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How Do I Get Into Paradox Live?
A sentiment I've seen around quite a bit is that people want to get into Paradox Live, but don't know where to start.
Luckily, despite the multiple forms the franchise takes, it's a lot less intimidating than you might think!
The tl;dr to take away from this is this:
Look over the cast of characters.
Listen to (or read translations of) the audio drama CDs in release order.
Read the MEMORY light novel after the LIVE dramas, but before the Road to Legend dramas.
Congratulations, you've got all you really need.
That is, ultimately, the long and short of it. Everything else is not going to be essential for the basic experience.
But let's get a little more into it!
Core Canon AKA, the stuff you actually have to consume if you really want to be into this franchise
The core content of Paradox Live (at the moment) is its audio dramas, and the core plot is pretty linear! The various alternate mediums are either supplemental to the main, core canon, or adaptations of it.
There is extra material in things like interviews and social media, but the dramas are basically the one thing that matters the most-- with one exception. The MEMORY novel. Lucky for you if you're here: I have translations of all of the audio dramas and MEMORY!
The reading order that I recommend is this:
The other "big" thing that Paradox Live does is run in-character social media, both on Twitter and a bespoke app known as "Paradox Tribe".
A lot of fandom jokes and reference are spun off of things that happen between the official character social media. The official Twitter accounts are compiled on this list!
If you're just now trying getting into the fandom, I wouldn't worry too much about Paradox Tribe just yet; it's mostly used for fan-interaction "mention parties" (where the character accounts will reply to fan messages in real time for brief periods of time). It's also kind of a nightmare for archival.
As with many other multimedia franchises, there's lots of other stuff like magazines and in-character interviews. If you can hunt these or translations of these down, they're often fun, but, again: it is not core content. You will not be missing out on a huge part of the canon if you don't hunt down translations of a random B's Log article from 2021.
Also potentially useful to know is this: the social media accounts, while often informing what we know as canon, are not synchronous with canon; that is to say, they (obviously) happen in real time, while the drama tracks do not, with months passing between releases and only a few days passing in-canon in the drama tracks. So, really: don't worry too much about missing things.
Adaptations AKA, different versions of the core canon
There are currently two, soon to be three adaptations of the canon.
There is a mobile game that has been announced. We currently know very little about it or its status as canon.
Concerts AKA, seiyuu lives
We have currently had one seiyuu concert performed every year since 2021; we call them Dope Shows. They like to bust out restreams of these for free or cheap for events and anniversaries!
Luckily, despite the multiple forms the franchise takes, it's a lot less intimidating than you might think!
The tl;dr to take away from this is this:
Look over the cast of characters.
Listen to (or read translations of) the audio drama CDs in release order.
Read the MEMORY light novel after the LIVE dramas, but before the Road to Legend dramas.
Congratulations, you've got all you really need.
That is, ultimately, the long and short of it. Everything else is not going to be essential for the basic experience.
But let's get a little more into it!
Core Canon AKA, the stuff you actually have to consume if you really want to be into this franchise
The core content of Paradox Live (at the moment) is its audio dramas, and the core plot is pretty linear! The various alternate mediums are either supplemental to the main, core canon, or adaptations of it.
There is extra material in things like interviews and social media, but the dramas are basically the one thing that matters the most-- with one exception. The MEMORY novel. Lucky for you if you're here: I have translations of all of the audio dramas and MEMORY!
The reading order that I recommend is this:
1. Dramas: Opening Show ➔ Desire ➔ Justice ➔ Pride ➔ Family
2. Novel: Fanbook short stories (optional)
3. Dramas: Exhibition Show ➔ Love ➔ Vibes ➔ Live ➔ Shuffle Team Vol. 1 ➔ Shuffle Team Vol. 2
4. Novel: MEMORY
5. Dramas: Road to Legend Opening Show ➔ Fate ➔ Rage ➔ Showdown ➔ Will ➔ Trust ➔ TBD
And ultimately, that's it; that's what you need. That's where you start: start with Opening Show and go through the rest in order.
What goes where? Who won each round?
Coming in late, can sometimes be a little bit confusing what songs go with which round, or figuring out in post who won each round, so here's a quick guide to that. Enjoy.
- Opening Show: BaNG!!!, Master of Music, Where they at, BAD BOYZ -悪漢奴等 Underground- (No battle)
- Desire: AmBitious!!!, Get it (Winner: BAE)
- Justice: Faith, OUTSIDERZ -悪漢奴等 is Justice- (Winner: Akan Yatsura)
- Pride: EmBlem!!!, 4 REAL (Winner: The Cat's Whiskers)
- Family: This Is My Love, CALL FOR FAMILIEZ -悪漢奴等 is Forever- (Winner: cozmez)
- Exhibition Show: FRE△KOUT, Life is Beautiful, Back Off, REBELLION -悪漢奴等 is still Burning-, all collab songs (No battle)
- 1st Album TRAP: BErmud△ Tri△nglE, One Shot One Kill, Runnin',A.K.Y.R. -悪漢奴等 Go over da TRAP- (No battle)
- Love: Ain't No Love, Mercy On Me (Winner: cozmez)
- Vibes: F△Bulous, ROWDIEZ -悪漢奴等 Wanted Vibes- (Winner: BAE)
- 2nd Album LIVE: Better Dayz, Buraikan is Back, Rap Guerrilla -Paradox Live All Artists- (No voting round; Buraikan win for story reasons in RTL Opening Show)
- Shuffle Team Vol. 1: New & Classic, Giragira CANDY NIGHT, Rooftop, Jumping Into My World (No battle)
- Shuffle Team Vol. 2: The Sound of Voltage, Why do you like me??, Rats & Nobles, Double Trouble, CHILLIN'
- Road to Legend Opening Show: Road to Legend, W△vin' Fl△g, Ride Out, Takin' Over, TURN IT UP!!!!!! -悪漢SOUL FEVER-, For My Stella, Do as I say, Break Outta Here, STRONGER (No battle)
- Fate: We △re The Future, True Pride (Winner: BAE); Shooting Arrows, edN (Winner: The Cat's Whiskers)
- Rage: Hit 'Em Up, BE A STAR (Winner: cozmez); 大火傷 - License To Kill, Fight for Liberty (Winner: Akan Yatsura)
- Showdown: Do or Die, Rap Guerrilla Reload -Paradox Live All Artists-; Endless Dream, Nobody But Me, S∀G∀, Trigger (Winner: GokuLuck)
- Will: G△L△XY∞, No Matter What
- Trust: Trust Nobody, 喝采 -Leave It To Me-
The other "big" thing that Paradox Live does is run in-character social media, both on Twitter and a bespoke app known as "Paradox Tribe".
A lot of fandom jokes and reference are spun off of things that happen between the official character social media. The official Twitter accounts are compiled on this list!
If you're just now trying getting into the fandom, I wouldn't worry too much about Paradox Tribe just yet; it's mostly used for fan-interaction "mention parties" (where the character accounts will reply to fan messages in real time for brief periods of time). It's also kind of a nightmare for archival.
As with many other multimedia franchises, there's lots of other stuff like magazines and in-character interviews. If you can hunt these or translations of these down, they're often fun, but, again: it is not core content. You will not be missing out on a huge part of the canon if you don't hunt down translations of a random B's Log article from 2021.
Also potentially useful to know is this: the social media accounts, while often informing what we know as canon, are not synchronous with canon; that is to say, they (obviously) happen in real time, while the drama tracks do not, with months passing between releases and only a few days passing in-canon in the drama tracks. So, really: don't worry too much about missing things.
Adaptations AKA, different versions of the core canon
There are currently two, soon to be three adaptations of the canon.
- Paradox Live on Stage, a stageplay. Currently consists of four entries: Vol. 1, Vol. 2, and two "Live Shows". Volume 1 covers the events of Pride and Family; Volume 2 covers Love, Vibes, and parts of Live. This is more of a supplement to the original content rather than a replacement, as it cuts out a lot of things (namely the entirety of Desire and Justice and large parts of Live), assuming the audience already knows what happened.
- The Live Shows (BAE vs The Cat's Whiskers and cozmez vs Akan Yatsura) are, I think, the most confusing thing. I find it helps to think of them as basically just extended cosplay skits/mini-concerts performed by the stageplay actors. They're a lot of fun and take the form of in-universe performances, but they're pseudo-canonical at best.
- Paradox Live Stage Battle "COMIC", a manga adaptation hosted on Zero Sum Comics. Following the drama tracks very closely, with some later information folded back in earlier to make things flow a little better. Currently up through the end of Justice. Some chapters are time-gated, but some are free to read in perpetuity. The second physical volume came out in May 2023.
- Paradox Live The Animation, an anime coming out in October 2023. Though we don't know for certain yet, all signs point to it being an adaptation of the drama tracks.
There is a mobile game that has been announced. We currently know very little about it or its status as canon.
Concerts AKA, seiyuu lives
We have currently had one seiyuu concert performed every year since 2021; we call them Dope Shows. They like to bust out restreams of these for free or cheap for events and anniversaries!