Having been announced in May 2022 via the official website, the animated series based on the hip-hop multimedia project Paradox Live, created by Avex Pictures and GCREST, is now airing on TOKYO MX and BS Fuji Max from October 3 and is set to air every Tuesday at 23:00 JST. The series is produced by PINE JAM (Kageki Shoujo!!, Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible) and directed by Andou Naoya.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GImJ3Jr4vk]
Set in an indeterminate time in the future, a new chemically reactive metal called “phantometal” is discovered, which can create illusions from direct contact with people based on their emotions. This caused a boom in the hip-hop scene, as “phantom rappers,” rappers who use phantometal to enhance their performances, exploded in popularity.
The story follows four groups (BAE, The Cat’s Whisker, Cozmez, and Akanyatsura), each focused on different hip-hop subgenres, invited to compete in the Paradox Live event, held at the legendary CLUB PARADOX. Whoever wins will be considered the next legendary artist and win a massive cash prize of 10 billion yen (roughly $67,000,000 at the current exchange), with the sole condition that only phantom rappers are allowed to participate.
However, there is a side effect to phantometal that most people don’t know about: prolonged use will cause traumatic hallucinations in the long run.
The series features many well-known vocal artists, such as Kajiwara Gakuto (Asta from Black Clover, Tadano Hitohito from Komi-san wa Komyushou desu, and Amagi Hiiro from Ensemble Stars!!) Murase Ayumu (Hinata Shouyou from Haikyuu!!, Hayakawa Aki from Chainsaw Man, Himemiya Tori from Ensemble Stars!!) and 96neko (known for her covers of Vocaloid songs and Vtuber work under the name Kuroki Natsume).
