Dangan Ronpa General

[Failinhearts]

Okay, it's time for me to fully explain my beef with this game and why I think Danganronpa V3; Killing Harmony is the biggest insult to the fans I have ever seen in my entire life.

It goes without saying that there's obviously massive Danganronpa V3 spoilers here.

Spoiler

Yeah, yeah. Let's address the first thing. The elephant in the room.

Kaede Akamatsu kicks the bucket in the first chapter.

Okay, let me go off by saying this first and foremost:

Shuichi, you're a cool dude. Congrats on being the real protagonist of the game. I've got no problems with ya. In fact, I kinda saw Kaede dying sometime in the game. I think all of us have, frankly.

What pisses me off is that she dies in the FIRST CHAPTER. Obviously, Shuichi, being close to Kaede has her death be the catalyst for his character development. But, Kodaka, hear me out...

...What if he and her spent more time together for more than one case? This gives Kaede more of a presence, satisfy more of the wants of several of the fans to have a female protagonist AND increases the bond between the two which makes her death have all the more impact? I dunno, something to think about.

It's the least you could do for Sayaka Kanda, Kaede's VA. She has worked her ass out for Danganronpa. Two songs for 3, played Junko in both the DR Stage Plays and the remakes... You think she deserves a little somthin' somethin' for doing so much for you?

So yeah, Kaede. The potential is completely wasted. Of course, I would love a confident leader-like protag for the whole game that perhaps goes through a whole arc of anxiety as things escalate for the whole game... but at the very least, you think we could've had her for a tad bit longer?

Okay, Kaede rant over. This isn't even the worst part.

Oh yeah, we're going there.

The ending.

The mother fucking ending.

The fact that V3 stands for the 53rd Season of the Danganronpa reality show. A show where real people are willingly letting themselves get brainwashed to star in. A show where fans around the world love it to the point where they demand more seasons based on the popular "Danganronpa Franchise".

It had sequels...

It had spin-offs...

It had shows...

The works.

There's no denying it at all. It's supposed to reflect US. The fans. The fans who willingly give our money to this series, who ask for more adventures with this lovely cast of characters, who have been loyal to the very end.

What's our reward?

We're portrayed as bloodthirsty obsessive assholes who crave seeing kids merely kill each other.

...Yeah.

That's who we are according to this game, ladies and gents. We just wanna see people die because we're sadistic or some shit to the point where we'll willingly let this go on for 53 fucking seasons.

You know why I love Danganronpa so much?

The style is so unique, the music is amazing, the gameplay is fun (for the most part), the characters are lovable and the message... the fucking message that managed to get me out of a severe depression so long ago: That hope will never, ever lose to despair. We can make our own future. With friends, you can accomplish so much.

Despite how dark it can get, how messed up it can go to, despite EVERYTHING... there's that one shimmering sparkle of hope that makes me happy in the end.

But V3? Sure, your moral is apparently "fiction can change the world" or whatever. So what? You insulted us! You made fun of us about how much we love this series!

HOW WE DID NOTHING WRONG.

Yet you made US, the people who gave YOU the money Kodaka the bad guys.

The only bad guy here is you, Kodaka. Because I feel betrayed. I feel completely and utterly betrayed.

If you made your characters end Danganronpa, I think it's safe to say you want this to end, don't you? This game is your final "screw you" attention-whoring party ain't it?

You know what would've been better?

You just end it.

End at Danganronpa 3. Tip your hat, say goodbye and if you want, give control to someone else. Someone else who will show respect to the people who even put you on the map.

So yeah, why should I buy V3 at this point? I'm essentially giving money to some twat so I can get slapped in the face. No thanks, buddy. I'll take my cash somewhere else.

Fuck you, Danganronpa V3.

Sure, your game isn't as broken as Rise of Lyric.

Your game has amazing music.

The cast of characters is just as vibrant and unique as always.

Those bonus modes still look great.

But with an ending like that? It just ruins everything.

Blech.

 

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

Speaking of which, I know that the anime Danganronpa 3 is the thing that actually tied up the plotline of the first two, but I'm left wondering why they didn't actually try doing that again, but more properly for the actual 3rd game for those strictly into the games?

I mean, it stands to reason one would just be left confused due to the lack of connection that you'd expect from a story-based trilogy's 3rd-quel if they're strictly into the games.

*Cough*Me before I knew about the anime's importance*cough*

[Ryannumber1gamer]

You know, there's one thing they could've done to improve the hero issue IMO, and it's doing something totally new with the series. 

Why not have dual protagonists? Like Danganronpa 2 had you take control of Nagito for a brief point in Chapter 4, so why not run with the same concept? Maybe have Kaede and Shuchi team up with each other and you trade off control between the two at different points, or in-between daily lives. On top of that, we could have two entire daily life segments where you control Kaede and bond with everyone and then you can switch to Shuchi and bond with everyone, leading to different bonds and reactions? It would be the best of both worlds and not have such a godawful waste of a potential character.

[Failinhearts]

3 minutes ago, Ryannumber1gamer said:

You know, there's one thing they could've done to improve the hero issue IMO, and it's doing something totally new with the series. 

Why not have dual protagonists? Like Danganronpa 2 had you take control of Nagito for a brief point in Chapter 4, so why not run with the same concept? Maybe have Kaede and Shuchi team up with each other and you trade off control between the two at different points, or in-between daily lives. On top of that, we could have two entire daily life segments where you control Kaede and bond with everyone and then you can switch to Shuchi and bond with everyone, leading to different bonds and reactions? It would be the best of both worlds and not have such a godawful waste of a potential character.

Spoiler

I love that idea, honestly.

I like both of these two and having a TWO protagonist team would be a great twist.

But nah, let's have the "girl dies to drive man's character arc" for the third time!

 

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

13 minutes ago, Ryannumber1gamer said:

You know, there's one thing they could've done to improve the hero issue IMO, and it's doing something totally new with the series. 

Why not have dual protagonists? Like Danganronpa 2 had you take control of Nagito for a brief point in Chapter 4, so why not run with the same concept? Maybe have Kaede and Shuchi team up with each other and you trade off control between the two at different points, or in-between daily lives. On top of that, we could have two entire daily life segments where you control Kaede and bond with everyone and then you can switch to Shuchi and bond with everyone, leading to different bonds and reactions? It would be the best of both worlds and not have such a godawful waste of a potential character.

 

7 minutes ago, Failinhearts said:

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I love that idea, honestly.

I like both of these two and having a TWO protagonist team would be a great twist.

But nah, let's have the "girl dies to drive man's character arc" for the third time!

 

Going back to my complaint about the lack of connection, kinda of a shame they didn't pull a Danganronpa 2 in hindsight for V3, eh?

Come to think of it, how does Danganronpa 2 even work in the context of Danganronpa V3 ending given the big plot twist?!

[Ryannumber1gamer]

Just now, Jovahexeon Joranvexeon said:

 

Going back to my complaint about the lack of connection, kinda of a shame they didn't pull a Danganronpa 2 in hindsight for V3, eh?

Come to think of it, how does Danganronpa 2 even work in the context of Danganronpa V3 ending given the big plot twist?!

Spoiler

Danganronpa THH, Danganronpa 2 and practically everything are all invalid and non-canon, according to V3, they're only fictional games in the real Danganronpa universe

 

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

Just now, Ryannumber1gamer said:

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Danganronpa THH, Danganronpa 2 and practically everything are all invalid and non-canon, according to V3, they're only fictional games in the real Danganronpa universe

 

I get that but in the end of Danganronpa 2

Spoiler

everyone pretty much survives!

Doesn't that pretty much negate Danganronpa V3's bullshit message at the end????

[Ryannumber1gamer]

Just now, Jovahexeon Joranvexeon said:

I get that but in the end of Danganronpa 2

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everyone pretty much survives!

Doesn't that pretty much negate Danganronpa V3's bullshit message at the end????

Spoiler

No, they don't. The five survivors get their avatars written into them somehow. Anyway, in this series, and with this jackass of a creator, he basically invalidated literally everything for this game's awful ending.

 

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

Just now, Ryannumber1gamer said:

  Hide contents

No, they don't. The five survivors get their avatars written into them somehow. Anyway, in this series, and with this jackass of a creator, he basically invalidated literally everything for this game's awful ending.

 

Wow! You don't often see this much effort to brutalize one's own works, universe, creation and fans now do you!?

[Failinhearts]

Danganronpa 3 Spoilers

Spoiler

Well, just as a small correction, 3 shows that every character from DR2 has been brought back to normal that isn't named Chiaki.

But still, V3 treats the other games as merely a fictional series that inspires the fans to make a real reality show out of it.

 

[Salamander]

My thoughts on the above (major spoilers, obviously):

Spoiler

My understanding of the ending of V3 is that the characters conclude in the epilogue that, owing to the existence of memory-rewriting technology, it's entirely possible that the Hope's Peak backstory could nonetheless be true and have really happened, so ultimately neither they nor the players know what the truth is.  What I think Kodaka and the developers failed to appreciate is that readers don't really want to be reminded of the fictionality of the work they're consuming as it kills our investment if you acknowledge in-universe that none of it is real and anything can be made to happen.  Why care when the fiction won't take itself seriously?

Regarding the protagonist switch: Before the game came out, I expressed the opinion that killing Kaede and swapping her out for somebody more conventional as protagonist would be the opposite of a plot twist; instead of somebody with new and different characteristics, we get the same old.  Doesn't matter how well-written they are; what happened was that an unexpected protagonist was killed off and replaced with somebody who fitted the pattern better.  I do think that's out of line, and you can further demonstrate that it's a poor twist by dint of the fact that everyone saw it coming or at least thought it was a realistic possibility.

And it's repetition that's the problem, really.  Oh look, the wrong victim died in Chapter 1, a serial killer was involved in Chapter 2, there was a double murder in Chapter 3, the big character died in Chapter 4!  V3's critique of Danganronpa is among other things that it's stale and repetitive, but it's unbelievably hypocritical for that criticism to be made by the very same person who is responsible for the series being stale and repetitive - who decided that that same structure should appear in all three games!  It didn't need to be in the second game (and the reasoning for it didn't make sense), and it certainly didn't need to be in the third game.  As with the protagonist issue, it turns a series that prides itself on plot twists into something incredibly predictable and dull.

The only explanation I can come up with for this is that Kodaka never wanted to make Danganronpa into a series, and this is his cry of rage for having to make not one but two sequels to what he thought should have been a stand-alone title.  I'm not sure if that holds up, though.

As for the Danganronpa 3 anime, which I find hugely disappointing and poorly-written both as a mystery and as an installment of Danganronpa, I once saw someone suggest that it would have worked far better as a Zero Escape storyline and now I can't ever think about the anime without also thinking how much better an idea that would have been.

But my interest in the series overall has plummeted now.  I think the genius of Danganronpa is in having serial murder mysteries featuring the same established cast, so that we have time to become invested in them and find it harder as a consequence to regard any of them as potential victims and killers.  This is a great device for reader investment, so why squander it on deliberately repeating the same motions over and over?

[Failinhearts]

I do understand what you feel about 3. There was definitely a lot of kinks that needed to be ironed out, but I still had a fairly enjoyable time with it.

Spoiler

And whether or not the V3 twist is real or lies by Tsumugi, the point still remains.

As it stands, it still feels like an utter slap in the face.

 

[Ryannumber1gamer]

For as much crap as I can give Danganronpa 2 (Which I will speak about in full at some point or another since I did finish it). At least it didn't invalidate the universe that was established beforehand. The fact that my favourite DR1 characters were still out there like Hina, Makoto and Kyoko were still in the world and were still prominent characters as revealed by the end (Even if Hina got screwed over). 

Spoiler

But naw, fuck me. Guess in the DR universe, none of the games I played happened. None of the characters I liked existed in the DR universe. That's another thing that really pisses me off. I can't even feel fucking invested in this game's world anymore because everything is completely invalidated. Why should I care about this cast of characters when they don't even exist in terms of the game's universe, and there are no meaningful arcs or changes to them now because they never existed to begin with.

Also, while I haven't seen DR3 as of yet (Or played UDG for that matter), I'm already soured on it due to hearing about several of the missed potential in it to further DR1 characters. For example, Hina never finds out about Yuta's death in UDG? Like seriously? She doesn't even as much as bring Yuta up. 

[Failinhearts]

V3's English Trailer has surfaced. Get a taste of these new voice actors and speculate the hell out of them!

Miu is so Wendee Lee.

So, it's clear as day that Bryce Papenbrook, the voice of Makoto and Nagito is returning, this time as Ouma.

As for actual confirmations...

Kaiji Tang, the voice of Yasuiro Hagakure in Trigger Happy Havoc and Sohonosuke Izayoi in Danganronpa 3: Future Arc is returning to voice Gonta.

And to no surprise, Brian Beacock is returning to voice Monokuma once more.

also, don't fucking lie to me brian, this is not an amazing game

Now, the question remains... someone, tell me...

WHO'S KAEDE?

[Failinhearts]

Footage of the English demo of V3 has been given to us thanks to the PlayStation Underground. Problem is that the commentary will drown out your chances of hearing the voices.

Luckily, a couple weeks before this pile of dogshit hits store shelves, this demo will be available for download completely voiced. So get ready for the wild adventures of Makoto, Hajime and Kaede.

[Ryannumber1gamer]

Well, I finally finished the main Danganronpa Canon games (DR1, DR2, and recently, UDG), and the one I wanna mainly talk about right now is Ultra Despair Girls, which I 100%'d yesterday.. But anyway, I wanted to share general thoughts on the game. Now, I'll say it right out, far better than Danganronpa 2 in terms of Story IMO. To be honest, I liked how much this shook up the typical Danganronpa story tropes. I got annoyed that DR2 used a lot of THH's tropes and just tried to weakly parody them. Ultra Despair Girls goes for a totally different approach, and a lot of new story tropes and ideas. 

I liked the idea of the story itself. The DR universe works so well for a survival horror game and I liked some of the twists in the story (Which I unfortunately can't speak much about because it'd give away the plot). It actually made Toko into a likeable character and gave her something beyond just the Byakuya fangirling and being a prick to everyone. Her and Komaru actually have a believable friendship and chemistry that a lot of their interactions are really fun to hear, and it's a big reason why I bothered to go back for collectables. The hit lists showcasing the family members of the original cast was also a nice touch.

Buuuut, random downsides - 

• It gets a bit too fucked up at points. Like it's Danganronpa, I get that it's not a light series, but there's points in the game where it doesn't seem to actively build on the story and instead seems to just be there to be a random "OMG WTF!!!!!!!!" moment. One minigame in Chapter 3 specifically could've been completely cut and it wouldn't have made a difference. The only good thing to even come from it is that we get one of Toko's most badass moments from the rescue of the minigame, and even at that, it wasn't required to have a full minigame like that. It literally just exists for shock value and to be fucked up.
• Nagito shouldn't be here. That is fucking all.
• The additional family members of the main cast are really annoyingly wasted. My favourite character in the series is Hina so having Yuta appear for like five minutes to basically show the wristbands being explosives is just a huge middle finger. Even worse is the fact Toko hints towards dreading breaking the news to Hina, and yet the plot point never comes up again in any DR media to my knowledge.
• Extremely small nitpick, and personal gripe, but really don't like how much they seemingly placed Hina on the useless scale. To put it in perspective, she's constantly placed on the same level as Hiro. Considering Hiro was the same paranoid jackass in THH that managed to constantly make situations even worse, it's annoying having my favourite placed on that scale, especially when if anything, THH showed that Toko was just being a prick by insulting her a lot because Hina wasn't an idiot in THH.
• I didn't like how much they wouldn't bring up other characters. Like other than Makoto, and Byakuya, they constantly hint towards the other characters, but Toko refuses to refer to them by name, and even then, it's always just sly "oh its them but I wont say lol". 
• Spoiler

  Monaca is one of the worst characters in this series and the sheer fact that she pulls off a fucking karma houdini at the end pisses me off.

   

Overall, Ultra Despair Girls IMO was actually a pretty good story, if getting needlessly dark and depressing at points. The gameplay also wasn't half-bad either, although the Monokuma A.I, especially in challenges needs a ton of work. That was just awful. 

[Failinhearts]

The full panel featuring four V3 VAs has been posted. There are some pretty funny scenarios that happen in this, so give it a look see.

Actors featured are:

Erika Harlacher (Kyoko Kirigiri) as waifu Kaede Akamatsu.

Erica Mendez (Nagisa Shingetsu) as Maki Harukawa.

Christine Marie Cabanos (Chiaki Nanami) as Himiko Yumeno.

Lucien Dodge (Hifumi Yamada) as K1-B0.

Other actors also announced are...

Chris Tergliafera (Gundham Tanaka) as Ryoma Hoshi.

And if you look closely through this website, Dorothy Fahn (Sayaka Maizono, Chihiro Fujisaki, Alter-Ego) is playing Tsumugi Shirogane.

https://dfahn0.wixsite.com/website

...Might as well plug this here too.

The Danganronpa animes are being streamed for SSMB once more! Come on in to experience Danganronpa for the first time, or for a second helping of despair! This time, with Motobug now behind this, you'll get your chance to snag some Danganronpa themed badges for your profile!

[Failinhearts]

One more VA has been found!

So it turns out, the more we listen to him from the demo, it ISN'T Bryce Papenbrook playing Oma but rather Derek Stephen Prince, the voice of Fuyuhiko in Danganronpa 2!

...Well, if that was the case he did one hell of a Makoto impression in that first trailer.

[rosedust]

i'm super excited for this

[Failinhearts]

So, Danganronpa V3's demo is now out for PS4, PS Vita and PC.

As mentioned before, this demo does not spoil aspects of the main game, and is a completely new story, adding in previous protagonists Makoto Naegi and Hajime Hinata into the mix. Feel free to download it to experience the improved acting, the sleeker UI, the groovy new music, the new minigames and the brand new world this game provides.

...The real game still sucks, though.

[Danj86]

Hope I'm not sharing something that has already been shared. From the NISA Europe online store, they had an interview with Kazutaka Kodaka and it was posted in three instalments.

Part 1: https://store.nisaeurope.com/blogs/news/nisa-europe-prinnies-interview-kazutaka-kodaka-part-1-3

Part 2: https://store.nisaeurope.com/blogs/news/nisa-europe-prinnies-interview-kazutaka-kodaka-part-2-3

Part 3: https://store.nisaeurope.com/blogs/news/nisa-europe-prinnies-interview-kazutaka-kodaka-part-3-3

 

...erm...happy reading?

[Failinhearts]

Quote

I wanted to make something completely different from 1 and 2, so that is what I did with Danganronpa V3, and in Danganronpa V3 I wanted to let the players feel personally moved in a way that only Danganronpa is capable of.

Oh, you sure did, Kodaka, you douchebag.

I remember hearing that V3 was done in a way to "engage" the viewer as not just a spectator or the events as before, but to make you feel like you're a part of the story.

Spoiler

But making us the villains?

I'd rather stay OUT of the story if that's the case, you dick.

 

[rosedust]

I'm thinking about buying V3 on Steam. Would it be worth it, guys? I was a real big fan of the first two games but I didn't play either, I just watched the anime(s) and playthroughs.

[Failinhearts]

1 minute ago, rosedust said:

I'm thinking about buying V3 on Steam. Would it be worth it, guys? I was a real big fan of the first two games but I didn't play either, I just watched the anime(s) and playthroughs.

If you wanna buy it, I won't stop you. At least the bonus modes look great.

But honestly, I said it in this topic, and I'll say it again, this game's a fucking insult to the fans and downright terrible. No matter how polished it is, if your story-driven game's story is a pile of garbage specifically made to piss you off... it's bad. Really bad.

[rosedust]

6 minutes ago, Failinhearts said:

If you wanna buy it, I won't stop you. At least the bonus modes look great.

But honestly, I said it in this topic, and I'll say it again, this game's a fucking insult to the fans and downright terrible. No matter how polished it is, if your story-driven game's story is a pile of garbage specifically made to piss you off... it's bad. Really bad.

I didn't spoil myself on ANYTHING in the game so I'll be walking in completely blind aside from the horrible decision they make in the first chapter which actually made me quite upset lol.