Hypnosis Mic: Division Rap Battle Movie

This really was our Hypnosis Mic: Division Rap Battle Movie.

Full disclosure, I am not super into Hypmic. It's been several years since I dropped off it, and even when I was following the main story, I was absolutely a larper who barely read the audio drama translations. Bear my lack of knowledge in mind for the rest of the review.

Hypnosis Mic: Division Rap Battle Movie is basically just hype moments and aura. There's scarcely a plot to speak of, with all the character development seemingly happening off-screen and before this movie. The plot structure is incredibly formulaic; intro scene with all the divisions, ... then a 1v1 battle with two divisions, then a free-for-all music video competition with the surviving groups from the first round, then the winning group goes up against Chuuko, then they all sing Kumbaya at the end. There is nothing in this movie going on besides the tournament, no plot intrigue, barely any tension, zero interest in the world at large, and most importantly, not a lot of yaoi bait? (Save for like, two scenes.)

It makes perfect sense why the movie is like this, because this is a Ctrl+ movie. Ctrl+ is an app you download on your phone that allows the audience to interact with the movie. Audience members could vote on their phones at the end of each round, and the winning division goes on to the next round. When a movie has seven different endings, the formulaic structure is the only thing that makes sense from a production standpoint.

I have mixed feelings about this. In a vacuum, I think the interactive voting is a very fun way to get the audience engaged and involved. The Western Hypmic fandom had nearly no way of interacting with the voting for the two previous Division Rap Battle Tournaments, votes locked behind CD sales that were easily accessible outside of the east. I liked the anticipation of seeing if your preferred Division won. I could see some arguments being made where not all of the endings had an equal chance to be achieved, based on certain units being more popular than the rest (I'm sorry Bad Ass Temple annd DH fans), but I don't think there was much Cntrl+ could do about Matenrou and Fling Posse being insanely popular. The formulaic nature of the movie was probably easier to produce and write than an actual movie would be, regardless of Ctrl+'s involvement.

On the other hand, I kinda wish I saw an actual movie? Granted this is hypmic, so my expectations for this movie were in hell. But still, as someone who is vaguely familiar with the conflicting relationships/lore/political aspects of hympic, I was kinda disappointed. For a movie that is a celebration (and low-key the finale of) Hypnosis Mic, I think like, an actual movie where they don't just say "Kumbaya, all of the political problems are fixed and we are all friends now" feels pretty cheap. Granted, all of that mightve happened offscreen in an audio drama before the movie, but when you get the opportunity to see Hypmic on the big screen, I would've liked to see something a little more explosive.

The animation was definitely better than I expected, but still felt like a long video game cutscene. Kazui-sensei's art work looks really good as 3D models, and the MV direction was definitely not bad. Some creative moments, but nothing to the level of JJK or a Fujimoto adaptation. Lighting and backgrounds definitely left more to be desired. The character animation was by far the best part--everyone was super bouncy. Breathed some life into the cast that they weren't getting from the script. The music is definitely hypmic music. Do not take your friend who's into rap to see this movie, you'll just embarrass yourself.

Overall theater etiquette for my theater was okay. One BB fan had a lightstick that was on the whole screening, but that wasn't too bad. A couple call and responses and some cheering, but overall, if you're worried about a loud fandom running your experience, don't be, people were fine.

All that said, Hypmic was an okay experience. It was fun to let loose and be an otaku for a bit, but it is not a life changing movie. I do hope its available on streaming soon, because it would be nice to see all the endings (As a Buster Bros fan, Fling Posse won in my theater, and I feel robbed). Kind of sucks its only seven theaters, sorry for all the hypmic fans in middle America. And, even more sorry for non-american fans. This absolutely isn't a movie for someone who isn't already a fan of the series, even though you could easily grasp what's going on. Wish there were more fanservice for what it is, but oh well--I don't regret the time I spent in the theater.