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Last edited by Tony K. on Thu Apr 11, 2024 5:51 pm; edited 14 times in total

Season 01: Hypnosis Mic -Division Rap Battle- Rhyme Anima (TV)
Season 02: Hypnosis Mic -Division Rap Battle- Rhyme Anima+ (TV 2)

Source: Mixed Media (created by King Records)

Demographic: Shounen

Animation Studio: A-1 Pictures

Genres: comedy, drama, tournament

Themes: absurdity, alternate future, bishounen, boy bands, factions, gangs, government, music, police, urban, yakuza

Plot Summary: After a third World War that killed a third of the human population, history as we know it came to an end at the hands of women. In this new age, rather than fighting using traditional weapons, people use a special microphone that attacks the human spirit called a "Hypnosis Mic."

Lyrics uttered on this microphone act on the human nervous system and can produce altered states. Rap battles are now the main way to establish dominance as gangs of men fight in the districts of Tokyo to defend their territory.

Air Date & Platform:
Season 01: October 2, 2020 (Friday)
Available on: Crunchyroll

Season 02: October 6, 2023 (Friday)
Available on: (probably Crunchyroll)

Episode Count / Runtime:
Season 01: 13 episodes
Season 02: 13 episodes

Total: 26 episodes
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EPISODE INDEX

(Clicking on the episode will take you to my post that has a summary, comments, and screen-caps)

- Season 01

Episode 01: As soon as man is born he begins to die.
Episode 02: Speak of the devil and he will appear.
Episode 03: Two heads are better than one.
Episode 04: A friend in need is a friend indeed.

Episode 05: Seeing is believing.
Episode 06: He who laughs last, laughs best.
Episode 07: The darkest hour is just before the dawn.
Episode 08: Dead men tell no tales.

Episode 09: Life is what you make it.
Episode 10: Today is a good day to die.
Episode 11: No pain, no gain.
Episode 12: You can't make an omelet without breaking eggs.
Episode 13: Tomorrow is another day.

OP1: "Hypnosis Mic -Rhyme Anima-" by Division All Stars
ED1: "Bonds -Ikebukuro ver.-" by Buster Bros!!! (Episodes 1-3)
ED2: "Bonds -Yokohama ver.-" by Mad Trigger Crew (Episodes 4-6)
ED3: "Bonds -Shibuya ver.-" by Fling Posse (Episodes 7-9)
ED4: "Bonds -Shinjuku ver.-" by Matenrou (eps 10-12)
ED5: "Rhyme Anima's Mixtape" by Division All Stars (Episode 13)
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- Season 02

Episode 14 (S02E01):
Episode 15 (S02E02):
Episode 16 (S02E03):
Episode 17 (S02E04):

Episode 18 (S02E05):
Episode 19 (S02E06):
Episode 20 (S02E07):
Episode 21 (S02E08):

Episode 22 (S02E09):
Episode 23 (S02E10):
Episode 24 (S02E11):
Episode 25 (S02E12):
Episode 26 (S02E13):

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Was going through the Fall 2020 Preview Guide and didn't see a discussion thread made for this series, yet, so here it is. And I gotta' say, after reading the summary, this sounds really, really outlandish. I think I'll check it out.

You should! I'm not a rap or hip-hop fan and I tend to shy away from bishounen stuff and even with that kind of profile I am STILL enjoying this wacky show.

Yeah, it has had some good fun to it. A lot of it is just how fun it goes with "stupid" premise, rap battles being ridiculous but is good to see confidence with it. I think if able to check out the OP can be useful.

And a lot of the bishounenen character archetypes are more fun than I might normally find them, I don't know if it is because rap usually has more edge than bishie characters usually have (who are not yandere psychopaths), so it levels them out well. Even the guy with pink hair who is all cutesy, which the archetype has often annoyed me, works. Maybe a part of that weird dissonance of the cutesiness and that the whole rap thing.

My favourite group at the moment would probably be the doctor, the host and the salary man. I don't know if that comes down to how good the deep voiced doctor sounds, but the host is not bad, and it does found funny that one of the characters is mostly just an overworked salaryman. The last one feels like an easy comparison to Retsuko.

My fave is Mad Trigger Crew because:

1) Their name

2) The fact they are made up of a cop, a yakuza and a soldier

3) but mostly because the visuals that accompany their raps are AWESOME.

Last edited by Tony K. on Mon Oct 02, 2023 8:32 pm; edited 12 times in total

Episode 01: As soon as man is born he begins to die.
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Summary: Otome Tohoten, representing a group of women called "The Party of Words," have taken the top place in government and outlawed the production and manufacturing of arms/weapons and replaced them with special microphones. Any words that go through these microphones will do their damage, instead, beginning the age of H Law. Three years into the Age of H, we meet our four division teams:

Buster Bros. -- Ichirou (oldest), Jirou (middle), Saburou (youngest)
Mad Trigger Crew -- Samatoki (yakuza), Jyuutou (police), Riou (soldier)
Fling Posse -- Ramuda (fashion designer), Gentarou (novelist), Dice (gambler)
Matenrou -- Jakurai (doctor), Hifumi (host), Doppo (salaryman)
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Comments: Wow, this show is ridiculous! It feels like an over-the-top comedic shounen parody musical. I do like some rap and hip hop, in general, but it's not something I regularly listen to. What specifically got me into Japanese hip hop, though, was a group called M-Flo, back when Bamboo was still around on ANN. Listening to them made me appreciate the flow and rhythm the Japanese language can have with rap/hip hop. Like, Japanese is a pretty fast-speaking language, already, so I think it lends itself well to those genres of music.

The visuals during the rap battles are pretty crazy, like that scene in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World where Sex Bob-omb is fighting the Katayanagi Twins and all this crazy stuff starts forming and projecting from their music. Also, it's interesting to know that the actors do their own raps. I was wondering if they hired two different groups to do each, but then I found the ANN article saying that they're actors who just happen to be able to rap, so that's very cool. Rapping isn't easy, especially in Japanese, I would think.

The episode pretty much spent its entirety setting the ground work, introducing the groups, and showing off the visuals, so I think I've got a pretty good idea of what to expect. I don't know if there's gonna' be any ecchi elements either, judging by the very large boobs on Ichijiku (Otome's assistant). But as wacky as the show already feels, I don't think anything else will really surprise me.

I saw that this is scheduled for 13 episodes, which is good to know. The animation is very detailed in those battles, and I would hate for the show's overall quality to drop if this ran any longer. I will definitely keep up with it.
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Screen Caps:

Aw, hell. I've decided to make this my own review thread, now.

It won't be nearly as convoluted as my Mushishi one. Just an opinion on each episode and some screencaps to show off the craziness. Not much to analyze, here, 'cause I don't think it'll be that kind of show. But I think me reviewing it and posting caps will help spread the word, so people can try the crazy juice. Plus, it's a short series.

I love that image two down from the right - the skull gripping two coffin shaped speakers. That visual is for the yakuza in Mad Trigger Crew. Looking forward to your reviews, Tony K.!

Last edited by Tony K. on Mon Oct 02, 2023 8:33 pm; edited 1 time in total

Episode 02: Speak of the devil and he will appear.
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Summary: Jiro and Saburo are waiting for Ichiro in a park, but Jiro misunderstood the directions. The two of them are encountered by members of the Tenderloins (gang from the previous episode) for a rematch. Ichiro makes his way there in musical fashion and catches the eye of Tom (photographer), Iris (glasses girl), and Rex (dark dude), then scares off the Tenderloins. Ichiro meets a lady in a café, giving her a memory card in exchange for money and free food, but then a bank robber barges in, takes everyone hostage, and shows he's wired with a vest of illegal mics. Ichiro eventually finds an opening and takes the robber down, catching the eye of Tom and his crew, again.
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Comments: Was surprised to see it was strictly Buster Bros.-centric, but I'm glad it was. The first episode introduced so many characters, I was a little hesitant on how well they'd handle any kind of development. Not that I'm expecting much to begin with, given the premise. But this will make it a little easier for them to kinda' show how they act and what they're capable of.

I like how it went full musical and even had the crowd dance as he rapped his way over to his bros. I'm also liking the urban approach to how they setup these gang fights, albeit in its own Hypno-Mic way. Pretty sure a lot of the cussing in the subtitles are some western localization choices to "spruce" up the dialogue, but I think it adds to the urban feel of it. If this ever gets a dub, I'll be really interested to see how they handle the lyrics.

The art and animation are still outstanding. I took caps of some backgrounds and food to show it off. With there being only three musical numbers, I think that helped balance the whole episode out a little better so they could animate the other pretty stuff, 'cause that first episode was nuts. I think this ep. was a good display of resource management for the animators.

As for as the raps, the three that they presented were great. Even the robber was decent for what little part he had. The final one with the Bros. was fun. It kinda' feels like a Japanese Beastie Boys, but faster tempo. This is such a fun series, so far.
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Screen Caps:

Last edited by Tony K. on Mon Oct 02, 2023 8:35 pm; edited 2 times in total

Episode 03: Two heads are better than one.
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Summary: Doppo finds a man strangled with one of his neck ties in his apartment. Freaking out, he calls Hifumi about what to do, who then calls Dr. Jakurai. Turns out, somebody's trying to frame him. But why?
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Comments: Seeing as it was gonna' be a Matenrou-centric episode, I didn't know what to expect. Buster Bros. seem pretty straight-forward and a little predictable in terms of personality, but it's hard to get a read on the guys in Matenrou. Part of it, I think, is that a lot of these teams seem to personify whatever parts of the city they're from, which I'm embarrassed to say I know little about, in terms of the actual culture. In fact, I looked up factoids about Ikebukuro and Shinjuku, just now, to see how they operate and what makes them so famous.

Pertaining to the episode, though, I'm getting a vibe that Jakurai wasn't always a doctor, and that there's more to him than meets the eye. I mean, even the cops are keeping tabs on him. But so far, it appears that within all these teams, somebody knows somebody else from past relations, and I think that'll make for some interesting dynamic when they actually face off with each other.

I'm still wondering what's up with Tom and his group, since they seem to be in consecutive episodes, now. They don't seem that important from a rap group perspective, yet they happen to be around to observe everything (especially Tom with his camera). Maybe he's just a photographer for the sake of publicizing their deeds?

Only one musical number in this episode. And I realized Jakurai is played by Shou Hayami, who I've always thought sounded really similar to Jouji Nakata (was great to hear them in the same scenes on Fate/Zero). Those two guys have awesome deep voices, so it was pretty cool listen to Hayami rap. And these blast explosions at the end of each sequence still get me. It's so over-the-top.
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Screen Caps:

Episode 7

Is it bad that I was already shipping doppo with the new guy? Although when they spoiler[brought up the robbers it seemed kind of obvious that what revelations would come from this new guy who was nice to a character built around being sympathetically unlucky]. Maybe I am new to paying attention to these sorts of things, but I thought that he was likely flirting.

Last edited by Tony K. on Mon Oct 02, 2023 8:37 pm; edited 2 times in total

Episode 04: A friend in need is a friend indeed.
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Summary: There's a turf war brewing between Samatoki and a rival gang called Binzui-gumi. Turns out, Binzui-gumi has an illegal casino on Samatoki's territory, and Jyuto devises a plan to bust a drug deal to help eliminate Binzui-gumi's presence and to gain some clout with the police force. Rio offers assistance, but discovers some comrades from his former unit are working Binzui-gumi.
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Comments: Another outlandish plot for the sake of just having a plot. But I've been interested in seeing how the chemistry for this team would pan out. Each of MAD TRIGGER CREW's members have seemingly dedicated professions, which makes them really good at what they do. Ironically, it's brought them together for, not necessary a common goal, but something they can agree upon.

Samatoki seems yakuza enough in his approach to things, but not in a typical "bad guy" way. Jyuto feels pretty cut and dry like he just wants to get rid of drugs and stop crime using whatever resources at his disposal. And then Rio appears to have a lot of skills, but no real way to use them, so he just kinda' stuck around to make himself useful for the two of them and occasionally freak people out with his cooking.

The episode itself plays out like an undercover sting, so that was cool compared to earlier episodes, but it didn't feel as over-the-top fun. We find out more people know people from other groups, so now I'm wondering if they'll show a flashback to one of those times.

The rap was catchy. I can't pinpoint what songs in particular, but the sound of it reminds me of a lot of things from the late '90s and early 2000s (which is when I listened to it most often).
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Screen Caps:

Last edited by Tony K. on Mon Oct 02, 2023 8:38 pm; edited 1 time in total

Episode 05: Seeing is believing.
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Summary: Reports of ghosts popping in Shibuya get Fling Posse curious. They go to investigate, much to Ramuda's chagrin. In the process, they discover a struggling live music club and attempt to help the owner. But is that guy's place really haunted?
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Comments: Seeing the whole ghost/horror theme, I was wondering what day it aired, and sure enough it was on Halloween. This was a really fun episode. I especially like how it highlighted certain personality aspects for Ramuda and Gentarou: Ramuda as really peppy in general, but the funny kind of cowering type; and then Gentarou, being a novelist, was great when he told the story about the cemetery, but did so with a bit of a smirk.

I think out of all the rap groups I've seen, thus far, these guys are probably the most fun to watch interact with each other. There's just something about their group chemistry that's silly and comical. Ramuda is happy-go-lucky, but sort of flaky. Gentarou has a way with words (go figure). But I think Dice is the difference maker because he always seems so desperate, yet super chill and laid back when he doesn't actually need money.

The scenario really seemed to fit with the over-the-top tone I've been liking about the series. In addition to being a Halloween themed episode, the comedy and quirks all flowed together very well. It was also cool to see the enemy rap group dressed up and dancing for their introduction like the JabbaWockeez.

The song they performed and the type of singing voices they have feel more like hip hop than rap. And I might even say they borderline on boy band pop, but it's close enough.

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Screen Caps:

Last edited by Tony K. on Mon Oct 02, 2023 8:40 pm; edited 1 time in total

Episode 06: He who laughs last, laughs best.
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Summary: The Party of Words has begun divisional qualifications for all rap battle groups. Buster Bros. are supposed to be up, first, but a rival group from Saitama intends to try and sabotage their chances. Ichiro befriends Tom in the process.
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Comments: Almost halfway through the season, and we're starting to get up to the actual tournament. Should be interesting to see where the show goes from here on out. I think the previous episodes were decent enough in establishing the groups and their personalities. Also, we finally get some backstory on Dirty Dawg. Not a whole lot, but I'm glad it's something.

The episode is about half and half of group profiling and a Buster Bros. adventure. And I'm pretty sure those bald rappers from Saitama and the quip about "stupid word play" are a reference to O-PM, so that was funny. This one was actually quite thrilling; it essentially sets the stage with the big info dump about all the groups, but then throw in a bomb hunt for good measure, and you got me excited for the next half of the season.

The explosives theme to the rap was a nice touch. Red is obviously their color, so it also tied in well: color, lyrics, and all. I think in terms of the actual rapping, these guys are my favorite, right now. Something about them being brothers, the color scheme, the art, their lyrics, and rhyming all seem to click for me.
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Screen Caps:

DuskyPredator wrote:

Maybe I am new to paying attention to these sorts of things, but I thought that he was likely flirting.

The show seems pretty basic and predictable in its storytelling formula. But that's okay, because the over-the-top nature makes up for it. At this point, I've basically surmised the formatting to end up like this:

Ep. 1 - Intro to all the groups.
Eps. 2-5 - Each group gets an episode to show their personalities.
Eps. 6-9 - Divisional qualifications start, but each group has to overcome a sabotage.
Eps. 10-13 - The four groups have a showdown until one is left.

Their doesn't appear to be much to the manga, so I'm guessing this is all there will be of the anime, unless they do a Dirty Dawg OAV or something. I don't think the novelty of the concept itself has enough steam to go more than one season.

Episode 9

Finally felt like we had a rap battle that was actually a battle rather than a chance for one side to destroy another without much of a chance to lose. Buster Bros vs Mad Trigger Crew. In all honesty, I kind of think that Buster Bros are a little on the boring side, like the most plain of a rap crew, built around a standard hero character and younger brother characters. So it was good to see the bit more varied MTC pull it off.

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