Why Danganronpa Another Episode Is So Polarizing
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- Опубліковано 7 лип 2024
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Danganronpa has never been a stranger to branching out, but its only major spinoff title, "Ultra Despair Girls", is quite the polarizing title for the franchise. Does this story-focused, action heavy survival horror meet the lofty expectations of the installments it comes after? Or does it sink to despairing new lows? In this third installment of the Danganronpa Retrospective, let's talk about it.
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CHAPTER LIST:
00:00 - INTRODUCTION
02:35 - PART 1: BRANCHING OUT
10:00 - PART 2: THE WARRIORS OF HOPE
22:47 - PART 3: CRYING FOR LOVE IN HELL
46:29 - PART 4: LEGEND OF THE REVOLUTION
1:05:42 - PART 5: CUTE GIRL'S BATTLEFIELD
1:22:40 - PART 6: THE WAY WE LIVE
1:56:02 - PART 7: ABSOLUTE DESPAIR GIRLS
2:31:49 - FINALE: THE CHANGING WORLD WE MADE
2:36:54 - OUTRO + NEXT TIME PREVIEW
#Danganronpa #UltraDespairGirls #DanganronpaDecadence
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Danganronpa has a way of investing you in their characters and then making you absolutely infuriated at how they're written later
I’ve gotta say, if it weren’t for that egregious mini game, UDG would’ve ALMOST had a very tasteful and accurate depiction of a child r*** victim. Breaking down from a trigger word, the line about being abandoned, even her hyper-sexual demeanor (while I understand why it turned off a lot of people) is common in children who’ve been sexually abused on a regular basis as they’re attempting to normalize their experiences and lack the mental and social maturity to know that it’s inappropriate. Even her perspective on “adorable” girls needing to “know their place” could be Kotoko just mimicking her mother’s messed up beliefs, another common behavior of children that age as their parents are the main adults they have to model. If ONLY they hadn’t made that scene into a disgusting mini game that practically undid that depiction.
...honestly, to me, every single justification people give for enjoying this kind of content seems... disingenuous.
yeah it's accurate but the accuracy was on accident, a side effect of trying to titillate an audience. Really unfortunate.
I think having Kotoko go through the scene where she has her tied up and then just going to black without the "busy" text would have been sufficient. Then the next time you see her would be when she is getting saved. Instead of having her clothes come off during the fight they could have had her clothes tattered and some parts already removed. That would have gotten their point across well enough. After all it is not untrue that victims can become perpetrators as well which is what they were trying to show, however, a minigame depicting it full of humor was completely unnecessary.
@@appalachiabrauchfrau Late af but it absolutely wasn’t on accident. You don’t accidentally write a character like Kotoko, ignoring the mini game.
@@gsofficial Enjoying it? No, the depictions are not meant to be enjoyed (or at least shouldn't be). This is understanding and empathy for the character, not enjoyment of their story.
Gotta say, I think there was a missed opportunity with Toko’s character. It’s heavily implied that she had an abusive childhood that messed her up, but in a story about kids being abused it is never really brought up for some reason.
That is likely because a big main point of Toko's character in UDG was about her going through a terrible past-both as a child and during dr1-and still moving forward despite it. She constantly does things like scold Komaru for "complaining instead of moving forward despite it" which more heavily alludes to this. That being said, I also would've liked it if it was talked about outside of the optional dialogues that go more into her trauma
@@kaitomomota3010 Well you could still have her moving forward from her trauma while also addressing and struggling with it in the game.
@@thearomanticshipper4468 yeah she does, but only in the side convos like the books scattered around. i get it though, would've been nicer if it wasn't missable
Yeah, you know what, that's actually an interesting point. The game is so heavy with child abuse that it tackles Toko's childhood issues rather...lightly. But maybe it's meant to convey that she's mostly past it.
i totally agree, after all DID is only formed through immense childhood trauma
Personally, I think Kotoko’s scenes and descriptive backstory (should have been?) put there for child abuse awareness. These things really happen in real life, and many cases go unreported and/or unresolved (my mother has worked at a child abuse advocacy nonprofit her whole life, and I have first hand experience from way too many of my peers, so I very much know that it does happen irl). The humor about it is the unforgivable part, really. Kotoko’s “then why didn’t anyone help me” line is a phrase that comes up a lot in trainings and books I’ve read about this topic (and personally made me break down in tears when I was playing this lol). If the jokes about this abuse were gone, this would be a very impactful thing to put in the game, in my opinion. This whole game’s villainous theme is child abuse, and using a theme like that really gets the player thinking about a lot of important things, and, again if this was taken seriously in the game, would seal my admiration for the game.
Yeah, agreed with all this.
I agree
I agree with this, very much so. 👍
Agreed. I personally really appreciate Kotoko, but just can't with how they decided to use her as humor. Both her and Mikan deserved more respect from the writers.
@@naolucillerandom5280 while i agree about mikan, i feel like the joking about kotoko's trauma is more of a fandom problem than an actual game thing, I didn't finish the game cuz i got stuck on the "defend nagisa from monokumas" part, but if this is about the gentle word i feel like they werent trying to play it for laughs
One fun fact about the English dub for this I think is worth noting is that the shirokuma/kurokuma/Junko VA similarity is preserved in a way only possible in the English version as in English Junko has 2 VAs that split up her personalities, Amanda Miller and Erin Fitzgerald. And in this game Shirokuma is played by Amanda MIller and Kurokuma is played by Erin Fitzgerald thus making them completely different but also both still Junko which I found very interesting.
"That sounds awesome!"
They're also the voices of Toko's two personalities, which adds another cool layer to it.
Thats actually so fucking cool what
Seeing how good junko is at manipulating people in this game makes it more grating how they just used mind control as her means of causing despair instead of the genius mastermind we used to think she was.
Everybody at the time when the anime came was so looking forward to how masterful her manipulation was just to be greeted with the minimum effort.
That's exactly how I felt about DR3, but going back to DR2's trial 6, it's explicitly mentionned that they've been brainwashed, and that it's reversible. So I'm not really sure how to feel about this one.
It's shown to be a mix, not just pure and complete brainwashing. The same way some characters in V3 may have been overwritten in ways, it was more as a form of setup than the actual plan in full. The same is the case in basically all other cases
@@sylvelouise8388 i don't think that means much, especially considering that naegi says like 5 minutes later that he doesn't know why they became SHSL despair in the first place, even when he asked everyone. he also says he has faith in them "despite them walking down the wrong path" which implies that it was a choice they made, not something they were mindhacked to do. on top of monokuma explicitly stating that they were manipulated, tsumiki at the end of chapter 3, komaeda in chapter 0, twilight syndrome as a means of showing up how fucked up HPA actually was...yeah i'm still pissed LMAO
@@seriesofironicevents9648 there's elements of dr3 that are fine, such as how hajime is portrayed before the project, the student council death game, chiaki's execution, and honestly future side wasn't *horrible*, but as a whole, it's really... bad, tbh? I guess I just don't understand why they decided to tone Junko down so much. She went from this genius mastermind who took over the world, to some crazy girl (and her sister) getting lucky. Also the way she got out of being caught by Juzo? Yeah that sucked lol.
@@dataexpunged93N15 Nah the student council death was trash they didn't get names or even valid reasons to start killing each other only that Kisaragi girl saw her motive it was pure gore fest felt like the director of the episode was into hardcore Ryona
2:11:24 Following up where you left off, regarding Monaca’s speech about pitying “weak”/disabled children, I’m someone who has Crohn’s Disease. It’s not the most traditional condition that one thinks of when you hear the term disability like in the cases of those with prosthetics or neurological disorders, but it falls under the same umbrella term. It’s made for just as many trips to the hospital over my lifetime, and I was diagnosed with it at the age of 2, now 21. It’s been as much part of me as my complexion or eye color, but then again is just as susceptible to if not discrimination, badmouthing due to instances like what Monaca portrays. All it ever takes to set back any minority group, is one louder voice that does something abhorrent. A person that either does have, or claims to have, a different sexual orientation or gender identity that hurts someone, opens the door for grifters to say the lgbt+ community as a whole is predatory. One person of color who gets involved in a petty crime, opens the floodgates for racially driven riots, etc.
In my personal experience, I’ve never had someone say I was faking my circumstances for attention. The biggest issue I’ve had in recent memory with my experience as someone with a disability being challenged, was by a professor in my current junior year of university. I’m a music major, and I had a major surgical procedure done last July, and I’m still in recovery and need to be near the bathroom a lot. I’m using the bathroom 10+ times everyday right now, and several instances that interrupt my sleep, leading to sleep deprivation. It hasn’t been fun. So, as a music major, I need to take part in at least 2 ensembles before I hope to graduate next spring, and I thought this wasn’t a good time since I don’t want to be a liability due to my health (not being available for practices, stuff like that.) My professor kept insisting that I join an ensemble this semester, but I told him now was a good time due to my health, and he wouldn’t accept the answer I gave him initially, and even added me to a group chat for one against my own wishes. He thought it was a matter of me not having confidence in my ability, and while it is part of his job as a professor in that department to get students to join ensembles, I had a good reason for NOT taking part in one, which he ignored several times, until I emailed him with my school’s Office of Disabilities cc’d on the message, in which I apprised him of my entire medical history in the last year and why I couldn’t take part this semester.
He accepted the answer only then, and still made it a point to reply saying I shared more information than I needed to, which is a complete lie, given that he wouldn’t accept any answer I gave prior to that. The whole exchange was handled really unprofessionally, and at best I think he was intentionally misconstruing what I was saying to get me to join an ensemble, and by extension disregarding the concerns I had for my own health. He hasn’t really believed in many health precautions the university set in place during the pandemic or vaccines as a whole though, so I think part of his perspective comes from someone who just doesn’t believe in most medicine, and who has never been as sickly by comparison. That’s my two cents though.
To answer your concerns though, I think you gave a fair criticism of Monaca’s ideology, and it didn’t come off badly to me.
@@downbeatdialga1341 I'm late to this, as someone with ASD (technically partial, but I think that's bullshit) & ADHD, yeah it's a fair criticism. I haven't been accused of faking my condition. I have been discriminated by teachers a few times (not getting extra time for tests when I needed it). I agree with with your answer. I personally think Kodaka handled it fine. While it wasn't exactly self-aware per se, It wasn't blown out of proportion.
@@WizedexRealthe partial term (ass burgers) has been abolished so you’re not the only one who thinks it’s bullshit
Haiji’s…. “quirk” just makes me all the more concerned about what he may or may not have done to Monaca growing up.
I didn’t even know he was that way until I had watched your video, Christ
It sounds like a remnant from a previous story element that most likely got removed. Simply because it never plays a part in the story. It would have shown up in the Monaca story if that's what they meant. They probably kept the line because of the satire part no one seems to be able to see. The reason why the pedo parts of the story are there in the first place. It's to make the adults look even more irredeemable. Then it's to make the children look equally as irredeemable.
The story constantly tries to trick you into thinking that one side is right. That one side is wrong. The entire point of the story is there are times when everyone is wrong and there are better solutions. Whereas this is relatable to other countries it definitely is a stronger message in Japan itself. It's directly commentating on what their culture has become. Not the anime and game part, but the business and prostitution part of it. They are saying that it's obvious these things are wrong and we should be making changes to society for everyone to be happy before we have someone like Junko show up.
It's just done by showing the absolute worst case scenarios. To make a point.
I don't think there even is a "may not".
Okg I forgot about that they’re related
Well, he didnt actually do that to her. But he still abused her, just not by doing that
shingetsu in this game always gets to me. the warriors of hope are all extremely complex in the ways their abuse interacts with the way they behave, but the way shingetsu clings to monaca because even though she treats him terribly, she still treats him as a person and not a test subject, really makes me feel a lot. abused kids often unintentionally seek out similar treatment and that angle is painfully clear in all the warriors of hope, but shingetsu especially. for all its many faults, udg always rings true to me in its depictions of what abuse can do to a child (Those Scenes with kotoko aside) and doesnt shy away from it. its a complicated game to talk about but parts of it hit home in a way few other pieces of media ever have.
absolutely loved this video! these retrospectives make my day whenever theyre released, this was so worth waiting for
I really appreciate the inclusion of Shingetsu’s brand of trauma- verbal, sexual, and physical abuse are pretty consistently covered by media that depicts child abuse- but you don’t see straight-up emotional neglect too often. Obviously it was dramatized with the treatment of him as a test subject, but the whole ‘someone says they love me and they want what’s best for me, and I haven’t felt that before’ reason behind his loyalty to Monica… that whole arc of his story was compelling, and hit a bit close to home.
Also, if it makes you feel any better, it’s entirely possible different writers wrote the extremely different scenes in Kotoko’s chapter. For a while, I lived in an area with a LOT of both aspiring AND employed, professional game developers, and whenever they talked about Danganronpa (admittedly, not often) a consistent criticism was how narratively all over the place it could be, how inconsistent its tone can be. They ascribed it to a disjointed writing team. I wouldn’t be AT ALL surprised, then, if the sections that are entirely cutscene were designed and written by someone who handled it with more care, and another person did more designing/writing of the horrible in-game scenes. The team overall, and the producer of the game, absolutely deserve blame for those scenes happening, but I highly doubt such different scenes were written by one person- thus the tonal disconnect.
I’d like to point out a detail I really liked. In chapter 3 (I think), Haiji tells Komaru and Toko an Aesop’s Fable about a war between birds and beasts and a bat that played both sides. But because he couldn’t get too close to either, in the end when there was peace, the bat ended up alone.
That was foreshadowing chapter 5 when we learn that Towa Group played the sides of both hope and despair. But in the end, Haiji ended up with nothing, just like the bat.
haiji ended up with no bitches(please laugh its totally funny)
I find the Haiji and Kotoko scene kinda symbolic, but seeing as how Kodaka and writers butchered the scenes with both if them, we don't get to actually delve on the fact that Kotoko, one who initially lived in hatred and fear because of what she went through, was able to help the protags by jumping on one of the adults who were similar to those who hurt her, and preventing the potential mass murder of innocents
I never see enough people talk about it. I’ve always found it very important that it was Kotoko specifically that tried to attack Haiji. I also think it’s interesting that she does so right as he’s about to physically attack Toko, when Syo was the one to save her after her boss battle.
It makes you wonder if she knew Haiji's a pedophile.
Facts
One of the most major things I have learned about Danganronpa during this retrospective series is that Danganronpa REALLY loves reverse typecasting celebrity voice actors
1:34:05 One thing to point out it that you're not shooting Toko with the hacking gun, you're shooting her taser. When she jumps onto the lanterns, you can see her grabbing batteries to prolong the time she spends as Syo, and you have to shoot the taser when she pulls it out to shock herself again.
That's also why her health is portrayed as a battery meter, because you have to wait for them to run out so she can stop shocking herself.
Omg! I never would have realised!! Thanks for pointing this out, it makes sense now
Kotoko’s story is icky to play through (wtf was that one section - you know the one I mean) but I think she’s my favourite character from the game besides Toko. I really like that she’s more of a neutral party interested in self preservation above all else, it makes sense. She’s also used to being manipulated and abused, as upsetting as it is, so the way Monaca goes about manipulating her is bound to make her the kid to turn on her at the end. The game is very clumsy in handling the issue, but it does have some powerful elements
I hate 3rd chapter of UDG because of that one mini game, but I also adore it because it's Kotoko's chapter and she is legit my favourite WOH
Agreed, she's a genuinely interesting character. It's a shame about that one part, though, because they easily could've replaced it with dental horror. For example, Kotoko knocking Komaru out, then she's strapped to a dentist chair, and you have to prevent dental tools from getting to her face/mouth. The other scenes were enough, as far as backstory goes.
That one section was fanservice that the devs didn't realize didn't belong in this gritty and realistic story about psychological trauma. If you're going to subject a character to that sort of thing, you have to put them in a setting that's removed from any sort of large statement about society, or else you run the risk of it being included in your overall message, which is precisely what happened here. You can't have realism and fun at the same time. It just makes you look like you condone it in real life.
@@dataexpunged93N15 Also no. Just no. A thousand times no.
Unfortunately for me, the icky section makes it all even MORE relatable...
Therapists, teach kids coping mechanisms. Gotdamn.
You: Look, I know you probably hate Monaka.
Me, who loves Monaka and has blatant sympathy for her, despite her awful actions: Uh... No, I'm with you.
I honestly, totally, completely believe that Monaka lied about that suicide attempt being a prank. I think she was genuinely trying to die, and just didn't want to admit that. She shows blatant suicidal thoughts in her diary and notes, I just can't believe that it wasn't genuine. I understand why people don't like her, but personally, I feel really bad for her. I think if there was one genuinely kind person in her life, things might have turned out better. If she met Makoto instead of Junko, for example. Or... really most of any of the other DR characters instead of Junko, who's kindness was only there to use her. Maybe I'm too soft, and if this was something that happened in real life, maybe I wouldn't be as forgiving, but despite Monaka being undeniably abusive, it's also clear that that behavior comes from Junko and all the other shitty people in her life. I may never fully forgive her for her treatment of Kotoko and Nagisa, but I genuinely feel bad for her. She's one of my favorites; she's undeniably fucked up, but I can't help to wonder how much being that way is truly her fault? (I mean, I think if any if us had Haiji as a brother, we'd be pretty fucked up.)
Monaka is a product of abuse, and she isn't a pretty product. I get that no one wants to buy her because of that. But I still truly feel bad for her.
I'm honestly really relieved that you aren't on the "uncritically hate Monaka" bandwagon. She's a child. She's an abused child who was manipulated by every single adult in her life, including Junko. What she's done is awful, perhaps not truly forgivable, but I don't think this was inevitable. I don't think Monaka was a inherently awful person before what happened to her happened. I don't think she was born as a bad kid.
I don't think any kid is born as a bad kid.
So, as someone who loves Monaka, thanks for your defense of her. I understand why people hate her, but I think you can hate her for her murder and treatment of the WOH, while still acknowledging her trauma and why she's like this.
Yay, Monaca fan club. (Also if there is one person that can make the appeal of despair fade away with how obsessed he is over it its Komaeda, making Monaca quit when she had the winning hand)
I entirely agree on the part that what she did is wrong but you should acknowledge her past trauma
this exactly !! i used to dislike monaka (more critical reasons though), but now i just feel bad for her and i kinda like her, not gonna lie. i find her to be an interesting character
I agree with you on many levels, really. Monaca is a child whose background should be viewed as hell. As it seems to me, by no means she ever had any chance to learn to trust, to love, to live, to enjoy the living and it's no wonder why her entire personality is fucked up. She creates chaos to feel meaningful. Her goal is as grand as a war is and her ways are vile and she is still a child who is hurting badly
Monaca for me is just like what Misa is to Light Yagami. Basically characters like Junko or Light are so vile and corruptive, that if you emulate them because you genuinely CARED for their cause it most likely means that you're corrupted and broken. At the long term, you aren't going to stand out and it just shows how far you've gone.
one of the theories i've seen a couple times is that Komaru and Makoto were swapped on the ultimate department. in the sense that Komaru was the real ultimate lucky student (leaving out Nagito here, focusing on the lottery at Hope's Peak aspect to being regarded as lucky.) and Makoto didn't have a real ultimate talent. or maybe they both did as siblings, have yin and yang talents. just very calm and petty compared to that luck of Nagito.
Komaru's luck in that case, keeping her from going to HP, and in turn not suffering the future wrath of the killing school life.
her ability to survive a helicopter crash, and just her getting through this whole ordeal alive while so many others weren't so lucky makes it a fun and mildly convincing theory. plus, Makoto throughout DR1 is shown to have pretty tame but otherwise bad luck. not extreme like Nagito, but along with this - Komaru doesn't have ~extreme~ good luck either.
Well, Makoto actually turns out to have pretty good luck when he needs it the most, too. The bad luck he had with his finicky bathroom door ended up exonerating him. The deciding factor between DR1's bad end and the storyline continuing into its endgame is entirely that only when he's the one in harm's way does the execution end up failing. Considering Asahina's bro could swim almost as well as the gal herself, it doesn't seem out of the question that both Naegis could have the same sort of luck -- the luck we often take for granted in assuming our protagonists just have plot armor.
i think that kotoko is probably a spirit medium due to the several times she mentioned being able to hear ghosts
I thought everything was staged, even the helicopter crash so Monaca could play her little game with Servant
The thing is that Makot's good luck disguises itself as bad luck. "Oh no, my bathroom door is broken!" Well, it ends up saving his effin live. "Oh no i slipped on this paper!" Well you just escaped death by flying wrench
@@patinhoquemoralogoali9280 "Oh no, my fire extinguisher missed!" Well, it made for a perfect sneak attack to somebody's head!
Kodaka *after playing through the final build for the first time*: I may have gone too far in a few places.
It's like poetry, they rhyme.
Makoto: *installs Nord VPN into the Neo World Program*
AE Junko: You weren't supposed to do that...
I really pity all the people in the team that very clearly wanted to give Kotoko's story the respect and seriousness that such a terrible, but sadly very realistic, past deserves. But instead, had to contend with the scenes that treat her abuse with respect like the initial Monaca scene and the chapter ending scene, coexisting with all the tasteless scenes that make light of her abuse.
Sometimes I want to take this game from Kodaka and rewrite it because there's so much good stuff here that's marred by DR's strangely consistent botching of SA in particular. I can't be the only one who's noticed that, right?
Of all the topics DR tries to cover, anytime there's a victim of SA (Kotoko, Mikan) they become a gag, often involving them put in a sexual position. With Mikan it was those incredibly annoying tripping scenes and with Kotoko it was showing her underwear and making the dumbass mini game.
And with characters like TeruTeru, while admittedly a specific kind of gag character that's been normalized (for some reason), it similarly shows a lack of tact. Literally none of the sexual jokes made in these games are clever or funny at all. Sexual = Funny is such a juvenile way of looking at humor.
The scene with Touko trying her damndest to be able to accept Komaru calling her Touko-chan was funny and lifted my spirits! And that was done without any weird incest or sexual jokes. Like that actually made me smile!! I don't get why they insist on dumping in badly thought out jokes when anything else could add some levity more efficiently. 😔
I could also go on a whole rant about how the portrayal of mental health issues are also treated as a joke... but I won't. Chapter 3 in particular was just... disgusting.
That's how I feel for all the games to some extent. There is so much good and insightful commentary and theming here that's just stacked with poor writing choices or just a shitty sense of humor.
This is a problem I have with anime as a whole and by extension "anime games". It's really conflicting because in any other scenario, SA being brushed off as a joke would make me turn off and quit whatever I was watching/playing, but because I know it's so engraved into anime culture that it's unavoidable, I have to sit there and deal with it lest I miss out on this entire medium that has brought many great things into my life.
Because they feel so out of place to me, it really makes me wonder if they're forced to meet some kind of "quota" or something.
@@rojotm3378 I might be stupid but I don't know what Chapter 3 you're referring to
Im not sure if Im the only one but I actually like the sarcastic additions of Komaru's voicelines in the English localization. It adds a lot of flavor to her persona and is hoenstly a pretty realistic way to talk to someone as weird and unhinged as Fukawa. Also her brother had flavors of sarcasm as well, so it makes sense for it to be a shared thing between them.
The video isn't out yet, but i just wanna gush about UDG. i know its polarizing, and i get why it is, but that doesn't change that something about it just engages me more than any of the other games. i dont have anything well thought out, so imma bullet point:
• i love toko and komaru, both as a ship and just as a dynamic. the development they both go through is really well done too
• i want to adopt all the warriors of hope and show them the love they never got. i dont even like kids that much, but i still care for all of them so much
• the games honestly really funny. the part where nagito just has marker all over his face is just so hilarious to me. yes, i know i have a low bar
• while the themes of abuse can be handled... poorly, to say the least, i feel like it has parts where its done really well- mainly masaru, jataro, and nagisa, but i feel like kotoko has a few moments that work well
• the addition of haiji helps me appreciate how much worse other characters could be
im happy to clarify if anyone cares (:
One of my absolutely favorite lines is kotokos gutwrenching „then why didn‘t anyone save me!?! If the world is so good, why did nobody help me escape?!?“ followed by a quick „oh I didn‘t mean it“ aka shit my mask slipped. It was so real, so raw. Such anger at the unfairness of her place in the world…
shes right, and the writers did great with that and similar scenes
*"* AAAAAAYYYYYYY IT'S MARKER FACE (Nagito) *"*
I don't understand this whole "toko and makoto's sister relationship development" it was all trash talk from Toko and the same "don't give up" speech for the 50th time before the last 30 mins of the game where Toko stops being rude for once but then regresses again by the end
@@superdupersomething Toko being rude is just how her character is written, but at the end of the game she’s fully opened up to Komaru so she can (relatively speaking) give a joke and take one
Following on from what you said about Monoca pretending to be disabled, I'm an ambulatory wheelchair user - most days I'll use a walking stick, some days crutches and other days my wheelchair. I can walk but it's often shaky and with poor co ordination. I get accused of faking it every so often because people see a wheelchair user's legs move and think that they've found one of the illusive fakers. If I stand up in tescos half the people think it's the second coming of Christ and the other half are on the phone to get my benefits taken away. It's tiring and frustrating and I'm so fed up of it being used as a trope.
But in this case, I agree that it was maybe the only way for Monoca to survive in that house and the fact that no one questioned it shows that it wasn't outside the realm of possibility with what was being done to her. For a child to have the idea of faking a disability to stop being abused is horrific and shows that everything she went through was so much worse.
So yeah, could I have done without one of the only disabled characters in this series actually just faking it? Yes. But does it make sense for this character? Also yes.
WHY CAN'T DR HAVE A SINGLE GOOD CHAPTER 3!?
I've always considered Jataro to be my absolute favourite character of all time out of any DR game or any piece of media for that matter. He's so incredibly endearing as a character as well as his design. He's not discussed often and rarely even makes an appearance in UDG but when he does he's just so endearing and wonderful to listen to which credit is owed to both the original and eng VA's (the English va's work for Jataro is severely underrated she really turned it out tbh).
There's really no other way for me to describe him other than purely endearing, for example he carries around an oxygen tank for no apparent reason, his character animations show him rocking back and forth slightly, his room smells like paint thinner (relatable) and he doesn't want to hurt the ice cream store I think it's an actual crime that no one acknowledges how genuinely adorable he is.
Anyway I like Jataro Kemuri a lot!
I like him a lot too, something in hi resonates deeply with me
same here. i was a weirdo in elementary school too, so i relate to him a lot. hes definitely my favorite UDG character
She’s attacking the charging stun gun, overloading it
I missed it, yeah, haha.
I just barely finished the game in time for this video! So before it’s posted, gonna put my thoughts really quick on the game! (I say really quick, but it’s a bit of an essay, readers beware!)
Komaru and Toko are, unsurprisingly, the best part of the game. I love them as a dynamic, and seeing Toko try so hard near the end made my heart melt every time! The Warriors of Hope are also a big favorite of mine, they’re largely written *super* well as realistic kids with problems, and I appreciate that! (I work as a mentor for kids in rough situations at home/school, so I’ve come across kids who act like they do, to a lesser scale of course). I enjoyed the story and the moral, and came away understanding why people were a bit let down by certain aspects of DR3 anime, haha.
But… I mean, there’s a reason the game took me like 10x as long to beat from any other DR game. I think *because* the kids are written so close to how I’ve met real kids, some of the portrayal… leaves much to be desired. I appreciate approaching difficult topics, but portraying things for laughs that should *not* was a common problem. I loved Kotoko, for example, but hated that EVERY scene with the MCs had to include a panty shot. And then there’s Haiji. The worst thing about him, in my opinion, is that the awful stuff just… doesn’t need to be there??? It’s literally mentioned like 3 times, always for laughs, and never impacts his character or his story. Just cut it, and he would have been a much more enjoyable character.
Overall I really liked the game! But those scenes… they left me legitimately cringing away from the screen, or skipping dialogue just to get past it. I would love to play a sequel if it was handled a bit better, but I’m not sure I’ll replay the game any time soon. Maybe rewatch some scenes, but that’s probably it. And it’s such a shame! I love characters like Nagisa, Kotoko, Komaru, even Monaca! I’ve always been a Nagito fan, so seeing him and trying to piece together his plan was fun! And the moral ambiguity of the end conflict was really well done! But… I’d never be able to play again without just dreading when another problematic scene would crop up again…
Not to expound too much before my own thoughts actually come out in the video, lol, but definitely agreed on all of this. Haiji in particular I think makes a pretty excellent embodiment (most of the time) of the themes the game is trying to call into question. Because one can absolutely see how one would fall to his perspective, but it's one that's so largely unsympathetic and hard-hearted that I felt genuinely compelled by how frustrated I was with him by the end, because I do think that's largely the point. Being able to explore those perspectives well enough to realize he's a selfish, hateful person that masks as a leader or someone to look up to says a lot about the power dynamics the warriors and other children have largely suffered from in the first place. His creepshow nonsense only serves imo to undercut what made him a compelling antagonist, because it distracts from what's so subtly nefarious about him and makes a dumb joke out of something that's not at all funny lol.
@@NezumiVA Exactly! It seems like such a strange decision to make. He was already a compellingly dislikable character, I just can’t understand why they decided to add something that would just make people shut down on him completely. No one really wants to discuss him as a character, since it feels gross and wrong due to that one aspect to even try and understand him. Look forward to seeing more of your thoughts later today!
Yeah. To be honest that's one of the things that prevents me from wanting to play the game myself.
Too much lewd situations with Komaru and the thing with Kotoko makes me REALLY uncomfortable
@@NezumiVA I don't really believe those scenes regarding Haiji being a creepshow are actually intended to be funny in the first place, nor are they pointless. They are downplayed as a joke at the time, but... Isn't it really a clue regarding how Monaca has been treated? She has been sexually abused by Haiji, which ties up the last loose end in Monaca's role in the story. Read between the lines, and the conclusion is that Monaca has suffered all the same kinds of abuse as each of the other Warriors of Hope. Physical abuse, just like Masaru, emotional abuse, just like Jataro, sexual abuse, just like Kotoko, and the excessive pressure to produce results, just like Nagisa.
If you analyze her behavior versus that of the other Warriors of Hope, you can see glimpses of the same behaviors and coping mechanisms from all of them within her personality. The way she can let herself be hit in the face until her cheek is bruised and ugly without flinching, the way she can act so overjoyed to be hated and viewed with disgust, the way she makes sexual innuendos and acts as if to play it down as no big deal, and the way she strives so hard to make a plan that she hopes would make her idol proud come to fruition. The game doesn't go into as much detail regarding the abuse she experienced compared to the others, but I think that's because the creators assumed it wouldn't need to; you have seen enough by now to piece it all together. In short, the Umineko challenge to figure out the whydunnit for yourself is a strong element in Monaca's character.
If that was the intention behind it, I don't think the scenes in particular played it very well regardless. Komaru's line about finding his honesty attractive is especially gross imo and serves very little purpose if they wanted you to loathe it about him. I like what you posit! I think it definitely makes things a bit more poignant in that manner, but I don't know that I agree with it being the obvious intention of the developers. I think it's more likely they kinda slipped into that one by happy accident in the process of making a tasteless joke, like they already had plenty of times earlier in the game. But that's just my two cents.
I love the thematic parallels of the first two games to this one. Originally, we are shown teens and young adults being pushed to the point of murder. We see the different motives, and their different hopes and despairs in a contained environment. In UDG, we see the motives that could push a child to those same breaking points in an open environment. They’re telling so much of the same story, and yet they are also vastly different.
1:48:27 about that weird line Komaru says, in the original Japanese she says something different. She says “*Up until now*, he *seemed* so cool.” Like the entire line is completely different, she's saying that she thought he looked cool UNTIL he admitted to being a freak, not that he became more attractive after admitting it. I don't know why they fumbled the line so hard unless if they really wanted to make Komaru look worse.
Damn, that sucks because that's genuinely a way better line lmao. Granted, the jokey tone is still...bizarre but it would've definitely helped.
I played the dub of this game, and fun fact Haiji Towa's VA is Matthew Mercer. Another Fun Fact: You can audibly hear Mercer's discomfort when delivering "that" line.
Also for some reason he sounded more like Travis Touchdown/Master Miller in the controller scene
Speaking as someone with a disability (full disclosure, my disability is damage to the left arm, so not the paralysis Monaca claims), I can't say that Monaca's entire character sits very well with me, not just the fact that they're faking their disability. There's unfortunately a stereotype of the 'manipulative disabled person' in a lot of media, and 'faking their disability' is quite often a factor in that.
It's not hard to see how it happens. Heroes tend to be physical, so to contrast that, the villain is often shown as intelligent and shrewd. How do you show they're not necessarily on the heroes physical level? Well, give them something "wrong" with them. At the end, when the hero is confronting the villain, how do you make the bad guy a threat? Surprise, they were faking the whole time!
Unfortunately that tends to lead to the message that...well, disabled people are untrustworthy. Leeches upon society who manipulate people. Maybe they're even lying about their disability! This can be particularly troublesome for people with invisible illnesses like chronic pain, where what's wrong with them isn't inherently obvious.
This sort of attitude is already prevalent in society (thanks capitalism) and leads to funding for services that are meant to aid them in..uh...living...gets underfunded and more and more hurdles are put into place for people seeking those services. To, again, live.
Obviously I can only speak for myself, everyone has their own thoughts, and I don't think it's as bad as...whatever...is happening in Chapter 3. But it's a tired old stereotype that is reinforcing some harmful views of people with disabilities, and disappointing to see.
I feel like her getting her legs crushed is kind of her punishment for faking a disability, faking having something untill you actually have it. If the game made it clearer that the reason she got her legs crushed was because of that, maybe it would be half as bad as it was. But im not disabled so I cant say much about it.
As a pretty damn disabled person myself who needs mobility aids on occasion, my thoughts around Monaca's faking needing a wheelchair are that I don't think it's particularly distasteful though the implication that all wheelchair users are paralyzed does feel slightly sore. In reality Monaca technically could still have a disability where she needed a wheelchair sometimes but not so much other times, I have friends like that. Whenever people like me with dynamic disabilities exist with different levels of ability some able-bodied people will be quick to assume we're faking when usually that's not the case. Just some food for thought from my complicated perspective
I really don't mind this part of the game, especially not as much compared to what they did with Kotoko. I'm a CSA survivor too and her story really rings home for me in certain ways but the way it's used for comedy is really really gross.
I think the sequence where Kotoko was assaulting Komaru could've been less deplorable though equally as dark if they took it more seriously. If Kotoko was seriously furthering her own asssault onto Komaru I could see it as a depiction of someone who isn't the "perfect victim" and has been turned to hypersexuality and inappropriate behavior as a result of their f'ed up view of sexuality after abuse. This perspective is a lot more relatable to me (i am not an abuser though I am hypersexual and incredibly damaged in this way) although portraying victims of abuse as destined to continue that abuse also has its own problems
I remember really liking this games story, but I completely forgot about the way the game's tone shifts in regards to Utsugi's trauma. That was a point in the game I remember reacting to with a lot of disgust at the time, so it's surprising that I straight up blocked it out until I saw this video.
I can't wait to see a review of this game, the only one I know nothing about, and I can finally understand references to it that people make. Thank you!
Just play it dude, it’s so much better
@@gontagokaharu7638 you assume I have the money
1:18:50 an hour into the vid and just wanted to mention that text on the bottom is so adorable out of context, aside from the demon hunting part that is
1:34:29 maybe it's to undo the effects of the taser?
@@spritepepsiplushes8353 I’m not assuming anything I’m just saying it’s a better experience playing it, and worth the money you may or may not have
i never liked that the rubble falling on monaca seemed to imply that her legs were injured in the same way she was pretending, as if it was some kind of "karma" to become disabled. i think this is walked back (?) in d3, like. most things are, but i always felt icky about that. i agree with a lot of your thought on the game, and as someone who has had to defend children in other media for clearly being products of their environment, i appreciated how you talked about monaca!
If I were the writer I would have had Komaru go back to the resistance base alone but Kotoko shows up with the rest of the Monokumas to level the resistance's base. Komaru realizing she played directly into the attackers' hands tries to stop the monokumas from killing as many people as she can but the battle ends up opening a sink hole in the crumbling building that Komaru narrowly avoids falling through by hanging onto bent support beams on the edge. Her grip slowly slipping as she desperately tries to pull herself up.
That's when Syo "shows" up. Right when Komaru loses her grip Syo grabs her hand and pulls her to safety. Kotoko taunts the duo to face her in her own coliseum before leading to a fight with Kotoko.
It wouldn't change the trajectory of the plot at all and on top of cutting out a disgusting and unnecessary sequence of events it would make the resistance becoming more violent more impactful since they lost a huge asset that protected them for so long and have become more desperate in wake of it's loss.
It could also provide an avenue to show that Syo is starting to care for Komaru too. Perhaps when Syo first arrives she starts plowing through Monokumas and craking jokes in her typical fashion but when Komaru starts to fall she lets out a scream and Syo drops everything to dash to Komaru before it's too late, only narrowly getting a grip on her hand. She remains silent as she pulls her up and the silence is only broken when Komaru hugs her in tears. I dunno, if you guys have anything to add or if you would have done something different let me know in the replies!
I love Monaca so much, she's my 2nd fav Danganronpa character! She's a great villain and her actions are understandable looking at her background. Though I am biased towards loving evil children, my fav slasher is Bloody Birthday after all. She is more complicated than most think, and while she definitely isn't a good person and should take some responsibility for her actions she still deserves sympathy.
The thing that really cements my hate for her family is that they didn't even bother taking her to a hospital, too worried about their image and own interests, they just gave her a wheel chair and were less physically abusive to placate her and keep making money off her.
After hearing Kotoko’s story, I think they could’ve gotten the same idea across AND given her better motivations by saying she was an emotionally abused and overworked child actress or pageant contestant. Her resentment for being called adorable would have to do with how she was forced to stay cute and presentable almost every waking hour as if that was her only purpose for being, and would be viciously chastised whenever she was not.
Her motivations would be the most understandable and altruistic of the warriors, if still messed up, since her goal with the childrens paradise is not only to build a place where children will be safe and can have fun, but also to protect them from being abused, manipulated or taken advantage of like she and the young performers around her were. For her Killing the adults would not be her primary motivation, but from where she’s standing, a necessary step to ensure that theres absolutely no chance of them ever being able to threaten the children again.
(EDIT) These motivations would also add a whole new dimension to Kotoko’s character in the story. She would be so focused on the awful stuff done to children by adults that she wouldn’t be able to see how awful kids can be to each other or how Monaca is abusing and manipulating them all, just like the adults she wants to protect everyone from. Little by little she would have her world view challenged until she was finally forced to see that she was wrong and the terrible truth that Monaca and Junko had been using her, the warriors of hope and the monokuma kids all along. Obviously, the story would have to change so that she knew a lot less about exactly what was going on, like many of the monokuma kids being brainwashed and forced to play along or that Monaca planned for them all to die.
I think that Kotoko's story centering around Sexual Abuse, as traumatic as it was, was still what made her chapter so impactful where it did shine, and that the problem wasn't that it was dealing with such a grim subject matter, but because they tried to also make it a source of comedy and fan service in a way that was clearly offensive.
It's a really awful situation because I honestly want to like Kotoko, her resentment of what happened to her and towards the adults she felt ignored her suffering, on top of her face turn at the end make her sympathetic like the other Warriors of Hope, but they went in a very wrong direction in how to emphasize how she turned that trauma onto hurting others. The other Warriors have some moment that illustrates how far they've gone down. Daimon has his kill count, Jataro has his grotesque diorama, and Nagisa has his generally cold monologuing on murdering adults, but with Kotoko her sexually assaulting Komaru was not only an order of magnitude more disturbing, but it also was treated like a skeevy joke while the other Warriors' actions were treated with the appropriate degree of horror.
I feel like they could have emphasized more on a line she has about "by knowing what adults like, I also know what they don't like" and have her do more traditional forms of torture as a way of taking out her resentment on adults, maybe even have her take more center stage in torturing the family members of the resistance members on camera since that element was first introduced in her chapter anyway. (Plus a former child star could turn any opportunity in front of the camera into some sort of twisted tv show.) They'd still have to remove a lot of her more "suggestive" dialogue and moments, since otherwise you might just end up with her essentially running some sort of BDSM dungeon, but putting an end to that degree of sexualization of a gradeschooler would be a welcome change anyway.
I'd also be at least a little wary of leaving the chapter's structure intact as it would be just as, if not darker if Komaru was getting tortured by Kotoko rather than groped, but at the very least it hopefully wouldn't be treated like a joke.
If we made it about that, we'd just have Nagisa again- that kind of abuse that mundanely works you to the bone until you forget what fun is. They wanted to cover the sexual trauma base, not only to get their toes wet, but to add another antagonist to the roster in what would otherwise be a much shorter story.
So danganropa 3 anime is next? Okay! But I also heard a lot of bad things about it, like how they ruined Mukuro’s character, but I think it’s a good send off to the Main danganropa timeline, especially since a lot of fan favorites survived, I can’t wait for your retrospective on it! And please take of yourself, if you want to take a break it’s okay! You deserve some rest for all the hard work you did!♥️
Yeah, DR3 regardless of the hate is enjoyable for me for all the right reasons
I also greatly enjoy DR3, though Mukuro’s portrayal in IF is a lot more interesting imo. I understand criticisms for it, I just had too much fun as a new fan watching it to be as down on it as many are, haha!
Mukuro Ikusaba, something about being the hidden sixteenth student and a school or something, ultimate Despair blah blah blah, watch out of her.
Yeah, I see how peeps didn't like DR3, I'm personally not a fan either.
Yeah, I adore DR3 for a lot of reasons, but I can understand some of the complaints.
@@giboit. im hoping those will be included at least briefly in dr3 but i think marcies also gone over dangan0
1:51:11 Shingetsu’s respect and love for his parents despite all that they have done for them is something that I am glad this piece of media has decided to represent. As someone who is abused by my mother, I still have the urge to be vulnerable around her, to tell her what’s going on in my life, to say “I love you”. Though she has done unspeakable things to me and has made my life literally hell, though I resent her in so many ways, I can’t help but still show love and respect for her. It’s a complicated thing and Shingetsu’s writings portray that pretty well
That sounds like you have Stockholm Syndrome
Personally it took me until fifteen years old to quite comprehend the finality of death, even in fiction. Until then it seemed excusable because superheroes mow down hundreds of bad guys on the battlefield all the time, so it must be no big deal. Plus I was raised to believe in the afterlife and such so I generally didn't understand the concept of someone's existence ending. So I can't really find it in me to blame the kids at any point - at their age, I would've had no fucking idea what I was really doing.
I'll admit I missed some of the more nuanced aspects of this game the first time around and have come out of this video appreciating them, especially now that I'm a bit older; while the warriors still annoy me more often than not, I'd be lying if I said I didn't understand why they feel the way they do. I could even see a kid version of myself sharing the same mindset if my childhood was anywhere near as traumatic.
The sad truth is that many people underestimate how pliable a child's mind is and don't think that their actions will carry much influence, but children aren't old enough to understand that they hold more value beyond their caretakers. In this point of their lives whether they realize it or not, what the people around them do and say carry a lot of weight, and in that sense it isn't at all fair to completely hate the warriors in my opinion. I've gone from despising them to pitying them greatly personally.
Also that Haiji bit came way more out of left field than I remember, I can't believe no one stopped that conversation from getting into the final game-
I CAN’T WAIT FOR OT. I USUALLY SEE NOTHING ABOUT THIS PART ON UA-cam
It is "polarizing", and most UA-camrs don't want to be controversial, but still
Your commentary is so thoughtful and valuable to me in looking back at this franchise. I was one of the people who had a break in faith with the game after the events of chapter 3, but in looking back, I think that caused me to leave some important thematic elements on the floor. I'm so grateful for your efforts in exploring and highlighting those things, while also never shying away from criticism either.
*TW: This comment will have mention of SA and P*dophilia*
You talked about this but I think this game embodies the problem Danganronpa as a series has. Which is that the game always feels the need to lighten the mood from the serious topics it discusses and then never fully address it. Kotoko's part in the game and Haiji's line about liking people younger are I think perfect examples of this. The game says that what Kotoko goes through is wrong and also makes it clear Haiji is a terrible person. However, the game makers almost feel like they have to suddenly make a joke so that the player doesn't feel too uncomfortable but it has the exact opposite effect because of how serious these topics are.
The Kotoko chapter really suffers becuse I feel the game makers didn't want an entire chapter of heavy hitting SA talk but instead of having lighthearted moments not at all connected to SA they just decided to have "funny" SA talk. The Haiji line I feel like is supposed to be another point that Haiji is terrible and the game makers then decide that "Oh p*dophilia is another serious topic, quick make it a joke to soften the blow." and so it turns the scene from "Wow Haiji is despicable" to "Oh that wacky Haiji." which is disgusting.
Another Episode has this to an extreme degree from the main three game entries but I feel they have it too. DR1's chapter 2 has this problem (on three different occasions), DR2 has this problem with some of the characters, DRV3 has this problem on some ocassions, hell ALL the men's fantasy scenes. DR does this where I don't think it is a problem like for example when someone dies and the survivors will have some jokey dialogue as a way to lighten the mood but it won't joke about the character's death but when it does it wrong it does it SO wrong. I feel Danganronpa has a real big problem with turning serious things into a joke until the final chapter. For some reason the final chapter of these games is the only time the series won't make light of the situation. I don't know maybe I'm looking too deeply but Danganronpa has always had me really has me angry with how many jokes it makes on some topics.
The sewer bit with Shirokuma seems like it's just the swamp from LOTR. Guiding a definitely not evil character through a gloomy, uninteresting location.
I just want to say that I have watched all your danganronpa retrospective videos this pass two days and I recommended them all to my friend and she watched them too and now we are talking about danganronpa like when were in high school. Thank you so much for the experience, we love you.
1:34:10 - 1:34:32 Not sure if you already got a comment addressing this, but the game gives sound reasoning for why you can use the Hacking Gun against Syo in this fight. You're not using it on Syo herself, you're using it on her stun gun. Komaru even says as much in the footage you used to edit this video at 1:33:45, where she says "If Future Foundation made that stun gun, then my Hacking Gun should be able to..."
Essentially, you're not wearing down Syo's health, like you said. This boss battle is a battle of attrition. Whenever you play as Syo, her battery life slowly drains away, as an attempt at game balance so you only use her sparingly. In this boss battle, you’re using that mechanic against her by shooting the stun gun every time Syo tries to use it on herself so she doesn't revert back to Toko too early.
That’s why you can see that eventually, her not being able to re-shock herself with the stun gun eventually leaves her running out of juice and losing consciousness, turning back into Toko.
It’s actually a pretty clever way to make this boss battle work. I hope my explanation makes sense!
One thing I believe this game excels at is portraying all different kinds of abuse through the warriors of hope, and ultimately how each of their abuse molds their characters.
*Masaru Daimon- physical abuse:* Masaru was the best at physical sports and running, and was called lil ultimate P.E. He made himself the hero and self appointed leader, since he like many believes both aren’t afraid of anything. All of this is because his father always beat him. Whenever he showed fear or weakness, whenever he accidentally got police involved when he failed to steal alcohol, or whenever his dad would just be blackout drunk, he would always receive beatings. He wants to present himself as a strong leader, so that not just he, but all the other kids don’t have to experience that kind of fear again.
*Jataro Kemuri- emotional abuse:* Jataro was portrayed as not very bright and kind of pathetic, believing he’s hated by everyone, even the kids. All this is because his mother made him believe he was a worthless, pathetic, hideous monster that no one should ever care about. She did this because he was actually born with a beautiful face, one she was jealous of. So on top of everything she made him believe, she also forced him to wear a stuffy mask all the time, since she made believe his face was actually so hideous that anyone who saw it would suffer. All this turned him into a slow learning and self hating boy, who no longer even understands the difference between love and hate.
*Kotoko Utsugi- sexual abuse:* Kotoko was a natural born child actor and singer, who in the warriors of hope, always was dramatic and expressed her hatred towards adults, specifically pedos. This is because since she was always very cute, grown men, such as people involved in productions she was in and even her own father, always took advantage of her. But it didn’t stop there. Her mother made her come with her as a pair for… unspeakable things. Everyone also always said they would be gentle with her. Because of this, she now gets triggered by the word “gentle”. It’s become so bad, she’d rather get beaten up or even killed. It’s a very sad tale.
*Nagisa Shingetsu- psychological/mental abuse:* Nagisa may have been called lil ultimate social studies, but he excelled in all subjects. He was the most serious of the group, always focused on making the logical decisions and creating their children paradise. But of course, there’s a reason for all this. His parents constantly forced him to spend all his time studying, even injecting drugs into him to keep him awake and vigilant. At school wasn’t easy for him either. His father was a teacher there, and always used him as a subject for psychological tests. To his parents, he was nothing more than a human Guinea pig. He also thought that when he finally killed his parents, he broke free from their hold on him, but he couldn’t have been more wrong. Due to his parents’ pressure, he always was expected to do more and more, have high expectations. Because of this, he feels like he needs everyone to have unreasonably high expectations for him, ultimately creating for himself an awful vicious cycle of pain.
*Monaca- child neglect:* Monaca is definitely the least sympathetic of the group, but there is some reason behind her actions. She was constantly ignored by her father, who was the CEO of Towa group, along with the rest of her family and pretty much everyone else. This constant neglect let her crafty and sinister mind take off, making everyone believe she was crippled, making her own robots in secret, learning how to manipulate others to bend to her will, even pulling a prank on the others to kill themselves. Her craziness was truly brought out when she met “big sis Junko”, who gave them all a purpose. And when Junko died, Monaca led the warriors of hope, and we see just how much power she has over them. She takes advantage of their past trauma, by letting Masaru build himself up, making the monokuma kids boo Jataro and cheer for the main characters, using Kotoko’s trigger word to break her down, and twisting Nagisa’s feelings of devotion and self worth. All this because there was no one good to give her attention and love, and because of that, became one of the most terrifying characters in the series.
*(okay I may have screwed up her backstory a bit, but I find it very complicated, so don’t @ me)*
These are all amazing portrayals of abuse and all make for five amazing and underrated characters. It’s, um, debatable how well they were handled in the future arc of DR3 *(especially Monaca),* but here, they were portrayed as big deals and are the best part of Ultra Despair Girls.
Also, these kids need some ice cream *(except Monaca)*
Short version - Great video, loved it. Keep up the good work; please don't overwork yourself. :]
Longer version - I think it says a lot that the biggest disagreement I can manage here is that I actually really like the gameplay/puzzle sections/the controls in general.
UDG' i one of my favorite games, as I relate a lot to some of the themes it addresses. And I think you did an amazing job discussing both what it does very right, and very, *_very_* wrong.
It also makes me happy hearing you continue to talk about Toko & Jack so respectfully. Idk how much of your follower-base is similarly plural, aside from _us,_ but you've got our stamp of approval. It really means a lot. :]
I've always liked UDG despite the flaws(not loved, it still does quite a lot of bad stuff as you mention). The game is a mixed bag, but in the end, it does a lot for both the series and for the audience in it's themes. I'm glad that the warriors of hope aren't just "Junko but again", being their own characters that I honestly hope the best for despite all they've done. And I'm also happy that they actually seem to get some redemption as closure for the player. The end seems to play up for a sequel too (not DR2 but UDG2), which as of yet hasn't happened, but I'd be really excited when/if it does happen.
Well Kodaka concluded the ‘Hope’s Peak’ arc with DR3 so don’t expect a sequel to UDG
I'd love to hear your critique and analysis of the Zero Escape series sometime! It's another one of my favorite series from Spike Chunsoft. It's an interactive (somewhat survival horror) visual novel like Danganronpa, though it focuses more on puzzles, escape rooms, and branching timelines. In my opinion, I hold it in an equal, if not, a higher regard to Danganronpa, and I'd love to see more discussion on the Zero Escape Trilogy.
The impulse to react to this game's big moral conflict with the almost fitting child-like response of "But they started it!" is constant within me, possibly bcs it for once feels like a valid response here and something that seems lost on these adults (feels weird to write when you are one) YOU started this
That sentiment isn't applicable when made on adults but these aren't adults, they're children. It's childlike bcs that's the depth of which a child's mind acts and they (especially a neglected and traumatized child) unlike an adult can't go much deeper than that
1:34:30 My read on it is that you're "hacking" her tazer, emphasized by needing to interrupt her when she retreats to recharge with a battery. You're basically using the gun to stall out her "transformation"
Another annoying part about the "possession" bit is, if you remove that scene and also every mention of it afterwards, then nothing changes.
In the scene itself, Fukawa dismisses the incident as a sudden delirious episode.
When Haiji appears in the torture room, Komaru forgets to mention what she learned to him in order to confirm it, and Fukawa still dismisses it.
When Haiji makes the revelation himself, then the girls have a shushed exchange, out of anyone else's earshot, and it is ultimately dismissed.
That whole Ghost, Possession and infodump did absolutely nothing for the plot.
Doing IF before the 3 anime is a really good call because for the longest time, it was all we really had to know about who Mukuro was outside of her very minor role in Danganronpa 0 and her blink and you'll miss it, especially if you weren't aware of it's existance, cameo in the Danganronpa: Killer Killer Manga and to say people weren't happy with how she was depictided in 3 because of those technicalities would be a massive understatement.
I actually forgot how much that ending hit me so well. I always remember Chapter 3 of this game as the kind of "that's what the game was like" but it's so much harder to actually remember that there WAS a good game buried under that horrible mistreatment of its material at times.
I love the story of this game (I can't speak on gameplay since I only experienced it through let's plays) but man do I hate some of those scenes. Like, it makes me uncomfortable I had to tell someone "no, me being mad at the kotoko scene isn't me mad at the inclusion of her trauma" and that the scene wasn't needed.
This game really hurt me emotionally (referring to when the story was amazing) and I cried alot lolol. This game effected me so much I had to stop watching someone's let's play because they were laughing everytime the kids talked about their trauma 👁️
who was it?
These essays/reviews are so expertly well made truly amazing quality. can’t wait to see a video on V3
Mate, Nezumi is doing a video on DR3, the anime, first.
So I have adhd. And it effects my life greatly. Back in highschool if I wasn’t on medication I’d be close to failing my closes, when on medication I got nearly all A’s. So while I can’t talk for those with physical disabilities, I understand deeply being accused of faking it. Because I was intelligent and because of the harmful misinformation and stereotypes on adhd, people believed I couldn’t have it because I was smart. Constantly I dealt with “it’s not that hard.” “Use a planner!” “You aren’t trying”. I got detention in middle school for constantly forgetting to bring a planner. The only detention I ever got in my k-12 education. I’ve had teachers lose my assignments and blame it on me, forcing me to dig through the turn in box to find my project and prove I turned it in. My parents are very supportive but do not understand what it means to have adhd. While they do vouch for me against dickheads and remind me that I’m smarter then I think, they don’t understand the less known effects outside of forgetting. Time blindness, getting stuck and not being able to do anything, rejection sensitivity. they understand that I deal with that but don’t understand the severity. And because they don’t have adhd, they never will. And it sucks because I have never seen a genuine portrayal of adhd that wasn’t a joke. The closest is luz from the owl house, but she’s not specifically adhd. Just coded as neurodivergent.
I forgot to add my opinion on the game so I’ll do that here. I really don’t like that she was faking it. I think it would be better if she had some kind of disability brought on by the abuse she faced. Maybe chronic pain or something. For fucks sake, if you had to keep it don’t leave it to the last minute. Show it early and use that to show her manipulative side. Maybe have one of the children try to call her out before shutting up out of fear.
Man, hearing Komaru's aches in her apartment hits different after 2020
As someone who never had the chance to play UDG, thank you for this! An amazing retrospective as always, and I cant wait for more.
Hi! Theyre are free youtube gameplays you can watch!
I'm glad this review took a more in-depth take on why this spin-off entry was so specifically interesting in departments despite it being such a very extremely decisive entry for good reasons.
UDG remained in my mind after I played it and I thought it was something that was very polarizing to experience, it's good I can put a specific word to that too now after watching this review, "Polarizing", because it's really hard for me to convey while interesting in its premise and world, it really has its lowest of lows. It's understanding for it to be brushed off as a not good entry in the series, but at the same time I feel like its something that really sticks with you on a story level, and it's really interesting to see the world outside of Danganronpa from just the rather small settings the main games actually take place in.
This is my first video I've watched from you and, while it has some strangely inserted references a bit minimally that might feel a bit awkward, I think it tackled this entry REALLY well and I was pretty much able to enjoy myself watching it all the way through, and didn't completely rag on the game either showing it respect in the departments I felt needed to be shed some light on, so I'm very happy to see that. Thank you for covering this and thank you for putting so much work into what you're creating, you seem to do it very well and I hope to see you grow as much as possible with further refining the good video-making style you have, and generally growing your audience.
Also, shoutouts to my friend WavePrism_ on Twitter, or "diddy" as featured at 8:22, who not only was a good factor in getting me into checking out Danganronpa as a series, binge-playing through the games, and also who directly shared the video for me to view it, I likely wouldn't have watched this without them sharing it, so definitely thank you to them.
How to fix UDG!
- Take that minigame that we shall not name and burn it on fire
- Make that Utsugi idk traps Komaru and let her die to Monokumas helpless
- Toko arrives, kick asses (without the clothes being take out part) and time to go to boring boss again
And it's done!
I totally agree with everything you said about chapter 3 and Kotoko. I love this game, but this was a new low for Danganronpa and completely unforgivable. I don't blame ANYONE for dipping on the game here, it was truly atrocious.
1:51:11 poor kid... Yeah, when you're little, and honestly even as an adult, that's a very hard thing to unlearn. It took me a long time. I'm glad he at least was questioning it.
Me: I hate Danganronpa
Also me: *watches Nezumi's retrospectives over and over again for catharsis*
I don’t know exactly how to explain it but I feel like udg had the best sprites out of all the other games. Like you could obviously tell through the different games that the artists liked experimenting with their shading, as well as their poses. I feel like there being less udg sprites as well as just overall poses with such made it so that the artists could put more time into them. They just seem like the smoothest out of all the other sprites
I must say your videos amazing on all fronts. You improved from segways to presentation and probably on my favourite of all writing .I started watching your videos around 500 subs ,and they always let me look at a certain subject again with a new perspective , learn new facts . Thanks to all of these great things i can watch 3 to 5 hour videos without pausing . It gives me the same good feelings that the games from this series give of.
I really, really appreciate the trigger warning for chapter 3. It is so well done and well explained. Thank you for that.
Yessss I’ve been waiting for this video!! Great job!!
Nah, I heavily disagree about Kotoko. There's an occasional bit of awkward humor with her, but she's an *immaculately* conceived and emotionally crushing character whose trauma well and truly does hit you like a truck. And I think the minigame, weirdly implemented as it is, is very darkly effective, as it does convey a lot about her desire to regain control over her trauma by inflicting it on others (and because she likes to pretend that it doesn't bother her anymore by putting on a superficially cutesy mask) and her resentment of Komaru for being "cute and adorable" like her but not having to suffer through any of the things she had to. So much about her is incredibly visceral and powerful. Is it heavy? Is it blunt and direct? Yes, but I genuinely believe her story is better for it and it leaves an impression more than most other video game stories that attempt the same thing. I wouldn't change much about her, other than some of the bothersome visual gags as I said, and even then I simply don't believe they're enough of a problem to damage her character or what the rest of the game was going for with it's themes of child abuse and the lasting damaging effects it has, because when it works, holy shit it works. When her mask of superficiality drops and in a moment of pure, unbridled rage she angrily asks why no one saved her from her torment, or when even *that* layer drops to reveal the scared, vulnerable child just quietly begging to be freed from her trauma, even if it means dying, these offer some of the most emotionally powerful moments of the entire franchise, and that's a very high bar for a series like Danganronpa. And getting back at and foiling the plans of the person that exploited that trauma for her own gain was additionally very satisfying. I think it's pretty apparent that a lot of thought went into her characterization, it's...other aspects that sort of surround her that don't hold up quite as well. But again, they don't bother me that much because how good the good parts are.
I do agree making Haiji a pedophile was very...stupid and pointless though because aside from him saying it that one time it literally never comes up again. It'd be one thing if it added a dark undercurrent to his relationship with Monaca (though I wouldn't like that either honestly), but the game's writing never once even so much as implies that. Honestly, it almost kind of ruins him because it's genuinely impossible to talk about Haiji without mentioning it, despite being an irrelevant part of his character.
I will say though, ironically, this game didn't make me care for Toko that much more than the first game did. Like, by every reasonable metric, it's obvious her character progression puts her leaps and bounds ahead of where she was in DR1 but...Iunno, I just wasn't particularly invested in her individually. Honestly, I cared much more about what her relationship with Komaru added to Komaru herself, who I actually just adore on every level. Second favorite protagonist of the franchise, easily (after V3's protag), I think she's just a better Hajime. The biggest problem I had with Hajime is that the most important and interesting aspects of his character are barely present until the final chapter, and until then he basically just feels like Makoto again, for the most part. Komaru has a very clear and defined character journey from the get go, and the resolution is incredibly satisfying as a result. Also she's just a huge, cute goof, which I appreciate
I actually forgot about both of Haiji's lines, and only remembered the first one through memes, but the second one is even worse.
I do think it's ridiculous on how far the fandom thinks this makes him the worst character in the series, and cancel anyone who even just tolerates him. He's still MILES better than Korekiyo and Junko regardless.
Honestly I’d agree. I prefer to think of her jokes as not a genuine attempt at comedy by the writers but rather another way she is expressing her trauma. It’s very effective in making the player feel disgusted which kinda did add to her story, and the previous chapters use shock scenes with the dead bodies to show how messed up the kids are so this could potentially be seen with similar intent. Honestly, I’d like to view the whole thing as attempting to satirize lolicon anime tropes, like with that 4th wall breaking line, but of course there’s a thin line between satire and genuinity and I may be giving them too much credit just to save my own sanity.
definitely worth the wait 💗💗
looking forward to the dangan if vid, take all the time u need !!! you've really kept my danganronpa fixation alive w these awesome retrospectives
Do I think the way they handled Kotoko was done well no but is it also semi realistic to have the victim also commit the acts of the abuser unfortunately yes it is. That of course doesn't make the way they handled that concept alright but it is something a child abused in that sort of way can do. It's just that sort of thing is so hard to write well and really needs to be taken more seriously. Because I do think addressing that children can do that to another child is a conversation to be had I just think it was handled very poorly.
No yeah, I totally agree. I could have worded my gripe there better, lol. COCSA is also a very serious issue that can realistically arise from those circumstances, for sure. I was just clocking the writer's intentions for having Kotoko act that way as purely a conduit for gross fanservice rather than any intentional exploration of the topic, especially in the sensitive way said topic deserves to be handled.
Thank you so much for these videos everything I could have ever wanted and more
Great retrospective! Love that the gameplay elements, potential symbolism & plot of each chapter were all included ☺️☺️
Wonderful video! I had no idea what Ultra Despair Girls was about, but I certainly wasn’t expecting this!
Oh, excited for this one!
Spoilers for Part 6 of the video:
I thought it was cool how the injury that Genocider inflicted on Servant Komaeda is reminiscent of the one he inflicted on himself in the Neo World Program. I'm not sure if it was intentional, and it's not even a big detail, but if it is foreshadowing, I thought it was cool
Not just that, Fuyuhiko's eye injury in Peko's execution is also to mimic his eyes while being the Ultimate Despair, with a lot of people saying that it's not just some kind of battle injury (yes you know what I'm talking about)
As much as some of the themes are pretty well done the rest is too much to keep going at least for me
Understandable and respectable!
Great video! It made me think about a lot of thematic concepts the game presents that I didn't really think as deeply about when I first played the game with a friend. I'm excited to hear your thoughts on the DR3 anime with how that's somehow even more "love it or hate it" than UDG. (I'm personally in the latter)
1:35:28 I think it's kinda interesting how this is a sort of FE7 protecting Zephiel moment, where a character does the right thing in the moment but through context we know it only leads to death and misery.
You’re so awesome Nezumi! I love your content in general cause you’re so good at retelling stories in a way that makes you feel the same emotions as you felt while playing it. I’ll admit ultra despair girls is messy with a lot of parts I’ve purged from my memory, but it’s heart is in the right place for the most part. The anime certainly gives people more of an appreciation for it since the game is actually cohesive narratively. Now speaking as a disabled person I honestly kind of like Monica’s reveal. It’s scummy, but I can understand why she did it. When I was in elementary I was pretty manipulative cause I knew people pitted me due to my disabilities and surgeries. Teachers and peers liked helping me cause it made them feel good. When you’re that young you don’t have a lot of power aside from cuteness and cuteness is partly attributed to pity. Course I grew up and learned not to manipulate others into doing my work for me, but it’s hard not to be tempted. It’s a tough balancing act figuring out what you can do and what you need help with and sometimes in order to get that help, usually from institutions, you have to act more pitiful and weak than you actually are so people will consider you in need of help. Monica probably saw this too. Lesson of udg don’t underestimate kids cause they’re more observant and clever than you think they just don’t typically have to tools overpower you.
amazing video as always!!!
Out of all the Danganronpa series, Despair Girls is by far my most favorite of them all, it feels different from the others, real character development, suffering, and Komaru's resolve to keep struggling in a hell where evil reigns supreme and hope is lost. I adore Toko and Komaru's friendship so much.
Thank you for covering one of my favorite games of all time, it was an amazing video!!!
As a CSA victim and someone who relates heavily to Kotoko and her experiences, I wanted to give my thoughts about chapter 3 (tw for CSA, obviously).
Honestly, seeing your talk about chapter 3 reminds me that I was groomed lmao, I am mostly able to block out what happened there. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not here to say it was good or anything, but I am coming from my perspective to try(?) to give some meaning to the scenes even though I know the devs didn't have those thoughts.
When I was first struggling through these events, I did similar things that Kotoko did. It's a stressful situation for a child and the only thing they can think is that they want someone to feel the same way they can just to talk to them and understand these rules they were put through. Kotoko was definitely in the wrong, no doubt. But I understand that after something like that, some people will put on a hypersexual mask and grope others and pretend it didnt happened/they liked it to make it seem easier to swallow.
Unrelated but fyi its hinted at that Komaru was groomed in some dialogues (mainly about her experiences with "ghosts") so I think the mention of her finding Haiji attractive was due to her grooming lol.
Just my take as a little CSA survivor on the internet ^_^
Fair reads, yeah. I don't know that I think the latter was at all an intentional thought on behalf of the devs though. The ghost bit about Komaru's teacher, for example, is largely played for laughs (which is similarly gross) and Komaru expresses a genuine lack of knowledge as to what was actually happening, just assuming he was a ghost and having no inclination toward thinking he was a predator at all (or even knowing he was doing anything sexual), so I don't know that I think the latter comment about Haiji would make sense in that context, nor do I really give the devs that much good faith in believing they'd intended it as such. As far as headcanon goes, though, it could certainly work.
Hope that doesn't come across as me trying to dismiss your thoughts though! I appreciate the discussion and insight and I can definitely see why Kotoko's writing could be relatable in that sense, even if I largely dislike how that one section was handled.
@@NezumiVA trust me I know it's not intentional this is my way of (coping) interpreting in a way that's significantly more palatable/less painful
Totally fair and understandable, for sure.
My favourite scene in this game is the fake out execution, I found that really funny when the execution music started playing in the helicopter.
Loving these videos, they're enjoyable to both people new to the series and those that have extensively played all the games :D
Your DR videos are fantastic. As someone who discovered and has been powering through the series only this year, it’s enlightening to hear the thoughts of someone who has been into the series since well before the games were even localized for the west. Looking forward to hearing what you have to say about the rest of the series!
an amazing video, cant wait for your video on V3. I personally think its the best Danganronpa through trials, characters and themes, but it seems to be similarly polarising.
Thank you for posting these videos! Your reviews are really amazing ^^
The fact that you can turn out quality content only a month after the last...
I'm so excited to see your v3 retrospective! It's my favorite of the franchise but I can see why so many dislike it¬
one of the gripes I have when 2d characters go to 3d is the seemingly random desaturation of colors. Maybe it's intentional to make them look more realistic, but for me it just looks awkward and would be better off if they kept the saturation the same., especially in this game where your subjected to both the 3d and 2d versions at once.
One thing I think they could've changed to make the gameplay and visuals better is being first person with wolfenstein esque visuals (more polished obviously) with better movement abilities. Not only would this be a neat callback to the other games, the game would just look better and arguably play better since you don't have to worry about cruddy physics or movement. It does lose a bit of that cinematography but honestly this isn't the n64 days. If a game isn't capable of being cinematic while looking good they probably shouldn't be cinematic. Also the cutscenes play out like v3 where multiple people including you are on screen at once.
Yeah, the point about the game doing too many things instead of focusing more on less definitely applies to the cutscenes. 2D, CGI and In-game cutscenes all have their strengths and weaknesses, but we don't need all 3 at once.
It's kind of like Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach where they just kept adding more and more things to the game instead of focusing on what was originally planned to keep a smaller, but well-designed experience.
I am sad that UDG is as overlooked as it is because it has one of my favorite story’s in the franchise even if the game play is a bit clunky
I love everything about this game except the action sequences haha, nevertheless enjoy it alot. The warriors of hope and their dynamic are very engaging!
same fr 😭 i played it for the story and the story alone
i really love this game and i’m so glad it’s getting the coverage it deserves. thanks for making this video!!!!
I'm so excited to watch this video, but I do have say one thing (about the game, not the video)
Nearly everyone knows about this issue and speaks on it, but.. Jesus christ, Kotoko and Haiji are the 2 roadblocks into making this my FAVORITE game. Both of their issues were horribly handled- While Haiji could've just.. not been a pedophilic freak and instead turn out to be a normal dude, Kotoko should've been taken way more seriously. All of the kids trauma is actually quite accurate in some aspects, atleast speaking from first-hand experience, but then a "joke" will happen or something will occur and you're just like "who the greenlit that?"
Edit: might I add that they literally made Haiji's english VA Matthew Mercer and gave him a sick ass design, only for him to be scum .. 🗿
Toko and Komaru's friendship is the best part of the game!😍🥰❤️
Damn these danganronpa analysis videos are so good!! I love your insight they are so nuanced and thoughtful and I was so entertained sorr for my poor English but I really liked it a lot! And can’t wait for the next one!