who her creator is and when she was created. Chiaki's creator is Chihiro, and not Alter Ego. She talks about her "programmer father" during her Free Time events who she heavily implies is already deceased. Chihiro's own free time events in the first game cover an A.I he's been pretty much working on for his entire life.
In other words,
it's definitely possible for Chiaki to have existed for DR1.
that "mostly non-spoilery summary" on the last page seems to indicate that she's actually a student at Hope's Peak. Originally the UDG artbook led people to believe that Chihiro based Chiaki's appearance off of his mother, but maybe Kodaka changed his mind and she is actually based off of another student?
As for
Mukuro, this being set in the past makes, it makes sense that she would show up. Even if she isn't exactly the focus.
that "mostly non-spoilery summary" on the last page seems to indicate that she's actually a student at Hope's Peak. Originally the UDG artbook led people to believe that Chihiro based Chiaki's appearance off of his mother, but maybe Kodaka changed his mind and she is actually based off of another student?
Chihiro's mom was in the same kind of canon limbo as Sayaka's sister, there was technically nothing contradicting their existence, but they weren't really canon. It's a shame because Chihiro's mom sounded like a pretty cool character, but I'm also happy to see Chiaki again so *shrug*
Chihiro's mom was in the same kind of canon limbo as Sayaka's sister, there was technically nothing contradicting their existence, but they weren't really canon. It's a shame because Chihiro's mom sounded like a pretty cool character, but I'm also happy to see Chiaki again so *shrug*
I wasn't saying that was canon, nothing is canon unless it's in the official story (be it novel, anime, game, manga, etc.). I was just sharing an idea that Kodaka had at least toyed with, that some people had at least sort of used as fanon up until now.
I wasn't saying that was canon, nothing is canon unless it's in the official story (be it novel, anime, game, manga, etc.). I was just sharing an idea that Kodaka had at least toyed with, that some people had at least sort of used as fanon up until now.
that "mostly non-spoilery summary" on the last page seems to indicate that she's actually a student at Hope's Peak. Originally the UDG artbook led people to believe that Chihiro based Chiaki's appearance off of his mother, but maybe Kodaka changed his mind and she is actually based off of another student?
So, concerning the appearance of that character in the Despair arc, I think there are two possibilities in play:
Depending on the exact point where the anime starts,
she can either be an internal AI project of Hope's Peak or Chihiro started working on another AI alongside Alter Ego before he entered the school
There was an actual,
real Chiaki Nanami
in the already large 77th roster, and something big enough happened
that convinced her creator to take her personality as basis for one of the observers of the New World Program
If the second possibility is actually real, we may see
a more complete personality beyond the scope of the NWP programming
that make the character more palatable to people beyond her current fanbase. Let's see what happens, as this changes the entire basis of the incarnation present in DR2.
She's introduced after she physically bumps into Hajime because she was walking with her handheld and didn't see him. Then she gives says something similar to what she said in DR2 about how having a talent can lock you into a role, but Hajime brushes her off this time and she's escorted back to class by a teacher
that "mostly non-spoilery summary" on the last page seems to indicate that she's actually a student at Hope's Peak. Originally the UDG artbook led people to believe that Chihiro based Chiaki's appearance off of his mother, but maybe Kodaka changed his mind and she is actually based off of another student?
As for
Mukuro, this being set in the past makes, it makes sense that she would show up. Even if she isn't exactly the focus.
Literally the only reason people like Chiaki Nanami is because of "waifu bait." She has no depth; superficial and pandering "endearing character quirks"; the most base level of motivations; the most "Mary Sue" of qualities; genetically engineered to appeal to the nerd fanbase.
This is quite frankly a ridiculous and asinine assertion which discredits any point you could be trying to make. It's okay to dislike a character without becoming super reductive about every aspect of their existence and implying that no one could ever like the character on any basis aside from the most superficial level.
This is quite frankly a ridiculous and asinine assertion which discredits any point you could be trying to make. It's okay to dislike a character without becoming super reductive about every aspect of their existence and implying that no one could ever like the character on any basis aside from the most superficial level.
Her involvement in the narrative being one. It's certainly flawed (
(stealing the player surrogates spotlight in chapter 5's trial was pretty awful)l
, but she's also responsible for one of, if not the best exchange in the entire franchise
her conversation with Hajime in chapter 6.
) The scene in question alone puts her above most characters for me, and that coupled with her fun dynamic with Hajime, good lines and a strong social link are the main reasons why she's my fav.
She absolutely isn't the strongest character, but I like her in spite of her "ultra pandering" and I think there are good reasons for doing so.
In DR1, you had a group of people who, prior to their memory loss, were a close-knit group of friends that immediately fell into distrust of one another and killed each other for selfish or trivial reasons. Meanwhile DR2's cast is supposed to be a rather individualistic group of murders and terrorists, but they rather quickly build up community with one another and never murder until circumstances that are specifically designed to force them into taking that action come into play. It always seemed intentionally ironic to me.
Personally, I think it's one of the game's most important moments and is especially important for Hajime since the belief that talent would bring him happiness is what caused him to be a willing participant in the IKP in the first place, only for him to be plunged into boredom and self-loathing afterwards.
I think she's a likable and genuinely good person with fairly complex motivations that aren't clear at first. I enjoyed her relationship with Hajime a lot, and I thought they made a good pair. I felt that the scenes developing their relationship were generally well handled, and it was a very believable dynamic, with some good banter.
Yes, she's clearly a "cute girl" and she's also meant to be the cute gamer who all of the people playing the game can like because she uses their lingo and what have you, but there's a lot more to her than just that.
Especially once you get to her being the traitor, the fact that despite knowing everything that was going on, she was still helping everyone from behind the scenes, and her decision to sacrifice herself and actually make a decision for herself even if it wasn't the sort of logical thing she would have been programmed with.
I thought that a lot of the biggest emotional moments of the game for me hinged on her development.
I don't think I would have cared about Chapter 5 nearly as much if the traitor had been someone else, or if she hadn't been nearly as well written. And her words to Hajime during the climax of the game were very important to the overall themes of the game.
I think, ultimately, that Chiaki is a character who is very much tied up in the general themes of Danganronpa 2 and what the game means, at least to me personally.
One of the cores of the conclusion of the game is that we're more than just a summation of what we've done in our life prior to now, and that Hajime and the others shouldn't be afraid just because they could go back to being what they were like before. They have to make a decision to change that line of thinking, just like Chiaki had to change her own path by sacrificing herself. She overcomes being just a program just as they can overcome being Ultimate Despairs. And even if you're afraid of your current self dying, you can't let yourself avoid taking action because of that.
Wait, this is starting soon, right? Are there any official streaming websites picking this up, or do we have to rely on fansubs? Also, has the OT for it gone up yet?
Someone should make a Gaming side thread about the PV, too.
Wait, this is starting soon, right? Are there any official streaming websites picking this up, or do we have to rely on fansubs? Also, has the OT for it gone up yet?
Someone should make a Gaming side thread about the PV, too.
It's starting in less than a week (the 11th and 14th). And yeah Funi picked it up, we were talking about it for a bit of the last page. Someone already called the OT but I forget who.
Wait, this is starting soon, right? Are there any official streaming websites picking this up, or do we have to rely on fansubs? Also, has the OT for it gone up yet?
Someone should make a Gaming side thread about the PV, too.
I think she's a likable and genuinely good person with fairly complex motivations that aren't clear at first. I enjoyed her relationship with Hajime a lot, and I thought they made a good pair. I felt that the scenes developing their relationship were generally well handled, and it was a very believable dynamic, with some good banter.
I can see some of what you're saying, even though I fully disagree that Chiaki is a complex character or that she has complex motivations. Fundamentally, I just did not care for the way she intertwined with the themes of DR2.
I might have forgotten something, though, what do you mean by
Chiaki being the traitor in Chapter 5? Are you talking about her accidentally killing Nagito?
Basically, many people feel that Chiaki attempting to try and give herself up multiple times but being unable to outright say it because of her programming is the most emotionally hitting moment of the game and part of the reason that the 5th Trial is so good. We talked about it before and as I recall, you only view the 5th trial as satisfactory because of the mystery and how fucked up a plan it was, emotions be damned.
Basically, many people feel that Chiaki attempting to try and give herself up multiple times but being unable to outright say it because of her programming is the most emotionally hitting moment of the game and part of the reason that the 5th Trial is so good. We talked about it before and as I recall, you only view the 5th trial as satisfactory because of the mystery and how fucked up a plan it was, emotions be damned.
consider her being a traitor during that segment, even though it's before the reveal that she's a robot and that a normal person wouldn't be able to divine that they were the one who killed Nagito from how he plotted it?
But I do recall that previous conversation somewhat. I probably didn't say that
"emotional resonance" was what made that trial worse for me, though, because what did it mainly was how Chiaki assumed direct control over every facet of it, being omniscient and knowing everything that happens everywhere, when I'm not too into that when it comes to a mystery.
I don't like Chiaki but my reasons don't really align with flux. I found her to be just another character without much interesting to her.
By the time chapter 5 rolled around you get Nagito's plan was that he would just play on luck to find the "traitor" and whoop he did. Then they used the magical programming excuse to why she had been hiding it from everyone as we suddenly get the stupid twist that she was an AI the whole time. Just dumb. Chapter 5 was great, but it also holds what I found to be some of the dumber parts of DR2
I'm just about to beat the first game (nearing what seems like the end of the 6th trial), one thing that really got me was a reference to Crazy Eddie's, an electronics store in the NYC area that's been defunct since the late 80's. Really surprised to see such an obscure reference like that, especially since I'd imagine most of the translation team would probably be west-coasters.
I don't like Chiaki but my reasons don't really align with flux. I found her to be just another character without much interesting to her.
By the time chapter 5 rolled around you get Nagito's plan was that he would just play on luck to find the "traitor" and whoop he did. Then they used the magical programming excuse to why she had been hiding it from everyone as we suddenly get the stupid twist that she was an AI the whole time. Just dumb. Chapter 5 was great, but it also holds what I found to be some of the dumber parts of DR2
Well, I meant the fact that she was the traitor all along who people had been wondering about. That was an unexpected development that changed the understanding of who she was (once you read the diary as the player and realize that it has to be her), and then the revelation about what her being the traitor actually meant (that she was there to watch over everyone and protect them from their pasts).
Once you consider that combined with the reveal of her true nature in Chapter 6, I think it makes her a more compelling character.
I can get that this aspect of her didn't really work for you, but I thought it was fairly well done, even if it isn't the most original story ever.
that Chiaki was considered a "traitor" in the game, or I didn't think much of it at the time since I don't believe she actually did anything to betray anyone. She was still loyal to all of them until the end and everything she did was to help them. I guess "traitor" in the sense that she knew more than she revealed? I don't really think of that as a betrayal.
I prefer this to the Future arc theme. Interesting tone it's seemingly going for.
Either I forgot about any emphasis
that Chiaki was considered a "traitor" in the game, or I didn't think much of it at the time since I don't believe she actually did anything to betray anyone. She was still loyal to all of them until the end and everything she did was to help them. I guess "traitor" in the sense that she knew more than she revealed? I don't really think of that as a betrayal.
She was the "traitor". The same traitor that they had been told about earlier in the game by Monokuma, who Nagito had been trying desperately to snuff out. Nagito's whole plan hinged on that. He set up his trap so that the traitor would be the one to kill him, believing in his Ultimate Luck, and that the traitor would be the only one to survive (because he had found out that everyone aside from the traitor was an Ultimate Despair). The game makes a big deal out of the identity of the traitor, and Chiaki being the traitor as the reason for why the trial ends the way it did.
She was the "traitor". The same traitor that they had been told about earlier in the game by Monokuma, who Nagito had been trying desperately to snuff out. Nagito's whole plan hinged on that. He set up his trap so that the traitor would be the one to kill him, believing in his Ultimate Luck, and that the traitor would be the only one to survive (because he had found out that everyone aside from the traitor was an Ultimate Despair). The game makes a big deal out of the identity of the traitor, and Chiaki being the traitor as the reason for why the trial ends the way it did.
I remember the facets of Nagito's plan that revolved around killing everyone off, his reliance on his talent and all that, but somehow I must have blocked out any part of it specifically being about a traitor. Now that I'm typing this, some vague memories are coming back to me, like Fuyuhiko snapping at some people and accusing Hajime of being the traitor.
It's a game I've been meaning to replay, though I need to replay DR1 first.
I remember the facets of Nagito's plan that revolved around killing everyone off, his reliance on his talent and all that, but somehow I must have blocked out any part of it specifically being about a traitor. Now that I'm typing this, some vague memories are coming back to me, like Fuyuhiko snapping at some people and accusing Hajime of being the traitor.
Nagito's used his luck to hedge his bets that the traitor would be the one to kill him. That way if they guessed that he committed suicide or they voted for anyone other than the traitor they'd all die and the traitor would go free.
The twist is cool, but the whole thing was confusing to read with really wacky pacing, characters seem thrown in for no real reason (what the heck was the point of the
The twist is cool, but the whole thing was confusing to read with really wacky pacing, characters seem thrown in for no real reason (what the heck was the point of the
Yuto passed info along and generally kept Ryoko on the trail of
despair
the investigation, basically making sure she wasn't completely lost. Yasuke
was trying his damnedest to prevent Junko from being consumed by her lust for despair and throwing the world into chaos, he's basically the catalyst for the whole story.
Finally got to see the PV. From what I see, the shift in tone between the start of both arcs are quite stark - it is going to be interesting to see how everything develops, considering the obvious end of the Despair part.
Also, I can't believe that Farmer guy voice. It is quite unexpected.
DAMN the trailer was amazing :O I like all of the new characters' designs, but rofl at the Ultimate Farmer's voice. Watching the
DR2 cast again gave me the feels, specially when Chiaki appears asdfghjkl definitely didn't expect her to be a student (unless there's some kind of twist?). It's cool that things like Mahiru and Hiyoko being friends or Kazuichi having an obsession with Sonia still happened before the despair stuff. And seems like Nagito hasn't shown his "hopeful" side for at least the first episodes.
So Kazuichi invented BBM, I wonder if he also invented the execution machines as people have speculated. Seems like Hiyoko and Ibuki are doing a show for the Monokuma-people, while Fuyuhiko becomes Ultimate Despair before Peko?
And correct me if I'm wrong but, are the little kids
So Kazuichi invented BBM, I wonder if he also invented the execution machines as people have speculated. Seems like Hiyoko and Ibuki are doing a show for the Monokuma-people, while Fuyuhiko becomes Ultimate Despair before Peko?
And correct me if I'm wrong but, are the little kids
Yes, it appears as though Hiyoko and Ibuki are using their talents to excite and convert people at a sort of concert/rally. Fuyuhiko being the Ultimate Yakuza was probably really useful in organizing and recruiting people to the UD as well as the concerts and rallies. Not sure who converted first, but Peko would do absolutely whatever Fuyuhiko said, so that could be the case.
The kids are Nagisa and Kotoko, referencing his time in Towa City, which ended with him prepping Monaca to be Junko 2.0..
