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kaibutsushidousha · 5 years

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Artbook Data - Writer Team Interview

I really saved the best for last with this one. This interview was a wild ride, with at least two big pieces of fandom common knowledge being proven wrong.

Interviewees:

Yoshinori Terasawa: The producer for the Danganronpa series. Tasked with the challange of organizing this ragtag band of weirdoes while fighting schedule and budget. This time his title on the credits changed.

Kazutaka Kodaka: The writer, and one of the series’ creators. He created this game in paralell with writing scripts for the anime. Also experienced in writing novels and manga.

Takayuki Sugawara: Involved with the series’ development since the first game. For V3, aside from giving the order for the game to happen and offering many ideas, he also wrote all the secret lie routes for the Class Trial.

Shun Sasaki: This game’s director. Kodaka’s right-hand man, with the important role of transmitting Kodaka’s thoughts to the staff. The many bonus modes were all made at Sasaki’s idea.

The inital theme was going to be Psychoamerican, with the game being set on a desert!?

Interviewer: It has been a month since the game was released (interview recorded in February 23, 2017), so how much have your thoughts changed since the game’s release?

Kazutaka Kodaka: Not much.

I: Then it must mean everything, including the fan reactions, was just as expected.

KK: Yeah. I was wishing for an unexpected reaction, but everything went just as expected, for better or for worse.

I: How about you, Terasawa?

YT: Kodaka says “just as expected”, but I was thinking the game would be a little bit more well received. You know, when I look at the timeline, I see more critical opinions than I imagined I would.

I: That said, I’m getting the impression that we’re getting more and more positive reviews, compared to how it was immediately after launch.

YT: We’re feeling this too. I’m very thankful that one month after launch, the positive opinion have been getting gradually more vocal.

I: How about you, Sasaki?

SS: Same as Kodaka, no big changes. I'm just still stunned that it’s over.

TS: I’m the opposite of Sasaki. We’ve always finished Danganronpa on the edge of the deadline, but this one we were REALLY improving everywhere we could until the very last second. I feel like the production is still not over even now. Maybe we’re all lying when we said we made it in time (laughs).

I: Was V3 really this hard? When did the project start?

KK: It was late into Ultra Despair Girls’ production. Sugawara called me about a new project and ...

I: So it was Sugawara, not Terasawa.

KK: For some reason, he never calls me directly. Always has someone relaying his message to me. Then me and Sugawara started coming up with some content and wrote the project pitch. It was completely different from what’s now.

YT: It was going to be set in a desert.

I: A desert!? Do deserts have schools?

KK: The design theme at the time was Psychoamerican, so we thought it should be in a desert.

YT: If I recall right, it was going to be a desert where a Future Foundation was stranded...

KK: And so we made the project pitch with loads of American-ish stuff, like Vegas neon lights. I can’t remember much of the details.

YT: But even back then, Kodaka already had the game’s direction and that ending in mind.

I: So the ending idea stayed the same through the how development cycle. Was it Terasawa or Sugawara who asked you to make the V3 project?

KK: It was more the company itself than Terasawa.

YT: Yeah. I was the one who directly asked for it, but the very company was pointing out that it was about time for a new number Danganronpa sequel. At the time, the DR:AE development cycle was approaching its climax, so everyone was at the mood of “What are making next?” and the next cycle started very naturally.

I: I see. Then, was moving away from the Kibougamine series also decide from the beginning?

KK: Yes. No one ever considered continuing the Kibougamine series with V3.

TS: The Future Foundation ship I mentioned earlier would be set up as the ship from the DR2 ending for a twist of “haha, it was a different ship all along”. It was a red herring planned to draw the fans’ interest.

I: And why did you change settings?

KK: We all know DR1 and 2 follow each other chronologically as the Kibougamine series, but at first I never said they did. When I say from the start that it’s a sequel, the fans start expecting characters from the previous games. But personally I’m not a fan of having a previous survivor in the killing game, having to experience the murders, investigations and Class Trials all over again. I thought that when I made the next numbered title I should reboot the setting and characters.

I: Let me get this right, all you had defined back at the project pitch stage was doing a reboot and the story’s ending. Yes?

TS: Yeah. We didn’t have a concrete idea of how we would present the ending, but it we were settled on the direction that it was something that would make the player part of the plot.

I: And how exactly did lies, one of the game’s main themes, entered the stage?

TS: We had decided from the start that we would have the lie mechanic. Lying was actually a gimmick I came up with for DR2 and I really wanted the chance to include it for real in a next game.

I: Any other elements decided from the start?

KK: I think we decided the true meaning of “V3” in our first discussion. Did we? I vaguely recall we see saying it would be clever if V3 actually meant 53.

I: I agree, I was impressed when I played it!

KK: It’s just the part that the first game were also fictional in-universe and that V3 was the 53rd Danganronpa game that we came up with later. At the time we just though of the initial clever curveball. This was back before we had the idea to make the DR3 anime. We went with the name V3 just for this joke, then later we thought “If this is DRV3, the anime should be DR3”.

I: The game was decided first, huh. And how exactly did the “New” and the “Everyone’s Killing Game New Semester” came about?

KK: When we had to present the game for the Sony Press Conference (September 15th, 2015), we thought we should add something before the title, like the Super in Super Danganronpa 2. So we went with “New”.

YT: But for the first logo we wrote “NEW” in English letters.

I: And you already had the subtitle back then.

KK: The subtitle was also put together on a rush for the Sony Press Conference. We basically just added the “Everyone’s” there because the ending was pretty much completely planned at that point.

YT: We need to have these big presentations like the Sony Press Conference, because otherwise we never settle on a title (pained laughter).

The design theme changes to Psychocool! The production finally starts for real.

I: Now I have several questions about the contents of the game. We know you have the decided on the title, then presented the game under the final design theme of “Psychocool”. For what reason did you decide against the “Psychoamerican” theme?

KK: To be honest with you, Psychoamerican was never a design theme I was really serious about...

TS: We just needed something to pitch a project with.

YT: Every good project pitch has a few bluffs on it.

KK: At the time I was busy with Ultra Despair Girls, so I decided to leave the theme decisions for later. But after watching Sugawara’s presentation at the project meeting, I may have regretted neglecting the subject (pained laughter).

TS: That’s because my project file on the meeting as a blank piece of paper (laughs).

I: (laughs) Suguwara, did you really explain the entire project with a blank paper?

TS: No, each page had a head title. “Scrum Debate” was one, for example. And did the explanations with just that. Judging by the participants’ reaction, the overall tone of the meeting was “What the heck is going on here...?” (pained laughter).

I: And after all these hardships, you settled on the Psychocool theme. What was the deciding factor here?

KK: We started putting some actual thought into it, notice how hard it would be to deal with a desert setting, and decided the American part wouldn’t work. At the time I was considering given a more adult image to it, so we decided on Psychostylish. But we didn’t go very far with this theme, did we?

SS: I don’t think we did.

KK: So, the players who experienced DR1′s Psychopop in their teens grew into adulthood with DR2′s Psychotropical, and now cooled down after their growth... That’s why V3′s theme became Psychocool.

I: So it had a more mature image.

YT: But us changing themes 2 or 3 times before made things hell for the graphics team, since we wouldn’t settle on a direction already.

SS: Because before we decided on the Psychocool theme, the designers had already started working with no design concept. Kodaka already some ideas in mind for a ruined school with growing vegetation and some machines in it, but without any concrete direction, they had to redo their work multiple times.

I: I’ll ask about the design concept in more detail in the designer team interview. The next question is about the story. Is “what could be a lie” something you think about in the earlier plot planning stages?

KK: Include some lie elements back in the plot planning, but there’s nothing that was always meant to be interpreted as a lie. It all started in a project meeting where Sugawara said “I want to use lies”, but without any concrete idea of would that be implemented into gameplay. Later, when I started planning the plot, I was looking back at the project file and the discussion notes, scavenging for content I could use and found that I could use lies to fill the gaps in my plot. And so was born my liar character, Kokichi Ouma.

I: Usually the characters make the plot, but sometimes the plot can make a character.

KK: They are just robots instead of characters, but the same goes for the Exisals. They came from a joke idea told in the project meeting.

TS: We mentioned the Exisal as a mascot replacement for Monokuma. “Next mascot should be a monkey” (laughs).

KK: But not having Monokuma as the mascot feels wrong to me. Yeah, we were rebooting the characters and the setting, but I think changing too much does more harm than good, so I decided to keep Monokuma as the mascot without a second thought.

I: About what you just mentioned about Ouma, did you create all the characters as you were planning the plot?

KK: Yes. I thought 16 was the perfect number of students, as it was in DR2. Before I had any plot, I asked Komatsuzaki for some designs based on his impressions. I was planning the plot as I was receiving the designs and came up with the details along the way, I think.

I: At what point did you decide on the dual protagonist scheme with Kaede Akamatsu and Shuuichi Saihara?

KK: I can’t remember when exactly I decided that it was doable, but I’ve been wanting to do it from very early on. I was thinking that if I could do it, it would make for an awesome chapter 1.

I: The Ikebukuro Namjatown had a poll to guess who would survive. Harukawa was first, Saihara was second and Akamatsu was third, so I thought the fans saw it coming.

KK: I was also weirded out by how high Saihara was, but then I heard about the unfortunate hatless Saihara sprite visible in the PV. Since the ahoge is the symbol of the Danganronpa protagonist, I’m pretty sure this spoiled the twist.

YT: You didn’t notice it when the PV came out?

KK: I didn’t. Sasaki told me about it later and I was like “Oh no, really...?” (laughs).

YT: I see, because it very early on in the video.

SS: It was. What a shame...

KK: That said, a lot of characters were predicted wrong. Our survivor Himiko Yumeno got the very last place.

YT: She reestablished balance.

I: Yeah. Just look at our presented protagonist Akamatsu. While there were a lot of people thinking she was safe because she’s the protagonist, there were also a lot suspecting even the protagonist could die.

KK: I think the majority was predicting Akamatsu would die. But I think that as they watched the PVs and play the demo, a lot of them noticed how we made all the Class Trial assets for her and started thinking “Yeah, of course she wouldn’t die”. At very least, I think not many people predicted she would be executed as the culprit in the Class Trial.

This is how the 16 students watching the new Class Trial were born

I: In this interview for Danganronpa 2, you mentioned that Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu was supposed to die along the way, but as you were finishing your plot he became a survivor. Did V3 also have a character like Kuzuryuu?

SS: I’m pretty sure no character was changed. Though I vaguely recall we changing the order in which they died as the murder tricks demanded.

TS: When Kodaka was thinking of the murder trick for chapter 1, he asked me “What SHSL should we kill off?”. I answered “Killing the detective would be a shocker”.

KK: For context, I wasn’t too sure if it was ok for Saihara to be the Super High School Level Detective. Because Detective Saihara would mean a protagonist title ripping off Kyouko Kirigiri’s. But I ultimately accepted the idea of him being a detective.

I: I see. So this didn’t have any big changes like DR2 had. Was there any student talent or character trait that you decided on based on their murder tricks?

KK: I always plan the characters and the tricks at the same time. And this time I planned part of the tricks along with Kitayama. Whenever we discussed, I just told him “This is the culprit, this is the victim and this is the type of case I want” and he would come up with the details for me. Otherwise none of us would know what to do with his murder tricks.

I: If any other character had their characterization changed along the way, like you said Ouma did, tell us about it.

KK: I changed Harukawa’s title after seeing the finished desing. I kept her title as Super High School Level Child Caregiver, but made her actually an assassin.

SS: I remember you going with Bounty Hunter Harukawa before you changed it to Assassin.

KK: You’re right. She looked so out of the ordinary in that illustration that I thought she would work out as assassin and changed it, if I recall right. I tend to change my plot points a lot, so that’s why it’s always better to do all part of my work at the same time.

I: Is Kodaka always this nonchalant when talking about major plot changes?

SS: Yeah, he just comes out of nowhere and “I made Harukawa an assassin”.

TS: The script still wasn’t finished at the time, so even I didn’t know the reason for the change, I could say is “Really?” (laughs).

SS: Though I like her a little better as an assassin than as a bounty hunter.

I: Yeah, that’s not a situation where you can say “no” for no reason (pained laughter). By the way, Ouma and Harukawa are super popular. Did you expect them to this many fans?

KK: Sure, Harukawa got a lot of attention on the first teaser visual, and she’s a tsundere character very easy to understand, so I thought she would be popular. And Ouma is remarkably “Danganronpa”. When he is doing so much work to get things his way and getting many big scenes in the process, it’s no surprise he would get popular.

I: I think Kaito Momota got even more big scenes than he did. Not to mention his story role was pretty important.

KK: Momota was a character I was much more unoptimistically hoping to be popular. Because in the previous games I never had any characters as super friendly as him and Gonta Gokuhara. When I was writing the script, Sugawara or Sasaki told “This cast is our tightest group of friends so far”. Now that I think about it, I guess this strongly influenced my decision to put Momota as the leader. Byakuya Togami from DR1 would be constantly on the edge if he was there.

I: He sure would (laughs). Opposite question now, what character did you think was less popular than you thought they would be?

YT: Less than expected? I guess Ryouma Hoshi? Just my personal opinion though, I understand it’s because he died too soon.

KK: A lot of people I know love Hoshi.

TS: I know lot of Hoshi fans too.

KK: To me, the most unexpectedly unpopular character was Korekiyo Shinguuji, not Hoshi. I mean, his uniform is awesome and his unstable relationship with his sister feels like a classic underground movie. Shinguuji is one of my personal favorites and I thought he would be popular. But the people playing the game called him “gross” (pained laughter).

I: Shinguuji, one-of-a-kind as he is, he’s really not for everyone.

KK: Meh, whatever, I don’t wriite characters trying to make them popular. Be it for Momota or for Shinguuji, I was thinking I would personally love if they became popular but that was not the goal. In fact, the only character I wrote with the popularity polls in mind was Miu Iruma, and the goal there was to get her the last place! I think this gave her strong character quirks, not mention that trying to make everyone popular makes the cast weird and lacking in variety.

I: I see. Speaking of Shinguuji, I felt that while his motive was quite unrelatable, most of the other students had sympathetic motives. Was that on purpose?

KK: For the motives, I was just trying to avoid a repeat of what happened with Mikan Tsumiki. Yeah, I know Shinguuji’s was close. But this time most of the motives were based on their murder tricks. The first thing I did was give a definite theme for each murder trick: chapter 1 is the protagonist being the culprit, chapter 2 was a fusion of murder trick and magic trick, chapter 3 was a new death during the investigation, chapter 4 was the culprit not knowing that he is the culprit, and chapter 5 was the culprit and the victim working together. That makes chapter 2 the only outlier. I just really wanted to use the twist that Kirumi Toujou was the Prime Minister. I also absolutely wanted to have piranhas in my story (laughs).

I: (laughs) Another big difference I notice is that I couldn’t predict the culprits based on the murder tricks.

KK: That part was very intentional. I really didn’t want any moments of “I don’t know the trick, but the culprit is this guy” the best I could. Chapter 3 was easy to figure out, but I think chapter 2′s clever hooks did a lot better.

Kodaka is Barack Obama!? The personality felt by Megumi Hayashibara.

I: Sayaka Kanda voicing Akamatsu was a highly discussed topic. How exactly did you decide that?

KK: The initial was to have (non-voice) actors playing the role of the two protagonists. After many twists and tuns, we had only Kanda voicing Akamatsu.

YT: She had a great performance as Junko Enoshima in Danganronpa THE STAGE. I invited her to the Akamatsu with high expectations, not only because she obviously a very talented actress, but also because she is so associated with Junko Enoshima that it would give the fans a lot to speculate about.

I: Another big surprise was the other protagonist Saihara being Megumi Hayashibara. Hayashibara is not someone most people would imagine voicing a boy...

KK: Hayashibara was my personal request. It looked difficult at first, but ultimately she accepted it. She might have been initially wary but then felt it was okay because she shares a lot of history with Ogata and Takayama, who voiced the previous protagonist.

I: I see. Not that you mention it, in a previous interview Hayashibara made a comment about you: “He’s like President Obama”. She didn’t elaborate on that, so please tell us why!

KK: When we were recording chapter 6, Hayashibara asked me “Does Danganronpa always ends like this?”. I answered “It’s not always like this.” and the conversation continued from there. After I created Danganronpa, many other stories with death games started appearing. I know death games are exciting and easy to employ, but so many of them didn’t think their endings through or were just the using the game as a sadistic system to kill characters. Then, as I was analyzing what it means to “truly escape the death game”, I reached the conclusion that it’s the characters upsetting the death game itself. As I explained to her how I made that ending because I had to take responsibility for creating Danganronpa, Hayashibara said “Wonderful!”...

I: And where does President Obama come in?

KK: Hayashibara talked about one time when President Obama dismantle bomb facilities in the US to say “It’s important to take responsibility for what you make”, so I answered “Then I’m Obama?” (laughs).

I: (laughs) What a conversation.

KK: Hayashibara seemed to be very convinced by this explation, seeing how she put even more power into her chapter 6 performance.

I: Saihara’s chapter 6 voice acting was indeed on fire. Speaking of chapter 6, I was really surprised by the twist of having the DR1 and 2 characters there. Was that decided from the start?

KK: I didn’t even considered it when I was planning the plot. The idea came to me only when I started writting chapter 6′s script.

YT: That’s pretty late into the process.

KK: I was thinking that just Tsumugi Shirogane’s cosplays would be too weak to express the mastermind’s threat level. As I was thinking on how could I make her a character on par with Enoshima, since the ending was going to be that, I had my epiphany: “She should cosplay every character before her!”. And if I want a perfect cosplay, I would need the real voices. When I talked to Terasawa about how awesome she would be if she could cosplay even voices, and how much of a visual punch it would be to have all previous characters, his reaction was “Wait a minute...”.

I: I can see how he wouldn’t be ready for that.

KK: I was doing the recordings for the DR3 anime at the time, so I was naive enough to believe asking for just a couple additional lines would be enough.

YT: Life is not that easy (laughs).

I: (laughs) But everything worked at the end.

KK: I have to admit, I did some emotional blackmail there. Saying “I already started the script, I can’t go with any other twist now”. I had already resigned to the fact that we couldn’t have everyone, but in the end, the entire cast came to the recordings.

I: Impressive work, Terasawa.

YT: After Kodaka’s blackmail, I had to do my part, too. The result was splendid and very meaningful to the game, but we can’t use that in promotional material, so, from a cost efficiency standpoint, it was really bad (pained laughter).

KK: But one problem I would want to fix if I had a chance is how this made her total dialogue really long. I could have made it all a lot more concise, but you know, leaving one character with only two lines who be such a waste.

I: That said, I think the result was splendid. Just as you wanted, it made Shirogane a lot more awesome, in my opinion. On the topic of Shirogane, was making Super High School Level Cosplayer the mastermind talent decided from the start?

KK: Yes. The mastermind being a cosplayer came first from that ending punchline where she asserts that their entire world is part of her cosplay. Also because I really wanted to have a cosplayer character somewhere.

The Love Hotel was born from a cancelled game mechanic!?

I: Our next topic will be the setting and the special scenes. Starting from how the Kibougamine Academy was rebooted into the Saishuu Academy. Tell us how the academy was created.

KK: I think didn’t put any school name on the project pitch. The thing is, V3 is a project initiated under the idea of being something of a culmination of the series, of putting an end into everything, so we went with the name Saishuu, which carries the nuances of both “final” and “talents being locked up”. Another neat detail I only noticed now is that it’s kanji form is pretty easy to write (才囚).

I: You’re praising yourself too much (laughs).

KK: I love Saishuu Academy’s name, but I like its emblem just as much. The design includes a subtle prisoner aesthetic and a Monokuma. Though I wonder, how will the localization handle this? (pained laughter).

I: That’s a good question (laughs). Then, how was the academy’s design decided?

KK: I only asked them to make the wall. The wall was my utmost priority.

TS: I remember that this wall got its birdcage style because I suggested to include a jail or birdcage motif. V3′s school has a prison atmosphere, but prisons still have sports grounds and whatnot, you know? Because of this, we decided to make the Saishuu Academy with explorable areas outside the school building.

I: The Saishuu Academy has a lot of strange areas. A casino is already bad enough, but it has even a love hotel...

KK: Whose idea was the love hotel again?

SS: It was based on Sugawara’s idea of nighttime raids, from the project pitch.

TS: Oh yeah, at the time we had a set rule where you could only solve the academy’s mysteries at nighttime. The idea was to explore the academy at night and investigate the mysteries, but you could also peek into the students’ rooms.

YT: Yeah, I was thinking of making an investigation game like this.

KK: The problem was that this was going to make the game too lenghty, so we left the parts where you enter the students’ for dialogue as the Love Hotel.

SS: Yeah, and since we thought it would be nice to have an element where you can flirt with the characters, they became those erotic scenes...

I: I see (laughs). Did you write the Love Hotel scenes, Kodaka?

KK: I gave the Love Hotel scenes to a substitute writer. Except their version were really not acceptable, so I had to rewrite them myself (pained laughter).

I: What an interaction to have. Enough about character scenes. We also had many new secret routes in the Class Trials.How exactly were these secret routes created?

SS: The secret routes exist because we wanted to incorporate the Lie Bullet into the story, not only the gameplay. But lying is something we kind of needed to convince most players to do. You know, we needed to add moments where the player would want to lie. And all thanks to Sugawara, we could do it.

I: You wrote the secret routes, didn’t you, Sugawara?

KK: I was too busy with everything else. Since already had semi-done scripts for the proper route, I let Sugawara have his ideas based on that.

TS: That said, I was also piled up with other jobs, so I had other developers do some bits, like pointing me out where I could lie. Some pointers I followed straight, while others I had to rethink. I tried to include as many secret routes as I could, but this was a work I couldn’t get done in time for the voice recordings.

I: I think making secret routes is hard even when the proper route script is complete...

TS: It was relatively easy to make the new content for the secret routes. The difficult is how to get back to the original route.

KK: I tried not to touch on Sugawara’s scripts too much, but I did edit some character word choices or some parts where the topic got too long.

I: How did the fans react to the secret routes?

KK: I didn’t hear much about it.

YT: I often check Twitter for fan opinions, but that’s never really tweeted about.

TS: I think a lot of people don’t notice where they can lie to get a secret route. I did make them change the song for the Debate where you can do Perjury, but that’s not listed or hinted in any tutorial, so...

KK: Not to mention it’s a really minor change, so I find it pretty difficult to notice on your first go.

The mystery novelist Kitayama adds even more well polished murder tricks

I: Since we are talking about Class Trials, I would like to ask about the murder tricks. First, tell me how Kitayama joined the party.

KK: Once I knew I would have to work on this and the DR3 anime at the same time, I thought I would have to ask someone for help, since the time I would have on the scripts would shorten. I thought that if I could smoothly get all the murder tricks decided, I could handle both scripts just fine, but unfortunately the discussion went for much longer than I expected. In the end I didn’t gain any time from all this, but thanks to Kitayama joining me, we boast higher quality.

I: How was your work?

KK: I told Kitayama the trick themes for each chapter and had him come up with the howdunnit. With that, Sugawara and Sasaki’s developer team can plot out the trick, then I check it all and put it together as the script.

I: Was there anything big you had to fix?

KK: Depends on the chapter. For chapter 1 I pretty much used Kitayama’s idea exactly as it was. Even the “I tossed away what I was holding” descriptor was left exactly as Kitayama wrote it. On the other hand, chapter 2 was very different from the initial draft.

SS: The chapter 2 trick was the water slider instead of the ropeway using the floating tube, right?

KK: Yeah, that one. Lining up a lot of floating tube to make the corpse slide on them. Then she would only have to cut the rope connecting them and that would leave just countless floating tubes on the pool. I fought finding the tubes during the investigation would be a fun idea, but when it came the time to script it, I got a lot questions. “Is this really enough water pressure to make a corpse silde?”. “Won’t she get wet from the water on the gaps between tubes?”. “Are sure the corpse can enter the fish tank?”.

YT: I’m a physics major, so this bothers me a lot. One little detail like this can ruin the whole case for me, so I made sure to comment everything I noticed.

KK: Yeah, so I had to change to the whole water slider trick into a ropeway trick. Sasaki, you’re the one who argued the most against this, weren’t you?

SS: I was (laughs). I had to plot the trick for chapter 2. So when Kodaka told me “The water slide won’t work”, I was like “Really...?”.

I: The script is where you start to notice the problems.

KK: More exactly, the plotting stage doesn’t put all that attention to detail. Because the workload for plotting a trick as a lot bigger than it sounds. And we’re definitely not gaining any time if I happen to see plans before they’re ready...So, the issues only start showing up when I’m doing the script.

SS: In chapter 2, even my idea to gather all the students together, the Insect Meet-and-Greet, caused some back-and-forth.

KK: Yes, I let the developer come up with the finer details, like for example the reason why all students gathered together. So, for this one I was like “What’s an Insect Meet-and-Greet even supposed to be?”. Then he explained to me that the group would be assembled to look at Gonta’s insects, but I still had no idea why they would do that. I still wanted to do it, it was a fun idea, so I implemented Gonta’s Insect Meet-and-Greet on the form of Gonta kidnapping the students under Ouma’s orders.

I: Do you have any other case of struggles to connect a trick’s dots?

KK: Chapter 3, handled by Sugawara, also took a lot of time.

TS: I used Kitayama’s idea for the main trick using the seesaw, but we needed to change all the steps that lead to the crime, and that was the time consuming part.

KK: Oh yeah, we changed the seance ritual.

TS: At first, the trick was that the students would all hold hands and sing Kagome Kagome together, while the culprit would stomp the floorboard. But if that were the case, when the culprit stomped the floorboard, the people holding his hands would feel the movement, you see...

I: And that’s why you had to edit. Next is chapter 4, how was it?

KK: Chapter 4 also had a murder trick by Kitayama, but it was a trick using a rope. Since we changed chapter 2 into the ropeway, that would make chapter 4′s a repeat. While we were thinking of how to make a ropeless trick, one the developers gave the looping world idea, so I created the trick using the loop.

I: Chapter 4′s trick was an idea that made a really good use out of the game world. Was there any reason to change the characters’ visual into the chibi models?

KK: I was born because we wanted to make a game inside a game. At first, we wanted to make a fully 3D world.

YT: You were calling it “VR”, weren’t you?

TS: But then its main gimmick became the loop trick, so we had to give up because a loop would be too hard and far too costly to portray in 3D.

SS: We also considered using the bonus modes’ 8-bit sprites, but the consesus what that those were too visually unimpressive, so we made new ones, if I recall correctly.

KK: Also because to make the trick work we need to make the game in 2.5D, not 2D. Most of us thought it would be difficult to use the 8-bit sprites under that circumstances.

I: And for the chapter 5 trick, the twist where the victim and the culprit were in cahoots was very original, and I honestly couldn’t tell which of them was the culprit until the very end.

YT: That one is the hardest to figure out.

KK: I’m glad I could put the Exisal to good use in the 5th trick, with the victim and the culprit switching places. Also, I loaded chapter 5 with a large amount of information to distract you from the truth, so you being confused about it is exactly what we wanted.

The feelings imbued in the shocking finale. And an intriguing plan for the future!?

I: From this part on, I will be asking about the controversial chapter 6 and your plans for the future. I was told that when you were writting the chapter 6 script you added many extra animations and cutscenes of the school being destroyed.

KK: At the plot planning stage, the only thing I had planned for chapter 6 was the endgame. Only when I actually reached that part in the script that I saw I didn’t know how lead the path to that. In DR2 I prepared some surprises to thrill the fans, like Kibougamine Academy appearing and whatnot. I wanted this game to have an element like this. And that’s when I arranged a meeting with all of Sasaki’s developers. I said “I put Kibougamine in DR2′s finale, so now I want V3 to have a set up as good as that”.

SS: Everyone agreed we should have one, of course.

KK: And that’s where I suggested we should explode Saishuu Academy. With Ki-bo appearing to help us around at the tightest moments, fighting the Exisals and all that. I talked with Sasaki’s team to ask if they could do it, they said “I think we can” and I answered “Nice” (laughs).

I: (laughs) That said, I think that was hard on who was managing the budget and schedule...

YT: You get me. There was suddenly a lot more to make.

KK: But we weren’t behind on the deadlines, were we?

SS: That’s right, we weren’t.

YT: That’s not how it works! (laughs)

Everyone: (laughs)

I: Chapter 6 had a lot more animated cutscenes too, hadn’t it?

KK: I wasn’t expecting that. You know that scene where Ki-bo first appears, flying to the glass? I was think that was going to be just some CG, not a fully animated cutscene. So it was a good surprise, like “Are you really making him this cool? Thank you!”.

YT: And his cutscene was quite a long one, at that.

SS: A CG would be too weak and unconvicing for this. We decided we should have this animated to give it the impact it deserved.

I: And I assume the same goes for all the add cutscene. Was the idea of slapping away the block-pathing debris conceived and added for the same reason?

SS: It was. Honestly, there was so much more we wanted to do but didn’t have time to...

KK: To be completely honest, I was thinking chapter 6 was going to be a lot more visually simplistic than that. But once we started we didn’t want to stop. I’m glad the finished version is this much better than I imagined.

I: Speaking of chapter 6, can I ask Kodaka to explain the ending?

KK: I went with that ending because I wanted to change where the player stands in V3. In 1 and 2 the player was an outside observer to the killing game. But in V3 I wanted the player to experience the same shock as Saihara and take part in the debate from the same position as him. Then, as Saihara is shocked to learn “This world was fictional. The Akamatsu and Momota I believed in were all fiction”, the player would also be hit with the fact “Everything I played so far is fictional”. But it’s a fact that everything you played so far still resonated with you and you gained a lot from it, so I was hoping you could synchro yourself with Saihara and take his side in the argument after he gets back in his feet. I was thinking that it if the player and the characters could outgrow this fiction, it could even create a new relationship between player and game.

I: I see. So that’s what you were thinking.

KK: I prepared a lot of tricks to make it easier for the player to sync up with Saihara, like Ki-bo’s “Do you want to save?”. Just empathizing with the characters was not enough for chapter 6, I want to share their point of view. That why, to make it harder to insert and emphatize in one specific person, I shuffled the POV with everyone.

I: I think the finale intentionally avoids stating what’s the truth and what is a lie. Do all of you in the production staff share the same answer to this mystery?

YT: Kodaka might have the answer on his mind, but I think we don’t need to know. We don’t even know if we can take everything Kodaka says as correct. See, the real right answer is the answer you came up with yourself.

I: You mean you just want everyone to think of the answer with their own personal interpretations?

YT: Also, I want to take this moments to tell all the fans that we never had the slightest intent to tarnish or insult the past games. We still think of Danganronpa 1 and 2 as our very beloved children. We love all 3 games from the bottom of our hearts.

I: Kodaka said before that V3 is a culmination and an end to everything, but will the Danganronpa series continue?

YT: Like with the first two games, we are completely burned out after finishing it, so, honestly, we don’t have any solid plans for a next game yet. However, as a producer, I want to answer to the fans’ support and expectations. I need to think long and hard about the future of Danganronpa.

I: What could this future be holding for us...?

YT: Who knows. DR1-2 Reload and Ultra Despair Girls will be ported to the PS4 this year, so I think we’ll get many new fans. If something in this trend incites Kodaka’s desire to write, we could be having a new game. Or at least that’s what I expect. I hope our fans expect the same.

I: I’ll be looking forward to it. Now, one message from all of you to the fans.

KK: Thank you for buying this artbook. How about replaying once more now that you know the game better? Or even better, buy another copy of the game and the book!

TS: I think there’s always something of value, be it good or bad, in someone playing a videogame for the first time. So the words I want to say here are the same words of gratitude said since the old days: THANK YOU FOR PLAYING.

SS: I saw a lot of intense critical commentary both for and against this game, so I’m very happy that this game managed to make this many people feel something about it. I believe leaving you wanting to talk about of you felt is one of the more characteristic traits of Danganronpa, so I love that you can enjoy exchanging your opinions.

#artbook translations #kazutaka kodaka #Yoshinori Terasawa #shun sasaki #takayuki sugawara #'blank project file' sugawara is truly the chiyomaru of spike #kodaka completely forgot sakura in that comment about momota and gonta #why is hayashibara like this?#a lot of dramatic irony in context of too kyo existing

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monster-ronpa · 5 years

Note

The DRV3 boys (and Miu if that's ok because if I don't include her Atua will grind me into dust) playing Cards Against Humanity with their literal angel S/O?

This request goes over our 8 character limit, so, I have taken out Gonta from this request. He nor S/O would probably think to play it, and the scenario would probably be very short, so..I hope that’s okay. I kinda rushed to get this one out tbh.

Anyway, I hope you like this regardless! I didn’t go into specifics though because I’m not creative and also I need to do homework soon.

~Mod Rachnera

Cards Against Heavenly Beings?! (V3 Boys + Miu playing Cards Against Humanity with their Angel!S/O)

Shuichi Saihara

Honestly probably the only one on this list that’s hesitant about playing.

Especially because he’s dating an angel.

But then Kokichi brings it up around you guys and oh no you’re curious now you guys have to since he also has a deck with him.

He’s embarrassed the whole time through, especially when he gets the raunchier or more offensive card choices.

You actually don’t seem too bothered by it, the golden effects on your outfit and body glowing with delight as you just see everyone having a fun time.

“I don’t quite appreciate offensive or dark humor--but as long as everyone is happy, I feel that is what matters,” you say, after he questions if you had fun.

Pure.

Rantaro Amami

“Are you sure you wanna play this, S/O?”

Of course he doesn’t mind, he actually finds this game pretty fun, himself.

When you insist on enjoying a nice round of CAH with him and his sisters, he just shrugs, warning you that it can get pretty nasty.

He wasn’t wrong, although it was pretty adorable seeing you scrunch your face up at some of the cards, and your wings seemed to cringe with you at some of the answers.

Asks if you liked the game when you’re done.

“....I...prefer Othello.”

He laughs a bit apologetically, petting you on the head, “Eh, you’re fine. It’s not for everyone, anyway.”

You guys played some more family-friendly games later on when you were relaxing at home. You seemed to enjoy those much more.

Kokichi Ouma

How did Kokichi even score an angel anyway-? ...well, that’s not the point of today’s story. When he suggests the game to you, you take its name quite literally.

“Cards to fight against humanity..? Why would you want to do that?”

There are many reasons to want to fight humanity, innocent S/O. But he just laughs at your confusion, petting you and saying you’re so adorable.

He plays a round with you and...plays around with you, making dirty jokes along with the cards. It embarrasses you.

Has the most fun out of the two of you, since this game is one of his favorites. You don’t seem to understand the appeal of it, but you are a literal angel, so..

“Gee, S/O. For you to find not even one joke funny...you must have some sort of intellectual angel humor I don’t get!” “No, I just...don’t like sexual humor.”

Kaito Momota

It’s not his favorite game but he enjoys it anyway.

When Kokichi challenges him to a round, you somehow get roped into it. It was kinda annoying but Kaito gave you the puppy eyes and then you knew you had to.

Although the game itself was...eh, you didn’t care much for it, you smiled everytime Kaito got excited that he beat Kokichi at a round or something.

You may or may not have picked his cards every time you were the Czar because you adored his happiness. Even if the jokes went over your head or weren’t funny to you.

Kokichi knew you had a bias for your boyfriend, but he just gave you a knowing smirk every time you were the Czar.

Since Kaito won, he ended up asking you to play this game more with him, since before he always lost.

God help you.

Korekiyo Shinguuji

You’d think Kiyo would be pretty apprehensive about this game, since it didn’t seem to fit his personality or sense of humor.

....and you were right, but Miu pressured you into giving it a try, and then he decided to play to monitor you.

It was a rather short game, Kiyo was unintentionally rushing everyone to finish so that you both could do something more productive.

Both of you were unamused for different reasons, but, he had to admit, your reactions to some of the card combinations were interesting.

“I didn’t know you could make such a disgusted face, S/O.”

“Toilet humor is not one of the peaks of humanity for me, dearest Korekiyo.”

Well, he sees where you’re coming from. Albeit, even the more disgusting side of humor is strangely beautiful.

Though when he voiced that to you after getting over his mild annoyance, you gave him a strange look that made him laugh softly.

Kiibo

Kiibo was just like you when you both were asked about playing CAH.

The resemblance in your reactions being innocent ignorance.

But you both ended up playing it anyway, because your friends were being mildly pushy about it, so you both played to shut them up.

Although you both got some of the jokes, the majority of them were lost to the void of misunderstanding and innocence.

To be honest, it was probably the cutest game of CAH in existence thanks to you both. How this game could be cute was a mystery to all who played.

Maybe it was because of how politely you both acted during it though.

“Kiibo, your choice seemed quite nice to me. I’m sorry you weren’t picked.” “It’s fine, S/O. There’s always next time, right?”

P u r e .

Ryoma Hoshi

He got the game as a gift for Christmas last year and didn’t even touch it. He honestly forgot about it until you found it whilst helping him clean his room.

“Oh, that. I...uh, forgot I even had that,” he gently takes the box from your hands, staring at it.

“...Apparently it is a card game. Do you want to play it, Ryoma?”

Well, it’s better than letting it collect dust or anything.

Although Ryoma actually seemed bored of the game, since apart from a few occasional chuckles, he didn’t do much of anything.

You didn’t really find it entertaining either, so you stopped the game early in favor of doing something more productive and/or fun.

You both just ended up finishing cleaning the house and napping with the cats afterwards.

Miu Iruma

How did Miu score an angel as a partner--okay, well, this is about a game, so let’s move on from that for now.

She apparently really loves this game, and is extremely happy that you wouldn’t mind playing with her.

Perhaps you just tune out the dirtiness of this game, or Miu’s own kind of raunchy and inappropriate style has made you used to it.

Either way, you don’t seem to mind the game much, and just enjoy the fact she’s having fun laughing her b u t t off.

Although she does comment that you’re making it a bit boring by not doing much of anything.

“Why the hell are ya so quiet? Games like this are only fun when everyone’s laughin’, ya know!” “I just enjoy the sound of your laughter, Miu. You’re very beautiful when you’re happy.” That made her blush. So hard.

She got so flustered she could barely hold a card up without shaking a bit.

#danganronpa imagines #danganronpa v3 imagines #drv3 imagines #monster au imagines #angel/demon imagines #v3 boys #drv3 boys #miu iruma #mod rachnera #long imagines

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saccharinedanganimagines · 6 years

Note

Can you do Drv3 boys comforting s/o through or after a panic attack? ;;

CONTENT WARNING: ANXIETY and PANIC ATTACKS - please read at your own discretion.

Certainly! Again, I just picked five as you didn’t specify who you wanted.

However, I know this isn’t a topic everyone is comfortable with so I’ll keep it under a cut, just in case.

Kokichi:

○ He can often see a panic attack coming early, sometimes even before s/o notices themselves. He sees the tell-tale gestures that show how nervous they are, and s/o’s change in behaviour don’t go unnoticed by him

○ When he can tell that s/o’s getting too anxious he’ll just up and pull them from whatever situation they’re in. He’ll make an excuse to pull them from a group of friends, or whatever situation they’re in, and bring them somewhere they’re alone

○ They’ll get to the spot Kokichi had planned just in time, s/o sinking to the ground supported half by Kokichi as their breath turns ragged, hand over their heart in hopes to stop the crushing feeling in their chest

○ “Hey, hey, look at me s/o.” Kokichi tries to keep s/o’s focus on him and to keep their mind occupied so it can’t spiral off into more anxious thoughts

○ Keeps them distracted while he pulls up an app on his phone designed to help with anxiety. He’ll bring up the exercises and do them along with s/o. Breathing exercises first, and ones to direct focus next.

○ Tries to make it a bit of a game, because he doesn’t want his sudden seriousness to make s/o worry more. “Hey, think we can find out how many different colours are in this painting?? C’monnn it’ll be funnn”

○ When s/o finally begins to calm down Kokichi pulls them into the biggest bear hug he can - provided he knows this wont make them more anxious. He snuggles them into his chest, hoping to make them feel more comfortable

○ Talks about random things for a while to help s/o finish calming down. He’ll talk about pranks, sure to ask for their input to keep their focus from drifting off and possibly wandering into anxious territory again

○ Once he’s well and truly sure that s/o is completely calmed down Kokichi is going to want to know what triggered the panic attack. He knows there wont always be a logical reason, and s/o might not always know, but he wants to know what to help s/o avoid if he can

○ If s/o is at school he’ll take them to the nurse and explain what happened, petitioning (quite stubbornly) for s/o to be able to stay and rest. Though, depending on the attitude of the school he might outright lie so they’ll let s/o stay. If they’re out somewhere else he’ll bring them home and they’ll finish the rest of their date there

Kaito:

○ Kaito is a little hit and miss with s/o’s anxiety. Generally speaking he’s pretty good at making them feel secure and taking burdens off of them when they’re just too heavy to bear, but he can be a little much on their worst days

○ Kaito will usually just get a feeling that something’s off when s/o isn’t doing well. He keeps a closer eye on them because of this. He’s not the most observant, but watching them so closely he’ll be able to see how pale s/o looks when their panic attack starts

○ Gives them his jacket because he knows it makes s/o feel safe. They can wrap themselves up in it as Kaito brings them to their favourite spot. Though he just wants them to be somwhere they like, taking them somewhere so familiar is definitely comforting for s/o

○ Bold proclamations that he, Kaito, Luminary of the Stars, would never let anything bad happen to s/o and that they’ll always be fine under his protection are a little much but the intention is sweet.

○ Lets s/o do anything they need to in order to calm down; they can squeeze his hands as tight as they need, bury their head in his chest - anything. Even if it’s uncomfortable or painful for him

○ Once s/o’s had a second to orient themselves he’ll start by getting them to align their breathing to his. If s/o can handle touch he’ll be cradling their head in his chest so they can feel the pointedly steady rise and fall of his chest

○ Tries to keep their mind occupied by talking to them about, and asking them, space questions. “Hey s/o! Can you remember all the planets in order? Yes pluto totally counts! I’ll make them re-recognize it someday!”

○ Tries to keep his usual cheery attitude even though he’s definitely really worried about s/o. He doesn’t want them to feel guilty or more anxious over his personality changing.

○ As s/o relaxes more he starts telling them what he wants to do in space, how he plans to get there, and all sorts of similar things. Light-hearted stories to keep their brain on the positives

○ After the first few times it happens Kaito will tell s/o that they can always rely on him to help them through it. So, if there’s something specific he should do he wants to know. He also wants them to be sure to text or call him if they ever have one while he’s away so he can rush back to help them.

Rantaro:

○ Rantaro is no stranger to panic attacks. He doesn’t get them regularly, but he’s had them once or twice. Because of that, he’s got some idea of what s/o is feeling

○ As soon as he sees s/o starting to panic, or they tell him they’re not ok, he’s got a gentle arm around their shoulder or on the small of their back (if they’re ok with that) and he’s leading them somewhere they’ll feel safer

○ He usually tries for more secluded places, somewhere s/o can sit and feel hidden. Behind trees, small rooms, anywhere he knows they’ll be away from others and s/o will feel more secure

○ He knows that trying to give them long-winded speeches about how they’re ok, everything will be ok, aren’t always effective so Rantaro generally skips those. In fact, he tries not to talk too much because he doesn’t want to overwhelm s/o even more.

○ What little Rantaro does say is usually instructions, things he wants s/o to do to help them calm down. He speaks as gently as possible, but also makes sure to have a reassuring amount of strength in his voice

○ He’ll often put one of s/o’s hands to his chest, instructing them to match their breathing to his. He gives them gentle encouragements as they try, telling them that they’re doing well and just to focus on his breath, his heartbeat, if they seem to be getting panicky again

○ If s/o has any tricks that work well for them he’ll be sure to incorporate those once s/o can think a little more clearly too. He knows the experience in different for everyone, so he wants to do what will help s/o the most for their specific case

○ Once s/o starts to calm down he’ll rub their arms (as long as they’re ok with contact) and at this point, start to reassure them. He’s there, see, they got through everything alright together just like they always do…

○ Once s/o is calmed Rantaro will bring them a glass of water (or beverage of their choice) and even a snack if they want it. Something to ease the pain in their throat caused by their gasping breaths

○ Generally encourages s/o to rest afterwards, knowing how draining a panic attack can be. He’ll happily offer his lap as a pillow, but if they don’t want to sleep Rantaro will suggest doing something simple like watching a movie, or hopping in the passenger seat and letting him take them for a little drive

Shuichi:

○ Very prepared boyfriend. He always has things on hand in case s/o needs them. He has some of their medication, if they have some they take when their anxiety spikes, water to wash it down and any objects s/o finds comforting

○ Shuichi is another one who’s usually pretty perceptive of s/o and can often tell when they’re beginning to get overwhelmed. Sometimes, if he’s too focused on something he may not but generally speaking he’s pretty aware of s/o’s state

○ If s/o seems to be finding things too much, or is showing the signs of a panic attack starting, Shuichi will ask them if they need to sit down for a minute. If s/o agrees, or can’t respond, he’ll politely excuse them from whatever situation they’re in and find somewhere for them to sit.

○ He has them take their medication first and foremost, knowing it’ll take a bit to sink in. He’ll rub their back if he can, gently encouraging them as they try to swallow past the lump in their throat

○ Whatever comfort object he has for s/o, be it a stuffed toy or whatever else, he’ll give it to them once their medication is out of the way and let them hold onto or play with it

○ “Just breathe ok? You’ve gotten through this before and you can do it again. You’re going to get through this.” His encouragements are so earnest that it’s kind of hard not to believe him honestly

○ He’s probably another one to have an anxiety app on his phone, or a few images meant to help with anxiety, and he’ll show them to s/o to help them calm down.

○ Tries to think up little ‘games’ they can play, trying to notice things or simple riddles to help s/o focus on something positive. Sometimes what he thinks up is just too hard but he tries

○ He’s always double and triple checking that s/o is ok once their panic has subsided. He doesn’t mean to make things worse, or be overwhelming, but he’s just a bit sweet worry-wart

○ Once s/o is ok to get up and face things again he’ll walk them home and let them get some rest. If he’s not working he’s happy to stay with them if they want him to.

Kiibo:

○ S/o should probably let Kiibo know ahead of time that they suffer with panic attacks. If they don’t, he’ll probably end up rushing them to the hospital the first time they have one, mistaking it for a heart-attack or something

○ He’ll do all sorts of research before the fact so he can do his best to identify when s/o is having a panic attack and help them as best as he can

○ Kiibo still freaks out the first time it happens, but he tries his best to seem calm. After all, he wants s/o to be able to rely on him and he would never want to make them panic more.

○ He downloads all the software he can that he thinks may help, and if he can’t get a function he wants he’ll have it installed. Kiibo just wants to be able to do whatever s/o needs him to

○ Some of those functions include him being able to play really soft music, to mimic the sound of a steady heart beat as well as steady breathing, and memorization of 100 anxiety-reduction games. Just... anything he thinks may have helped he crammed in there

○ He may even try to get a sensor to alert him to when s/o’s heart and breathing rates spike too far above normal so he can be more aware of their state

○ When s/o is feeling better (eventually he learns to wait until they’ve rested to ask) Kiibo will ask them what worked best to help calm them. That way he can focus on those things next time.

○ It’s a bit of a learning process for him, seeing what actually works for s/o. Eventually he figures out a good process to help them though, and he almost has a routine he goes through whenever s/o suffers a panic attack

○ Afterwards he knows that s/o will experience a drop in energy and he’ll usually just sit with them until they feel they can face whatever they need to again, or at least go somewhere else

○ If s/o has a panic attack that interrupts anything, like class or work, Kiibo will call and explain things for them and get any information they might need so they can take it easy for the rest of the day.

#mod celeste #comfort #fluff #anxiety #panic attack #kiibo #kiibo imagines #kokichi ouma #kokichi ouma imagines #rantaro amami #rantaro amami imagines #kaito momota #kaito momota imagines #shuichi saihara #shuichi saihara imagines #ndrv3 #new danganronpa v3 #new danganronpa v3 imagine

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team--mike · 6 years

Text

Danganronpa Rarepair Week - Day 4 (Stay in / go out)

Rantaro x Tsumugi watch anime together

~1100 words

[Mild DRV3 Spoilers]

—-

“Soooo… How are you liking it?”

Tsumugi approached Rantaro, stars in her eyes, her footsteps rushed to reach the couch he lounged on. She was finally free, and she couldn’t think of anything better to do than to hang with Rantaro

Especially because he was watching anime. At her recommendation.

Rantaro’s emerald eyes were fixated on the television a few feet away, the screen showcasing a caped figure dressed all in black, a dark blue visor covering its face. Albeit the glazed look on Rantaro’s face, he seemed to be interested in the show. After all, it was getting pretty late…

But the time didn’t really bother Tsumugi. Filled with energy, she plopped on the couch next to him, her glasses bouncing on her face. She stared at the boy until he gave her a casual glance. Her wide smile and twinkling eyes were contagious, and Rantaro couldn’t help but smirk. He turned back towards the television and began to speak.

“Well… That first one you recommended, I didn’t like it too much…”

Tsumugi’s arms shot towards Rantaro, her fingers gripping his left shoulder. She shook him playfully, her eyes wide in surprise.

“But how? It’s a classic! How could you not like it?”

Rantaro looked at the girl in the corner of his eye and gave her a shrug.

“I mean… The dude’s smart and all… But the show’s all about hiding your identity and killing people by writing their names in some evil book…”

Tsumugi couldn’t wipe the startled expression off her face. She ripped the remote from Rantaro’s hand and paused the television. The boy turned towards her slowly, raising an eyebrow.

“What? B-but the battle of wits that the two of them have… It’s just… insane to watch…”

Rantaro raised his arm and placed it on Tsumugi’s shoulder. He gave her a natural smile that melted her emotions, her heart skipping a beat.

No one else could make her feel that way, she thought. He was always so casual, so caring, even when others opposed him. And not to mention that magical smile he has… The fact that she was able to be here with him was a blessing in of itself.

“But killing people… No matter how right he says it is, I know that it’s wrong. It reminds me too much of-”

Tsumugi turned away, understanding where he was going with this. She didn’t really feel like opposing him anymore.

“Of the Killing Games?”

“Yeah… That’s why I can’t watch it…”

Tsumugi nodded at the boy, slumping down in her seat, dropping her arms onto her lap.

“But… The apples… And the potato chips… And the cake…”

Rantaro chuckled at her comment, taking the hand on her shoulder and inching it closer to the back of her neck. They never did have a moment like this before… They never knew how they felt about each other… Not until earlier today, when they confessed… Rantaro knew he loved her, everything about her, her shining sapphire eyes, her long, navy hair, her bubbly personality… Now he knew she felt the same. And if watching anime would bring them closer, then who was he to decline? Not that this particular show wasn’t interesting…

The boy threw his right finger at the television. The image was paused on a shot of a brown-haired boy and his sister, sitting in a wheelchair.

“But this show is different. I can see why you’d like it… It’s still about someone who wants to take over the world, and all the espionage and mindgames associated with it… But his motivations are a bit better…”

Tsumugi nodded swiftly, smiling in agreement, her posture straightening up. Rantaro couldn’t tell if Tsumugi simply didn’t notice his hand on her upper back, or she didn’t care, but he wasn’t one to question it. He assumed the latter.

“Yeah! He motivates a suppressed community to rebel against their oppressors for his own personal gain! Not to mention the characters are great to cosplay, too. I can make you a costume just like his if you want-”

Rantaro facepalmed with his free hand, shaking his head and compulsively laughing. It’s natural for her to think that way… From all that she’s been through… But he’d just have to show her the other side. He waved his finger at the girl, giving her a sly grin.

“Tsumugi, Tsumugi, Tsumugi… You don’t quite get it, do you? I don’t care that he wants to take over the world. What really matters, is that he’s doing it for her.”

Rantaro moved his hand so his finger was pointed at the girl in the wheelchair.

“He’s so dedicated towards his sister that he’s willing to change the world for her… And doing things for your sisters is something that I’m very accustomed to… All twelve of them”

The pair of them exchanged glances, and their eyes locked for a couple seconds, time freezing around them. Rantaro thought she looked beautiful sitting there, as her natural self. She didn’t need to pretend to be anyone else. As much as she cosplayed and roleplayed, Rantaro truly liked her best the way she was.

Yet, Rantaro put on a mischievous grin, taking the girl by surprise.

“Just like all the times I painted their nails…”

Tsumugi’s mouth gaped at the boy, and she turned away, pouting. Her arms folded across her chest, holding her nose high.

“Hmpf. You just had to bring that up… I’m still mad that you interrupted Kaede’s makeover…”

Rantaro rubbed his hand along her upper back, still toying with her.

“Well maybe I’m just better at painting nails than you.”

“No you’re not! And stop touching me!”

Tsumugi didn’t budge, and Rantaro almost took back his hand, but he had a better idea. He shifted his left hand to her far shoulder and attempted to pull her closer. Tsumugi did her best to resist, turning to look at the boy. Rantaro knew the anger on her face wasn’t how she truly felt. She did look cute when she was angry, though…

Tsumugi eventually gave in, leaning her head on Rantaro’s shoulder and wedging her arm behind his back, her blue hair tickling the boy’s neck. Rantaro ran his fingers down her left arm, giving her a light smile.

“Besides my sisters, there’s a certain other woman I’d do anything for…”

Rantaro could tell that Tsumugi was grinning. She reached over him and dropped the remote on his lap, grabbing his side. She tugged at him.

“Rantaro…”

They sat there in silence for a couple seconds, after which Rantaro picked up the remote and pressed the play button.

—-

Special sneak peek of content that’s gonna be in my Rantaro Tsumugi fic! I just had to write it early for Danganronpa rarepair week.

Unfortunately I won’t have much time to post more, but I’ll try.

@danganrarepairweek

#Danganronpa #fanfiction #DRV3 #DRV3 spoilers #danganrarepairweek2018 #Rantaro amami #Tsumugi Shirogane #Anime #rarepair

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sternbilder · 6 years

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the games i played to completion in 2017, ranked in order of how much i liked them

mostly for my own reference and i’m gonna try to keep this out of the tags but read on if you want to read about me getting super excited about video games i guess

p/ersona 5 - look i know this wasn’t a perfect game like there are Several Large Complaints i would like to file regarding plot and pacing and premise even but this was. still my favorite game of 2017 and just such an enjoyable 120 hours to have spent holy fuck?? like everyone’s always talking about how stylish p5 is and goddamn are they right like it’s such a gorgeous game!! the loving detail they put into every aspect of the UI, the beautiful character sprites, that effortlessly cool contemporary tokyo vibe that oozes into every aspect of the game!! and the gameplay (which i played on normal difficulty, being a series beginner) was both challenging and rewarding and both the dungeons and the school life segments (considering the sheer variety of Shit You Could Do not to mention all the charming-ass characters with compelling sideplots) were just. an absolute treat?? plus the soundtrack to this game was just killer so there’s also that

n/ier: automata - SPEAKING OF GAMES WITH GR8 SOUNDTRACKS. i think this game’s soundtrack probably ranks up there with my favorite video game OSTs of ALL TIME FOREVER like seriously. it is so so good. anyway friends it took me four (4) days to beat this game and another full 24 hours just to process this game like. y’all know i’m always a slut for sad robots and BOY HOWDY did this game have that thing. not only is the game itself gorgeous but i’m pretty much in love with the Entire cast (but especially 9S, who is my special son) and i’m crying,, eternally,, about the c/d/e routes and even though it probably wasn’t the Most impressive and best written game Ever it had a lot of good twists and revelations and a real sense of weight and suspense esp. in the later playthroughs which i am ALL ABOUT. not being much of an action RPG person i never really fell in love w/ the combat but it was fun enough even though it got kind of repetitive and too hack-and-slashy for my taste after a while?? actually fuck the bullet hell hacking minigame tho if i’m gonna be real

f/ire emblem fates (birthright, conquest, and revelation) - listen i know this game was like objectively garbage but i’m still trying to justify having spent a literal 1/3 of my year playing it so bear with me for just 2 hot seconds. first of all hi yes there’s a running theme here bc i dig the shit out of fe14′s OST?? also even though the plot was kind of a mess the characters and supports still grew on me a lot after a while and actually the gameplay was really fun?? maybe it’s bc i played it on hard/classic (as opposed to fea which i played on normal/casual) but i really enjoyed the combat a lot more in these games than fea--actually i do think there’s actually a lot of actual improvements here, especially with all the new classes, the improved dual guard/dual strike rules, and no fucking weapon durability, etc. as well as a lot of the more unusual victory conditions (in conquest and revelation, not so much in birthright) like i feel like there were a lot of highlights and i genuinely enjoyed the battles in fe14 a lot and sure the whole waifu nintendogs concept is creepy as hell and babyrealm is a fucking joke but i still thought this was a Pretty good or at least enjoyable game so you can fight me on that front

d/anganronpa v3 - ok let me me the first to admit that i honestly?? don’t really like dr as a franchise very much and the only real reason i got into it in the first place is to fill the ace attorney-shaped hole in my heart in between releases thereof (as well as superficial similarities to other games i like, like ze) and while i still enjoy the gameplay and investigating and mystery-solving parts of it and those aspects i still find very enjoyable and well-written a lot of the rest of the games really kind of fall flat for me?? like tbh i’m not a huge fan of the art style, the sense of humor and localization don’t really do it for me, the characters are cute but kind of over-the-top and not super relatable to me personally, and honestly the whole ~evil mastermind did it for the lulz~ trope being played super straight disappointed me a lot about the first game especially?? that being said i know this is a bit of a base breaker but i actually really liked the direction that sdr2 took with its ending and it made me hopeful for the sequel, which brings me to drv3 which surprised me in a lot of pleasant ways?? like personally i think it’s the best dr yet and while i can see why people would be disappointed with the ending and feel like it may be a cop-out i think it was still clever enough that i appreciate it for trying?? or maybe it’s just bc i didn’t like the original so much and the departure from that felt like kind of a breath of relief but that’s just me idk

f/inal fantasy x - guess who was late to the party and played her first final fantasy in this year of the lord 2017!!! it’s me!!! honestly i was expecting more from this game overall in terms of plot just because it’s such a Classic and all but fwiw i still liked it?? i didn’t super love any of the main characters and the story was a little predictable and even though i played the remaster it’s still an obviously dated game but NEVERTHELESS it was still just a solid RPG and i genuinely enjoyed playing it!! i should play the sequel sometime but. i’ll get to it after i clear out this massive backlog i have currently as we speak sobs

the witness - i don’t talk about this game enough bc honestly it isn’t the kind of game that can have a real fanbase (no real characters or plot, etc.) but i still enjoyed the fuck out of this, holy hell. i mean it’s i guess kind of an open-world exploration-slash-puzzle concept which sounds kind of boring but the world is gorgeous and the way the game presents these puzzles for you to solve and teaches you the rules in a way that’s entirely self-explanatory and intuitive but still super difficult and ultimately rewarding is just so gratifying and i was just so so impressed at how creative they got with these puzzle designs and the way the world seems to unfold itself the more you unlock its secrets?? anyway i know this is near the bottom bc i do love me a video game story and this particular game doesn’t have that but PLAY THIS GAME IF YOU LIKE PUZZLES IT IS JUST SO COOL AND FUN AND GOOD

the n/onary games (999 only) - this is a replay but still worth mentioning i think?? obviously 999 is one of my favorite games of all time and i was super pumped about the remake and while i didn’t quite enjoy it as much as the very first time i played 999 on my DS it was still a good game!! tbh i mostly just played this game for the voice acting which i was pretty impressed with, and also i got to pick up a lot of the bilingual bonuses i obviously missed while playing my localized copy of the original game which was cool!! i wasn’t as impressed with the updated sprites unfortunately, i felt like their quality was inconsistent and some of them looked like kind of a rush job to me but ymmv i guess?? i think overall i still prefer the DS version even with improvements like the flow chart in the newer version, mostly because 1. i actually appreciated having to literally replay parts of the game in the former bc i feel like it’s more in the spirit of the game if you know what i mean, and 2. some details near the ending that they changed, which you definitely know what i mean if you played the game. still, i appreciate that it’s made the game more widely accessible and if you haven’t played the game pls go play this game i’m literally begging u,,

u/mineko (question arcs only) - ok the only reason i have this 8th on this list is just bc i haven’t technically finished it yet and BOY am i the kind of person who lives entirely for that sweet sweet payoff but there really isn’t THAT much i can say?? like thanks to the ps3 patch the art is pretty decent i guess?? i’m liking all the characters so far?? there’s a whole lot of Bullshit that doesn’t make any sense at this point but i’ve been promised metagame and mindfuck in due time so i guess i’ll just have to see?? yeah this is more of a tbd review than anything i don’t really know what to say besides i’m just so eager to play the other half of this game and get the answers to all these gotdamn MYSTERIES already

braid - i mostly just played this bc i knew it was made by the same person?? studio?? as the witness and while i liked braid and i really enjoyed the puzzles it was just too short for it to have really made an impression on me?? like i know that there is a story and a Twist but it didn’t really do much for me with how abstract it was and just in terms of sheer volume of content it doesn’t quite compare to the other games on this list like don’t get me wrong it was still good!! and if you need a way to kill an afternoon i still highly recommend it but it just wasn’t as memorable to me as p5 or nier was unfort

#/#//#///#////#/////#cam thoughts #if i just play one more i'll get to a nice even number.........what should i play #what should be my last game of 2017

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kibahinatas · 7 years

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DRV3 Liveblog [BLIND]: Ch. 2 Daily Life

A THIN LINE DIVIDES HEAVEN AND HELL...

Okay, I’ve played chapter two up until the discovery of the body, just like last time.

Remember, if you want to skip the summary just look for Thoughts under Story.

STORY

The chapter opened on a shot of two rows of those Japanese style “death portraits.” (I’m sorry I don’t know the proper name.) But the only one with a photo in it contained a portrait of Kaede. Just, Kaede too, not Amami who is also dead...Anyway, there were some people talking off screen about how they wished “they” had lived. And stuff like that. Then the scene ends.

Next, there’s a scene of Gonta outside and he thinks he might have spotted a tiny bug in the grass. But when he goes to look at it, he finds a flat, square stone on the ground with the words “horse a” written there. He later discusses this briefly with the others in the dining hall, and then it’s never brought up again. Hm.

Finally, we wake up the day after Kaede’s trial as Shuichi. His room is almost identical to hers, except for the shelf of my Monokuma collection next to his bed. Kaito rings the doorbell and comes to fetch us for breakfast. Shuichi pauses before he leaves, but then says he doesn’t need that anymore.

When we arrive in the dining hall, everyone seems surprised by my appearance. Surprise, surprise (except not) Shuichi is no longer wearing his hat, and was hiding a cute ahoge under there! After a quick discussion about the mysterious “horse a,” Monokuma and the four Monokubs show up with gifts for us - some random trash.

Turns out the random trash actually helps us to uncover new areas that were hidden behind false walls (including the 3rd floor), overgrown ivy, and to unlock that weird castle wall place. We find several new research labs for Himiko, Kirumi, Gonta, Ryoma, and Maki (although she won’t let us inside.) There’s also an indoor pool, and inside the “castle walls” are a large casino and a hotel that seems to have no function yet - the Kumasutra..lol.

In one of the hallways we come across something that stands out above all the rest, though. A massive treasure chest containing a single item that appears to be a flashlight of sorts. We all gather to inspect it in the gym, and Monokuma appears to inform us that it is a special light which will restore some of our memories! After some debate, we decide to try it out. Suddenly, Shuichi, and everyone else, remembers the Ultimate Hunt! They remember being hunted because of their ultimate talents, and eventually deciding to use a device which would repress their memories of being ultimates, causing them to believe they were just normal high school students, much like when we began the game. We got to see a shot of Shuichi hooked up to this device, and it turns out it is the same one we had gotten a glimpse of Kaede in during the prologue.

Later, during the night, the Monokubs sneak into our room to drop something off, but since they can’t see in the dark, they worry they might get things mixed up. The next morning, we find a colorful Kubs Pad on our coffee table, similar to the Monopad. But this one contains a single video. Monokuma announces he’s bringing back “an old favorite:” personal motive videos of loved ones! However, the Monokubs did indeed mix things up as Shuichi receives Kaito’s video of his grandparents instead of his own.

Shuichi rushes around trying to find Kaito, and ends up meeting everyone in the dining hall. They soon decide it would be best to not exchange videos, so no one will have a motive to kill. Although, not everyone feels this way.

Kokichi strongly believes we should show each other our motives. He ends up roping the gullible Gonta into a scheme to achieve this, but it doesn’t quite go as planned. (Also at some point in between all this we do push-ups with Kaito one night, lol.) Kokichi gets Gonta all fired up to retrieve everyone who hates bugs, so they can come meet all the bugs in Gonta’s lab. Once we are all there (Shuichi, Tenko, Himiko, Angie, Kiyo, and Kibo, I believe), Kokichi leaves us with Gonta while he goes to fetch our Kubs Pads. Gonta releases an ungodly amount of bugs, while everyone is flipping their shit. Oblivious to how we’re all feeling Gonta seems pleased with how the Insect Meet and Greet is going.

When Kokichi finally returns with the Kubs Pads, before he can force us to start binge watching, we decide to let Gonta know he’s being used for Kokichi’s scheme. Kibo reveals that he has an audio tape recording function, which he rewinds to play Kokichi’s words for Gonta. Upset upon hearing this, Gonta makes Kokichi stay with him and the bugs while the rest of us leave, hearing Kokichi screaming in the distance, lol.

Meanwhile, Angie, and her new religious convert Himiko (much to the dismay of Tenko), have been planning a magic show. It’s planned to go on the morning after the whole Insect Meet and Greet fiasco. We gather in the gym, to see an elaborate setup for the show, although not everyone is present. Kokichi, Ryoma, Maki, and Kaito are nowhere to be seen. Nevertheless, the show must go on! Angie and Himiko explain how the trick will work. Himiko will jump into a tank of water, and escape in one minute. Once the time is up, a suspended tank of piranhas will be dumped into the tank below. Seems simple enough, especially since it will all take place behind a curtain, and Himiko is not restrained in anyway.

The trick begins, and as seconds tick by on the timer, Himiko does not emerge. We all begin to worry, while Angie assures us all is well. But Gonta can’t wait any longer and leaps up on to the tank. He peers down into the water, with a surprised look on his face, and then time is up. The curtain is pulled back just before the piranha tanks is released, and floating inside the lower tank is...Ryoma! Handcuffed and unconscious or even dead. But the mystery of whether or not he is dead doesn’t last long, as the piranhas are dropped in, consuming his entire body down to the bones.

THOUGHTS: ‘Noooo!’ Was my reaction to seeing Ryoma’s body in the tank. I actually liked him a lot, so seeing him die so early was a disappointment.

Anyway, setting aside the “death portraits” for now, what is up with that “horse a” thing? Is it relevant? I feel like it’s got to be later, but it got brushed off so quickly. And what does it mean? I feel like there’s a secret meaning. Perhaps related to those random letters on the castley gate? Hm.

When Shuichi alluded to leaving his hat behind, I remember saying to my boyfriend how I bet it’s his hat and that he’s got a secret protagonist ahoge he’s been hiding this whole time! To my amusement, but not my surprise, I was right lol. What’s a Dangan Ronpa protagonist without an ahoge after all? Even our “secret protagonist” Shuichi, and “false protagonist” Kibo (in reference to the early promos) have one!

The way they did the new areas was interesting. How they were all spread out across the campus and not just one big central area. I enjoyed that. I also liked that we are getting to see most everyone’s research labs, slowly. (Thinking back I never tried going inside Miu’s though, I’ll have to do that later.) Except for Maki, who won’t let us inside for some strange reason...I almost wonder if she’s hiding something. No, I don’t wonder, I pretty much know she has to be hiding something. Like I mentioned back in my prologue post, I have a suspicion she may be lying about her talent. If her research lab is for a completely different talent she doesn’t want us knowing about, it would make sense she wouldn’t let anyone inside!

It was interesting to see a repeat motive, but of course in typical DR fashion, Monokuma made sure to point out that he was doing so, lol. However having everyone (or most everyone, we don’t know who received which video yet) receive someone else’s video was an interesting twist!

There seemed to be a lot of focus on Kaito this chapter too. Having his motive video, him inviting Shuichi to work out that one night, etc. The one line about Shuichi not realizing at that point how “horrific it is to trust someone” was very interesting. It would seem that this is in reference to Kaito, but we can’t be certain yet. My boyfriend suspects that all the Kaito business may be a red herring, but I’m not ruling him out as suspicious just yet.

But my favorite part of the chapter had to be the Insect Meet and Greet. Oh man, what a great scene. It was really funny, but I think will still be important to this next case in some ways. Gonta is a gift.

As for the murder, I can’t say a lot at this point! For whatever reason my gut reaction was again to suspect Tenko. I guess she’s my Souda of this game, although I actually liked him and hated suspecting him every time - Tenko I’m not super fond of lol. Also Kirumi, since we spent a lot of time on how much the other students are relying on her I feel like she might break soon. Also it’s just a hunch. And then Angie, who was involved in the magic show and also bonded with Himiko. If I’ve learned anything from Dangan Ronpa, it’s don’t get too close to anyone, it will just assure that only one of you will make it out alive lol. Not to mention the chapter title is suspicious given her religious enthusiasm...

But no idea how the killer did it and/or got Ryoma’s body in the tank! With little to go on I’m super excited to start investigating next time. I did make a joke though, how it’s like the show Bones - because all we have is his skeleton. And we have an anthropologist with us (Kiyo/Bones), someone who solves mysteries/crimes (Shuichi/Booth), a bug and nature guy (Gonta/Hodgins), and an artist (Angie/Angela) haha.

GAMEPLAY

Aside from free time, there’s really only one other thing I want to talk about here. Everything else is pretty much the same as before.

A new element that’s been added this chapter is the casino! We can exchange our monocoind for special casino coins and play games to win more special coins, which we can then use to exchange for prizes. Sounds confusing but it’s actually quite simple. I was able to get a decent of amount of coins for a low amount, and used those to play the slot machine and salmon fishing, the only two available games as of now.

I won a few hundred coins on the slot machine, but only made a couple salmon fishing. The salmon fishing works in a similar way to the hangman’s gambit of this game, with the things you need to select being hidden in shadow and then illuminated briefly. I think if I remember where the fish are without waiting for the light, I can win more coins. So I’ll have to try that again later.

Then for Free Time, I got 5 events, and I think it would have been 6 if I didn’t do an optional scene, which I’ll get to at the end. I spent Free Time with Himiko, Kirumi x2, Kibo, and Kokichi. Something I found interesting though, was that all the characters I talked to as Kaede didn’t carry over. Meaning, I no longer had a hope fragment for them or the information I learned there. As Amami and Ryoma are no longer with us, this was kind of a bummer since I won’t get to look back on that now. At least I have the memory I guess, lol.

Now it’s been about a week between playing and writing this section of my post, so I can’t quite remember what all I talked about with them. I do remember that Kirumi still wasn’t really saying much about herself, even in two FTEs. She mostly talked about places she’d worked and whatnot. I spent time with her twice because I really wanted to get to know who she was as a person, and not just as a maid. Hopefully she’s not the culprit this time, so I can still get a chance to do so lol. I also vaguely remember talking to Kokichi about his organization, and how he has powerful connections or something like that. But that’s about it.

But, on to the bonus scene. So before breakfast, on the day before the magic show, I happened to go talk to Miu in the courtyard, and she invited me to join her in the casino later that day. Of course, I chose yes. So when free time rolled around, I automatically travelled to the casino, where I was joined by Miu, Ryoma, Kaito, and Kokichi. We then got a light, fun scene where we all played casino games, and watched as Kaito continually lost to Ryoma, lol. I enjoyed it a lot.

One last thing I wanted to note is that I haven’t seen any more hidden Monokumas around! Just how hidden are these things? The two I found last chapter were impossible to miss. So I wonder where they’re at. I feel like I haven’t overlooked anything so I don’t know!

CHARACTERS

Like I said before it’s been a while since I played, so I’m having trouble remembering what all I wanted to say about the characters. I have a note that I wanted to talk about Kokichi, Kaito, Ryoma, Kirumi, Maki, and Kibo, but I can't remember what I had to say about them. I know I wanted to mention Ryoma sadly looking out over the tennis court in his lab, and Maki being a mysterious shit for no reason. (What are you hiding!) And maybe comment some more on Kaito and his grandparents and just him in general. But oh well, I’m sorry guys! I’ll try to be better about this with chapter 3 instead of putting it off so long, lol.

PREDICTIONS

Okay, so a final prediction to close with.

Another one of my reaching predictions, but the scene at the very beginning of the chapter got me thinking. I wonder if this is going to be like the sequel to my fanstory that I had planned, in which the twist is that all the characters are actually “dead” and the people who have been participating in the killing game are clones of those people who have been implanted with their memories.

Now, I actually hope this is not the case as I really want to use this idea for said fanstory, lol, but it would be interesting nonetheless. I don’t have any other evidence supporting this right now though, so I’ll have to see how things progress before saying more!

#JessDoesV3 #DRV3 #dangan ronpa #danganronpa

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oumakokichi · 7 years

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I will be quite honest: after reading all of Kaito's FTE, I really enjoyed how much the writers of DRV3 completely demolished Kaito's shounen protagonist BS and exposed it for the terrible kind of blind optimism that it is. Also, the way Kaito talks to Shuichi during his last FTE about how Shuichi's horrible guilt from exposing a murderer who was perfectly justified in taking revenge and basically just dismisses Shuichi by calling his guilt stupid really irritates me because it's like Kaito neve

This ask for some reason only showed me the first part when it sent but when I refreshed, there was the second part, sitting in my inbox. (I think the amount of asks I get sometimes just makes my inbox do weird things).

For people who haven’t yet read Momota’s FTEs, you can find them in my Free Time Event tag, here!

Anyway, this is a really good ask and I’ve taken my timeresponding because there’s a lot to address.

I want to start off by saying that I do like Momota as acharacter. I think he means well, I find his interactions pretty humorous, andhis contributions in Chapter 5 are extremely memorable. I haven’t made it asecret that I do like and enjoy Momota—so by responding to this ask, I want tomake it clear that this is an analysis of his flaws and the things that couldhave been done better, not my attempt to hate on him or anything.

Momota is a good character, but I think he could have beendone better. I agree with youentirely, anon; in fact, one of my biggest faults with Momota as a character isthat I think the subversion of the “shounen protagonist” trope should have been…well, more of an actual subversion.

Momota is perhaps one of the characters with which hisintended role in the game is played the straightest. I understand what Kodakawas going for with implementing a character who thinks of himself as theprotagonist and the main character, only to have to come to terms with the factthat he’s not. And in theory, it works quite well. But the problem is, Momota’splot relevance and hero syndrome gets amped up far too much for it to reallycount as a proper subversion.

The biggest problem with calling it a subversion is the factthat at some point, everything in the game, everything in the narrative, getsattributed to Momota. And this isn’t wrong on its own necessarily—if thecharacters had actually realized further down the line or addressed the factthat Momota wasn’t quite as much of a successful leader as they were making himout to be or responsible for the things they were crediting him with, thatwould be one thing. But it’s just never addressed.

At some point, the characters all, for the most part, creditMomota with doing nearly everything. Maki’s character development and growth asan individual? That’s Momota’s doing. Keeping everyone alive? That’s Momota’sdoing. Even knowing the full facts about the Chapter 5 trial and the fact thatmost of the lines Momota was saying in the Exisal were scripted by Ouma, mostof the characters attribute the plan as if it were something Momota helped tocreate himself, rather than something he agreed to.

A female character’s entire character arc is boiled down to,“she’s only changing because she’s in love,” so much so that it gets kind ofpainful to read at some point. Tsumugi says it, Saihara says it, pretty muchall the characters imply it at one point or another. Maki’s autonomy and chanceto shine on her own as a character who can grow and develop for reasonsunrelated to Momota is overshadowed entirely with, “well she’s changing, yeah,but really this is all thanks toMomota.”

Meanwhile, it’s true that Momota does want to keep everyonealive and help them, yes—but ndrv3 spends so much time emphasizing the factthat blind optimism and trust and cooperation are all incredibly dangerous andshouldn’t be played right into, yet never seems to properly address Momota’sfaults in particular for playing into these things the most.

His reckless, shounen protagonist behavior gets them allinto trouble more than once. Chapter 4 is where things come to the biggestboiling point, as you pointed out. His reckless and stubborn refusal to changehis opinion or doubt someone like Gonta even when concrete evidence was rightin front of him literally put all the group’s lives at risk. Had he been moreconvincing than Saihara, had the group decided to follow Momota’s opinioninstead and vote for Ouma, they would all have been killed.

This is something that I think Momota definitely realized hewas in the wrong for later on and felt guilty about—but even still, most ofChapter 5 is spent with him avoiding the issue entirely. He continues referringto Saihara by last name instead of the more familiar first-name basis by whichhe’d been calling him exclusively ever since halfway through Chapter 2, avoidseye contact or bringing up the things he said at the Chapter 4 trial wheneverpossible, and doesn’t actually apologize for the things he said until very latein the game, during the Chapter 5 post-trial.

What’s more, the narrative continues to act as if Saiharahimself was somehow at fault for how things turned out in the Chapter 4 trial,even though it was clear that he wasn’t siding with Ouma at all but simplytrying to be objective as a detective. Momota not only berated and insultedSaihara at the Chapter 4 trial, but also threatened to hit him again, tellinghim to “open his eyes,” and see that “Gonta wasn’t the culprit”—but thesethings get brushed almost entirely under the rug by Chapter 5 in favor ofacting as if the awkward period of not talking to each other was somehow both their faults instead of somethingthat Momota had done to Saihara.

This is what it means for a narrative to give a character afree pass. It’s perfectly fine for a character to make mistakes—it’s justpreferable that those mistakes are addressed in some way and the character isheld accountable. But at some point it becomes pretty apparent that Momota isn’texactly held to the same standard of accountability as some of the othercharacters by the narrative. There’s this definite feeling by some of the laterchapters that even when Momota is wrong, he’s also right somehow. Most of the figures who we see disagree with him infact are either killed off incredibly earlier (Ryouma comes to mind), or elsepurposely portrayed in an antagonistic and hostile light, in order tounderscore why everyone else in the group thinks they’re wrong, like Ouma.

As you mentioned, there is a lot in Momota’s FTEs and in hischaracter in general that doesn’t quite get addressed, at all. Most of it canbe summed up as toxic masculinity that never gets called out or treated as aflaw by the narrative. Momota’s entire method of dealing with problems is “shapeup, get over it, stop being so weak”—but this almost entirely translates to “stopbeing such a sissy/such a girl.”

Whenever anyone disagrees with him, his solution is to getloud, reckless, even violent, often threatening to hit people. The whole “hittingpeople to make them ‘snap out of it’” trope is already tired and overdone, inmy opinion, but it’s especially telling that it’s treated as something we’resupposed to see as inspirational and uplifting by the narrative, rather thansomething uncalled for or unnecessarily violent. Even Momota’s apology toSaihara at the start of Chapter 2 is rushed and doesn’t really address the rootof the problem.

For instance, look at his reasons for training with Saiharacompared to his reasons for training with Maki. With Saihara, the problem isthat Saihara is “too weak.” He’s “fragile,” “too emotional,” he seems like “toomuch of a sissy” to actually carry on Kaede’s will. Momota wants to train thosething right out of him and “make him into a real man.” It’s one thing toacknowledge that Saihara’s anxiety and dependency is something holding him backand preventing him from moving forward even when he promised Kaede, but it’scouched entirely in terms of masculinity, “becoming more manly,” etc.

By contrast, Maki is someone who he welcomes into theirgroup because he notices how hard she is on herself and wants her to come toterms with her backstory and move past it, yes—but also his reasons areentirely centered around the idea that there’s something wrong with girls specificallybeing trained to kill.

The reason he asks about Maki’s time at the orphanage isbecause he thinks it’s “more natural for women to take care of children than touse weapons,” and that’s pretty straightforwardly misogynistic. It’s notsomething that’s ever once brought up as a problem, either. There’s never anyacknowledgment of the fact that Maki’s backstory is fucked up because she was achild who was trained to kill. It’s always instead about how she was a girl who was trained to kill.

Even the whole optional event where she discusses a targetshe was sent to kill at a cosplay convention is framed in a way that made me sortof uncomfortable, because it was supposed to be “cute” and “humorous” that shewas swarmed with tons of otaku photographers who mistook her for a cosplayer.Even when she talks about how horrible the punishment she got was for failing tokill the target afterwards, it’s something Saihara and Momota laugh about as ifit was a cute and endearing story, rather than a story about a kid gettingabused horribly by the assassin network she was forced into.

Again, all of this feels less like a subversion of theshounen protagonist role which Momota embodies and more like… playing it 100%straight with no punchline and no criticism. I don’t think Momota is the worstndrv3 character by any means, or even a bad character, but I do think there wasa lot of room for improvement with him, and it’s one of the reasons he’s gonesomewhat further down on my character ranking than the first time I used thesorter. I still like him—quite a lot, in fact! But I feel as if the narrativespends too much time trying to make me like him without quite addressing thethings he does wrong, and I’d rather have seen his character used to subvertsome of the more overdone tropes in shounen fiction.

His last FTE with Saihara, as you pointed out, feels like itplays right into all of these things I’ve mentioned. It’s all very nice andwell that he agrees to help Saihara and wants to support him “because Saiharais his assistant,” but it still ends on a note of there being… not very equalfooting between the two of them. Saihara says it might happen “someday,eventually,” but there is this very real sense of Momota not exactly takingSaihara’s thoughts or feelings into consideration.

And again, I feel like Chapter 4 does tackle the issue ofMomota looking down on Saihara somewhat, because we see clearly then that eventhough Momota kept telling Saihara to follow his own reasoning as a detective,he wasn’t prepared to actually accept that reasoning when it led to a conclusionhe didn’t like, such as Gonta being the culprit.

But whereas the issues of jealousy and subconsciouslylooking down on someone close to you are handled pretty regularly in Personagames, with Junpei and Yosuke both, the entire jealousy issue is both revealedand resolved in about five seconds in the Chapter 5 post-trial. There was verylittle time spent addressing it, and since Momota dies immediately afterward,there’s never any coming back to the issue or touching on it again, whereaswith Junpei and Yosuke, their jealousy of the protagonist was something thatwas worked through and moved on from over the course of the entire game,culminating with their friendship being healthier and stronger for it afterresolving the issue.

All of this leads me to back where I started, I suppose, insaying that I think Momota is a really good character and I do like him, butthere were definitely things left to be desired. I think these particular flawsand the lack of innovation and subversion is probably why Momota scored a bitlower on the Japanese popularity poll too, in hindsight (though I also think it’sstill partly due to Japanese fanartists not liking his design as much). Momotais fun and great and I do think he means the best, but the Kamina-trope hasbeen done before. In a franchise built on subverting tropes and clichés, thereneeds to be more of an actual subversion in my opinion, rather than playingright into all the same pitfalls that these tropes have offered in other media.

Anyway, this is my take on it. This ask was very good and Ireally did enjoy the chance to think critically on Momota’s character and writeup an analysis like this. I enjoy discussing ndrv3 and its cast quite a lot—discussingthe things that I think could’ve been done better is part of the fun, too! Thankyou for asking anon!

#ndrv3 #drv3 #new danganronpa v3 #kaito momota #momota kaito #ndrv3 spoilers //#my meta #okay to reblog #anonymous

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blueseadespair · 7 years

Text

Drv3 Alternative Mastermind AU Chapter 1 Class Trial

Disclaimer: Don’t own Danganronpa. Also I added parts where one would play the game. If it was a game. Also this one is a long one.

Chapter 1 Class Trial

My hart pumped as the doors opened and revealed a large dome like room with stain glass. In the center was a circle of seats and 16 stands. They all looked pretty Sci-fi. At what looked like the head of the room, was a large podium with a chair and five empty spaces in front of it. It carried an air of final judgment. So this is where we would debate who had done it. Who had killed the SHSL Cosplayer Tsumugi Shirogane. My heart pulsed in I could feel the blood pumping through my body. Then Monokuma appeared along with the Monokumars.

Monokuma: Thank you for waiting, now it is time for the much anticipated class trial!

Monokid: Hell Ya! It’s the main event!

Monosuke: All that goody-goody getting along was making me sick.

Monotarou: Yeesh it took you people a while.

Monofunny: You guys were getting along so well.

Monodam:…

Monokuma: Now take your places, Your names are labeled on your stands.

As we did that we noticed on stand that had a picture of with an x through it. The picture looked like a girl, but it was pretty blurry.

Maki: What is that?

Monokuma: I would be sad if you all didn’t participate, even if you are dead. So I have frames for all the people that might die, and have died. I look forward to seeing what you have in store for me.

Rantarou: This is actually happening. So that dream was-

Monokuma: Now, now don’t go spoiling anything yet now.

Rantarou:..

Monokuma: Now as usual I’ll give the basic explanation of the class trail. The key is to find who the blackened is and you will have to vote who you think it is. If you choose the correct one, only they will be punished, but if you choose the wrong one, then everyone else will be punished. Now. Let’s begin.

Kaito: You say that, but where should we begin?

Shuichi: Then would the murder weapon be a good place to start?

Ryoma: Seems like a good idea.

Tenko: But isn’t it more important to find who killed her?

Rantarou: That maybe true, but the murder weapon might lead us to a clue.

Kokichi: What kind of weapon might help narrow down who the killer is.

Kaede: Then we should start with that.

(Now is the time to remember everything up until now, I have to. Have to find the killer!)

Rantarou: According the Monokuma file… she had several wounds across her body.

Mui: You think one of them might be what killed her?

Maki: Well, it would have led to her death, with all the blood loss.

Himiko: So is it all the wounds on her body?

Tenko: No it could have been that-

Angie: The thing Angie found? You mean the hammer?

Kirumi: It definably seems like a possibility.

Tenko: Then was the blow to the head what killed her? If so only a guy can hit hard enough to kill!

Kaede: No, that's wrong!

Tenko: Huh?

Kaede: I don’t think the hammer was used to deal the finishing blow.

Shuichi: I don’t think so either.

Kokichi: It would be too obvious, and while I don’t like this situation, it would be boring if this mystery were to be solved this easily.

Rantarou: True, it must be more complicated then that.

Korekiyo: Then let us continue to move forward. I want to see where this progression leads.

Kaito: You have no concern about our current situation do you?

Ryoma: That’s just how he is leave him be.

Miu: Just leave him alone.

Maki: Then what do you think dealt the finishing blow?

Kaede: I’m not sure, but the Monokuma file didn’t specify what killed her, only the time she died.

Kaito: Then we still don’t know what killed her!

Korekiyo: But I must say, the murder place sure does seem suspicious.

Kirumi: You mean-

Korekiyo: Yes: the talent room.

Angie: You think Angie did it?

Korekiyo: Not exactly, but you are suspicious.

Angie: Angie is telling you, Angie didn’t kill that girl.

Himiko: Isn’t saying that making you more suspicious?

Kiibo: Besides isn’t Angie a little short to be able to hang the body as well?

Kaede: No there might be a way.

Shuichi: You mean that?

Kaede: Yes. Couldn’t the ladder been used?

Miu: What ladder? I don’t remember no ladder.

Gonta: Of course! Gonta remembers that there was a ladder in the room. They could have used that.

Miu: Then it wouldn’t be unusual that a ladder was there. Kek, never really cared much about what was in that room. Didn’t have anything of value to me.

Kokichi: Then you’re pretty useless in this case.

Miu: Hrng! I dare you say that again, runt!

Rantarou: Now, now lets get back on topic.

Kokichi: Nishishi~

Miu: Hurmp.

Korekiyo: So she could have used the ladder. Was there anything unusual about the ladder?

Kaede: Well…It looked like there was a blood splatter on the side.

Tenko: So you think that she could have been wounded after she was hung!? How cruel!

Shuichi: Judging by the splatter I would say so. I can also say that we could eliminate Ryoma from the suspects because it seems that even with the ladder he wouldn’t be able to hang her body like that.

Ryoma: I thank you for your support, but we still have many other suspects.

Tenko: Then there is no way that a girl could do it, that's just too cruel!

Korekiyo: Are you sure about that?

Tenko: Huh?

Korekiyo: A girl could do it to you know.

Tenko: You think I did it!?

Korekiyo: You would have the strength for it.

Angie: I told you Angie didn’t do it.

Tenko: Wait, why are you turning on me!? It could have been Gonta!

Gonta: Gonta didn’t do anything!

Kaede: Calm down!

(It’s no good, they aren't listening)

Shuichi: With everyone talking surely you the SHSL Pianist will be able to tell who is speaking and pick out a weak spot.

Kaede: I’m not sure but I’ll do my best.

Angie: Angie is not the culprit.

Tenko: Tenko didn’t do anything.

Gonta: Why are you blaming Gonta?

Angie: God was the one who did it

Tenko: Tenko was with Himiko and Kirumi.

Gonta: Gonta was with Kaito

Angie: The one who punished her

Kirumi: Yes we were together

Gonta: Until Angie called Gonta over.

Korekiyo: Your God seems like a scary deity

Kirumi: Even when we heard the Monokuma Announcement

Kaito: Yup, he was with me and I ran into Kokichi

Angie: So it was divine punishment

Tenko: See Tenko is innocent

Kokichi: Well that’s not a lie

[Statement: God is the one who did it: Truth Bullet: Monokuma’s testimony]

Kaede: No that's wrong! It had to be someone here, because a person, not a God had to have killed her.

Monokuma: Yup! It sure was a person! No Gods here.

Angie:…

Kaede: So do you have anything to say? You’ve been pushing this God think quite hard.

Angie:…

Gonta: Angie? Is something the matter?

Kaito: No way, it couldn’t be…

Tenko:…Angie?

Miu: H-hey, Say something.

Angie:…

Maki: Out with it.

Angie:… And if I did?

Himiko: No way you would kill someone like that?

Miu: Then we have our culprit? Monokuma, can we start the vote?

Monokuma: Already? That was quick! Alright!

Monosuke: Rushing to the main event of the main event?

Monotarou: No class.

Monodam:…

Monokid: Is it our turn now?

Monofunny: This is so heart pounding!

Kaede: (Wait, no something’s off)

Rantarou: Wait!

Kaede: (Huh, Rantarou?)

Monokuma: Hurk! Wait is it?

Rantarou: I think that’s wrong. It’s still too early to decide that Angie is the killer.

Shuichi: I think so too.

Kokichi: Like I said before it wouldn’t be fun if it was too easy to solve.

Shuichi: Let’s discuss some more and see what else we can find.

Monokuma: Hump, very well continue.

Monotarou: Looks like we have to wait our turn.

Monodam:…

Monokid: Well we don’t have to worry about this bucket of bolts.

Monofunny: Don’t be mean to Monodam.

Monosuke: You all are just as bad.

Kaito: Let’s just ignore the peanut gallery.

Korekiyo: That seems to be for the best.

Rantraou: It seems suspicious that Angie, first tried to defend herself, by denying that she was the killer. Then latter proclaim that she is the killer.

Ryoma: Your right that is a bit suspicious.

Miu: Then why would she try to make us hasten our vote!?

Kirumi: We don’t know that yet. Does anyone have anymore information to offer?

Shuichi: Wait, do you guys remember the neck wound?

Himiko: Neck wound? Wasn’t there a ribbon around her neck?

Rantarou: Yes, but that seemed to keep us from the real wound, and possible fatal injury.

Shuichi: I guess only Kaede, Rantarou, Kokichi, and I know about it.

Rantarou: Yes, it seems that it was made by something sharp.

Tenko: There wasn’t anything sharp in the art room was there?

Ryoma: There were, but they didn’t seem to have any blood on them.

Angie: The only thing that had blood on it was the hammer.

Kaede: Wait, that might not be it.

Kaito: Huh?

Kaede: Let me think…That must be it!

Miu: Don’t yell so suddenly!

Kokichi: Did you find something out Kaede-chan?

Kaede; Yes! Miu, do you remember what nicked you?

Miu: Sure do! Still have the cut on my finger!

Rantarou: Wait, cut?

Miu: Ya, Kiibo has it since it won’t cut him.

Tenko: You had such an important piece of evidence! Show it over tin can!

Kiibo: D-don’t be so rude! I have feelings too you know!

Shuichi: Wait then that means-!

Ryoma: This must be the true murder weapon that Monokuma was hiding from us.

Monokuma:…

Himikio: Then why would it be there?

Maki: It should have been at the crime scene.

Kirumi: Then maybe they were trying to disguise their crime?

Korekiyo: That would make sense, but who?

Kaede: Then lets continue to discuss. (Although, we need some new information to make a break though, or we will be talking in circles.)

Tenko: So Angie is still the killer?

Miu: It would seem so.

Angie:…

Kirumi: Did anyone see the victim before she died? Perhaps heard from her?

Gonta: No, but Gonta remembers Angie asking Gonta for help.

Kokichi: So Angie only left to get Gonta?

Kirumi: That would seem to be the case.

[Statement: only left to get Gonta, Truth bullet: heard one voice, Lie bullet: heard two voices]

Lie: Please believe in this statement

Kaede: Wait, if I remember I heard two voice’s inside the room. One of them was angie, and the other was Tsumugi.

Kokichi: What are you talking about wasn’t Angie with us? How could she be at to places at once?

Himiko: Does she know how to use magic as well?

Kaito: Then which one is the real Angie?

Kokichi: That was a pretty bad lie.

Rantarou: What if she is telling the truth, though?

Miu: Huh?

Shuichi: There might be a way to discuss this further?

As we said that our podiums began to move and elevate us so that we would face each other face–to-face, two rows of 8. On my side Shuichi, Rantarou, Angie, Gonta, Kiibo, Kirumi, and the portrait. On the other side were Kokichi, Ryoma, Tenko, Himiko, Miu, Kaito, Korekiyo, and Maki.

Miu: This whole thing with two Angies is stupid.

Shuichi: What if there was one instead of two?

Himiko: It must have been magic

Kiibo: There is no way magic would be able to do this.

Ryoma: Then maybe there was a recording?

Kirumi: There was no sign of any recording.

Maki: Angie seems to still be the killer.

Rantarou: Should be trust what Angie has to say.

Korekiyo: Then should be trust Kaede’s ears?

Gonta: Gonta believes in Kaede’s hearing!

Kokichi: Should we believe your lie?

Kaede: Whether or not it’s a lie, we should discuss that!

[It was Tsumugi’s voice (who’s voice was heard?) It was Angie’s voice]

After we had won the argument that it was Angie’s voice the podiums settled back into their original positions.

Kokichi: That was a lie though, that you heard her voice right?

Kaede: yes, but I did hear a voice. It sounded hoarse, but I’m not sure it was Angie’s voice though.

Rantarou: Then let’s us assume that it was Angie’s voice, what does that make our Angie here now?

Shuichi: I mean Tsumugi was the one that was supposed to be murdered right?

Kokichi: Then that would mean that Tsumugi wasn’t the one to die?

Maki: Then Angie was the one to die, and get replaced?

Tenko: How?

Kaede: I think I might have an idea. Do you remember the wire?

Kaito: Wire?

Tenko: Ya, there was a piece of wire that helped to hang her body!

Korekiyo: It would seem they used it from the storage room, because there wasn’t any in the art room.

Himiko: What was unusual about the wire?

Kaede: It was the way that it was used.

Kirumi: Used?

Shuichi: Yes, it Looked like it was used to tie her limbs. There were actually two different types. One to tie the limbs, and the other to hang her up.

Kaede: It was even near her knees.

Rantarou: So you think the wire might used to attach something?

Kokichi: You mean like extensions? Because that would seem to be the answer. Because Tsumugi-chan limbs are longer than Angies.

Shuichi: If I remember correctly, she also had powder on her.

Maki: Powder?

Kaede: Yes, like make up.

Gonta: Then if Angie, was the one to die, who is Angie that is here now?

Korekiyo: Why don’t we ask the person in question?

Angie:…

Himiko: Angie?

Ryoma: Seems like we have her in a corner.

Angie?:…

Shuichi: No, you shouldn’t be Angie.

Kokichi: Your disguise was pretty good. SHSL Cosplayer Tsumugi Shirogane-chan.

Angie?...Tch.

Miu: Huh?

Angie?: Looks like I’ve been found out. Yes, it is I, Tsumugi.

Tsumugi: I was getting tried trying to play that girl Angie. It feels good to be my normal self again.

Kaede: Then why did you kill her?

Tsumugi: do you have any proof that I killed her? Some one could frame me as the killer.

Shuichi: Well a lot of the evidence points to you.

Kokichi: Then that powder on her face was makeup to look like you.

Tsumugi: And what about it? It doesn’t mean that it’s true.

Rantarou: That may be the case, but why go through the trouble pretending to be Angie?

Tsumugi: Tch. I hate your type.

Miu: Well we found the correct culprit, now we can vote.

Kaito: Wait vote…!? You tried to make us hasten our vote so that we would vote the wrong killer!

Maki: Your not so dumb after all.

Kaito: Hey that’s rude!

Kiibo: By having us hasten our vote we would have all been killed, because the killer we thought was actually the victim. And the victim was the killer.

Tsumugi: But I was telling the truth, that Angie didn’t kill anyone, an yet you doubted her.

Himiko: That's because we thought she was you, I mean the person most suspicious.

Kokichi: It was a pretty good plan, but I don’t like be lied to. Only I get to do the lying.

Tsumugi: You still don’t have that much evidence. The Thread scissors aren't enough. Some one could use that against me. What other proof do you have?

[PTA, BTB with Tsumugi, Answer: Tied Limbs]

Tsumugi: Guh. How would that be a sign? Kiumi could have killed her! She’s good with that kind of stuff!

Kaede: You're the only one who can sew besides Kirumi.

Tsumugi: She could have been hiding! Like in the room until everyone was gathered to ast like she was in the crowd.

Tenko: But, Kirumi’s alibi would be me and Himiko, because we were together ever since your event.

Kirumi: And during that event everyone was still there and alive.

Tsumugi: No, no, NO! It’s not over yet!

Kaede: No, it is. I’ll go over you crimes once more and prove that your it.

(After my explanation)

Miu: Monokuma, we know who it is, it time to vote!

Monokuma: Huh, is it my turn? Is it truly? Then with further Ado its time for Your regular scheduled voting time! Please choose the button on who you think is the blackened. Will you choose the right one or the wrong one? Upupupu.

Class Trial End

AN: If you did play or spoiled your self about the actual game (Like I did) Kaede was made the killer, and then you switch to Shuichi, who is the new Protag. Spoilers, In this one Kaede stays protag.

#danganronpa #danganronpa spoilers #ndrv3 #ndrv3 spoilers #drv3 #drv3 spoilers

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kibahinatas · 7 years

Text

DRV3 Liveblog [BLIND]: Ch. 1 Daily Life

I WILL END THIS GAME

Alright so I just finished up the first part of Chapter One - everything up to the discovery of the first murder. I’ll be breaking it down into the same four segments again, so let’s jump in!

[If you want to skip my summary of the story, just look for THOUGHTS in bold, to read what I think about it.]

STORY

Picking up where we left off after meeting Monokuma in the gym, we all discover our Monopads have been updated with our new rules for life in the Ultimate Academy. We then begin talking amongst ourselves and realize that Gonta has found a manhole out in the boiler room behind the school, and go to check it out.

There, Kibo attempts to lift the cover to the manhole with no luck, saying he was only made to have the strength of an above average elderly man. So Gonta steps in and lifts the cover with two fingers, no problem. We then descend down into the passageway and find ourselves in a large open area underground.

Some people think we’ve escaped from where Monokuma can see us, but the monitor in the room suggests otherwise. The only objects of note down here are the big tunnel and the wooden sign that says “EXIT” pointed towards it.

Naturally we try to check it out. But after a very poor attempt at a minigame, realize that it is full of traps and impossible to traverse. Then Monokuma comes to laugh at us, basically saying there’s no hope. But when he leaves, Kaede rallies everyone again and we give it one more go. I fared a bit better in the minigame this time, but ultimately failed.

Now everyone is feeling super dejected and wants to give up, much to Kaede’s dismay. They all leave to head to their new dorm rooms, except for Kaito and Shuichi, who haven’t let it get to them as much. We then leave and turn in for the night, in our fancy new dorm, feeling pretty down about everything.

The next morning, we all meet for breakfast in the dining hall, as Kiyo(?) had suggested the day before. Everyone seems to be feeling better, although Kokichi still can’t seem to decide if he blames me for bringing us all down or feels sorry for me, lol. But then Monokuma shows up with an announcement.

He is already giving us the first motive! It’s the “first blood perk”: we will not be holding a class trial for whoever makes the first kill. But Kaito is not having it. He charges Monokuma. The Monokubs, fearing their father’s life, call upon an Exisal. But when it arrives it accidentally steps on Monokuma, crushing him entirely. With most of us believing him dead, and the killing game over (Kirumi suggested he may have a spare) we go about our days.

But the next morning, Kirumi is proven right when Monokuma shows up again. This time with an additional motive to get things moving - if we do not kill by nighttime in two days, every single one of us will be mauled to death by multiple Monokumas.

Later, Shuichi comes to us and says he has to show us something. In the library, he has discovered that one of the bookcases is actually a secret door that uncovers another secret door, bearing Monokuma’s colors. The hidden door also requires a card reader to open it. He believes that one of us may be working with Monokuma, and may come here to activate the spare Monokumas right before the deadline. To prove that one of us is using this door, he places dust in the card reader.

When we later discover the dust pushed out of the reader, we get to work on a plan to catch the supposed mastermind. With Miu’s help, we set up motion activated cameras on the bookshelf door, and the two entrances to the library. Then, we head up to the classroom next to basement stairs and wait to see who will go downstairs, and wait for our alarm to go off, signalling that someone moved the bookcase.

Soon the monitors begin blaring an obnoxious song and video, telling us that the deadline is in an hour. We also spot 7 students heading down the stairs all at once: Kaito, Gonta, Amami, Tenko, Himiko, Angie, and Maki [(?) idr who the 7th was.] Shuichi goes down to see what they’re up to, leaving Kaede alone in the classroom. But soon he returns and tells her that everyone went into the gameroom, and not the library.

But then our alarm begins to go off! Someone has moved the bookcase! Quickly, we rush downstairs to the library. In the hall we run into Tenko and Kaito, who invite us to join their strategy meeting in the gameroom. However, we tell them we have to go catch the mastermind in the library.

The four of us run into the library, just in time to see the bookcase close shut, with no one in sight. But, behind one of the lower shelves, and just under one of our cameras, we discover the body of Amami. His head bloodied, and a shot put ball beside him.

THOUGHTS: There was a lot going on in this chapter, and also not at the same time. Let’s start with the new rules we received on the Monopad.

For the most part these seem pretty standard, except they seem to cover some specific things that the students may have wondered about otherwise. For example, that Monokuma cannot directly kill a student, and that the killing game will end once there are only 2 people left. Now, the second one is interesting. This was never really made clear in the previous games. Not that it mattered, since it always ended before that many people were able to die anyway. So why highlight it now? Will this game be longer, and will we really have to go down to just two of us? Hopefully not, and it’s just clarifying something that’s never really been clarified before.

Next we have the underground area with the tunnel. The students try over and over to get through the tunnel, that may or may not even be an exit, until they can’t take it anymore. I don’t really blame them for being upset with Kaede for continually “forcing” them to keep trying, but at the same time I also feel bad for her. She just wants what’s best for everyone and doesn’t want us to give up or lose hope. Her positivity is almost unwavering.

Now, the motive...I didn’t expect to get one as soon as we did but, like why not I guess. If I was Monokuma I’d want to speed things up too. But how in the world is this going to play out? No trial? Really? Is Monokuma just gonna pop out like, “Okay the culprit is __ and they can leave now, bye!” Will he still have us tell him who we think the culprit is, without the formal class trial? And if so, are the punishments still in place? Will we not get to solve Amami’s murder?!

/sigh. Anyway, I wonder what the deal is with that black and white door. Is it really related to the mastermind and/or where the Monokuma bots are coming from, like Shuichi thinks? Is one of us really the mastermind, or working with them? Or maybe there are multiple people behind this! Right now I have too many questions and not enough clues. All I know is that someone (or multiple someones) went through that door after we put the dust in place.

As for the murder, or what appears to be a murder anyway (I found the body, saved and called it a night, but I doubt he’s still alive) I don’t have much to go on yet. My boyfriend pointed out that earlier, when Kaede tried picking up the shot put balls in the warehouse she was struggling to do so, implying that the murderer must be someone strong enough to not only lift them with ease, but use as a weapon. Now, it’s too early to say the shot put ball is the murder weapon, but it’s all I’ve got right now.

GAMEPLAY

I covered a lot of this in the prologue post, but there are some other things to talk about now. Let’s start with that fucking minigame...lol.

So the first two times that the students traversed the underground tunnel, the game had me play a minigame where they had to progress and avoid obstacles. It gave me 16 lives, one for each student. It was nearly impossible to know what was a trap and what wasn’t, which in retrospect was probably the point - it wanted us to fail both times. Of course, at the time I thought I might have to complete it in order to progress the story and was frustrated, haha.

Including the minigame in the middle of the ‘novel’ part of the game, definitely threw me off guard, though. I’m not sure if I liked that or not. But I can’t help but wonder what would happen if someone actually made it through the whole level. Would they actually find an exit, and thus an alternate ending perhaps? Would it lead to another room? Or would the level just loop around until you lost all your lives, lol. I’d like to find this out after I eventually complete the game.

Then we have the Monocoins. I totally forgot about them until I got to my first free time, and realized I didn’t have any coins to spend on presents. Examining things wasn’t giving me any coins, and neither were the hidden Monokumas I had found. So, irritated after wasting my first free time event, I googled how to acquire them and realized I needed to be smacking things. Honestly, I had totally forgotten about that feature, lol. It took me a while to figure out I needed to smack the background objects and not things I can interact with, but eventually I got some coins and spent them on the Monomono machine.

FREE TIME

Like I said, I ended wasting my first free time event, as I didn’t have any presents so I really only got 3 this chapter. I spent them with Amami, Kokichi, and Ryoma.

I technically spent time with Amami twice, but without a present the first time, it ended right after the present prompt. Sadly my last save was at the end of the prologue, so I wasn’t about to go all the way back just for my free time.

Anyway, I gave him the Boba Tea, which he seemed to like, and then sat down to have tea with him. I had no idea what to give him, but I guess I got lucky, haha. I wish I could remember what all we talked about, so I’ll have to look at his report card again later. Glad I got to talk to him before he died though.

Then I hung out with Kokichi, who I gave the Workchair of Doom, or something like that, which he liked. Then he got to lying or not lying, who knows. He told a ridiculous story about how he had met Kaede before but then she died, which he said was a lie. Kaede afterwards said something along the lines of how he must really want attention to lie as much as he does.

Finally, I decided I’d see who my boyfriend wanted to talk to, since he’s watching me play and enjoying the game as well. He said his first two choices would have been Amami and Kokichi anyway, but that his next choice would be Ryoma. I gave him Candy Cigarettes which he seemed to really like, and talked about cats. He said he had a cat back home before he went to prison. As a cat lover I enjoyed the conversation, lol.

The last thing I want to say as far as gameplay goes is about the new Monokuma Theaters. It looks like we’ll get a new image of Monokuma almost every time. Which I like. And one thing I noticed is that in the picture of him holding up some playing cards, it looked like a picture of Celeste on one of the cards! Neat little easter egg I suppose.

CHARACTERS

Unlike last time, I’m not going to go through each character, but instead just highlight the ones I have something to say about that I haven’t already mentioned in this post.

AMAMI: Poor, poor, Amami, we barely knew ya. I just knew he was going to die, given our first victims in the previous games (Sayaka, and “Byakuya”) but I didn’t want to believe it. He knew about this “Ultimate Hunt,” which I think I remember hearing in the prologue? I can’t remember if it was him who mentioned it or the others before the Monokubs gave them their ultimate memories. Although scarily determined to put an end to the killing game, he seemed like a nice guy. RIP bae, I’m sure we’ll learn your talent one day.

KOKICHI: Liar, liar, plants for hire. As much as I love this kid idk if I could ever trust him! From his ridiculous tears that he can seem to turn on or off at will, to “that was a lie.” He’s definitely good at lying, but also seems to always tell you when he’s lying? I remember saying to my boyfriend at one point, if he’s a liar then is the first thing he said a lie, or the “that was a lie” part? Hm...But as a Danganronpa veteran, I know that characters are not always what they appear. Maybe he’s actually a good guy deep down? Although he seems to have a relationship reminiscent of Hiyoko and Mikan with Kibo...lol. Either way I get the feeling that he may actually survive this killing game now.

SHUICHI: Well, well, look who’s being all detectivey now! I have to say, I did doubt him at first, but now idk! He seems to be acting more like a detective. I mean, nowhere near Kirigiri level, but still. He’s also bonded with Kaede a lot it seems. People keep giving them shit for always being together, haha. Do I ship it? Maybe, lol. He opened up to her a lot in what was a touching moment when they were waiting for the alarm in the classroom. Hearing about that case he solved was interesting, and how it affected him so much, even to the point that he became uncomfortable by eye contact. I thought death flags were flying, but I’m glad he’s still with us.

KIYO: Not to break my repeating word trend, but here we go. I told myself I wouldn’t succumb to using his shortened localized name, but I couldn’t do it. He’s Kiyo to me now, lol. Anyway, the only new things I really wanted to comment on about him will be brief. First, in a passing conversation I had with while on my way to breakfast or something like that, he mentioned a “Sister.” Kaede thought to herself how nice it was he missed his sister back home, but I feel like he’s not talking about his actual sibling. So who is this Sister then? Also his obsession with observing human behavior is...intriguing. He seemed excited to see how we would all behave with this killing game, so...yeah. Kinda creepy.

TENKO: Speaking of creepy obsessions, let’s talk about Tenko. She clearly has a weird crush on Himiko, always by her side, drooling over her, and offering to help her go to the bathroom...Girl needs to chill. Himiko seems almost irritated by her though which is humorous. I seriously wonder where this chick’s absolute hatred of men stemmed from.

KAITO: It seems I was wrong about Kaito. He doesn’t seem like scardey cat, but more on the determined/optimistic side. Not that I can compare him to Kaede, but so far he doesn’t seem to fit that role as I thought he might.

PREDICTIONS

I haven’t gotten much more insight into the main plot going on here, but I have some thoughts on Amami’s murder.

Most likely the murderer will be one of the other 6 people we saw going down into the basement. So Kaito, Gonta, Tenko, Himiko, Angie, or Maki. Also, we know that the shot put ball is fairly heavy, so whoever used it must have some strength. Going off of those two things, if I had to venture a guess as to who the culprit is, I’d say maybe Tenko? I don’t see it being Gonta or Kaito, and we also saw her in the hallway before we discovered the body.

I have a feeling Gonta will come under suspicion because of his strength alone, though. (Flashbacks to the sewer grate anyone?) But like I said, I doubt it’s him. Anyway, I will start the investigation soon, so I guess we’ll see!

#JessDoesV3 #DRV3 #danganronpa #Dangan Ronpa

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