GKIDS announced on Tuesday that it will screen Hypnosis Mic -Division Rap Battle- Interactive Movie, described as “Japan’s first interactive film,” on February 27 in 15 Regal theaters in the following U.S. states: New York, California, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Texas, Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Nevada. The company streamed a trailer:
The film uses CtrlMovie’s in-theatre polling technology to determine the routes, songs, and endings based on audience votes.
Image via Hypnosis Mic -Division Rap Battle- website
© King Record Co., Ltd.
The film premiered in Japan in February 2025.
The story of the film, including the winner of the Third Division Rap Battle onscreen, can be different at each screening. The storyline will change depending on the realtime polling of the audience members via their smartphones. The interactive film has 48 story routes, 16 new songs, and seven possible endings.
The Division All Stars perform the film’s opening theme song “Hypnosis Mic -Division Battle Anthem-+.”
Takanori Tsujimoto (Resident Evil: Vendetta) directed the film at Polygon Pictures, and Yūichirō Momose, a developer of the franchise’s story setting, characters, and game events, wrote the script. Kazui returned as the character designer. TOHO NEXT is distributing the film. (A-1 Pictures animated the previous television anime with a different main staff.)
King Records’ Hypnosis Mic rap-themed project features voice actors who rap in the personas of original characters, and it launched in September 2017. Hypnosis Mic’s first full album Enter the Hypnosis Microphone launched in April 2018. The group earned the top spot as the most popular voice actor Twitter account in Japan for 2018. The project includes multiple manga tie-ins, a mobile game, stage plays, and live events.
The first season of the Hypnosis Mic -Division Rap Battle- Rhyme Anima anime premiered in October 2020. The second season HYPNOSISMIC -Division Rap Battle- Rhyme Anima PLUS premiered in October 2023. Funimation streamed the first season and Crunchyroll streamed the second season as they aired.
The Hypnosis Mic -Alternative Rap Battle- smartphone game came out in March 2020. The latest smartphone game, Hypnosis Mic -Dream Rap Battle-, debuted in November 2024.
Source: Press release
