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Kyodo News
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Kyodo News
Double Screening of "Hypnosis Mic -Division Rap Battle-" and "Uta no☆Prince-sama♪ TABOO NIGHT XXXX" at Anime Expo 2025! [Official Report]
We bring you the official report for the double screening of movies "Hypnosis Mic -Division Rap Battle-" and "Uta no☆Prince-sama♪ TABOO NIGHT XXXX," which took place at Anime Expo 2025 in Los Angeles on Saturday, July 5, 2025! The event was a massive success, with local fans flawlessly executing Japanese call-and-response chants, generating an electrifying atmosphere. Official Report: Double Screening of "Hypnosis Mic -Division Rap Battle-" and "Uta no☆Prince-sama♪ TABOO NIGHT XXXX" at Anime Expo 2025 "Hypnosis Mic -Division Rap Battle-" Movie I arrived at the cinema fifteen minutes early, securing a front-row seat on the second floor. The crowd seemed sparse, but a glance downstairs revealed groups of cosplaying fans, light sticks in hand. My attention then shifted to the screen, displaying a QR code for an app to vote for battle winners during the film. This wasn't just a movie; it was an interactive experience where the audience would decide the outcome of the rap battles. The film, "Hypnosis Mic -Division Rap Battle-" or "HypMic," depicts a world where physical violence is outlawed. Conflicts are settled through rap battles using "Hypnosis Mics," which influence the mind, with winning teams gaining territory. These battles are organized by the "Party of Words," a female-led group, featuring teams from various divisions. The battles are fought in teams of three, with six representative teams: ● Buster Bros!!!: Representing Ikebukuro Division ● MAD TRIGGER CREW: Representing Yokohama Division ● Fling Posse: Representing Shibuya Division ● Matenrou: Representing Shinjuku Division ● Bad Ass Temple: Representing Nagoya Division ● Dotsuitare Hompo: Representing Osaka Division Teams advance from the first stage of the tournament and emerge victorious from the second stage's round-robin battles to earn the right to challenge the "Party of Words" in the final battle. While the movie itself covers the entire final stage, this special Anime Expo edition concludes after the second stage. A key feature of this film is an innovative movie experience powered by the CtrlMovie app. After each battle sequence, a 10-second voting countdown begins, during which viewers tap the logo of the team they believe performed better. Within seconds, the winner is displayed on screen, and the story progresses. As the outcome for each team hinges on the audience's earnest votes, tension builds during the countdown, even for those unfamiliar with the series. When results are revealed, the venue fills with cheers of joy and cries of disappointment, fostering a powerful sense of unity among attendees. The team members' reactions and comments vary based on the results, offering a unique story with each viewing. With an astonishing 48 different possibilities, fans will undoubtedly be eager to experience every permutation. Anticipation surged as I observed the venue filling up, with seats completely taken and standing room only at the rear and throughout the ground floor. The MC began to hype up the crowd, and finally, the screening commenced. The event began with thunderous applause, as each team showcased their performance in their respective divisions. The atmosphere was electric with excited cheers and fans waving color-coded glowsticks, a detail whose purpose—color coordination—now became clear. The video presentation effectively highlighted each character's unique traits and team dynamics. This was followed by an opening movie featuring all participants, allowing their individual voices to be heard, and setting the stage for the upcoming competitions. The crowd's equally intense enthusiasm for all teams made the outcome entirely unpredictable. And now, it's time for the rap battles! Battle 1: Buster Bros!!! vs. Bad Ass Temple This highly anticipated face-off pitted former teammates Ichiro (Buster Bros!!!) against Kuko (Bad Ass Temple). As the voting results were revealed, the Buster Bros!!! logo appeared, eliciting a dramatic mix of cheers and gasps. A touching moment of mutual respect between Ichiro and Kuko on screen was met with warm applause from the audience. Battle 2: MAD TRIGGER CREW vs. Dotsuitare Hompo Samatoki (MAD TRIGGER CREW) and Sasara (Dotsuitare Hompo), once partners, knew each other's every strength and weakness. However, this was a team battle, demanding maximum collective power for victory. Dotsuitare Hompo's logo appeared during the decisive voting, sparking a massive cheer. Samatoki's gracious acceptance of defeat garnered encouraging shouts, leaving a lasting impression. Battle 3: Fling Posse vs. Matenrou The relationship between Ramuda (Fling Posse) and Jakurai (Matenrou) was marked by an apparent mutual discomfort, adding intrigue to their battle. Their close proximity during the performance ignited shrill screams of excitement from the crowd. Matenrou's logo emerged victorious at the crucial voting moment, leading to a mix of cheers and screams. The tension between the two seemed to dissipate, with Jakurai considering Ramuda a friend, though Ramuda's amusement and irritation at Jakurai's unintentionally condescending remarks were a highlight. The Second Round: Round-Robin Battle The three victors from the first round—Buster Bros!!!, Dotsuitare Hompo, and Matenrou—faced off in a round-robin format. During the decisive voting, with cheers echoing for each team, Dotsuitare Hompo emerged triumphant. The arena erupted in the loudest cheers and screams of the day, bringing the event to a thrilling conclusion. The "Hypnosis Mic" screening concluded just as we were anticipating the final face-off with "Party of Words." Despite the outcome not favoring my preferred team, I'm eager to witness how the battle unfolds between the Kansai-based "Dotsuitare Hompo" and the all-female "Party of Words." You can find the voting results for this screening at: For those interested, all voting results from screenings held in Japan are available here: I highly recommend checking them out! "Uta no☆Prince-sama♪ TABOO NIGHT XXXX" Movie Following a brief shift in the audience from "HypMic" to "UtaPri" fans (though in small numbers), the MC's introduction of "UtaPri" ignited immense excitement. This marks the third theatrical release in the "Uta no Prince-sama Maji LOVE" series, a multimedia franchise rooted in an otome game (a dating simulation for female players). This particular film features full live animation and centers on QUARTET NIGHT, a group of four senior idols, in an entirely new story. The members are: ● Reiji Kotobuki ● Ranmaru Kurosaki ● Ai Mikaze ● Camus Setlist: ● Jewelful XXXX ○ Seize me if you can (Reiji) ○ Force & Faith (Ranmaru) ○ Wandering in a maze (Ai) ○ Do you know who I'm (Camus) ● Ice Pierrot (Camus) ● Rei-Zero- (Reiji) ● Black Panther (Ranmaru) ● Am I a fairy or...? (Ai) ● The RUN to the RAY (Reiji & Ranmaru) ● God Love Keihou Hatsurei (Ai & Camus) ● TABOO NIGHT XXXX (All) ● JINN-Ω-RAY (All) The audience changed their light sticks to match each idol's image color, cheering enthusiastically and perfectly executing the call-and-response chants - all in Japanese, of course. Th scene was reminiscent of an idol live concert in Japan, brought to life right here in the theater. Event Overview Anime Expo 2025 'HYPNOSISMIC -Division Rap Battle- Movie / Utano☆Prince Sama TABOO NIGHT XXXX' Screening July 5, 12:30–2:30 PM | The Novo About "HYPNOSISMIC -Division Rap Battle- Movie" Introduction "HYPNOSISMIC -Division Rap Battle-" is Japan's first theatrical film to be an interactive movie. The outcome of the rap battle that unfolds on the screen is decided by the audience's votes in the theater. Voting takes place in real time via a smartphone app, and the story progresses according to the choice that receives the most votes. The development and ending (= the winning division) of each screening will change depending on the choices made by each audience member... This is Japan's first participatory video experience. Cast Buster Bros!!! Ichiro Yamada: Subaru Kimura Jiro Yamada: Haruki Ishiya Saburo Yamada: Kohei Amasaki MAD TRIGGER CREW Samatoki Aohitsugi: Shintaro Asanuma Jyuto Iruma: Wataru Komada Rio Mason Busujima: Shinichiro Kamio Fling Posse Ramuda Amemura: Yusuke Shirai Gentaro Yumeno: Souma Saito Dice Arisugawa: Yukihiro Nozuyama Matenrou Jinguji Jakurai: Show Hayami Hifumi Izanami: Ryuichi Kijima Doppo Kannonzaka: Kent Ito Dotsuitare Hompo Sasara Nurude: Ryota Iwasaki Rosho Tsutsujimori: Kengo Kawanishi Rei Amayado: Takaya Kuroda Bad Ass Temple Kuko Harai: Shota Hayama Jyushi Aimono: Yuki Sakakihara Hitoya Amaguni: Eiji Takeuchi Party of Words Otome Tohoten: Yu Kobayashi Ichijiku Kadenokoji: Chiaki Takahashi Nemu Aohitsugi: Nozomi Yamamoto ©HYPNOSISMIC -Division Rap Battle- Movie About "Utano☆Prince Sama TABOO NIGHT XXXX" Synopsis Witness QUARTET NIGHT's New Pinnacle: Utopia! Cast Reiji Kotobuki: Showtaro Morikubo Ranmaru Kurosaki: Tatsuhisa Suzuki Ai Mikaze: Shouta Aoi Camus: Tomoaki Maeno ©UTA☆PRI-MOVIE TN PROJECT
Japan Times
20-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Japan Times
‘Hypnosismic — Division Rap Battle — Movie' lets viewers remix the narrative
Democracy may be in decline around the world, but it's on the rise in Japanese movie theaters. 'Hypnosismic — Division Rap Battle — Movie,' which goes into wide release Feb. 21, is billed as Japan's first interactive movie, in which the audience votes en masse to determine the outcome of the story. The interactive feature is the latest event in the 'Hypnosismic' media mix franchise, which kicked off in 2017 with music, manga, a smartphone game, anime series and live concerts. 'Hipumai,' as fans call it, centers on groups of stylish male rappers from neighborhoods around Tokyo and Japan at large who engage in rap battles using special hypnotic microphones. The fanbase (about 90% of which is young women, a rep tells me) attends live events wearing LED-lined gloves lit up in colors representing their favorite group, including Buster Bros!!! (Ikebukuro), Fling Posse (Shibuya) and Bad Ass Temple (Nagoya). Such was the case at the premiere of the 'Hypnosismic' film on Feb. 5, attended by members of the press and about 300 fans chosen via lottery. Before the screening, longtime 'Hipumai' fans and journalists alike were instructed to download a smartphone app developed by Kino Industries, the company behind the tech that powers interactive films like this one (their first film, the English-language interactive thriller 'Late Shift,' was released in 2016). After an introduction by the film's cast and director Takanori Tsujimoto, all of whom did an admirable job of talking for 40 minutes about a film they weren't allowed to reveal anything about, the LED-adorned audience was asked to scan an onscreen QR code with their apps, allowing voting on each of the film's rap battles.
