Hirano Aya seems pretty pumped for this role. She says in an interview that people will hear a new voice from her, that she wants people to be surprised it's her when they see the end credits.
Here are a couple of shots from the TAF live event that was mentioned earlier. She was interviewed about the show, then the "Twenty-faced Thief" apparently made her appear from a cloud of smoke, and she performed the ED,
unnamed world, which comes out as a single on 23 April:
And here, from Aya's blog, are (l-r) the cast after the first recording session; Aya with Uchida Yuya, who plays the "Twenty-Faced Thief," and whom everyone on the set apparently calls "boss"; and Aya with "360," who does the OP.
As for the show itself, I have little idea what to expect. I'll just watch and react then. The director did
Futakoi 1 and
Kanban Musume, the writer did
Major and
KimiKiss.
Has the following summary been posted before (from
this site, found via ANN):
"One night the Phantom Thief (the Gentleman Thief with Twenty Faces) steals a little girl. Her name is Chiko (Chizuko Mikamo). Until then, she had been a lonely girl. But that night , she embarks on a great adventure. Experiencing freedom for the very first time, surrounded by friends, finding a place where she can be herself, Chiko starts changing gradually. A string of bizarre events start happening, centering around the tremendous mystery called the "Legacy of the Phantom Thief" and involving people with pathetic motives. Chiko has to move on nevertheless...no matter how checkered her life will be. The "spiritual growth" of the dignified, innocent and beautiful girl, Chiko, (from the age of 11 to 13) is depicted in this action story that unfolds in a fast tempo. CHIKO, Heiress of the Phantom Thief is the first joint production between BONES (which produced Fullmetal Alchemist) and TELECOM ANIME (which produced Little Nemo and The Castle of Cagliostro--Lupin III)."