Koeharu!
Koeharu! (声春っ!) is a Hinatazaka46 drama. It aired from April 29, 2021 to July 1, 2021.
Contents
Information
- Episodes: 10
- Broadcast Network: Nippon TV, Hulu Japan
- Air time: 00:59
- Running time: 23 minutes per episode
- Theme song: Koe no Ashiato
Synopsis
Hinowa Meiko is insecure due to her terrible speaking skills. Her only solace is a popular manga she likes, "Tear-colored Chronicle” (Namida-iro Senki). When she learns the manga will be getting an anime adaptation and is opening auditions for voice actors, the dream she had always buried deep within her heart of voicing the lead character of Tear-Colored Chronicle drives her to enroll in Kirameki Voice Acting School. On her first day she comes to school late, but is helped by the bright, cheerful Tendou Mana. She also learns that the girl who bullied her in high school - Amasaki Amane - is also attending the same school, and Meiko becomes discouraged at once. To make matters worse, it turns out that all of her schoolmates, all with distinct personalities, also live in the same dormitory as her, the Doremi-sou. Will Meiko be able to fulfill her dream of making it into the anime adaptation of Tear-colored Chronicle?
Cast
- Sasaki Mirei – Hinowa Meiko
- Nibu Akari – Tendou Mana
- Watanabe Miho – Amasaka Amane
- Kanemura Miku – Tsukikawa Yukina
- Kawata Hina – Honda Tae
- Takamoto Ayaka – Harukaze Chizue
- Matsuda Konoka – Koshino Mari (Maririn)
- Kamimura Hinano – Kusama Airi
- Ushio Sarina – Ruuna (Handkerchief’s Voice)
- Tomita Suzuka – Rubie
Others
- Hirano Aya - Iwao-sensei
- Yamadera Koichi - Headmaster Odawara Genmai
- Takenata Naoto - Kinkakuji Enjo
- Toda Keiko - Baachan
Episode Guide==
| Episode | Name | Plot | Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Shape of a Dream(夢の形 Yume no Katachi) | Hinowa Meiko (Sasaki Mirei) lives her life with one great insecurity: her terrible speaking skills. She struggles to talk reliably to strangers and even friends, with her voice becoming faint and filled with stutters. However, she seems to be able to speak quickly when discussing a topic she is passionate about. After learning that her favorite manga Tear-colored Chronicle will be getting an anime adaptation, Meiko is inspired to enroll in Kirameki Voice Acting Academy. It has long been her dream to voice the main character of the series, should it ever be adapted. On the first day of school, Meiko befriends Tendou Mina (Nibu Akari), a bright and friendly girl who lives in the same dormitory as her, the Doremi-sou. Soon after she learns that the girl who bullied her in high school, Amagasaki Amane (Watanabe Miho) also attends the school and is in her class. Meiko meets the dormitory mother who takes care of the housework, Harukaze Chizue (Takamoto Ayaka) and her fellow roommates: Tsukikawa Yukina (Kanemura Miku), Honda Tae (Kawata Hina), and Kusama Airi (Kamimura Hinano). | April 29, 2021 |
| 2 | A Less-Than Worthy Opponent (好敵手未満 Koutekishu Miman) | In class, a questionnaire is given to the students asking them to described their own strengths. Meiko and Mana both struggle to answer: Meiko's insecurities about her voice has have hurt her confidence, while Mana is revealed to have once been a proficient kando athlete until and injury ended her career, and in the process made her question her self-worth when that part of her identity was taken away. Later, Mana declares that she and Meiko are rivals. Mana will also be auditioning for the role of the lead in Tear-colored Chronicle. | May 6, 2021 |
| 3 | The Outward Appearance and the Inner Contents (外見と中身 Gaiken to Nakami) | Airi begins to see Meiko as her role model, since both girls have trouble expressing themselves and Meiko pursues voice acting despite her speaking troubles. Later, Airi is scouted by a modeling agency and offered a job, but she is unhappy because she does not want to be valued by her appearance alone. With encouragement Airi decides to take the job, but remains a student at Kirameki Academy. | May 13, 2021 |
| 4 | Admiration and Envy (憧れと嫉妬 Akogare to Shitto) | Meiko, Mana, Amane, Airi, Yukina, and Tae attend the audition for the new sister group of the idol duo "Maririn and Ruby". Yukina dreams of becoming an idol, but surprisingly Tae is chosen instead. Yukina and Tae argue, even as Tae accepts the position and moves out of Doremi-sou dormitory. Tae debuts as a member of the new group Chocola Chocola, and later makes amends with Yukina. | May 27, 2021 |
| 5 | Giving up is Important(諦めが肝心 Akirame ga Kanjin) | One year has passed, and it is time for students to think about their plans after graduation. Chizue, who has also been attending Kirameki Academy classes, struggles with finding a voice acting job. Meiko learns that her grandmother fell and is in the hospital. She rushes to the hospital, but when she arrives her grandmother is doing well and has even gotten a new boyfriend. Surprised but relieved, Meiko returns to the dormitory to learn that Amane is contemplating quitting her family's ryokan inn business, but Meiko convinces her not to. At the end of the episode, Chizue decides to quit being a dorm mother and focus entirely on voice acting. | May 20, 2021 |
| 6 | Graduation(卒業Sotsugyou) | Meiko learns that the anime adaptation of Tear-colored Chronicle has been cancelled. She meets Tanabe Masami, an art student who is working on an anime, and offers her and her friends' skills as voice actresses for the production. Meiko becomes highly involved in helping Masami, but despite this Masami only assigns her a minor role in the voice casting. This upsets Meiko, who seeks comfort with her friends. Unfortunately, she then learns that all of her friends have already received offers from voice acting agencies- everyone except her. Devastated, she runs away from the school. | June 3, 2021 |
| 7 | After a Setback (挫折の先に Zusuetsu no Saki ni) | Meiko has quit voice acting school and is now working as a janitor. She recieves news that Genmai, the headmaster at Kirameki School, has passed away. She attends his funeral, where she reunites with all of her friends. Together, despite the past drama, they decide to all voice in Masami's unfinished anime project. | June 10, 2021 |
| 8 | Speculation I Want to Choose(選ばれたい Erabaretai) | Meiko, Mana, Amane, and Tae are invited to audition for the role of the protagonist in the rebooted Tear-colored Chronicle anime. They are invited by Kinakuji Enjou himself, the author of the Tear-colored Chronicle manga. They also agree to take part in a documentary he is filming to chronicle the audition process. Airi and Yukina have not been invited, but Genmai reveals he had asked them to pre-record a video promoting the anime. The other girls see this video and are encouraged- except for Tae. She decides that she will not participate in the audition, as she wants to focus on being an idol in Chocola Chocola. Meiko, Mana, and Amane advance to the second round of the auditon. | June 17, 2021 |
| 9 | I Can't Choose (選ばれない Erabarenai) | In the second round of the audition, Meiko is pitted against the talented Maririn from the earlier-introduced idol duo "Maririn & Ruby". Maririn is talented, and Enjou is a fan of hers. Meiko tries her best despite the challenges, and eventually she, Mana, and Maririn are selected for the final round. Amane is eliminated, but is determined to continue auditioning for voice roles. To everyone's surprise, Chizue is selected for the role of a minor character. | June 24, 2021 |
| 10 | Spring Voice!(声春っ!Koeharu!) | Before the final audition, Enjou accidentally reveals that he has already decided Maririn will play the role of protagonist. Still, Meiko is determined to see the audition to the end and participate in the final round. The final round begins, and while Maririn and Mana begin to promote themselves, Meiko realizes that despite her dream, she is not best suited for the role. She decides to withdraw. In the end, Mana is chosen for the role of protagonist. Maririn and Meiko are chosen as secondary characters, and the anime begins production. | July 1, 2021 |
Trivia
- The cast members came up with their own anime character designs for the in-universe anime Jelly-Jelly Fish.
- The drama includes references to the previous Hinatazaka46 drama DASADA.
- The two leads of the drama, Sasaki Mirei and Nibu Akari, also serve as double centers for the music video and live Hinatazaka46 performances of Koe no Ashiato, even after the drama finished airing.
