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Shunya Hiruma Takes Over Tatsuya Tokutake's Role in The Idolm@ster SideM Games
posted on by Jennifer Sherman
The official website for The IDOLM@STER franchise revealed on Tuesday that Shunya Hiruma is playing Kazuki Tsukumo in the The Idolm@ster SideM and Idolm@ster SideM Live On St@ge smartphone games. Hiruma debuted in the role of the F-LAGS idol unit member in the apps on Tuesday.
Voice actor Tatsuya Tokutake, who previously played Kazuki, retired from the entertainment industry on December 31.
The main The Idolm@ster SideM game launched in July 2014, and is available for iOS and Android devices, as well as on Mobage and ChromeApps. The game has more than 1 million downloads as of January 2019. Like other The IDOLM@STER games, SideM is built on the concept of "idols you can produce." The app focuses on the male idols at the agency 315 Production (pronounced "Saikō Production" or "Ultimate Production"). The The Idolm@ster SideM Live On St@ge app launched in 2017.
The game's 13-episode anime adaptation premiered in October 2017. A prologue special about the three Jupiter idol unit members aired in September 2017. Crunchyroll streamed both anime as they aired.
The The Idolm@ster SideM game also inspired Sumeragi's The Idolm@ster SideM Wake Atte Mini! manga, which launched in 2016 and ended in January 2018. The manga features the characters from The Idolm@ster SideM franchise in super-deformed form. Sumeragi's The Idolm@ster SideM Wake Atte Mini! Returns manga launched in September 2018 and ended in January 2019. The original manga inspired a 12-episode television anime series of shorts that premiered in October 2018.
Sources: The IDOLM@STER franchise's website, Animate Times
