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[Nohar]

I actually went "Oh shiiiiiiiit" when I noticed the altered opening. Yukizome's hair being altered and Nanami smiling made me go "Oh this isn't good".

Fasten your seatbelts folks. The Despair Train is going full-speed, starting now.

I didn't know that Junko was the Ultimate Analyst. Was this adressed in the games? I honestly can't remember. The only side-story I haven't read is Danganronpa Zero, and I'm beginning to think I may miss some important details now.

 

[Azure Phoenix]

Mitarai totally has to be a remnant of despair, assuming he falls into despair by Junko's hands. He's the only (living) member of the class who wasn't part of the rehabilitation program on Jabberwock (due to the imposter being there instead).

 

[PK Gaming]

Just think how much better off the world would of been had Hajime just gotten himself a healthy Xanax dependency like much of the youth of today instead of signing on for a lobotomy and reprogramming. I'm sure Seiko could have hooked him up and everything... although she's probably not a fan of over-the-counter crap she didn't brew up herself.

Despair / Future Episode 2 dub observations... Ricco Fajardo is much-improved as Munakata this week as he's beginning to find his voice in the role and isn't coming off so inconsistent and amateurish. The aphrodisiac curry scene came off hilarious with the localization as well.

I can't say enough good things about the life-like spin Christine Cabanos has put on her recognizable Chiaki delivery. The difference between AI Chiaki and real girl Chiaki comes off so much stronger in the English dub localization. It really wouldn't have had the same effect had they recast her so it's great that FUNimation made the effort to grab her despite the fact that she's predominantly done most of her anime voice acting work for Bang Zoom! in Los Angeles. This might be her first FUNi gig.

Can confirm. The dub is retroactively making me like Despair more (despite my many problems with it)

Perhaps i'm biased, but Christine IS Chiaki to me. Kana Hanazawa just can't compare in that regard. Same with dub Hajime.

 

[buddha0991]

I actually went "Oh shiiiiiiiit" when I noticed the altered opening. Yukizome's hair being altered and Nanami smiling made me go "Oh this isn't good".

Fasten your seatbelts folks. The Despair Train is going full-speed, starting now.

I didn't know that Junko was the Ultimate Analyst. Was this adressed in the games? I honestly can't remember. The only side-story I haven't read is Danganronpa Zero, and I'm beginning to think I may miss some important details now.

Danganronpa Zero, and yes you did.

 

[ScherzoPrime]

lol at all the Mukuro as Harley Quinn comments; could totally see her calling Junko 'Miss J'.

Re: DR0, I'm surprised Matsuda hasn't made an appearance yet. I half expected him to be there when Junko woke up.

 

[Luigi87]

So the first half of this episode was pretty mediocre. Not sure why Hajime's hair immediately grows, since I thought the entire point of his wild appearance was to convey that he was so far gone, he'd basically given up on maintaining his appearance. The DR2 class continues to be some of the weakest, least compelling characters and Juzo somehow managed to get even worse.

It didn't immediately grow, per se, but it did gro ridiculously fast (SHSL Hair Growth?)


There is approximately a 5-6 month gap between the last episode and this episode (where last episode ended at the start of April, this episode shows a passage of time until Autumn with Chiaki waiting for Hajime).

 

[UberTag]

Mitarai totally has to be a remnant of despair, assuming he falls into despair by Junko's hands. He's the only (living) member of the class who wasn't part of the rehabilitation program on Jabberwock (due to the imposter being there instead).

It's kind of difficult to interpret this any other way. I mean, Junko got his clutches into him and she didn't exactly let ANYONE escape either death or becoming a remnant prior to the DR1 class killing game.

That's not to say he's the mastermind or anything. But his link to the Ultimate Despair is now irrefutable. Sheds some light on Kyoko's interactions in Future arc. He's been attached to her like a leech from Episode 1, she can't reveal shit due to her NG code so she's had to resort to simply asking him questions about their surroundings to pick his brain.

Also, when rewatching Future Episode 1 for the dub it kind of felt like the other Future Foundation heads weren't exactly expecting him to show up for Makoto's trial until his fashionably late appearance. Almost like he invited himself and they casually dismissed that once shit started hitting the fan.

 

[Thud]

Izuru stepping on Junko was the best thing ever.

Junko in despair <3

 

[MSMrRound]

Perhaps i'm biased, but Christine IS Chiaki to me. Kana Hanazawa just can't compare in that regard.

Why can't we like both? While English dub Chiaki is good, Kana Hana is top-tier as well.

Junko looking MIGHTILY similar to a certain someone during that torture scene...the shape of her face even seemed to shift...ever so slightly?

 

[Luigi87]

Also, when rewatching Future Episode 1 for the dub it kind of felt like the other Future Foundation heads weren't exactly expecting him to show up for Makoto's trial until his fashionably late appearance. Almost like he invited himself and they casually dismissed that once shit started hitting the fan.

That's exactly it. Mitarai told Kyoko that he was to be a part of the meeting with Tengan, but then it's Tengan who specifically questions Mitarai's attendance.


Edit: Both are <3 as Chiaki.

 

[Nohar]

I just noticed by rewatching the opening that Akane's undergarment is no longer visible...

I love evolving openings/endings.

Also, yeah, Ryouta is definitly a remnant of Despair. There is no way he could have escaped Junko's influence.

I am also beginning to think that Chisa may be one too. Her little scene is the first episode of Despair still bothers me.

 

[Linkstrikesback]

What a day to be alive, Pokemon has officially out-despaired Danganronpa

The biggest, most awful, most tragic Pokemon league in the entirety of history

 

[Luigi87]

I just realized...

Junko's plan to bring their greatest Hope toward Despair was by having... Senpai notice her.

 

[UberTag]

Junko looking MIGHTILY similar to a certain someone during that torture scene...the shape of her face even seemed to shift...ever so slightly?

Yeah, that was downright unsettling. Putting her hair into a single ponytail and wearing the apron... that was clearly intentional to provoke that reaction. Give her some orange hair dye and some green contact lenses and we may just have an answer as to how Junko infiltrated the 77th Class to corrupt them from within.

 

[Funyarinpa]

Yeah, that was downright unsettling. Putting her hair into a single ponytail and wearing the apron... that was clearly intentional to provoke that reaction. Give her some orange hair dye and some green contact lenses and we may just have an answer as to how Junko infiltrated the 77th Class to corrupt them from within.

She'd also get Munakata that way...

 

[UberTag]

She'd also get Munakata that way...

Don't forget about Juzo.

It's a fun little domino chain reaction effect now, isn't it?

 

[T-Rex.]

Just think how much better off the world would of been had Hajime just gotten himself a healthy Xanax dependency like much of the youth of today instead of signing on for a lobotomy and reprogramming. I'm sure Seiko could have hooked him up and everything... although she's probably not a fan of over-the-counter crap she didn't brew up herself.

Haha, if only. I feel so bad for the guy, I mean it's bad enough that he goes through all that once before becoming a remnant of despair, but thanks to the VR world he has to relive all that again and it's all new to him. The realisation that he's completely average, the realisation that he's responsible for some pretty despicable things, and to top it all off he's maybe reverted back to being Izuru and depressed.

 

[Ekid]

Re: DR0, I'm surprised Matsuda hasn't made an appearance yet. I half expected him to be there when Junko woke up.

I'm starting to wonder if Matsuda will make an appearance at all. Wasn't he involved in the kamakura project too or did I remember wrong ?
Also if I recall correctly he will wipe Junko's memories too protect her from the school right ?.

 

[Luigi87]

I'm starting to wonder if Matsuda will make an appearance at all. Wasn't he involved in the kamakura project too or did I remember wrong ?
Also if I recall correctly he will wipe Junko's memories too protect her from the school right ?.

No, Matsuda wasn't a part of the Kamukura project. What his job was, after the first mutual killings, was he was set to "interrogate" the student council president (whom had survived), as well as Junko whom was suspected of being connected... But he ends up covering up for the latter.

 

[MetroidPrimeRib]

Juzo is so fuckin suspect. As head of security he's letting a lot of shit slip and in Zero the security just lets Ryoko Otonashi into the closed off area in Zero. Plus I'm like 90% sure Monokuma Maid is Chisa.

 

[Rich!]

Maybe the reason the monokuma videos have stopped is because Chisa is dead? Like for real now.

 

[MetroidPrimeRib]

I cant have been the only one to think that the Junko and Mikan stuff was going to go down at the end there right

 

[Ludger Kresnik]

Maybe the reason the monokuma videos have stopped is because Chisa is dead? Like for real now.

Monokuma's been really scarce long before Narukami impaled Chisa one last time.

 

[Rich!]

Monokuma's been really scarce long before Narukami impaled Chisa one last time.

maybe she like, choked on a stray piece of pepperami beforehand?

 

[Wichu]

I can't be the only one who got weirded out by the animation error during the Mitarai scene, right? It looks suspiciously intentional.

(The red pattern on Mitarai's tie doesn't move when he gets up.)

 

[Dekutulla]

I kinda love how dr3 has become the kind of show(s) where there's a legitimate reason to question whether animation errors are important or not

 

[Wichu]

I kinda love how dr3 has become the kind of show(s) where there's a legitimate reason to question whether animation errors are important or not

Can't be too careful after

Spoiler

the graphics glitches

in Danganronpa 2.

 

[Luigi87]

I can't be the only one who got weirded out by the animation error during the Mitarai scene, right? It looks suspiciously intentional.



(The red pattern on Mitarai's tie doesn't move when he gets up.)

I'm glad you noticed that as well.
I was debating posting about it because I was thinking
"Is it an obvious error, or is it intentional because of what Mitarai's talent is?"

 

[The Silver]

Clearly Juzo killed Chisa cause he was jelly of her and Yu.

 

[ScherzoPrime]

I'm starting to wonder if Matsuda will make an appearance at all. Wasn't he involved in the kamakura project too or did I remember wrong ?
Also if I recall correctly he will wipe Junko's memories too protect her from the school right ?.

It'd be a shame if he doesn't, since he's basically the second most important person to Junko after Muruko.

Also no feedback on my musings on the nature of Hope and Despair? Either way I think this has been one of the few times Junko has articulated a reason for doing what she does.

 

[Rich!]

 

[Funyarinpa]

Didn't care for mukuro at ALL before, but she really grew on me in 2 episodes. Anyone else in the same camp?

 

[MANUELF]

There is absolutely NO WAY Ryota could have escaped Junko influence if she cared that much to meet him

 

[Rich!]

Didn't care for mukuro at ALL before, but she really grew on me in 2 episodes. Anyone else in the same camp?

nah she was always best girl

 

[Trigonometrize.]

Didn't care for mukuro at ALL before, but she really grew on me in 2 episodes. Anyone else in the same camp?

She had an interesting if brief story in the original game if you go check out her free time events.

 

[UberTag]

It'd be a shame if he doesn't, since he's basically the second most important person to Junko after Muruko.

There has been so much attention to detail thus far that I have little doubt whatsoever that Matsuda will show his face at some point. It's just not time for his reveal yet.

 

[MSMrRound]

Didn't care for mukuro at ALL before, but she really grew on me in 2 episodes. Anyone else in the same camp?

Not really. Quite a few people were really interested in Mukuro when she was revealed in the game.

 

[MetroidPrimeRib]

Didn't care for mukuro at ALL before, but she really grew on me in 2 episodes. Anyone else in the same camp?

I think most people grew to like her in her FTE and in Zero

 

[The Silver]

if Junko really wanted to spread despair all she needed to do was show a worldwide broadcast of the pokemon anime.

 

[Funyarinpa]

junko directed zero time dilemma

 

[Eumi]

junko directed zero time dilemma

Junko cancelled Silent Hills

 

[R_thanatos]

I really don't get something.

If Imposter was posing as Mitarai, why's he assuming the guise of Togami in DR2???

Because when he planned to attend the school , he planned to be togami, but struck a much better deal last week. When we meet him in ep1 that was way after the entrance week

So the first half of this episode was pretty mediocre. Not sure why Hajime's hair immediately grows, since I thought the entire point of his wild appearance was to convey that he was so far gone, he'd basically given up on maintaining his appearance. The DR2 class continues to be some of the weakest, least compelling characters and Juzo somehow managed to get even worse.

Hajime hair grew because a shit long time has passed since the time last week AND they pourred him with god so many drugs , it's crazy.

The 2nd half however, was quite good. Junko and Mukuro are an absolute delight to watch (they're basically Japanese Joker and Harley.) It was almost meta experience in a way; Junko is a character who lives for excitement and I myself only get excited towards the character when they do something unexpected with her. So you can imagine how much I enjoyed her exchange with Izuru. I absolutely love how they changed a bit Izuru's characterization—from Izuru having his spirit broken to Izuru being enticed by the concept of Despair. I know people are going to be unhappy about the reveal, but I actually really do like how they gave a reason for Junko's Despair. Living in perpetual, agonizing boredom seems genuinely terrifying.

It's still DanganRonpa's brand of silly, but you can at least feel something resembling an actual character rather than before when she was basically "lol i'm random."

No doubt about it , that confrontation got me pumped up to the extreme. like a stand-off but much more intense.

----------------
DAT OP change was just , sad .. chiaki waiting at the gates , so sad ...

 

[UberTag]

DAT OP change was just , sad .. chiaki waiting at the gates , so sad ...

Chiaki waiting for her friend so she can play co-op video games with him...

Here's the twist... Chiaki never dies. She's still waiting for Hajime to come back to her outside of the gates of Hope's Peak. She remains there even now.

 

[Luigi87]

Nagito's suspension has lasted nearly a year now. Wonder what he's been up to.

 

[R_thanatos]

Chiaki waiting for her friend so she can play co-op video games with him...

Here's the twist... Chiaki never dies. She's still waiting for Hajime to come back to her outside of the gates of Hope's Peak. She remains there even now.

Hope's peak front door is loaded with machine guns that were used to protect Class 78 when they barricaded themselves inside.
Is there EVEN a front door ?

 

[The Bankslammer]

I'm not super versed on DR0, so it's been really refreshing to have time dedicated to the real Junko. The exchange between her and Izuru definitely helped give some context to her behavior over "oh yeah she just really likes this sorta enigmatic concept of despair". At this point I'm sorta seeing despair as being "against all odds, things go poorly" while hope is "against all odds, things go well", but that might be an incorret reading of things. I guess I'll see in time, lol. Still, I'm really glad they're elaborating on all of it. As someone who isn't, like, super interested in Junko, this is doing a lot to warm me up to her.

That being said... I dunno, I'm just not really feeling Mukuro as much as I'd hoped, honestly? It's nice to see her but she just feels... simple at this point, I dunno. One thing I'm hoping to see with both her and Monaca is exactly where their breaking point is when it comes to despair relative to Junko, because clearly neither of them are as invested in it as she is (nobody is). Like, I'm wondering if there's going to be a point where they want to back out of the "despair" business while it just keeps on going.

Ending threw me for a loop, I have no idea what it is Junko's seeing in Mitarai and I'm very curious to see where that goes.

 

[The Silver]

Izuru smacked Muroko down like a common scrub.

Narukami should've sent more ships to take him down.

 

[Rich!]

That being said... I dunno, I'm just not really feeling Mukuro as much as I'd hoped, honestly? It's nice to see her but she just feels... simple at this point, I dunno. One thing I'm hoping to see with both her and Monaca is exactly where their breaking point is when it comes to despair relative to Junko, because clearly neither of them are as invested in it as she is (nobody is). Like, I'm wondering if there's going to be a point where they want to back out of the "despair" business while it just keeps on going.

Already happened.

It didn't end well.

 

[A Link to the Past]

So for Mitarai, I see six possibilities.

1. Mitarai becomes a Remnant of Despair, but reforms on his own due to his powerful desire for hope. This ties into why he is so distraught by how dissimilar he is to Naegi.

2. Mitarai becomes a Remnant of Despair, and does not reform - he is the mastermind.

3. Mitarai becomes a Remnant of Despair, and does not reform - he is not the mastermind.

4. Mitarai becomes a Remnant of Despair, and does not reform - but is trying to. He is not the mastermind, but is involved.

5. Mitarai becomes a Remnant of Despair, and does not reform - but is trying to. He is the mastermind.

6. Mitarai - and this is the "it's an anime" argument - becomes a Remnant of Despair, and is made by Junko to create an anime that fills people with despair. All the while however, he is struggling to defeat the despair.

My guess is it's 1, 4, 5, or 6. I just don't see him still being a Remnant of Despair except for the 4th and 6th scenarios. Ultimately, I am leaning on 1, 4, or 5, just because I feel that all of the extra stuff with Monaca and Fukawa and Hagakure and Hajime and Byakuya and Komaru just distracts from the "it's an anime" scenario.

Then again, the "it's an anime" scenario is more believable if we operate on the assumption that Mitarai is adapting the events of real life into anime. The only problem is that we then have to forget that Mitarai is drawing things that take place ahead of where he is. The only explanation that I can conceive is that there is some timeline shenanigans going on with those scenes.

EDIT: Also, is it fair to assume that Izuru Kamakura is the most powerful character in Danganronpa? We see that he - without even trying - knocks Mukuro into a wall so hard that she actually cannot walk right away. Shit, if Izuru wanted to, he could have given her a nasty scar. I guess it stands to reason - he is the Ultimate Soldier, Martial Artist, Gymnast, Swordsman, and Doujinshi Artist.

And speaking of Izuru, what kind of luck does he have? I'm aware of about four different people with luck - Makoto, Nagito, the girl who won the lottery at first but lost her ticket (thus allowing Makoto inside), and Izuru. The first three, interestingly enough, have a form of bad luck on their side. Makoto's door frame is busted? Well, that solves the first case! Makoto chosen to be executed? Well, he survives and goes onto solidify the bond between everyone! Girl loses her ticket? Well, she avoids the killing game (though I'm curious to see if they ever tell us what became of her). And of course, Nagito needs no explanation. Izuru though, is he bad luck like everyone else? Has Danganronpa ever expounded upon characters with good luck?

 

[Demoli]

IIRC Mukuro didn't want to back out there, it was part of the plan for her to do that, but instead of inprisioning her Junko killed her instead.