Photo courtesy of Toei Co., Ltd. Ⓒ2020 LIP×LIP Movie Project

Source: Toei Co., Ltd. Official Site: honeyworks-anime.jp (Japan) Now, the history of virtual idols has been updated. With this movie, we will change the times. Toei has provided information and promotional images for their upcoming theatrical feature, HoneyWorks 10th Anniversary “LIP × LIP FILM × LIVE”. As the title reveals, the film celebrates the anniversary of the multimedia group HoneyWorks with a hybrid of an anime movie and a “virtual live performance.”

Photo courtesy of Toei Co., Ltd. Ⓒ2020 LIP×LIP Movie Project

Known by their fans as "Haniwa," HoneyWorks is known for their Vocaloid music, which is characterized by a variety of pop-flavored animated avatars. They began posting “virtual pop star" songs on video sites like NicoNico in 2010. Their major debut album "I Have Always Liked You." was released in 2014, and their recent "Confess Your Love Committee Character Song Collection" album features songs used in movies, TV anime and stage productions. HoneyWorks have more than 1.7 million YouTube followers, and their views of their online videos number in the hundreds of millions. HoneyWorks introduced the idol unit LIP x LIP -- consisting of Yujiro (CV: Koki Uchiyama) and Aizo (CV: Nobunaga Shimazaki) -- with the song "Romeo." Since their debut, the group has racked up video views in excess of 70 million. Their 2019 album "Choose which kiss." hit No. 2 on the Orion Weekly Chart, and "live" concerts were held in Tokyo and Osaka. HoneyWorks 10th Anniversary “LIP × LIP FILM × LIVE” will included the animated story HOW TO ENJOY THIS WORLD 〜SECRET STORY FILM〜 (この世界の楽しみ方〜Secret Story Film〜, Kono Sekai no Tanoshimikata Secret Story Film) detailing the group`s origins, followed by a concert performance. The movie is planned for a Christmas Day release in Japan.

Story

Two male high school teens form a virtual idol unit called LIP x LIP. Their undisclosed genesis story is about to be revealed. Yujiro trained hard in pursuit of his dream of one day standing atop the kabuki stage. But his aspiration is crushed when he fails to be selected as his master’s successor. Meanwhile, all Aizo wants to do is sing, but he spends his days in aimless frustration living with his mother and brother. Then one fateful day, the two teens find themselves at an idol audition where they instantly break into an argument over a trivial matter. Little do they know this awful first meeting would catapult both of them to audition victory. In the midst of rejoicing, an unexpected condition is added by Tamura, president of the producing company... ”You two will debut as a unit.” From here unfolds the story of two opposites on the road to becoming major pop idols.

Credits

Japanese Theatrical Release: December 25, 2020 Runtime: 90 Minutes Cast Yujiro: Koki Uchiyama Aizo: Nobunaga Shimazaki IV: Jun Fukuyama YUI: Souma Saito RIO: Yuma Uchida MEGU: Tetsuya Kakihara DAI: Toshiki Masuda Rei Tamura: Miyuki Sawashiro Mayu Uchida: Ai Kayano Ken Shibazaki: Takuya Eguchi Yuuko Shibasaki: Yui Horie Tamagoro Someya: Hiroaki Hirata Tae Someya: Houko Kuwashima Koichiro Someya: Shunichi Toki Sena Narumi: Sora Amamiya Narumi Moena: Natsukawa Shiina Staff Director: Fumie Muroi Original Story: HoneyWorks Screenplay: Yoshimi Narita Music: HoneyWorks Distributor: Toei Company, Ltd. International Sales: Toei Company, Ltd. Ⓒ2020 LIP×LIP Movie Project

About Toei Company, Ltd. Established in 1951, Toei Company is not only producing and distributing films, but is also one of the major exhibitors in Japan. The company owns two film studios located in Tokyo and Kyoto. The films produced cover wide range of genres, exceeding 20,000 titles.