arcade game
An arcade game or coin-op game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are presented as primarily game of skill, games of skill and in ...
by
Takara Tomy
(trade name, trading as Takara Tomy in Asia and Tomy elsewhere) is a Japanese toy company. It was established in 1924 by Eiichirō Tomiyama as , became known for creating popular toys like the B-29 friction toy and luck-based game Pop-up Pi ...
and the successor of the ''
Pretty Rhythm
is a Japanese multimedia franchise produced by Syn Sophia and Takara Tomy Arts aimed at girls in elementary school. The ''Pretty Rhythm'' franchise was first launched in July 2010 with the Rhythm game, rhythm and dress-up arcade game ''Pretty R ...
'' series of arcade games, as well as the second entry in the '' Pretty Series''. 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 ...
television series adaptation by Tatsunoko Production and DongWoo A&E, comprising three seasons, aired from 2014 to 2017. A second animation adaption, '' Idol Time PriPara'', premiered in 2017 to 2018. A mobile game, ''Idol Land PriPara'', was released in 2023 along with a web series. There were also four animated films produced.
Plot
Every girl finds a mysterious PriTicket which grants them entrance to the world of PriPara, where aspiring idols perform to pass an audition. At the Paprika Private Academy, PriPara activity is prohibited for elementary school students.
Season 1
Fifth grade student Laala Manaka finds a lost PriTicket bag belonging to an idol, Mirei Minami, leading her to PriPara, a virtual world where people transform into their idol alter ego. Laala forms SoLaMi♡Smile, a trio with Mirei and Sophy Hojo, managed by Kuma, a bear-like character who was formerly Mirei's manager. They are joined by Sion Todo, who forms Dressing Pafé with Canadian-Japanese twins Dorothy and Reona West, managed by Sophy's manager, Usagi. Both units had the goal of earning the Paradise Coord.
Halfway through the season, Laala encounters Falulu, a robotic vocal doll born from the desire of many girls to go to PriPara. SoLaMi♡Dressing, composed of both SoLaMi♡Smile and Dressing Pafé's members, competes against Falulu for the Paradise Coord in several idol competitions. The group wins and Laala exchanges PriTickets with Falulu, who falls into a coma. After performing a concert in their Paradise Coords, SoLaMi♡Dressing revives Falulu, who becomes more emotional, expressive, and human-like. When Falulu goes to PriParis in France, SoLaMi♡Dressing disbands back into SoLaMi♡Smile and Dressing Pafé.
Season 2
With the grand opening of the Dream Theater, the six idols reform SoLaMi♡Smile and Dressing Pafé. They encounter Aromageddon, an angel-devil themed duo consisting of Mikan Shiratama and Aroma Kurosu. At the same time, the idols are joined by Fuwari Midorikaze from The Palps in EuroPara and Hibiki Shikyōin. Fuwari and Laala aim to win the Summer Dream Idol Grand Prix, only for their Summer Dream Idol Coords to be stolen by Hibiki. Ajimi Kiki, later revealed to be the art teacher of Paprika Academy, forms a dream team alongside Cosmo with the PriPara Police (Laala, Dorothy, and Mikan). Ajimi and Cosmo win the Autumn Dream Idol Grand Prix, but their Autumn Dream Idol Coords are taken by the Masked Genius (Hibiki in disguise).
During the Winter Dream Idol Grand Prix, a spoiled, mischievous vocal doll, Gaaruru, joins Aromageddon, which is renamed Gaarmageddon. The FriendAll team (Laala, Dorothy, Mirei, Mikan, and Aroma) win the Spring Dream Idol Grand Prix and restore PriPara.
Season 3
During the announcement of the Divine Idol Grand Prix, Meganii realizes that the special judge, Jewlie, has gone missing. After giving a tour to newcomer Chili Tsukigawa, Laala finds a mysterious baby named Jewlulu who thinks Laala is her mother. Laala raises Jewlulu with the help of her younger sister, Non. At the same time, Laala encounters TRiANGLE – a trio consisting of Junon, Pinon, and Kanon – managed by Usagi's sister, Usacha. Laala shows Jewlulu to her friends, and Meganii reveals that the baby is Jewlie.
As the tournament begins, Gaarmageddon loses to Dressing Pafé in the first round, while UCCHARI BIG-BANGS loses to Tricolore. SoLaMi♡SMILE defeats both NonSugar and Tricolore and manages to almost win against Dressing Pafé. However, the disappearance of Jewlie and Janis causes the Divine Idol Grand Prix Stage to fail. SoLaMi♡SMILE tries to fix everything, only to fail until all of their friends start singing along, giving them the power to save the world.
Media
''PriPara'' is a rhythm game which was developed by Syn Sophia. A player can create a character and progress by performing live shows.
A
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 ...
adaptation by Hitsuji Tsujinaga began serialization in
Shogakukan
is a Japanese publisher of comics, magazines, light novels, dictionaries, literature, non-fiction, home media, and other media in Japan.
Shogakukan founded Shueisha, which also founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but ...
An anime television-series adaptation by Tatsunoko and DongWoo A&E aired on
TV Tokyo
JOTX-DTV (channel 7), branded as is a Japanese television station that serves as the flagship of the TX Network.TXN stations from July 5, 2014, to March 28, 2017. It was succeeded by '' Idol Time Pripara'' on April 4, 2017. In the second quarter of 2015, the series could also be seen on three JAITS stations in
Nara
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an independent agency of the United States government within the executive branch, charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It is also task ...
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
) and Wakayama (WTV). During the first season's second story arc, the series began airing on FNN affiliate Sendai Television. On July 5, 2015, PriPara began airing on ANN affiliate SATV. In 2015, the animation for one of the endings was changed after the Broadcasting Ethics and Program Improvement Organization lodged a complaint for depicting the characters in swimsuits. While the images of the characters in swimsuits were not changed, the ending was edited to remove an image of Sophy Hojo wearing black lingerie, which appeared to be an homage to
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe ( ; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; June 1, 1926 August 4, 1962) was an American actress and model. Known for playing comic "Blonde stereotype#Blonde bombshell, blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex ...
.
An English-dubbed pilot of the series was produced by William Winckler Productions in 2017.
''PriPara the Movie: Everyone, Assemble! Prism☆Tours'', was released in March 7, 2015. A second film, titled ''Fly Out, PriPara: Aim for it with Everyone! Idol☆Grand Prix'' was released the same year on October 24, 2015. A third film, ''PriPara: Everyone's Longing! Let's Go PriParis!'', was released on March 12, 2016.
A fourth film, PriPara: Everyone Shine! Sparkling☆Star Live, was released on March 4, 2017, PriPara & Kiratto Pri☆Chan Movie: Sparkling Memorial Live, was released on May 5, 2018 & Aikatsu! × PriPara: The Movie The Miracle of Our Encounter!, was released on Fall 2025.
Syn Sophia
, formerly AKI Corporation and The Man Breeze, is an independent video game developer, video game development studio located in Kichijōji, Tokyo, Japan, founded on June 19, 1995. The company is best known for its popular Professional wrestling, ...
and published by
Capcom
is a Japanese video game company. It has created a number of critically acclaimed and List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises, with its most commercially successful being ''Resident Evil'', ''Monster ...
for the
Nintendo Switch
The is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...
, released on March 22, 2018. Players create a custom character to dance to songs from the ''PriPara'' anime, as well as to songs exclusive to the game. Gameplay consists of timing button presses to on-screen prompts. The game also includes a harder difficulty called Gold Mode to add additional green and blue prompts that utilize different buttons. By performing well in the rhythm sections of the game, currency is gained that players can spend to customize their avatar with additional accessories and outfits.
''Idol Land PriPara''
A mobile app titled ''Idol Land PriPara'' was released on December 6, 2020. In the app, players create and customize characters who can become idols. An anime adaptation was released alongside the app. Produced by Tatsunoko, the anime was directed by Makoto Moriwaki, Michihiro Tsuchiya supervised the scripts, and Avex Pictures produced the music. Originally set to be released in Q2 2021, the game was delayed five times to August 17, 2023. Soon after launch, however, the game underwent a maintenance until August 23, as its servers were overwhelmed by the number of users. The anime was postponed alongside the game, during which time four episodes were previewed.