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[The Bankslammer]

Already happened.

It didn't end well.

this is true lol

i guess in mukuro's case i'm hoping we get at least a glimpse of that in the anime? she's just sorta hanging out doing grunt work and playing second fiddle to junko and getting very horny and that's not... like... super interesting to me. not contesting whether it makes sense for her character or anything, i'd just be interested in seeing her doing more than that, i guess is what i'm saying. if it doesn't happen then eh, so be it, maybe that's just what she is, she gets used following junko then dies.

with monaca i feel like it's something that's gotta be addressed at some point. she's dressing like junko, she's acting like junko, she's trying to be junko, but she's not junko. so it'll be cool when those aspects of her different than junko come to a head. there's definitely a ton of questions remaining about her appearance in the show and i'm looking forward to seeing how they're answered.

 

[Rich!]

she's just sorta [...] getting very horny and that's not... like... super interesting to me.

Dude!

 

[lazyproblems]

The Junko and Izuru convo was the highlight of the episode. I really liked how they emphasized her being the Ultimate Analyst there, and that scene was a great way to really develop her and see more about her ideology and what makes her tick. Seeing that scene really makes me want to go back and reread Zero.

The Ryota scene at the end... Interested to see where that goes.

Also, the opening change with Hajime flickering away was a nice touch.

To be honest, these last two despair episodes have been fantastic. I think I'm at the point where I'm looking forward to both sides just about equally now.

 

[Red Frost]

I'm a bit worried that we won't really get to see Junko being the monster the series has made her out to be. Sure, she's a total evil sociopath, but we've been led to believe she's some omnipresent master manipulator that could convert even the most hopeful people to the side of despair.

One of my biggest questions was how she broke Izuru, but this episode suggests she didn't, just made him intrigued by the concept of despair. If that's really all there is to it, it almost seems like a retcon. If anyone remembers Hajime's inner battle in DR2, Izuru says something along the lines of "no one can defeat Junko". Your imagination goes wild from that one simple sentence, leaving you wondering what kind of terrible torture she inflicted on the guy to make him both terrified of her and worship her. And you can extend that question to the rest of her numerous victims.

I'll be happy seeing Kodaka prove me wrong, but for now I'm worried.

 

[FluxWaveZ]

One of my biggest questions was how she broke Izuru, but this episode suggests she didn't, just made him intrigued by the concept of despair. If that's really all there is to it, it almost seems like a retcon. If anyone remembers Hajime's inner battle in DR2, Izuru says something along the lines of "no one can defeat Junko". Your imagination goes wild from that one simple sentence, leaving you wondering what kind of terrible torture she inflicted on the guy to make him both terrified of her and worship her. And you can extend that question to the rest of her numerous victims.

I'll be happy seeing Kodak prove me wrong, but for now I'm worried.

Really? I never got the impression Junko had broken Izuru at all. I always thought that becoming Izuru is what had broken Hajime, and that he would be the type of person from that point on to become a a completely willing accomplice of Junko's. I also got that impression from the Danganronpa: Another Episode ending, with him having that frustration towards her he also has for the rest of the world. Much like a Makoto, a Nagito (to a point) and perhaps some members of the Future Foundation, Izuru's not the type to get converted by the Ultimate Despair.

Seeing how she operates on the rest of the Danganronpa 2 cast, and everyone else she meets that fell for her, sure. The psychological manipulation involved would be great to see. I think Izuru's exempt from that, though.

 

[UberTag]

Anyone want to speculate what the significance of Chisa being blackened/grayed out in the Despair arc opening is supposed to represent?

The part I'm specifically referring to is we see her falling upside down and then the words "It will break if you see." show up on the screen and then we see an identical animation with Chisa's silhouette grayed out with white polka dots.

Chisa Episodes 1-3...

Still masked out as of Episode 3...

The reason I mention this being significant is that if you review back to Episode 1's opening prior to the Chiaki reveal, she was masked out the exact same way (silhouette grayed out with polka dots) prior to being shown in plain view in Episodes 2-3 following her introduction.

Chiaki Episode 1...

Chiaki Episode 3...

Because we got ourselves a new opening today, I feel compelled to update this post with fresh screengrabs.

Seems like we're being told it's still too early to "break" our preconceptions.
So no seeing for us as secondary Chisa remains intentionally masked out through Episode 6.

At least Chiaki's happy now.

 

[FStubbs]

Dat OP change. Poor Chiaki, its gonna hurt when she dies. Also that reveal that Juuzo was into Chisa, guess that it will lead into a dramatic battle with P4 MC.

Loved how Izuru owned both Despair Sisters. And that Mitarai reveal, this could lead to many things.

I guess next episode is the first mutual killing. Despaiiiiiiiiiiiir.

Who's the more loyal waifu, Chiaki or Chisa?

Poor Hajime; from being depressed at being completely ordinary to being depressed at being completely OP. Future side better end well for him.

:|

The only really good end for him is if Chiaki is somehow alive in the end. He'd need Makoto level luck for that. (Nagito luck would have her alive, but as the mastermind.)

I just realized...

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

Ryoko!

 

[ColossalLazy]

Who's the more loyal waifu, Chiaki or Chisa?

Chisa because she is willing to die for P4 MC.

 

[ScherzoPrime]

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.

To TL;DR an earlier post I made, it still strikes me as a bit odd that she posits Hope as Stagnation and Despair as chaotic possibility/destructive creativity. Especially given her behavior in later games where she seems to get off on the idea on how much she understands human nature; that they'll inevitably turn on each other (the whole "What are you trying to prove; that deep down everyone is as ugly as you? You're alone!" thing I mentioned probably dozens of pages ago). I don't doubt she finds Hope's Peak brand of 'Hope' stagnant and hypocritical (and obviously boring), I just don't know how truthful she is when she says 'Despair is an unknown'.

 

[FluxWaveZ]

To TL;DR an earlier post I made, it still strikes me as a bit odd that she posits Hope as Stagnation and Despair as chaotic possibility/destructive creativity. Especially given her behavior in later games where she seems to get off on the idea on how much she understands human nature; that they'll inevitably turn on each other (the whole "What are you trying to prove; that deep down everyone is as ugly as you? You're alone!" thing I mentioned probably dozens of pages ago). I don't doubt she finds Hope's Peak brand of 'Hope' stagnant and hypocritical (and obviously boring), I just don't know how truthful she is when she says 'Despair is an unknown'.

I think it's not so much the inherent nature of "hope" or "despair," but how actual humans respond to both situations. If someone is hopeful in any given situation, what they will do next is more often than not predictable. Despair, however, incites different reactions from everyone. Reactions that can be unpredictable depending on its context and severity.

It might be something like that. Like, let's take the DR1 killing game. If everyone in that game was filled with hope that they would all escape alive and well, no one would kill each other and they would all get along, just like they presumably did when they were attending Hope's Peak. It's predictable. But give them the push of despair, and then you have a scenario where even Junko might not have known what would happen next (well, she probably did, but to a point). Who would kill who. Why they would kill. How they would do it. How they would react. That kind of stuff.

 

[Sky Interloper]

I just don't know how truthful she is when she says 'Despair is an unknown'.

I think this ideology comes from the fact that she sees that humanity becomes more unpredictable with a worsened emotional state, something she (and Kamukura) seem to keep looking for considering their abilities. And keeping in mind that the Danganronpa universe seems to worship the concept of Hope as a paragon of order and harmony, it wouldn't be a surprise for someone like Junko to be enticed by the lack of pattern that comes from Despair, the complete opposite of that generalized ideal.

From her point of view, being an agent of Chaos is a more interesting prospect than living under the current standard.

 

[The Silver]

From DR2 I got the impression Izuru was essentially a "blank slate" he's pretty much a newborn and that's why it was relatively easy for Junko to get him on her side

 

[mugurumakensei]

Re watching the first two episodes of each arc dubbed, Gozu definitely is suspicious.
1) he has red eyes. technically, it seems like it's because of the mask. however, it works out for Gozu to throw off suspicion.
2) he gave a hope speech to Naegi not too dissimilar from the one Monaca gave Naegi as Miaya.
3) he's the only future arc member aside from Bandai and Miaya not to have appeared in the Despair arc.

Ryota, Gozu, and Chisa are the most suspicious of the future foundation members.

 

[Luigi87]

I think it's not so much the inherent nature of "hope" or "despair," but how actual humans respond to both situations. If someone is hopeful in any given situation, what they will do next is more often than not predictable. Despair, however, incites different reactions from everyone. Reactions that can be unpredictable depending on its context and severity.

It might be something like that. Like, let's take the DR1 killing game. If everyone in that game was filled with hope that they would all escape alive and well, no one would kill each other and they would all get along, just like they presumably did when they were attending Hope's Peak. It's predictable. But give them the push of despair, and then you have a scenario where even Junko might not have known what would happen next (well, she probably did, but to a point). Who would kill who. Why they would kill. How they would do it. How they would react. That kind of stuff.

Pretty much. Junko wasn't even sure anyone would start the killings, so she originally intended to blackmail Sakura into starting them, but then Sayaka surprised even her by trying to kill Leon and frame Makoto.

 

[ScherzoPrime]

I think it's not so much the inherent nature of "hope" or "despair," but how actual humans respond to both situations. If someone is hopeful in any given situation, what they will do next is more often than not predictable. Despair, however, incites different reactions from everyone. Reactions that can be unpredictable depending on its context and severity.

It might be something like that. Like, let's take the DR1 killing game. If everyone in that game was filled with hope that they would all escape alive and well, no one would kill each other and they would all get along, just like they presumably did when they were attending Hope's Peak. It's predictable. But give them the push of despair, and then you have a scenario where even Junko might not have known what would happen next (well, she probably did, but to a point). Who would kill who. Why they would kill. How they would do it. How they would react. That kind of stuff.

Eh, maybe, but I think it's all in the service of a common end, to show that humans ultimately are fatalistic animals driven by external forces and desires. Their specific actions under duress 'amuse' her, certainly, but I felt in DR1 specifically she is trying to prove a point to the world that even the most exceptional of people are fundamentally brutal animals, so what hope do you have at overcoming despair?

I think this ideology comes from the fact that she sees that humanity becomes more unpredictable with a worsened emotional state, something she (and Kamukura) seem to keep looking for considering their abilities. And keeping in mind that the Danganronpa universe seems to worship the concept of Hope as a paragon of order and harmony, it wouldn't be a surprise for someone like Junko to be enticed by the lack of pattern that comes from Despair, the complete opposite of that generalized ideal.

From her point of view, being an agent of Chaos is a more interesting prospect than living under the current standard.

I get that to an extent, the sort of Heath Ledger-Joker aspect. But I don't think ultimately what Hope 'is' in reality in the DR-verse is 'Order and Harmony', that's what Hope's Peak has sold to the world. Real Hope I think is much messier and irrational, about belief and faith that we can become more than we are, and that obviously involves risk.

I mean I think what you're saying makes sense if Junko and Kamukura see the 'human element' as only destructive to our logical elements, but I think Hope can be constructive and uplifting as well. And I think when you look at Junko in DR1 and DR2, she seems to get off on the clockwork nature of despair, of it being the inevitability of humans having unfulfillable desires, and I think to her it'd be the only 'logical' response to it.

 

[UberTag]

To TL;DR an earlier post I made, it still strikes me as a bit odd that she posits Hope as Stagnation and Despair as chaotic possibility/destructive creativity. Especially given her behavior in later games where she seems to get off on the idea on how much she understands human nature; that they'll inevitably turn on each other (the whole "What are you trying to prove; that deep down everyone is as ugly as you? You're alone!" thing I mentioned probably dozens of pages ago). I don't doubt she finds Hope's Peak brand of 'Hope' stagnant and hypocritical (and obviously boring), I just don't know how truthful she is when she says 'Despair is an unknown'.

Who's to say she even buys the line of argument she was happily doling out to Izuru? Perhaps she was feeding him a line of bullshit that she felt would resonate with him to make Despair sound so damn appealing and "not boring" when she herself feels the opposite (more true to her speeches in the games). As introspective as the Junko-Izuru interaction was in today's episode, I think it's important that we don't take it at face value. It was a calculated means to an end for her.

Re watching the first two episodes of each arc dubbed, Gozu definitely is suspicious.
1) he has red eyes. technically, it seems like it's because of the mask. however, it works out for Gozu to throw off suspicion.
2) he gave a hope speech to Naegi not too dissimilar from the one Monaca gave Naegi as Miaya.
3) he's the only future arc member aside from Bandai and Miaya not to have appeared in the Despair arc.

Ryota, Gozu, and Chisa are the most suspicious of the future foundation members.

Not hard to argue with that logic.

We know Ryota was directly exposed to Junko's influence pre-Tragedy.

Gozu has an identity that is intentionally being kept hidden.

Chisa has the Despair 1 opening, the intentional teasing in the Despair OP, the bizarre stabbing of her corpse by Munakata, the audio-blocked Tengan answer, the first victim stigma before the killing game was even explained AND the whole "I will support Munakata's ideology no matter what" philosophy being hammered into our skulls all while we're supposed to be sympathetic towards her as Team Despair's teacher.

I think Koichi is another decoy. Not one as in your face as Monaca but I think he's got an independent agenda that revolves around his relationship with Jin and his undisclosed affection towards his daughter. I can understand the argument that "oh, he's a scout, he must know what the Despair sisters are all about and be a co-conspirator" but perhaps he's just shitty at his job.

He's not an Ultimate for one thing. He had to juggle teaching responsibilities while doing it and he's a slacker drunk. Juzo's an ultimate and clearly sucks at his security detail - granted, that's not exactly his ultimate skillset either. He's not the Ultimate Security Guard. He's the Ultimate Boxer. No reason these people can't suck at their outside of the box assignments.

 

[Sky Interloper]

I get that to an extent, the sort of Heath Ledger-Joker aspect. But I don't think ultimately what Hope 'is' in reality in the DR-verse is 'Order and Harmony', that's what Hope's Peak has sold to the world. Real Hope I think is much messier and irrational, about belief and faith that we can become more than we are, and that obviously involves risk.

I mean I think what you're saying makes sense if Junko and Kamukura see the 'human element' as only destructive to our logical elements, but I think Hope can be constructive and uplifting as well. And I think when you look at Junko in DR1 and DR2, she seems to get off on the clockwork nature of despair, of it being the inevitability of humans having unfulfillable desires, and I think to her it'd be the only 'logical' response to it.

I believe that's where Nagito Komaeda plays a role in the series, as his hope is something extreme and full of extraneous logic to it. As you say, Hope is not the black and white thing that the Academy sold to the world - but in the context of what little we know about the school's place in the power structure of Kodaka's universe, it is the predominant idea in society. They sold the idea that the talented are the hope of the world, while others should play their roles as cogs in the machine; the fact that Nagito followed this idea until he met Junko and became an Ultimate Despair (as shown in Another Episode) tells a lot about the pervasiveness of it.

As for why Junko would focus on the futility of fighting Despair and would just wallow in it as a method for feeling something aside for boredom, I think that comes from her upbringing. Nagito lived quite an awful life before entering the Academy that influenced his logic and morals system, while it seems that Junko went through a more common development (as the amount of truth in Mukuro's FTEs is not confirmed, and Matsuda's comments in Zero imply a normal early childhood). As she developed, probably she got an early contact with the adrenaline rush that Despair provides to her and decided to dedícate her life to it - but she is certainly aware of the possibilities that a hope more in contact with chaos provides (as her comment on White Despair and Black Hope in the epilogue of DRAE make clear).

Who's to say she even buys the line of argument she was happily doling out to Izuru? Perhaps she was feeding him a line of bullshit that she felt would resonate with him to make Despair sound so damn appealing and "not boring" when she herself feels the opposite (more true to her speeches in the games). As introspective as the Junko-Izuru interaction was in today's episode, I think it's important that we don't take it at face value. It was a calculated means to an end for her.

I wouldn't be so fast in dismissing her conversation with Kamukura. It certainly fits nicely with her talent as the Ultimate Analyst.

 

[Grexeno]

Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak Academy - Despair Arc 06

Yukizome sneaking around with normal clothes and the "I am an intruder" hat.

 

[Luigi87]

Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak Academy - Despair Arc 06

Yukizome sneaking around with normal clothes and the "I am an intruder" hat.

So overt she's covert.

 

[ScherzoPrime]

Who's to say she even buys the line of argument she was happily doling out to Izuru? Perhaps she was feeding him a line of bullshit that she felt would resonate with him to make Despair sound so damn appealing and "not boring" when she herself feels the opposite (more true to her speeches in the games). As introspective as the Junko-Izuru interaction was in today's episode, I think it's important that we don't take it at face value. It was a calculated means to an end for her.

That's sort of what I'm leaning towards as well; I feel like her stressing the possibility of despair is a little out of sync with how she contextualizes it in the games.

I believe that's where Nagito Komaeda plays a role in the series, as his hope is something extreme and full of extraneous logic to it. As you say, Hope is not the black and white thing that the Academy sold to the world - but in the context of what little we know about the school's place in the power structure of Kodaka's universe, it is the predominant idea in society. They sold the idea that the talented are the hope of the world, while others should play their roles as cogs in the machine; the fact that Nagito followed this idea until he met Junko and became an Ultimate Despair (as shown in Another Episode) tells a lot about the pervasiveness of it.

As for why Junko would focus on the futility of fighting Despair and would just wallow in it as a method for feeling something aside for boredom, I think that comes from her upbringing. Nagito lived quite an awful life before entering the Academy that influenced his logic and morals system, while it seems that Junko went through a more common development (as the amount of truth in Mukuro's FTEs is not confirmed, and Matsuda's comments in Zero imply a normal early childhood). As she developed, probably she got an early contact with the adrenaline rush that Despair provides to her and decided to dedícate her life to it - but she is certainly aware of the possibilities that a hope more in contact with chaos provides (as her comment on White Despair and Black Hope in the epilogue of DRAE make clear).

Yeah, probably should've singled out Nagito for being sort of a manifestation of the perverse nature of Hope's Peak's definition of Hope. He's like the embodiement of their hypocrisy bundled in a single human being.

I do think her love of Despair comes from her Analytic Skills; in a way it's sort of a perversion of the intent of that Camus quote: "The only way to live honestly is to live without hope."

I wouldn't be so fast in dismissing her conversation with Kamukura. It certainly fits nicely with her talent as the Ultimate Analyst.

I do think she overstates how much of an 'unknown' it is to her; in her speech in DR1 she talks about how she has only known despair from the moment she was born. Given that, I wonder how she articulated 'hope' in the context of DR:AE; perhaps it's something she understands to an extent intellectually but can't actually feel.

 

[A Link to the Past]

Re watching the first two episodes of each arc dubbed, Gozu definitely is suspicious.
1) he has red eyes. technically, it seems like it's because of the mask. however, it works out for Gozu to throw off suspicion.
2) he gave a hope speech to Naegi not too dissimilar from the one Monaca gave Naegi as Miaya.
3) he's the only future arc member aside from Bandai and Miaya not to have appeared in the Despair arc.

Ryota, Gozu, and Chisa are the most suspicious of the future foundation members.

Welcome aboard the "Gozu is totally the baddy" train

I'm pretty sure it's just us

 

[Rich!]

despair theme is so good

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlOJcJTFIVY

instrumental:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esf6oTju0eI

 

[Chase17]

despair theme is so good

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlOJcJTFIVY

instrumental:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esf6oTju0eI

Yeah, I think they really nailed it with both shows opening themes.

Although I do like Future's theme more.

 

[PK Gaming]

Really? I never got the impression Junko had broken Izuru at all. I always thought that becoming Izuru is what had broken Hajime, and that he would be the type of person from that point on to become a a completely willing accomplice of Junko's. I also got that impression from the Danganronpa: Another Episode ending, with him having that frustration towards her he also has for the rest of the world. Much like a Makoto, a Nagito (to a point) and perhaps some members of the Future Foundation, Izuru's not the type to get converted by the Ultimate Despair.

Seeing how she operates on the rest of the Danganronpa 2 cast, and everyone else she meets that fell for her, sure. The psychological manipulation involved would be great to see. I think Izuru's exempt from that, though.

I actually remember Junko explicitly stating that she "broke his spirit" causing him to fall into despair.

It always struck out to me as odd, since she literally mentions earlier how they got rid of everything that made him "human" to begin with, so there wouldn't even be a spirit to break. I imagine it was due to the fact that Izuru's characterization was slightly differently originally than it is in DR:AE/DR3. In any case, I very much prefer the current incarnation. He totally reminds me of Kiriyama from Battle Royale.

 

[dakkumauji]

junko fangirling over izuru was the best thing ever

and i like we are finding out more about izuru

 

[FluxWaveZ]

I really like the "Junko theme" that they've played a couple of times now, once when Junko appeared for the first time and the second when she meets Izuru.

I actually remember Junko explicitly stating that she "broke his spirit" causing him to fall into despair.

It always struck out to me as odd, since she literally mentions earlier how they got rid of everything that made him "human" to begin with, so there wouldn't even be a spirit to break. I imagine it was due to the fact that Izuru's characterization was slightly differently originally than it is in DR:AE/DR3. In any case, I very much prefer the current incarnation. He totally reminds me of Kiriyama from Battle Royale.

Did she say that in DR2? Odd, maybe I got that impression of Izuru because of some stuff in DR:AE and DR0. Indeed, the "weak" human qualities of Hajime's were removed to create Izuru, I don't really see how she could "break" him like that now, and how he's depicted in DR3 now is pretty much always how I envisioned him.

Unless there's some "poignant" moment that happens where Izuru sees Chiaki during the killing game and temporarily reverts back to Hajime, but then falls back into darkness when someone else kills Chiaki or some crap.

 

[Luigi87]

junko fangirling over izuru was the best thing ever

and i like we are finding out more about izuru

This is the biggest thing for me.
I mean yeah this is really the first time we're really seeing Junko's actions outside of descriptions, etc, but among everything in Danganronpa, Izuru has kind of been the biggest enigma. Besides the brief glimpses of him in DR2, everything that is said about him is essentially second-hand knowledge from other characters. He's kind of portrayed as a myth in spite of existing.

 

[ScherzoPrime]

This is the biggest thing for me.
I mean yeah this is really the first time we're really seeing Junko's actions outside of descriptions, etc, but among everything in Danganronpa, Izuru has kind of been the biggest enigma. Besides the brief glimpses of him in DR2, everything that is said about him is essentially second-hand knowledge from other characters. He's kind of portrayed as a myth in spite of existing.

I dunno, I do think Izuru is cool and all, but I really like getting more background on what makes Junko tick.

 

[jonjonaug]

I actually remember Junko explicitly stating that she "broke his spirit" causing him to fall into despair.

It always struck out to me as odd, since she literally mentions earlier how they got rid of everything that made him "human" to begin with, so there wouldn't even be a spirit to break. I imagine it was due to the fact that Izuru's characterization was slightly differently originally than it is in DR:AE/DR3. In any case, I very much prefer the current incarnation. He totally reminds me of Kiriyama from Battle Royale.

Well, we're still not sure if that will happen. Izuru's reaction to Junko felt more like of an "OK, show me something not boring" rather than a "yes, I'll work with you" to me. We still have the first killing game to cover, which will likely be near the finale of the Despair arc.

 

[ChrisD]

despair theme is so good

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlOJcJTFIVY

instrumental:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esf6oTju0eI

Through comments on one of these vids I learned that Makoto and Nagito share a voice actor in both English and Japanese casts. That's actually really cool. I knew they were the same guy in DR1 and 2 in English, but checking to see if it's also that way in Japanese never crossed my mind.

Surely on purpose with the obvious "the guy(girl in JP) voicing the Ultimate Hope also voices the guy OBSESSED with hope."

 

[Permanently A]

Scene where Junko explains how Despair is an unknown might literally be one of the most important scenes in the entirety of danganronpa.

ALSO WHO THE FUCK IS RYOTA

WHO

IS

HE

 

[Luigi87]

Scene where Junko explains how Despair is an unknown might literally be one of the most important scenes in the entirety of danganronpa.

ALSO WHO THE FUCK IS RYOTA

WHO

IS

HE

A guy who got hugged hard by Junko.

Seriously, how many people wouldn't want to fall to despair for her after getting hugged like that?


Edit: Also let's be honest... Junko made a lot of faces this episode, but this was strangely enough her most terrifying one

Her gaze is like piercing Mitarai's soul.



last I only just realized that they did update Hiyoko to her growth spurt look with this week's OP.

 

[Rich!]

Through comments on one of these vids I learned that Makoto and Nagito share a voice actor in both English and Japanese casts. That's actually really cool. I knew they were the same guy in DR1 and 2 in English, but checking to see if it's also that way in Japanese never crossed my mind.

Surely on purpose with the obvious "the guy(girl in JP) voicing the Ultimate Hope also voices the guy OBSESSED with hope."

In Japanese it was even more obvious

Also, Nagito Komaeda = anagram of = Makoto Naegi Da - I am Makoto Naegi.

 

[Style]

Through comments on one of these vids I learned that Makoto and Nagito share a voice actor in both English and Japanese casts. That's actually really cool. I knew they were the same guy in DR1 and 2 in English, but checking to see if it's also that way in Japanese never crossed my mind.

Surely on purpose with the obvious "the guy(girl in JP) voicing the Ultimate Hope also voices the guy OBSESSED with hope."

Nagito being bizarro Naegi has always been pretty obvious even without the shared voice actor! Similar sounding names (due to Nagito's name being an anagram of Makoto Naegi da), similar designs/colour scheme and sharing talent. For a large part of Danganronpa 2 I thought one of the twists would be Nagito revealing himself to be Makoto (since we already had bizarro Togami).

 

[Sgt.Pepper]

I'm seriously expecting the rest of the DR2 cast to fall into despair because Chiaki dies.

And I will hate it oh so much. It makes feel far less sympathetic towards them, it just makes me see them as tools. They don't deserve shit tbh.

 

[PK Gaming]

Did she say that in DR2? Odd, maybe I got that impression of Izuru because of some stuff in DR:AE and DR0. Indeed, the "weak" human qualities of Hajime's were removed to create Izuru, I don't really see how she could "break" him like that now, and how he's depicted in DR3 now is pretty much always how I envisioned him.

Here's where things get interesting though. I thought about why that line bugged me so much (beyond the fact that it seemed blatantly in-congruent with the narrative), so I went back and checked some DR2 fan translations. Junko's line in English version appears to have been a fabrication. Originally, she says something to the effect of:

Junko Enoshima: After all that Kamukura fell into ‘Super High School Level Despair’ due to my influence.
Junko Enoshima: I didn’t exactly have to do much, considering he had his mind meddled with to that extent.

This makes far more sense and largely falls in line with what we just saw in the recent episode.

As an aside, watching gameplay of DR2 has made it aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaallll come back to me. The DR2 cast was just so incredibly good and you see none of it in the Despair anime. Hajime's character in the anime is also quite frankly, total complete garbage in comparison to what he was like in the game. Between the forced contrivances and complete lack of attempt to convey the idea that Hajime as a person was obsessed with the idea of being talented/acknowledged by Hope's Peak Academy, he really just comes across as a super disappointing character overall.

Junko: Anyway, out of the entire reserve department, their chosen test subject waaaas-
Junko: Hajime over there!
Hajime: W-why did....I...?
Junko: ‘Cuz you loved Hope’s Peak more than anyone else.
Hajime: …?
Junko: Don’t you get it, kid?! Hope’s Peak used you-!!
Junko: They took all that adoration you had for hope and talent and used it to turn you into their guinea pig!

Where did all of that go lmao

 

[ScherzoPrime]

That's still there; it's because he believes that only the type of Talent that Hope's Peak produces/accepts can give a person value that he agrees to the experiment. The show just dwells more on the fact that just being there doesn't bridge the gulf between his abilities and the talents of the Main Course.

 

[ChrisD]

In Japanese it was even more obvious

Also, Nagito Komaeda = anagram of = Makoto Naegi Da - I am Makoto Naegi.

Nagito being bizarro Naegi has always been pretty obvious even without the shared voice actor! Similar sounding names (due to Nagito's name being an anagram of Makoto Naegi da), similar designs/colour scheme and sharing talent. For a large part of Danganronpa 2 I thought one of the twists would be Nagito revealing himself to be Makoto (since we already had bizarro Togami).

These are the kind of things that always go right over my head and then I wonder how it never occurred to me on my own. That anagram thing is great for multiple reasons.

@Bolded Thought the same all the way up until Makoto and his gang showed up in the end, to be completely honest. I was just waiting on it to finally be revealed. Really glad it wasn't the case.



As like many others, really hoping that they don't pull the Chiaki's Death = Driving point of Despair thing.. It's totally what the show has built from the get-go, it'd feel like a cop-out.

 

[Trigonometrize.]

It's kinda sad that class not liking Nagito reflects how they felt towards him in DR2. In DR1, even the students that didn't like each other much during the killing game you assume got along during their school days. But apparently Nagito is shit regardless of whether or not he's at Hope's Peak, Towa City, or Jabberwok Island. Poor guy.

 

[Zaru]

Also, Nagito Komaeda = anagram of = Makoto Naegi Da - I am Makoto Naegi.

I wonder how different this would all be if Nagito had actually been Naegi transformed by hope.

 

[Red Frost]

Really? I never got the impression Junko had broken Izuru at all. I always thought that becoming Izuru is what had broken Hajime, and that he would be the type of person from that point on to become a a completely willing accomplice of Junko's. I also got that impression from the Danganronpa: Another Episode ending, with him having that frustration towards her he also has for the rest of the world. Much like a Makoto, a Nagito (to a point) and perhaps some members of the Future Foundation, Izuru's not the type to get converted by the Ultimate Despair.

Seeing how she operates on the rest of the Danganronpa 2 cast, and everyone else she meets that fell for her, sure. The psychological manipulation involved would be great to see. I think Izuru's exempt from that, though.

I never thought it would be that out there to consider him a victim based on some subtle things said in DR2, but apparently those may have been translation issues.

But yeah, the rest of the class is more important. If it's really because of Chiaki's death, then that would be lame as hell. I mean forget the fact something more personalized for each classmate would have been expected/ideal, it would just be ridiculous in general. They'd be fighting for the one that caused her death in the first place, even if she leads them to believe otherwise.



Honestly, trying to cram the class's fall to despair into a single anime season might have been too tall an order in the first place, especially when it hasn't even started halfway through. When things were left vague in DR2, it was easy to let your imagination go wild on how it happened for each person. I mean to break someone to the point the RoDs have displayed is damn crazy as it is, so I kind of assumed it was some really vile shit representing the absolute worst things humanity is capable of (courtesy of Junko) combined with the already in place insecurities of the class. If it all boils down to "a classmate died", that would honestly lessen my opinion of the rest of the series. Makes me almost wonder if we were better off not getting the despair side at all, or at least keeping the motivation for the RoDs fall vague while focusing on other stuff.

 

[FStubbs]

I never thought it would be that out there to consider him a victim based on some subtle things said in DR2, but apparently those may have been translation issues.

But yeah, the rest of the class is more important. If it's really because of Chiaki's death, then that would be lame as hell. I mean forget the fact something more personalized for each classmate would have been expected/ideal, it would just be ridiculous in general. They'd be fighting for the one that caused her death in the first place, even if she leads them to believe otherwise.



Honestly, trying to cram the class's fall to despair into a single anime season might have been too tall an order in the first place, especially when it hasn't even started halfway through. When things were left vague in DR2, it was easy to let your imagination go wild on how it happened for each person. I mean to break someone to the point the RoDs have displayed is damn crazy as it is, so I kind of assumed it was some really vile shit representing the absolute worst things humanity is capable of (courtesy of Junko) combined with the already in place insecurities of the class. If it all boils down to "a classmate died", that would honestly lessen my opinion of the rest of the series. Makes me almost wonder if we were better off not getting the despair side at all, or at least keeping the motivation for the RoDs fall vague while focusing on other stuff.

I still think the messed up things we saw in the FTEs in DR2 brought them 90% or more of the way to despair and Chiaki's death will just be the final trigger. Look at how dependent these guys are on Chiaki. They're holding on to her as their last vestige of sanity. The class has a very creepy undercurrent right now and they're ripe for Junko.

 

[The Silver]

I still think the messed up things we saw in the FTEs in DR2 brought them 90% or more of the way to despair and Chiaki's death will just be the final trigger. Look at how dependent these guys are on Chiaki. They're holding on to her as their last vestige of sanity. The class has a very creepy undercurrent right now and they're ripe for Junko.

I'm not getting that from them, they seem pretty "normal" and a lot more well adjusted than I expected. Mikan of all people had a moment where she actually progressed, Fuyuhiko seems to have gotten over his sister's death, everyone else is in the background.

I expected the twilight murder to at least kick off Fuyuhiko, Peko, and Mahiru into becoming a lot more dark and insular, ripe for some Junkoing. If they're trying to go the route of Chiaki being the only thing holding their fragile minds together then I don't think it's doing that good of a job since we are hardly getting any insights into feelings/perspective, just a timeskip and they're acting like normal.

 

[h0tp0ck3t]

What if instead of Chiaki dying and they all fall, Junko impersonates Chisa and takes over the class. Sees that Chiaki isn't an easy mark and the strongest member of the group, and turns them all against her, hence why Monokuma calls her the traitor in DR2

 

[Funyarinpa]

What if instead of Chiaki dying and they all fall, Junko impersonates Chisa and takes over the class. Sees that Chiaki isn't an easy mark and the strongest member of the group, and turns them all against her, hence why Monokuma calls her the traitor in DR2

Izuru could do something similar as well... Hinanami from the first episodes turning into Izuru leading Class 77 to ostracize Chiaki would absolutely destroy me.

 

[Permanently A]

What if instead of Chiaki dying and they all fall, Junko impersonates Chisa and takes over the class. Sees that Chiaki isn't an easy mark and the strongest member of the group, and turns them all against her, hence why Monokuma calls her the traitor in DR2

Yeah in the torture scene she looked so much like Chisa it wasn't funny.

 

[Burbeting]

What if Chiaki is the one who succumbs to despair first. And then she is later killed by the future foundation.

 

[Permanently A]

Because we got ourselves a new opening today, I feel compelled to update this post with fresh screengrabs.

bruh, does that long black hair remind you of someone?

 

[Rich!]

What if

Chisa and Junko swapped roles before DR1. Both Junkos in DR1 were mukuro and Chisa

Chisa in DR 3 was Junko




Or not

 

[Luigi87]

bruh, does that long black hair remind you of someone?

When I read DR/0 a couple weeks ago I immediately thought of Chisa when the Monokuma Maid showed up. I just don't know what to think.