Danganronpa has a lot of Interesting Flaws (Akane)

I think I don't regret trying to explain Akane's understanding of what a "front tail" is.
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[@Sanguimaru]

Akane being a really simple character is interesting, because during development there was a period that she was supposed to be the rival character instead of Nagito. Her surname, Owari, is even a contrast to Hajime's name, being an ending to his beginning. As the characters got developed more, and they decided that they liked this role for Nagito instead, Akane became more simplified.

[@PlagueOfGripes]

Interesting. Glad she doesn't get "handled" in the same way.

[@ratfink2079]

​That made me chuckle good one​@@PlagueOfGripes

[@Blizz3112]

@@PlagueOfGripes Akane also seems to be into older (looking) men... :-P

[@mariocooper1996]

I think Akane's Ultimate was also originally the Ultimate Prisoner.

[@TheDirtbaggrif]

Probably took all that stuff out and didn't replace it with anything

[@afrothekobold]

so about the "japanese teenager obsession" thing, i can't remember were i heard this so few grains of salt, but over here in the US we see collage as our last hoora, our last chance to party until we join the workforce and do the good old 9-5 every day. In japan, that's high school. because when you go to collage, you're expected to double down on your studies to make sure you get the job you're going to be doing the rest of your life. So a lot of their media stars high schoolers living it up and discovering who they are before they get to the grind. Once again, I can NOT remember where i heard this, I think it was one of the youtubers who teach the west about the east (mostly Japan, but also touching other eastern cultures like China and such) but I don't remember which one.

[@hugehuman1]

Honestly, the best thing about having finished all of Danganronpa is being able to accurately complain about it and listen to people like Plague complain about it.

[@ImortalZeus13]

I appreciate how simple Akane is. She’s precisely the kind of character you’d expect to die frivolously from some stupid bullshit but she sticks around and forms a meaningful role as the one person who is driven by pure instinct and internal willpower, not by an external goal or principle.

[@natMcil]

danganronpa is such a strange weird game, but in a fun way. the appeal for me was the free time events, getting to know behind the character's facades. i just love mystery murder stories of all kinds, even if theyre dumb

[@PoisoNico93]

I also liked the feeling and or pressure that this could be the last time I get to talk to anyone before they die

[@AsterWi]

yeah game’s so weird, and the creator’s other game is also weird xd

[@Azhaaar]

30:40 I'm reminded of when the Game Grumps played DR2 "Hey Hajime check it out, I'm already eating"

[@manjackson2772]

If anyone's interested in the story about Something Awful, it goes like this. Way before the games were officially translated, there was a Let's Play on the Something Awful Forums (which is where Let's Playing was invented, incidentally). The goon (this is what SA users call themselves) doing the LP wasn't just playing the game, he was actively doing the fan translation as he went. For some reason, the LP also caught on on Tumblr, annoying teenagers posting how annoying teenagers post, I'm sure you know the sort of thing. What you need to know about the Something Awful forums is that you have to pay to post there. It's a one-off $10 fee when you first make your account, plus some other optional account upgrades, no subscriptions or anything, it was implemented many years ago to keep trolling down and keep the forums funded and it seems to work. You do *not*, usually, need an account to READ the forums, aside from a few specific ones like the one for MMO guilds and so on, but you do get a slightly worse experience with more ads and a humorous automatic swear filter (shit -> poo-poo, fuck -> gently caress, etc). That was how most Tumblr users (again, teenagers, didn't have their own credit cards) were following the LP. However, every so often, the then-owner, Lowtax (big piece of shit, this guy, but that's an unrelated story), would make reading the entire forums paywalled. I forget whether it was actually random or whether he did it himself whenever he felt like it, but sometimes, the forums would, if you weren't signed in, tell you to fuck off and play an annoying video with a movie clip where a kid yells BOOGIEMAN then gets his neck crushed by a window. This paywall happened to go up right in the middle of this LP. The Tumblr users did not take this well. To their credit, a few people did buy accounts, act like normal people, fit in perfectly well into the forums culture and may even be posting to this day. That was the minority. What more often happened was that Tumblr users convinced goons to let them borrow their account, then posted like a Tumblr user on it, which annoyed everyone who had to read that post and got the goon banned for account sharing. And more often than that, they just stayed on Tumblr and threw a very funny piss tantrum. There's a couple videos on here called "Tumblr Reacts to the Something Awful Paywall", where goons read some of the stages of grief they found, if you want to see the kind of thing. So yeah, uh, not really a huge amount of drama at the end of the day, and that LP is arguably what kicked off any kind of major interest in the series existing in the west. But it was quite funny at the time, as someone who didn't give shit one about dingus rinpus and was fully on the outside.

[@hospitalhat]

I remember that thread, having started to read it when it was in its earliest few pages. The idea that one LP thread on a subforum could usher in an entirely new spectrum of internet lunatics acting up continues to baffle me to this very day. Maybe it's because I didn't give one hot shit what other goons thought or postulated because your average GBS dingus who blew in never had anything relevant to say about...well, anything, really. To me, it was just another anime game that seemed to focus more on punishing its cast than making a reliable world for them to live in, but it was so silly about it that it was easy to forgive the scenario and just enjoy the ride. Now there's a whole franchise that I didn't care to follow up on and Lowtax is dead. Life is a weird thing.

[@ericquiabazza2608]

Interesting. Tho seems to be more that people watching from the outside laugh at it and spread the "rumor" than actually being significant. Like how 4-chan and redit are talk about by its most over the top disgustingpart when that isnt even 1% of the sites or eventhe overall general content. Side note . Got a PSP and Denganronpa 1 fan translationa was the first game i got for it Still have it, and seems to be a good tranlation over all 👍

[@PregnantAdamSandler]

I never really understood why people didn't just screenshot the LP and share it on Tumblr itself

[@futureddude4250]

While I may not agree on, any of your takes regarding the writing or the quality of the series, it’s nice to get a perspective from someone who doesn’t viscerally hate it or viscerally love it! I personally quite enjoyed the writing of the series, I’ve always seen it as something that isn’t meant to be taken completely seriously, and from that perspective it’s always worked wonderfully for me. Enjoyed how well spoken you were about your perspective!

[@treplox4318]

One point: in Japanese they are called "Ultimate Highschool Level Something", implying that its like being in the top of junior league 🤔 Meanwhile, in the Ultra Despair Girls there are "Kindergarten Level Ultimates", it is truly the world building of all time

[@ericquiabazza2608]

Kindergarden? Seriously? Dosnt this clash with the novel Zero?

[@rionaka8835]

It’s “super high school level”, which just means they are at the (Hope’s) Peak of what someone in their age could conceivably do, maybe trending towards adults too with some of the more over the top skills. Which would help explain the whole “ultimate” lucky students, they’re not the only one, they just were really lucky for their age getting picked. Presumably you could have multiple super high school level chefs, dancers, etc. too as well as Kindergarten ones or whatever.

[@SouthShayde]

to be fair with the whole "ultimate" thing, in japanese, I believe they use the term "super high school level", not "Ultimate". But even then, while some titles are more like "despite being a teenager they are equal to a master of their field", you also had characters like Sakura, who quite literally had the title of "strongest human alive" alongside being the ultimate martial artist. It would definitely have fit more if they were aimed more as prodigies, and less as just super humans, but that doesn't sound as good. Or marketable, like you put it. And in the anime, I believe it's supposed to be a place for them to use the school's resources to further whatever their skill is. I think it's pointed out in the anime as well that after a year at the school, they have to demonstrate how they have honed their "talent", and then the school decides if they stay or not, or go back to regular high school. Which does reinforce your point about them being sort of marketing tools. I do agree with you that the games never really do much to show alumni, or previous graduates from the school. I think in the anime they do that to some degree, where former students are involved, if i recall correctly their homeroom teacher is an "ultimate", but in the games that's never really apparent. The anime expands on a lot of stuff i wish was in the games. SPOILERS BELOW: Also regarding those japanese tropes, i always referred to them as "japan-isms" basically just tropes from japanese media. Chihiro was a big one. Chihiro's character is a super common trope in japanese media. Even Pokemon did that multiple times throughout the series, where ash would disguise himself as a girl for whatever reason. The gratuitous "fan service" of the nurse who kept tripping and ending up in compromising positions was another. Additionally with Junko, I believe in the anime they also go into how Junko's actual talent is Ultimate Analyst. Basically she's so good at analyzing situations she can predict the outcome to the point she might as well have future sight. Kinda like that one Nick Cage movie. Next, i think it was? So her whole motivation is to create a situation she can't predict, because shes so bored of being right. Which ... isn't a great motivation? But it explains a bit more about her. still, great video, I enjoyed it!

[@mikhaelgribkov4117]

I think the boredom of predicting stuff is better motivation than initially thought and I honestly find it relatable and plays into theme of young rebellion in the games.

[@loneIyboy15]

So TL;DW: Danganronpa is more interesting in theory than in practice.

[@j.v.8429]

Funny enough, a lot of the stuff you said about the school is kinda spot on with you saying: "Do they even have special teachers, and if they do, how good are they to teach other students." The answer to that is they don't! In the beginning of Danganronpa 1 when Makoto talks about Hopes Peak Academy, he states, that whoever gets in and graduates is set for their entire life. And we got nothing more to that and just accept it at face value. Then we saw how right he was about that in Danganronpa 3 the anime. Because during the beginning of the Hopes Peak Arc, we saw everyone from Danganronpa 2 just chilling in school doing the one thing they are good at and NOTHING else. Because it turns out if you get into the school you just have to show up for attendance and as long as they have prove you were at school you are good for all 3 years of the education program. Because surprise, the whole thing about the school is to create the ultimate hope (or better said life form), I kid you not, they analyze all these kids with all their talents to create Shadow the Hedgehog. I wish I was joking. I know this is touched upon in DR 2, but it goes into stupid throughout explanations in the anime. Speaking off, Junko explains herself in it a bit more. Her whole deal is that she is the Ultimate Analytic or something like that, basically her power is to be a walking talking trend and behavior analyzer. And she became so good at it that she could predict with 100% accuracy what a person would do by just reading their body language or reading into their emotional state at the time. That is also the reason why she could pretend to be the ultimate supermodel because she could predict what the new trend is going to be etc etc. So basically she became detached with the world she lived in because it all was just numbers to her, that was until she saw despair for the first time. Whatever it was basically destroyed her world view of how things go according to her analytics, and it was new and exciting for her. So to shorten this, Junko became who she is because she was so bored and saw something that got her panties wet. So yeah, Danganronpa 3 the anime just exist to clear up some stuff between the two games, by going a little deeper into some character and the world setting. Would I recommend it, not really? But only because of it being split in 3 parts. One part is the Hopes Peak Arc which is the only real enjoyable part of the anime, but only because it gives us more interactions between the DR2 cast which is overall pretty beloved by the fans, so there is that.

[@groniteserpent4499]

Gripes not remembering his magnus opus , the final fantasy X video . Joking , that being said that is probably where the basketball anecdote is from

[@guythatdosethingssometimes2651]

The reason the first trial in the first game feels more grounded than the rest of the game is likely because the original version of the game was supposed to be far more dark and grim. The colors were more muted and the designs were less cartoony. From my understanding the first trail was made during this period and there's even an early trial and execution for that Chapter with those more grim elements. Eventually they decided to lean into something goofier cause they thought something so dark wouldn't have enough appeal. In this regard the first chapter is more of a showing of what the game was going to be rather than what it currently is. Also, the beta design for monokuma was a strange little man anatomy doll thing with half of it's skin missing.

[@smugsneasel]

There's so much potential in what an alternate universe of Danganronpa could be that focused more on the details of the world and life as to how it affected the characters. Not the character traits, but the overall characters. There are a few of those, but they seem reserved for "major story beats" or "gotcha" moments that sort of take a bit away from the subtlety of it all. But at the same time, I respect the idea of just having the story be finished. Not many franchises have the balls to just say "and that's it. That's all" and not try and draw things out to the umpteenth degree. Heck the fact that the third game explicitly calls that out in its own way is still amazing to me.

[@allknighter5791]

You know for as much as I dislike the third game it does actually make a solid point about that.

[@AntiNihilist]

Finally. The talk I've been wanting for so long.

[@what12388]

The Monokuma theatre is interesting because they are bad comedy routines that put a bunch of subtle plot spoilers in that you get in retrospect and I think that's cool

[@BlueThing64]

"AI imitating the personality of real people is something I find interesting." Book recommendation: Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky. Multiple characters end up as AI/human hybrids and they have to try and piece together what is them and what is the machine. Great book, also has giant spiders.

[@Tribophopic]

Finally the literally me story appears.

[@Dinker27]

You're correct about the Something Awful forums kerfuffle, and someone has diligently explained it in depth so I won't go on. What really helped to get DR1 out of obscurity was the Oren playthrough/translation as well as the Project Zetsubou build that people could play on the PS Vita back in the day. My brother had a friend who introduced him to it, and my brother gave me his Vita to play the damn game and my life hasn't been the same since. Adding to that, I think, may have been that it shared a small similarity to Catherine's (Atlus game) aesthetic but something different--that hot pink sticking out among some of the...watercolors? When it comes to Junko, I had the notion that she was sort of like Angron from Warhammer 40K--absolutely stupid headcanon and speculation. Angron was capable of feeling more than just anger all the time, and was a highly empathetic guy before getting The Butcher's Nails (torture tool?) in his head. After that, if he felt any other emotion but anger, it caused him great pain. Maybe Junko had something similar to that on a biological level, but her neurons are so criss-crossed that she she tends to cycle through numbness and euphoria and will dip into antisocial behavior. Again, stupid speculation and probably contradicts in a few places. 🤷‍♂️ Ultra Despair Girls is basically Resident Evil for the franchise. Also polarizing for the content, but eh. Regarding merit and murder, I think they kinda touched upon it in SDR2 with the Twilight Syndrome case. I think it's also stated somewhere in DR1 or 2 that SHSL/Ultimates don't even have to come to school; attendance isn't mandatory. That further compounds the idea that the students are being used...which also explains the creation of a certain major character. Akane has always struck me as a Kronk; high wisdom, low intelligence, if that makes any sense? Whenever her intuition is put on the line, she's often on the money. Then there's her backstory and...hoooo boy. I also seem to recall that Kodaka didn't have a hand in writing SDR2, but that seems kinda flimsy.

[@sebastianbarrios7288]

44:20 it was from the Blitzball video. You reasoned that the Besaid Aurochs were kinda made to lose because they were some shitty backwater town blitzball team while the Goers essentially followed the line were they would grow in a high competition area because there are programs that look for and scout potential sport stars and then train them in an environment with other equally competitive and high level students, and high level equipment and high level coaches. This is why star players sorta come from the same places.

[@garidor3129]

Hell yes, this is what I needed. Thank you Plague!

[@Hunterfang]

I vastly prefered the fan translation of Danganronpa 1. Just the example mentioned in this video, the title "Ultimate" does not really fit either logically or the tone of the game. The fan translation went with "Super Duper High School", which IMO, is more fitting for the goofy nature of the setting and makes way more sense, as in, they are amazing in the context of being a *High School Student* , not necessarily the best in the world.

[@TheGreatMillz]

As a fan of Danganronpa, its kinda hard to explain just why I love it as much as I do. I know for sure one of the biggest reasons why is the huge cast of characters with wild and very recognizable designs and equally outlandish personalities. Players will almost always have a character that they'll latch onto as their favorite and I personally love how the cast is pretty evenly split between male and female characters. As a woman, I'm unfortunately used to media either treating us as an after thought or having only a niche market that is hyper focused on our tastes, so it's nice being able to partake in something that feels like I'm being treated more equally with the guys (if that makes any sense lol). I really enjoy the moments in the game where you can spend time with the characters and get to learn about them more. In terms of storytelling, it is a hot mess and for me, personally, I feel like that's a lot of the appeal. It's carved itself as a dark but wacky series and it feels weirdly Kingdom Hearts coded in that sense. It's convoluted and insane but I love how I can kinda feel the passion for Danganronpa from the creators. It's by no means perfect and very contradictory at points, so I can completely understand all the criticism from other people, but it's weirdly enough those flaws that I feel make it charming. It's not a series that considers what is "trendy" or to be conventional with it's gameplay or presentation and is unapologetic about it, and I love it for that.

[@danixyea4463]

I think "it's written in a very stupid way" defines perfectly why I loved the Danganronpa games.

[@ericquiabazza2608]

Exactly, is over the top and rolls with it (lets launch a Missile Seringe with a nurse riding it example). Thus is absurd, ut takes itself serious enough where it isnt just made to be discarded like tick tock videos.

[@SeNeturi]

I always had interest for the fact that that Akane, the ultimate athlete, and Leo, Ultimate baseball star, both didn't care for their ultimate titles. They wanted to do something different. Leo wanted to be a rockstar and Akane just wanted to eat, fight and sleep. I would like to see what happens to students that don't follow their assigned talents. Does the school force them to be what their title is or do they toss them away.

[@ostrichlord9097]

I quite like the idea of having the schools use Ultimates as a crafty way to market themselves. It'd be a nice twist and also call to question the actual validity of real life academic institutions and how they purposefully limit their number of students and eligible applicants to further increase favourability with future employers and students. Whether or not the titles provided by academia are actually useful or worth what they are. And coping with struggle to meet such ideals, competition with others or even the shame of getting scouted over someone more talented. But meta ideas aside, I'd like to see an expansion of the ultimate lucks place in the world. How its a randomly allocated slot, surely it would face tons of discrimination from many. Seeing how an ultimate luckster deals with this would be dope.

[@looneygoon1543]

Just rewatched the danganronpa video like 3 times so this is a lucky coincidence. Very happy with this

[@chellejohnson9789]

Plague has some weird magic. As soon as he started talking about Sand Land I got a notification from steam telling me the game was on sale A bizarrely useless power, granted

[@Goblineng]

New plague video; life is GOOD!

[@silverroddo1468]

If Japanese writing defaults itself into being the main character, i have to assume there’d one day be a Japanese wrestler take on the persona of “Hitman” Bret Hart. And that wrestler would probably go over well. Not a current wrestler, but perhaps a generation from now, once they get adopting video game characters out of there systems.

[@Epee2134]

More accurately, I like depicting Akane similarly to Zangief from the Ruby-Spears!Street Fighter cartoon with two simple questions: "When do we eat? When do we FIGHT?!"

[@TankNinjaMage]

The story actually finishes in an Anime called "Danganronpa 3" where you alternate watching the "Future Arc" Ep1 and "Dispair Arc" ep1, the Game "Dranganronpa v3" will not even touch on subjects you brought up.

[@ericquiabazza2608]

V3 is more a deconstruction of fandom, society and the cult of personality

[@muamua101]

The legend returns

[@cww2490]

37:00 There is a Ultimate Lucky student every year in the Hope's Peak storyline. The Lucky student is a lottery with all the high school kids in Japan and who ever wins becomes Ultimate Luck for the year. So essentially one of two things happen every year. 1. Your average high school joe wins the lottery and is set for life if they graduate. Not only will the school support you, you made friends with students who will certainly dominate whatever field they go for. Connections that would make the children of billionaires turn over their sleep in jealousy. 2. A high school student with an actual lucky BS talent wins the lottery regardless of their will like Mokoto and Nagito. You win, get all the benefits of 1, and you yourself are lucky and get by in life one way or another. Even in the apocalypse you are going to be okay. Perhaps scarred for life, but you aren't going to lose out in the end. 40:24 It is explored, but in the spinoff Ultimate Despair Girls. 2 of the five bad guys had parents take putting pressure and expectations to do well as a challenge and ended up becoming just the worse parents ever.

[@alexcat6685]

Well since Despair girls is considered so out of the series, that it seems even it's creators forgot about it I don't blame him for missing that concept, it is a VERY intersting one with Eh execution. I feel a issue the game didn't use enough is the character Yuta who best represented hope wasn't really allowed to challenge it enough, He should've came back as this semy burned mangled man, who still has a yellow smile on his face.(despite all of the pain) Him being used as better use of hope as he's choosing to want that he will create as a reality, a hope for a greater future as if he is able to find good in the worst of places, there is still something to look up to, something greater to expect. Having that chain into him being your main tank gameplaywise as an example of what I said, who gets stronger Physically and Emotionally over the course of the game due to well his Tenacity just Goofy healing from his wounds and also developing some tech with help using the corpses of the Monakuma Bots, turning their weapons against them, to counter that ingorance of lacking any expectations. Then reaching the Warriors of hope and saving them from their punishments in Defeat, even Monaca and Trying his best helping them all to overcome their trauma.(while also incidently Challenging their views on the "Demons") Daimon plays ball with him, as Yuta becomes good Step-dad. (thanks wiki and a bit of effort from my part)Shingetsu gets a nap and bedtime story, he and his stepdad made up. Utusigi gains Slow Physical affection, ontop of helping her acts.(Finger holds) Kemuri encourged to paint self portraits and really view them. Monaca, he tried well as he could but she but she barely responds, cares to actually see anything more than him that has his Luffy ah flaw of incompetence, aside from one argument over finding looking for something despite the Circustances or breaking it apart for easier solution at the cost of no longer having them. This has it's main theme really used from that character, though like the creators it takes alot of consistent effort and overcoming of ones bias to create it. So I gotta do alot to show all of this.

[@vonskeedle5309]

I've never played these games so I don't know if I'm right at all on this, but the way you describe how the characters are constructed makes it seem like they start out as concept art without any actual character yet attached, then they work backwards from there.

[@SadisticAphid]

Another plague video I won't be able to watch until months and months from now when I've actually beaten the games. I'll drop a pre-emptive like.

[@JustCRANEthesedays]

great yap session as always. will you make arcane art with the official season 2 trailer having been released?

[@aR0ttenBANANA]

It's been so long since I've heard that voice.

[@KeithLHobbs]

I'm down for a plague pod cast.

[@rickxhoshinji]

1:03:04 reminds me of the Game Grumps Danganronpa moment.

[@funky985]

a reference!

[@hiruyabebaw807]

such a good tomboy design lacking a bit in arms but that's it

[@wdcain1]

Katejina Loos from _Victory Gundam_ is one of the few anime characters that genuinely fits the definition of insanity. She's a massive narcissist who's deluded herself into believing that she's the smartest most beautiful woman in the universe. The loon even comes to believe that the show's main hero and villain are fighting to the death over her. Plus Katejina is one of the few examples of crazy that shows that the more nuts she becomes, the less effective she is. By the final battle, she's killing so many troops on her own side during her tantrums that the good guys think she's trying to defect. ps... The stuff about basketball schools for the elites comes from your _FFX: Tidus is a Blitzball Star and You're Not_ video.

[@alexthekiddo10]

I still thought that was stupid of that pilot to go to Katejina and ask her. That death was so dumb to me, like what did you think would happen? XD

[@masterduelversus]

After the nintendo direct Danganronpa became relevant again... yay...

[@KINGBADASS100]

Love the Raquel Welch pose Akane is pulling lol

[@BTM8109]

It would be incredible to see you doing a piece of art and talking about X-Men 97

[@kingragnarok7302]

It's her, the best girl!

[@sarahthompson2386]

Regarding the tangent about how the best basketball players tend to be developed, i'm pretty sure the other video where you talked about was the ffx one while talking about blitzball.

[@Hus0408]

The Tragedy is expanded upon in the anime DR3 Despair Arc. If we're being specific, it's the murder and brainwashing of the 78th class to become brainwashed as well as the rest of the world. But yeah, it's dumb af, but I kinda like it for that. Fun fact, Miu Iruma was made to be "the bottom character when polled," and then polled in the top of almost all Danganronpa pollings.

[@Ergeniz]

I could have sworn Miu was rated lower in Japan, but much higher among westerners or something like that.

[@imraystation]

Wait I’m still confused about Junko. Isn’t she meant to be a psychopath because what he says at 21:48 would make sense but at 21:51 he says that she feels guilt which wouldn’t make her a psychopath? Can someone explain this to me?

[@PeterDanielBerg]

huh yeah dr2 really is like eternal sunshine inside the truman show, wonder what other jim carrey films they like

[@alexcat6685]

56:40 something that stays in the boundary of the rules, while keeping it's exaguration making sense with purpose.

[@ShadowMokujin]

I was planning on playing the series on the vita but I always forget

[@gagawagfishtuner2823]

Is it like a visual novel?

[@ShadowMokujin]

@@gagawagfishtuner2823 it's a mix of adventure, visual novel, detective and dating simulator

[@NeonGuyLive]

@@gagawagfishtuner2823yes

[@thelaughingrouge]

​@@gagawagfishtuner2823Yes? Kinda? It's kinda like the ace attorney games, but REALLY messed up.

[@ProtoManiac2283]

@@gagawagfishtuner2823 yeah, for the most part. There's still some things you can do in between the VN sections and the trials which are a big part of the game.

[@ReinaSaurus]

25:10 that might have been eminems and nate doggs "till i collapse" not about money exactly, but about success in the industry, running inspiration until it drops.

[@MrMillionDub]

Funnily enough, the dysfunctionality and ineptitude of Hope's Peak is addressed in Danganronpa 3 (the anime, not V3 the game). And it's basically exactly as you inferred; the higher-ups in the school are so stupid, short-sighted, and obsessed with the cultivation of talent and their own image as a "set-for-life" institution that it allows Junko to plan and facilitate the events of the whole series.

[@ryanaughtry9700]

I adore this video thank you

[@cww2490]

For the Ultimates they are talented and proven ones at that. They are the best, or close to being the best. Graduating Hope's Peak is just government confirmation you are the real deal. That's why you even get government grants and privileges normal people can never have. You can even run for government positions after graduating. To sum it up no matter how bad you screw up you are promised a life of success. Akane coudl wash up as a gymnast, but still get high paying job in that field. You can even come to work ay HP if you want.

[@TastierDrKerns]

I believe most of the ultimates are unique and supposed to be the best. Good statement, as we aren’t sure how it scales versus the world. The ultimate lucky student does repeat per year as it’s like the only person without a defined talent that was drawn and allowed to enter the campus. That said Nagito is lucky but seems to scale by how much misfortune he experiences first. Naegi being the ultimate or SHSL Hope seems to have luck built in.

[@TastierDrKerns]

For some reason I kinda got the feeling of Hope being like the super or evolved version of Luck like it just superseded it

[@d007ization]

I think the very first murder had potential that it tried to make use of for the rest of the series by having the stereotypical childhood friend be both the first victim and a would-be murderer. One could also argue that what her Ultimate, the Ultimate Idol, wound up being her downfall instead of a boon, idols are often forced to be cut-throat. Idk enough about the game to know if any such subversion was attempted with much success.

[@good_snacks]

New Plague upload! Today is a good day.

[@NibiruOrigin]

I think I remember that. The old lets play on somethingawful. Man, it was really fun reading that while downloading the ost in the background. Shame about that paywall bs

[@U-Flame]

1:03:04 Nice, I was hoping for a "Check it out I'm already eating" reference

[@kolthar6986]

was... that a game grumps reference at the end?!

[@psykomancer4420]

I did enjoy you rambling about Danger Grampa, no I have no idea what the heck it is, and I did enjoy those big bappers.

[@UCannotDefeatMyShmeat]

What’s up with the setting of like 60% of anime taking place in a school?

[@ToozdaysChild]

Two reasons: 1. the tween-teen-young adult demographic is both highly profitable and highly susceptible to marketing 2. in Japanese culture, people are expected to devote their lives to being mindless drones for the workforce immediately after graduating HS/college, so for most people, those were the only years they had any freedom or individuality.

[@scarecrow7421]

Nostalgia of better days for the average Japanese Salary man and woman who do nothing but sit in office buildings until they retire or work themselves to death.

[@ExaDat]

danganronpa has a ton of problems but I think most of it gets shrugged off because you can tell the creator don't take the game seriously. hoe the plot is all over the place, how the ultimate skills are never used, how it "tries" to have a serious plot while also being super wacky and silly, how characters try to be serious while constantly being interrupted by wacky and silly characters. I feel this franchise has so many of these things that many people just accept it, turn off their brains and just enjoy the dumb game and that's why so many people love it. I feel many games/shows manage to somehow (maybe by pure luck) strike the perfect middle point where this is achieved. I consider dragon ball to be this. a show that if you think about it you start finding tons of plotholes and stupid decisions, but when you watch it you can't help but get all hype when you see goku unlocked his 27th transformation

[@KumoKumiko]

I dunno, I get that it can be disappointing if a work doesn't take a concept and explore it in a direction that you hope it would, such as the example given of the ethical dilemma of using technology as therapy for the brain, but I don't think that downplays what they're actually doing with the plot point. because aside from it being just a cheap twist (which is the intended gag, evidenced by the dialog), it STILL has thematic relevance to the DR2's ACTUAL theme, that being about the trauma of kids who fail out of school in one way or another, and being denied the future that was 'planned' for them. the machine is giving them a chance at a 'do-over', to supposedly give their existence value by letting them finish school 'properly', when the message of the story is that they have value even if their school story ended in failure. and I feel like a lot of that theming is being left on the table if we just reduce it down to the 'cheap twist'. ...also, the repeated point of calling sequences a "weird Japanese thing", in a Japanese game, kind comes across more...xenophobic than I think it was meant as.

[@Don11037]

I loved your playthough of darks souls way back when

[@cww2490]

The kids who murder act realistic for the most part and I can see it happening. Especially DR1. From DR2 and onwards the creators to to use the characters talents more so its not just to show their character types. It makes the characters more interesting to watch interact, but makes things less realistic in some ways. Case 1 we have a girl trick her friend/simp/the mc into a murder plot where he'll be blamed, but fucked up by failing to kill her target who she lured in with sex. And the target who kills her freaks out, but rather than call for help he kills her to escape himself, leaving tons of clues. It's dumb, but it serves as the spark that tells everyone "Oh people are actually killing each other like this stupid bear said will happen", destroying the illusion things are going to be fine and put stress on the cast. Case 2 the culprit learning from Leon's mistakes did a far better job despite going temporarily insane due to the victim's words before death and the looming motive. In fact there wasn't good evidence to nail the guy so they had to trick him to confess. He was spotted by one of the characters in the act, and the case didn't end in 5 minutes was because the witness wanted to see what would happen in a not so obvious case as a reference. Case 3 is stupid and proves most of them are stupid kids even if they have interesting ideas for a murder. And if not for the Detective, rich ass hole, and the mc they would have gotten away with it. Case 4 only exist because Monokuma didn't want things to end in five minutes like Togami in Case 2. Case 5 is a trap by the mastermind and only failed to frame the female lead because the mc Mokoto choose to not expose her lie. Case 6 actually solves Case 5, but the real meat of the story is choosing between Hope and leaving the school, or choosing Despair and staying inside. Makoto rallies everyone to just be stubborn kids and leave the school despite the actual danger Junko didn't lie about. DR2 cases have a lot more effort put into them where the worst case is better than most of DR1.

[@Hus0408]

Sand Land slaps! I also loved Blue Dragon.

[@verymelonman12]

The takes you have on Danganronpa are very You, Plague. I don't agree or disagree with them, I just understand why you feel the way you do from how you explained yourself. I find that the most valuable thing I can get from someone sharing their thoughts on KZbin.

[@brandy6650]

nice video! I like your analysis, but I don't fully agree with your take on Akane. There is a lot more nuance to her character than fighting and eating. You should watch/read her free time events on KZbin if you want a better insight on her.

[@TorosAndMakis53]

Danganronpa is such a goofy ass franchise and I honestly kinda love it.

[@greatknight526jt8]

Yooo more dungeon grandpas lets go

[@Level_1_Frog]

You need to play Danganronpa V3, its one of the best visual novel games I've ever played (with the context of the other games) and I just loved every second. SOME fans hate it, but i think they're all wrong- its spectacular. You really need to experience it.

[@TheSalsaGuy216]

Calling Danganronpa V3 as the best visual novel game is an insane take when even the worst Ace Attorney game is more better and tolerable than that piece of trash, and they’re hate for the game is definitely justified when the ending literally nukes the entire series out of existence.

[@bigstarwarsfan5714]

⁠@@TheSalsaGuy216don’t have to be so aggressive. He simply thinks it misunderstood.

[@treplox4318]

V3 is really only controversial because of the ending, I personally don't mind it. Danganronpa always does big twist at the end and each game has to raise the stakes to be fulfilling. Some people think it's gone too far, if the ending was different I bet i would be considered the best in series - characters are as good, if not better than in DR2, cases are interesting, mystery is good, it's overall a good game. All that being said, if this is the best visual novel you've played, you definitely need to play more

[@TheSalsaGuy216]

@@bigstarwarsfan5714 it really isn’t misunderstood when anyone that isn’t a fanboy can detect on how bad it is, and that the writers were really just having a temper tantrum on that day

[@TheSalsaGuy216]

@@treplox4318 Well, that’s just the thing, if you big twists is all someone can think about talking about in a product, then it’s just nothing than mindless shock value, and when you take off the rose tinted glasses, it becomes very less impressive when looking at it in a critical sense.

[@jigxsaw1288]

Lov your vids!!

[@MrConredsX]

IM most interested in Plague take on Danganronpa V3 ending, because he is either gonna be mad and offended at creators or love it and praise it for being unique and memorable

[@TheDirtbaggrif]

spike chunsoft did make AI Somnium Files and that was pretty good. As well an the zero escape series

[@NotAGoodUsername360]

Plague, you're confusing the Tragedy of Hope's Peak with the Most Tragic Event. The Most Tragic Event was, essentially, a global civil war triggered over the gap between the talented and the common man. It escalated to an apocalyptic event when key individuals were brainwashed into becoming nihilistic terrorists with no goal other than mass destruction took over both sides. This is more or less explained clearly in the Danganronpa 0 light novel, and the Danganronpa 3 anime.

[@yersiniopestis2553]

Dangonronpa is a game about strange characters interacting with each other until one of them kills another one in Tom and Jerry-esqe fashion. You are mostly just hoping that 1 character you like either survives or dies in a way that's interesting. It's a series that relies on morbid curiosity and that you don't look at it too hard or the story will fall apart. They dissaude this by having a mostly comic tone with enough sincerity at some points to keep you invested. Its an okay series in this context. Definitely not for most people. It's a guilty pleasure for me. It scratches the "death game" in a way that is mostly harmless fun. My main criticism is that it doesn't use its own concepts enough. Each student essentially has a special power that usually never gets used and goes kind of no where other than that the characters survive to do whatever their vague goal is.

[@seoluu9020]

I think you should check out a game called “who’s lila?” Id love to see your thoughts on that

[@acg3934]

Is there a way to watch the playthrough of danganronpa 2? Thanks

[@MrMillionDub]

Danganronpa is a series I have a weird relationship with in that I find the themes it brings up and discusses interesting and often find that there is occasionally some exceptional setup and delivery of story beats, but it's overall disjointed presentation really holds it back. I find myself having a tendency to revisit the series, but at the same time, can't really recommend it to anybody.

[@AnekoFoxx]

Have you played SOMA?

[@cww2490]

V3 is the peak of Danganronpa. Its art and story telling alone makes it among the best VN to exist. There is so much to digest about V3 that you can replay it multiple time and notice things you missed. V3 also solves the Hope vs Despair argument by moving on to Truth and Lies. By the end you will either love it or hate it. If you LP games you would love it by the end of Chapter 6. Me personally I love the game and has some of the best characters on the series beloved by the community, but while better than DR1 the collective 16 students don't have the same synergy as DR2's cast. That's my only real complaint for V3.

[@Sokaras3]

Nice video

[@youngthinker1]

We all want to touch the forbidden. Ever since Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden tree, we inherited this trait. You simply need to observe any babe, and watch him disobey his parents in every manner without being told what disobedience is. More elegantly, this is called the original sin. So, we extrapolate this out a bit. A woman, who ought to know better, will seek a terrible criminal under the false understanding that her feminity will convert him, but that never happens outside of stories; each man must convert himself, and no outside influence will ever do so. Still, this leads to outwardly righteous women seeking the most depraved men in a vainglorious attempt at this doomed action. For men, we seek out such women, not to convert her, but to tame her to our will. To make the ultimate claim of authority and dominance of taming a wild mare, so that we prove our own worth beyond a shadow of a doubt to our peers. Again, this never happens, as she must seek her own conversion. Instead she breaks men and leaves them in the gutter of life. This temptation leads to our fascination with this false fantasy of life. We love a story where such a fantasy occurs. Why do you think that most romance novels, i.e. adult entertainment books, center around some warrior type man with a tendency towards wickedness being tamed by some forlorn beauty down on her luck? So why not stick these characters in a story and watch predictable outcomes? Why else would "reality tv" take off so much, if not watching supposedly "real" wicked men and women act out such fantasy?

[@Tribophopic]

The scariest thought of all women and men are fallible. And the only hope of escaping the nightmare is to rise above it.

[@tostisgood]

I thought that pose was familiar!

[@Conflict-ff5pi]

I enjoy stories like danganronpa. I'll take good idea's and middling execution from creators who are slightly less then normal over a dime a dozen high budget 8/10 experience made by commitee.

[@BoxyBrown717]

If an 8/10 is a dime a dozen then i think your rating scale might be off.

[@PeterDanielBerg]

yeah same id rather play a game whose devs are like a garage band than a hollywood studio

[@TheInfiniteAmo]

Plague have you ever played 999/Virtues Last Reward/Zero Time Dilemma? It's another equally amateurish, weird Japanese VN series that the writer(s?) obviously stopped caring about midway through. If you haven't already, I'd recommend at least checking out 999, as it's a genuinely good VN, and then VLR if you want to see everything 999 sets up go completely off the deep end.

[@JameboHayabusa]

At least the last game gave us Carlos. He made me laugh more than anyone else in the series. Not always in a good way.

[@Riotoblivion]

I humbly request a ramble on chainsaw man

[@jessena5804]

Id listen to a gripe art.

[@christhechilled]

p, Daganronpa is fake deep. They would say something meaning just to turn that meaning on its head!

[@arat2376]

She looks nice

[@Sabien]

I wonder if this series during conception, that they looked at some wanna be highschool shooter message board and on that board they described what after the shooter shoots himself. Like a huge ego trip.

[@Panboy2k]

Of all the lets plays that i read on SA back then i never had much interest in the Danganronpa one, it just looked like a kinda odd Visual novel , i could not understand why it was one of the most popular threads, its probably on the SA Lets play archive now

[@noneofyourbeeswax7379]

Engagement

[@daztora]

Yo Hajime check it out I'm already drawin!

[@renim2974]

Dangonronpa is a game I like to describe as a game with a fascinating journey, but it has a subpar destination. All of the character interpersonal dramas are fun, the game play loop is fun, and the mystery is engaging; however, the overall theme and conclusion are trash. The climax's are often fun and exciting, but once all is revealed, it becomes stupid quickly.

[@yozen1995]

I like the characters. Not really a fan of the core gameplay and story. Chihiro is my favorite.

[@Alfenium]

Yeah I would crank chihiro's hog uhh I mean let him crank my hog honestly yeah

[@Bluelyre]

Watched that video a few years ago. I think it was a friend of his he killed. Interrogator could never establish a motive. It was unsettling how robotic the man was.