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Japan’s First Interactive Movie ‘Hypnosis Mic’ Turns Theater Into Rap Battle Arena: ‘It’s OK to Shout While Watching This One,’ Director Says
Japanese anime breaks new ground as fans use an app to vote on rap battle outcomes in theaters, marking the first fully interactive movie experience.
But the full-house crowd at the Feb. 5 world premiere of the animation “Hypnosis Mic – Division Rap Battle” at Toho Cinemas Hibiya cheered, applauded and waved multicolored light wands as the on-screen action unfolded. Prior to the start of the story, set in an alternative future where the women who rule central Tokyo have channeled male aggression into rap battles, moviegoers downloaded an app that allowed them to choose their favorites after each rapper-versus-rapper contest, with the winner announced on screen. The film is part of a multimedia franchise developed by the King Records label that launched in 2017 with rap singles followed by albums, live concerts, games, manga, stage plays and a TV anime series.
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