Kanye West and Kid Cudi drop teaser for ‘Kids See Ghosts’ anime series

Kanye West has long been influenced by anime — whether it’s the “Stronger” rapper gushing about “Akira” or celebrating the anime-inspired work of designer Takashi Murakami, West has always made his love for the medium known.

It’s unsurprising that West and collaborator Kid Cudi commissioned Murakami to design the cover for their joint album “Kids See Ghosts.” But this time around Murakami will direct a new project with the pair, an anime series of the same name

West and Cudi will voice the two main protagonists. One is Kanye Bear, the same animal avatar that has appeared in West’s work since his “Graduation” album. The other is Kid Fox voiced by Cudi, AKA Scott Mescudi. 

The trailer shows the two child-aged characters riding bikes through a suburban neighborhood. Then a dark void emerges behind them. A woman with limbs made of tree branches morphs into a spaceship, and Kanye Bear and Kid Fox hop on. But the two eventually fall off and plummet down the new dimension. That’s until Kanye Bear’s sneakers turn into rockets and blast them up to safety.

Yeah, there’s a lot going on with no dialogue to anchor it, but Murakami’s imagery is very surreal and cool as expected. Kid Cudi tweeted the trailer with very little context other than that it’s “coming soon.” There’s still no word on where or when the project will air or if it’s a companion piece to the titular album. 

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