017, in Japan. It was given a worldwide English release on October 23, 2019, which later ended services in November 2021. The success of the game led to several adaptations for the franchise, including stage plays, an anime series, and 2 live action movies.

Plot[edit]

Mankai Company is a theatre company for actors, who are split into four troupes and named after the four seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. Having incurred a huge debt over the years after the sudden disappearance of its former director, Mankai Company is at the risk of shutting down. The player character joins as the director of the theatre company in order to save it from being shut down by repaying the debt with a one-year time limit.[1]

Characters[edit]

Spring[edit]

Sakuya Sakuma (佐久間さくま 咲也さくや, Sakuma Sakuya)
Voiced by: Kōdai Sakai[3] (Japanese); Greg Ayres[4][5] (English)
Masumi Usui (碓氷うすい 真澄ますみ, Usui Masumi)
Voiced by: Yusuke Shirai[3] (Japanese); Eric Rolon[5] (English)
Tsuzuru Minagi (皆木みなき 綴つづり, Minagi Tsuzuru)
Voiced by: Koutaro Nishiyama[3] (Japanese); Jessie James Grelle[5] (English)
Itaru Chigasaki (茅ヶ崎ちがさき 至いたる, Chigasaki Itaru)
Voiced by: Shintaro Asanuma[3] (Japanese); Aaron Roberts[5] (English)
Citron (シトロン, Shitoron)
Voiced by: Masashi Igarashi[3] (Japanese); Ricco Fajardo[5] (English)
Chikage Utsuki (卯木うつぎ 千景ちかげ, Utsuki Chikage)
Voiced by: Wataru Hatano (Japanese); Anthony Bowling (English)

Summer[edit]

Tenma Sumeragi (皇すめらぎ 天馬てんば, Sumeragi Tenma)
Voiced by: Takuya Eguchi[3] (Japanese); Eric Vale[5] (English)
Yuki Rurikawa (瑠璃るり川かわ 幸こう, Rurikawa Yuki)
Voiced by: Shun'ichi Toki[3] (Japanese); Brandon McInnis[5] (English)
Muku Sakisaka (向坂さきさか 椋むく, Sakisaka Muku)
Voiced by: Yoshitaka Yamaya[3] (Japanese); Stephen Fu[5] (English)
Misumi Ikaruga (斑鳩いかる 三さん角かく, Ikaruga Misumi)
Voiced by: Daisuke Hirose[3] (Japanese); Nazeeh Tarsha[5] (English)
Kazunari Miyoshi (三好みよし 一成いっせい, Miyoshi Kazunari)
Voiced by: Ren Ozawa (2017-2020),[3] Tomoru Akazawa (2020-present)[6] (Japanese); Kyle Phillips[5] (English)
Kumon Hyodo (兵頭ひょうどう 九きゅう門もん, Hyōdō Kumon)
Voiced by: Tasuku Hatanaka (Japanese); Grant Paulsen[7] (English)

Autumn[edit]

Banri Settsu (摂津せっつ 万里ばんり, Settsu Banri)
Voiced by: Chiharu Sawashiro[3] (Japanese); Daman Mills[5] (English)
Juza Hyodo (兵頭ひょうどう 十じゅう座ざ, Hyōdō Jūza)
Voiced by: Shunsuke Takeuchi[3] (Japanese); Christopher Sabat[5] (English)
Taichi Nanao (七尾ななお 太一たいち, Nanao Taichi)
Voiced by: Kento Hama[3] (Japanese); Orion Pitts[7] (English)
Omi Fushimi (伏見ふしみ 臣しん, Fushimi Omi)
Voiced by: Kentarō Kumagai[3] (Japanese); Jonah Scott[5] (English)
Sakyo Furuichi (古市ふるいち 左京さきょう, Furuichi Sakyō)
Voiced by: Yoichi Jose[3] (Japanese); Christopher Wenkamp[4][5] (English)
Azami Izumida (泉田いずみだ 莇, Izumida Azami)
Voiced by: Seiya Konishi (Japanese); Zeno Robinson[7] (English)

Winter[edit]

Tsumugi Tsukioka (月岡つきおか 紬つむぎ, Tsukioka Tsumugi)
Voiced by: Atsushi Tamaru[3] (Japanese); Matt Shipman[7] (English)
Tasuku Takato (高遠たかとお 丞すすむ, Takatō Tasuku)
Voiced by: Takuya Satō[3] (Japanese); Robert McCollum[5] (English)
Hisoka Mikage (御影みかげ 密みつ, Mikage Hisoka)
Voiced by: Junta Terashima[3] (Japanese); Howard Wang[7] (English)
Homare Arisugawa (有栖川ありすがわ 誉ほまれ, Arisugawa Homare)
Voiced by: Toshiyuki Toyonaga[3] (Japanese); Brendan Blaber[7] (English)
Azuma Yukishiro (雪白せっぱく 東ひがし, Yukishiro Azuma)
Voiced by: Tetsuya Kakihara[3] (Japanese); John Burgmeier[7] (English)
Guy (ガイ, Gai)
Voiced by: Satoshi Hino

Other characters[edit]

Izumi Tachibana (立花たちばな いづみ, Tachibana Izumi)
Voiced by: Kaori Nazuka (Japanese); Monica Rial[4][5] (English) (anime)

Media[edit]

Game[edit]

A3! was launched for the iOS and Android on January 27, 2017.[8] In June 2018 Cybird licensed the game for English release,[9] and the English version was later released on October 23, 2019.[10][11] On September 21, 2021, Cybird announced that the English version of the game will no longer be updated past events taking place in late October and early November.[12]

On December 18, 2020, Liber Entertainment announced that Ren Ozawa's voice will be removed from the game following his domestic abuse allegations.[13] On December 25, 2020, he was replaced by Tomoru Akazawa, who had portrayed Kazunari in the stage plays.[6]

Music[edit]

Main article: A3! discography

The music production for the game included artists such as Masayoshi Onishi, Yuki Kimura, Hige Driver, R.O.N, Elements Garden member Asuka Oda, Ryōta Suemasu, Takeyuki Tonegawa, Round Table member Katsutoshi Kitagawa, Yuyoyuppe, and Tweedees member Reiji Okii.[8] The music is published by Pony Canyon.

Stage plays[edit]

A series of stage plays titled Mankai Stage A3! has been running since 2018.[14] The first stage play, Mankai Stage A3! Spring & Summer 2018, ran from June 28 to July 8, 2018, in Tokyo and July 13 to July 16, 2018, in Kyoto, before returning to Tokyo for another run from October 26 to November 4, 2018. The Spring and Summer shows were alternated on a rotational schedule.[15] The second stage play, Mankai Stage A3! Autumn & Winter 2019, ran from January 31 to February 11, 2019, in Tokyo, February 23–24, 2019 in Yamaguchi, and February 27 to March 3, 2019, in Osaka, before returning to Tokyo from March 15 to March 24, 2019, for a final run.[16]

After the first two-stage plays, the production company produced new shows with full runs for each troupe. Mankai Stage A3! Spring 2019 ran from April to June 2019, while the fourth stage play, Mankai Stage A3! Summer 2019, ran from August to September 2019.[17] Mankai Stage A3! Autumn 2020 ran from January to March 2020, while Mankai Stage A3! Winter 2020 is scheduled to run from April to June 2020.[18]

In addition to the stage plays, the cast of Mankai Stage A3! hosted their own radio program, Mankai Stage A3! Radio, which began broadcast on October 6, 2018, on Nippon Broadcasting System.[19] The cast has also participated in Avex's Stage Fes concerts with other 2.5D musical acts.[20] Their first solo concert, Four Seasons Live 2020, took place in September 2020.[21]

Mankai Stage A3! has endorsed brands such as Utena[22] and Orangina.[23]

Anime[edit]

A television anime adaptation was announced in February 2019, with Keisuke Shinohara directing, and Masayuki Sakoi acting as series director, featuring Naoki Hayashi writing the scripts. Masaru Yokoyama and Kana Hashiguchi are composing the music. The series is animated by P.A. Works and Studio 3Hzへるつ.[24] The anime adaptation is split into two parts, with A3! Season Spring & Summer planned to air from January to March 2020 and A3! Season Autumn & Winter from July to September 2020.[2][25] Funimation acquired distribution rights to the series outside of Asia, and streamed the show as it aired in Japan.[26] Muse Communication also acquired the distribution rights for the series in Southeast Asia and South Asia, and is streaming it on their Muse Asia YouTube channel and iQIYI.[27]

A3! Season Spring & Summer began on January 14, 2020, and the theme song for the series is "Act! Addict! Actors!"[2] Episode 4 was initially announced to have been delayed "due to production issues"[28] and then subsequently for another two weeks,[29] before the official anime production announced that the entire series would be rebroadcast from the beginning on April 6, 2020, and aired until June 22, 2020.[30] A3! Season Autumn & Winter was delayed to air from October 13 to December 29, 2020, due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.[31] Masayuki Sakoi took over full directing responsibilities for A3! Season Autumn & Winter, and Nozomi Nagatomo took over character designing from Mariko Komatsu. Kōhei Honda also replaced Hiroko Tanabe as art director.[32]

Episode list[edit]

No.Title [33][b]Directed by [33]Written by [33]Original air date [34]
Part I (Spring & Summer)
1"To a Future in Full Bloom"
Transliteration: "Mankai no Mirai e" (Japanese: 満開まんかいの未来みらいへ)		Emi YamashitaNaoki HayashiJanuary 14, 2020 (2020-01-14)
2"Romeo and Julius"
Transliteration: "Romio to Juriasu" (Japanese: ロミオとジュリアス)		Harume KosakaNaoki HayashiJanuary 21, 2020 (2020-01-21)
3"Good Night, Theater"
Transliteration: "Oyasumi Shiatā" (Japanese: おやすみシアター)		Daisuke TsukushiNaoki HayashiJanuary 28, 2020 (2020-01-28)
4"A New Challenge"
Transliteration: "Arata na Chōsen" (Japanese: 新あらたな挑戦ちょうせん)		Kenshirō OkadaNaoki HayashiApril 28, 2020 (2020-04-28)
5"On Love - Spring Edition"
Transliteration: "Koi ni Tsuite Haru" (Japanese: 恋こいについて・春はる)		Yūji TokunoNaoki HayashiMay 5, 2020 (2020-05-05)
6"The Show Must Go On!"Makoto NakazonoNaoki HayashiMay 12, 2020 (2020-05-12)
7"A New Season"
Transliteration: "Atarashii Kisetsu" (Japanese: 新あたらしい季き節ぶし)		Nao MiyoshiNaoki HayashiMay 19, 2020 (2020-05-19)
8"The Thousand and One Nights"
Transliteration: "Senya Ichiya Monogatari" (Japanese: 千せん夜や一夜いちや物語ものがたり)		Chie YamashiroKurasumi SunayamaMay 26, 2020 (2020-05-26)
9"Summer Camp"
Transliteration: "Hajimari no Natsu Gasshuku" (Japanese: はじまりの夏なつ合宿がっしゅく)		Hitomi EfukuNaoki HayashiJune 2, 2020 (2020-06-02)
10"True Friends"
Transliteration: "Hontō no Otomodachi" (Japanese: 本当ほんとうのオトモダチ)		Masaki UtsunomiyaKurasumi SunayamaJune 9, 2020 (2020-06-09)
11"My Weakness"
Transliteration: "Ore no Yowasa o" (Japanese: オレの弱よわさを)		Harume KosakaNaoki HayashiJune 16, 2020 (2020-06-16)
12"Summertime Survival!"
Transliteration: "Kokufuku no Summer!" (Japanese: 克服こくふくのSUMMER！)		Aya OkadaNaoki HayashiJune 23, 2020 (2020-06-23)
Part II (Autumn & Winter)
13"Autumn Turmoil"
Transliteration: "Haran no Aki" (Japanese: 波乱はらんの秋あき)		Daisuke TsukushiNaoki HayashiOctober 13, 2020 (2020-10-13)
14"A Mismatched Buddy Pair"
Transliteration: "Fuzoroi na Badi" (Japanese: ふぞろいなバディ)		Shintaro ItogaKurasumi SunayamaOctober 20, 2020 (2020-10-20)
15"One-Man Shows"
Transliteration: "Hitori-shibai" (Japanese: 一人ひとり芝居しばい)		Harume KosakaKurasumi SunayamaOctober 27, 2020 (2020-10-27)
16"Become Someone Different"
Transliteration: "Chigau Dareka ni" (Japanese: 違ちがう誰だれかに)		Nao MiyoshiNaoki HayashiNovember 3, 2020 (2020-11-03)
17"A Confession"
Transliteration: "Kokuhaku" (Japanese: 告白こくはく)		Shigeki AwaiNaoki HayashiNovember 10, 2020 (2020-11-10)
18"Portrait of A Punk"
Transliteration: "Baddo Bōi Pōtoreito" (Japanese: バッドボーイ・ポートレイト)		Yūichi NakazawaNaoki HayashiNovember 17, 2020 (2020-11-17)
19"Season of Reunion"
Transliteration: "Saikai no Kisetsu" (Japanese: 再会さいかいの季き節ぶし)		Natsumi HigashidaNaoki HayashiNovember 24, 2020 (2020-11-24)
20"An Act-Off"
Transliteration: "Taiman Act" (Japanese: タイマンACT)		Hitomi EfukuKurasumi SunayamaDecember 1, 2020 (2020-12-01)
21"Responsibility and Commitment"
Transliteration: "Sekinin to Kakugo" (Japanese: 責任せきにんと覚悟かくご)		Yoshitaka KoyamaKurasumi SunayamaDecember 8, 2020 (2020-12-08)
22"Discord"
Transliteration: "Fukyōwaon" (Japanese: 不協和音ふきょうわおん)		Nao Miyoshi
Takahiro Tamano		Naoki HayashiDecember 15, 2020 (2020-12-15)
23"Stand by Me"
Transliteration: "Tonari ni Tatteitai Omae de" (Japanese: 隣となりに立たっていたいお前まえで)		Shigeki AwaiNaoki HayashiDecember 22, 2020 (2020-12-22)
24"Once More, with Feeling"
Transliteration: "Mō Ichido, Koko Kara" (Japanese: もう一度いちど、ここから)		Harume KosakaNaoki HayashiDecember 29, 2020 (2020-12-29)

Live-action films[edit]

Two movie adaptations of the stage plays were announced in March 2021, with most of the play's original cast to reprise their roles.[35] The first film, Mankai Movie A3! Spring & Summer, was released on December 3, 2021, while the second film, Mankai Movie A3! Autumn & Winter is slated for a March 4, 2022 release.[36]

Reception[edit]

A3! was downloaded by 800,000 users within the first three days of the original Japanese release, with 300,000 of the registrations taking place on the day of release.[1] By February 21, 2017, the game had a cumulative total of 2 million downloads.[8] A3! was nominated for the Google Play Best of 2017.[37][4]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Credited as シリーズディレクター (Series Director) for episodes 1–12, and as 監督かんとく (Director) for episodes 13–24.
  2. ^ All English titles are taken from Funimation.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "A3!". Cybird. 2018. Archived from the original on June 3, 2020. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c Loo, Egan (November 3, 2019). "A3! Anime Reveals January 13 Premiere, Opening Song Info". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t "TVアニメ「A3!」SEASON SPRINGの本ほんPV、春はる組ぐみ・夏なつ組ぐみの歌うたうED主題歌しゅだいかは3月発売はつばい". Natalie (in Japanese). December 9, 2019. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d Martin, Theron; Silverman, Rebecca (January 13, 2020). "The Winter 2020 Anime Preview Guide: A3! Season Spring & Summer". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "A3! Season Spring & Summer English Dub Returns, All Episodes Streaming on Funimation". Funimation.com. August 26, 2021. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
  6. ^ a b Loo, Egan (December 25, 2020). "A3! Anime Replaces Ren Ozawa With Tomoru Akazawa". Anime News Network. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g A3! Autumn & Winter Blu-ray Collection (Blu-ray). Funimation. January 11, 2022.
  8. ^ a b c Loveridge, Lynzee (February 26, 2017). "A3! Mobile Game Theme Tops Oricon Chart". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  9. ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (June 29, 2018). "A3! Male Actor-Training Game Gets English Worldwide Release". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  10. ^ Sherman, Jennifer (October 23, 2019). "A3! Male Actor-Training Game Launches in English". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  11. ^ "Ikemen Actor Training Game 'A3!' Releases Internationally". Cybird. October 23, 2019. Retrieved March 24, 2020 – via Anime News Network.
  12. ^ "Important Notice Regarding Future Operation of A3!". A3! Official Website. September 21, 2021. Archived from the original on November 28, 2021. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  13. ^ ""元もと恋人こいびとDV報道ほうどう"小澤おざわ廉れん、アプリゲーム『A3!』声優せいゆう降板こうばん ボイス無音むおん化かで対応たいおう" [Mobile game A3! removes Ren Ozawa and mutes voice clips after domestic violence case with former spouse]. Oricon (in Japanese). December 18, 2020. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  14. ^ "カントク！オレたちを…咲さかせてください！イケメン役者やくしゃ育成いくせいゲーム「A3!」舞台ぶたい化か". Natalie (in Japanese). February 8, 2018. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  15. ^ "「A3!」ビジュアルと全ぜん公演こうえん情報じょうほうを発表はっぴょう、春はる組ぐみ＆夏なつ組ぐみに横田よこた龍りゅう儀ただし・陳内じんない将しょうら". Natalie (in Japanese). February 15, 2018. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  16. ^ "「A3!」AUTUMN & WINTER 2019上演じょうえん決定けってい！古市ふるいち左京さきょう役やくの藤田ふじた玲れいが続投ぞくとう". Natalie (in Japanese). July 16, 2018. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  17. ^ "MANKAI STAGE「A3!」新作しんさく上演じょうえん決定けってい！春はる組ぐみ・夏なつ組ぐみそれぞれの単独たんどく公演こうえん開催かいさい". Natalie (in Japanese). January 3, 2019. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  18. ^ "MANKAI STAGE「A3!」秋あき組ぐみ・冬ふゆ組ぐみ単独たんどく公演こうえん、2020年ねんに実施じっし決定けってい". Natalie (in Japanese). June 2, 2019. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  19. ^ "「A3!」冠かんむりラジオ番組ばんぐみスタート、舞台ぶたい版ばんキャストが週しゅう替がわりでパーソナリティに". Natalie (in Japanese). September 28, 2018. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  20. ^ "ステフェス開催かいさい決定けってい！A3!、キンプリ、スタミュ、KYOTO SAMURAI BOYSが参加さんか". Natalie (in Japanese). November 11, 2019. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  21. ^ "「エーステ」初はつのライブ「Four Seasons LIVE 2020」9月がつに開催かいさい". Natalie (in Japanese). January 1, 2020. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  22. ^ "ウテナのコールドクリーム×「A3!」冬ふゆ組ぐみ単独たんどく公演こうえんがコラボレーション". Natalie (in Japanese). March 23, 2020. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  23. ^ "オランジーナ×「A3!」コラボ、咲也さくや＆天馬てんばの手てのひらにあごを乗のせよう". Natalie (in Japanese). October 12, 2018. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  24. ^ Loo, Egan (February 3, 2019). "A3! Anime's Teaser Video Reveals Staff". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  25. ^ Loo, Egan (August 18, 2019). "A3! Anime's Promo Reveals Winter/Summer 2020 Airing, More Cast, More Staff". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  26. ^ Mateo, Alex (December 20, 2019). "Funimation to Stream Sorcerous Stabber Orphen, A3!, Smile Down the Runway Anime". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  27. ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (January 13, 2020). "Muse Asia Streams A3! Anime". Anime News Network. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  28. ^ Loo, Egan (January 31, 2020). "A3! Anime Episode 4 Delayed From Monday Until Further Notice". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  29. ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (February 10, 2020). "A3! Anime Episode 4 Delayed Again for 2 More Weeks". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  30. ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (February 20, 2020). "A3! Anime to Restart Broadcast From 1st Episode on April 6". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  31. ^ Loo, Egan (March 21, 2020). "A3! Season Autumn & Winter Anime to Premiere in October After COVID-19 Delay". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  32. ^ Loo, Egan (September 8, 2020). "A3! Season Autumn & Winter Anime Reveals Updated Staff, October 12 Debut, Winter Troupe Visual". Anime News Network. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  33. ^ a b c "STORY｜アニメ「A3!(エースリー)」公式こうしきサイト" (in Japanese). Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  34. ^ "放送ほうそう情報じょうほう" (in Japanese). Tokyo MX. Archived from the original on September 16, 2020. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  35. ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (March 30, 2021). "A3! Stage Plays Get 2 Live-Action Films". Anime News Network. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  36. ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (November 18, 2021). "Live-Action A3! Autumn & Winter Film's Trailer Reveals March 4 Opening". Anime News Network. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  37. ^ Loveridge, Lynzee (December 3, 2017). "A3!, Idolm@ster, Bang Dream, Symphogear, More Games Nominated for Google Play Best of 2017". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 24, 2020.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=A3!&oldid=1220329461"