Danganronpa – 04

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Unnecessary fanservice is the best fanservice.

My otome games have arrived in the mail~! So if I disappear for a few days, don’t be surprised. …I’ll probably be back shortly. Watching Watamote is giving me a strange sense of remorse. OTL In other news, I think this was the best episode of Danganronpa so far, so yaaaay!

AHAHAHA they did include the rhythm game portion! …Though they used a completely different song and basically just used the interface. Man, that whole OP just did not go with the whole feel of the episode. It’s just as weird as anything else in the game though, so I guess it fits in overall. Plus anything with Megumi Ogata singing in it is a good thing (or at least I’m pretty sure that was her singing that). It’s interesting that they’ve never consistently used the exact same opening for an episode twice (like, the same visuals and such. I know they used Never Say Never for episodes 2 and 3). I wonder if they can continue this the entire season.

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So in place of having a the plot explained to them in the downtime, this time the student’s personalities come out a bit more. I think this is really what the anime needed at this point. The best parts of the game were the characters interacting, and with more exposure, it should be easier for the viewers to tell one character apart from one another. …Oh and it makes the deaths just that much more heartbreaking since they’ll have their own friendships and such built up by then. Anyways, I liked what they did cover personality wise for the characters and the way they were animated. Fukawa practically skipping down the hallway after her exchange with Naegi was cute, sad and hilarious all at the same time. Celes’ outburst was great too, as was the contest of manliness that Ishimaru and Oowada had. Really, it’s the characters that gave the game life, and it’s nice to see them getting attention. I hope this continues on the next time the characters get some time to breathe.

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But with the personalities becoming more apparent, the divide in what the group thinks they should do becomes really apparent as well. Togami is totally okay with planning murder and such since he’s used to stepping on people due to being ridiculously rich. Celes seems like she’d be okay with it too (though Celes always likes to give off that air of mysteriousness when she’s not traumatizing Yamamoto, so who knows if she means it or not). Which makes sense considering that she’s known for her gambling skills and (this was common knowledge in the game), when she gambles, she always makes sure there’s a high payoff. Of course, Naegi chooses to be boring peaceful due to his trauma over Maizono’s death and he’s one of the most vocal about the only enemy here being Monokuma and the mastermind. The divide on what to do makes things interesting at least, and the students seem to have an idea on who to look out for. …Not that it helped Fujisaki.

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The students haven’t learned their lesson yet. Monokuma has said multiple times that they could just stay in there forever, but they just don’t seem to see that option. And to be completely fair, it’s not like they know for certain if he’ll let them do that or not. Monokuma could totally cut off their food supply at anytime (as far as I know, though there are reasons why he won’t) and they’re all driven to try and find out what’s going on outside due to the DVDs that Monokuma gave them in episode 1. The characters are kind of finding out more about why they’re there in the first place, and there’s a big mystery as to why they never heard that the most famous school in the country was closed down due to problems, but there are other things to worry about at the moment with Fujisaki’s death. The trial the next episode should have some interesting reveals, but for now, it looks like there’s a Genocider in there with the students.

I think this was the episode Danganronpa needed. The characters were long overdue for some exposure and the fact that the plot wasn’t leading us on by shoving Maizono in our faces anymore helped give time for that. Danganronpa is proceeding at the pace I thought it would and I despite the pacing cutting so much out, I think they can fit in more spaces like this to help keep the plot and characters interesting. I can’t say that Fujisaki’s death was that heartbreaking of an even here since we barely saw her, but some reveals about exactly why she died the next episode should make it a bit more regrettable. Naegi’s secret about wetting the bed may have been a bit embarrassing, but keep in mind that some characters have much darker secrets.

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…For instance, Monokuma may or may not be a raging alcoholic.

About

University student and the one at Metanorn who's known for wearing glasses. Likes blood, insanity and plot twists, but also plays otome games and adores cute romance anime. It balances out... somehow.
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39 Responses to “Danganronpa – 04”

  1. BlackBriar says:

    That new OP was weird and didn’t go with the episode but I will say it caught me off. So this probably means we’ll get a new OP every time.

    Well, things have stirred up a one sided streak. Three girls murdered and one guy executed. I hope they even up the body count soon or it will look unfair.

    Damn that Monokuma and his “security”. Getting shredded by automatic fire if you sneak into the opposite changing room. You got to admit even if it’s twisted, he has some sense of decency. I don’t see how they can even have the option of staying in the school if Monokuma keeps pushing them because he’s bored. They’re all being forced into a corner. Some more okay with it than others.

    Out of the girls who are still alive, it’s hard to decide who’s my favorite between Kyouko and Celes. Kyouko is cool and level headed but I also like Celes’ appearance and that alluring aura of hers. I guess I have a thing for goth girls and she surprised me the way she snapped at Yamada.

    As for the murder, it’s sad to see the innocent programmer girl dead. If there’s a consolation, at least she didn’t lose her sanity and caved into mudering someone like Leon did. For the speculation on culprit, my money’s on Fukawa because she’s really annoying me and I want her gone. Not to mention she somehow knew about Genocider Syo while the others have recently learned about it. And for the dumbbell possibility, I think Fujisaki’s head was bashed onto it, not that anyone other than Sakura had the strength to lift it up.

    • Namika says:

      Even if she’s not the killer, I would be happy to get her out f this show. She’s annoying. And messed up to the point when it makes even me cringe with disgust.

      A new opening every episode is good. But all of them so far were quite…. bad TT^TT

      • JapanInspired says:

        NOOO~ please don’t hate Fukawa. I’m sure you’ll change your mind after a few episodes. She’s actually the coolest character. And my favorite, along with Kirigiri.
        I know she can be a bit anoying. I thought so too when I first met her. But please, give her another chance.

        • Karakuri says:

          ^What JapanInspired said (´・ω・`) Fukawa gets significantly more interesting this next trial.

          • BlackBriar says:

            I’ll take your word for it, Karakuri and the fact that you even have her as your avatar.

            • Karakuri says:

              As soon as you see it, you’ll know. xD

            • Namika says:

              I’m also raising my eyebrow, Karakuri 😀
              Now I’m itching to know what the hell will make her so amazing!!! Is she the Genocider?

        • Namika says:

          Okay, I will. o-o

          • BlackBriar says:

            Looks like both of us are waiting to see if Fukawa deserves a second opinion.

    • Karakuri says:

      Hope so~ though I was starting to get used to Never Say Never.

      Just wait, BB, just wait.

      Ahahaha oh I don’t know about Monokuma having decency. Some of his offhand comments… plus he said that he doesn’t care what they do in their rooms.

      You’ll all see why I like Fukawa very, very soon. I’m actually surprised that you’re not annoyed by Togami. I was thinking all Dansai Bunri how he reminded me of Seiji with the way he thinks he’s above everyoneelse (though it could have just been that they were both voiced by Akira Ishida). I know how much you liked Seiji.

      • D-LaN says:

        Let’s not forget tht MB lets the party goes to peek at the women bath in the NG+ scene….

        • Karakuri says:

          You think they’ll include that scene in the anime? Who am I kidding, they’ve included ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING in the anime so far, minus character development

          • d-LaN says:

            They better include tht player jab frm her SLink.

  2. Namika says:

    This show is getting better and better. But that poor thing, Fujisaki-chan TT^TT I definitely expected that someone would kill her exactly, because look at that tiny size. However, I still think she’s a trap. I don’t know why, but I think she’s a trap. Other than that, this case is also interesting. Was Fujisaki’s killer a girl, or was it a guy? exchanging cards was prohibited, but was the gun supposed to fire off even if a guy tried to enter with a girl’s pass? Idk. Can’t wait to see <3

    So it turns out that that serial killer is among them? I wonder, who that is. And Naegi's joke towards the end….. it rubbed me the wrong way. Didn't it seem off to anyone else?

    • Karakuri says:

      Fujisaki certainly didn’t deserve to die!! I definitely felt bad when she died. …And even worse after the trial.

      Naegi’s joke? Did he make a joke? If he did, I don’t remember. Well, you’ll see the results in a few days.

      • BlackBriar says:

        Didn’t you know the deaths of the innocent ones are always the most painful? Think back to Psycho-Pass when Akane’s best friend Yuki was killed in front of her eyes by Makishima.

        • Karakuri says:

          I was more upset about Kagari!! He was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and that got me more emotionally than Akane’s friend (to be honest).

          • BlackBriar says:

            True. That was total misfortune. I can only imagine the bodies piling up more when Psycho-Pass Season 2 comes around.

          • Namika says:

            Definitely, Kagari’s death hit me much harder. 🙁 And he was never found, too 🙁

            :'( Kagari-kuuuuuun~ TT^TT

            • BlackBriar says:

              But the rest of division found out at the end that Kagari was no longer alive. It was just that Akane wasn’t allowed to reveal the details.

            • Namika says:

              Even so, it was depressive. Kagari disappeared like he never existed, and that’s sad.

        • Namika says:

          Karakuri, yes, he did. When Kyouko came to him to talk about Maizono’s death.

          BB, One moment, please! Yuki’s death wasn’t painful o-o In Fujisaki’s case, you feel bad for her because she looks, acts, and pretty much is a child. That’s why her death made me feel sad. Yuki’s death was unexpected and was shown beautifully, but the impact was slightly different.

          • Karakuri says:

            Oh, right! No, that never seemed off to me. Those lines were pretty much Maizono’s catch phrase in the game (not that she said it more than once in the anime), so it was more like a sad, last remembrance for me.

            • Namika says:

              This makes sense, but they deliberately made Naegi seem suspicious there.

  3. JapanInspired says:

    Genocider, honey, I’ve been waiting for you! Haha.
    Can’t wait for the most awesome character to appear.
    Wow, I actually agree that the op was so not Dangan Ronpa. Or, I think I had a feeling of Tsukihi’s Nisemonogatari opening. But it’s kind of nice that they give us a new op every case.
    Even thought not alot care about Fujisaki, I personaly cared about her more than about Maizono. And atleast she didn’t try to kill anyone. I kind of hatet Maizono since the first second.
    XDDD Karakuri-san, I think Monokuma might be an alcoholic indeed.
    Well, can’t wait for the next episode. This will be really exiting.

    • Karakuri says:

      Me too!!! Ah, so excited for the next episode! Most awesome character indeed!!!

      Someone commented below you that it was a parody of Doraemon’s OP, so I guess it had some purpose. But yeah, I like the variety. It’s erratic, just like the show.

      Yeah, I was never a fan of Maizono myself (until she died). Fujisaki’s death and trial made me tear up where Maizono’s just shocked me.

      AHAHAHA if Monokuma was an alcoholic, it would explain a lot.

      • JapanInspired says:

        I really hope Genocider gets enough time for us to enjoy her. And her Seiyuu is just one of the best female seiyuus out there. I sometimes get the thought that if not her, then Genocider might have been not that awesome.
        Her acting is just amazing.

        Doraemon’s OP? I haven’t watched Doraemon that much, so I don’t really know what OP was mentioned. But who knows. Maybe it is.

        XDD that would really explain a lot.
        My reply is kind of blank. But I was afraid to spoil anything, so I just went around. Spoiling the next episodes would be unforgivable.

        • Namika says:

          So it IS a she, eh :3

          I wonder, what the hell will happen in the next ep that is so amazing 😀

          • Karakuri says:

            I’m amazed nobody’s figured it out yet based on what I’ve given you guys xD

            • BlackBriar says:

              But something is off because before, Genocider Syo attacked guys but this time, a girl was killed.

            • Namika says:

              No. Don’t. I don’t want to know TT^TT I don’t want to figure it out 😀 😀 😀 I want to be all WTF when it happens 😀

  4. gecd says:

    the OP song is a parody of Doraemon’s song

    • Karakuri says:

      Really? Thanks so much for the info!!!!! …I had no idea what they were going for, but that makes so much sense.

  5. AllenAndArth says:

    you know, this anime is starting to scare me…and it’s not because of the horror parts in it, never mind that, i made a blog…a useless one, of course

    • BlackBriar says:

      If it’s not the murders and desperation of the characters that have your attention, then what is? Because they’re the main drive to the story.

  6. Jay says:

    Actually, the person who sang the OP for this ep was Sachiko Kobayashi, a famous enka singer.

    It was a great episode! But I’m sad about how much was left out out of necessity.

  7. Bonk says:

    You know what? Gatling gun to the girls’ locker room only is sexist.

    • BlackBriar says:

      Really? I think it’s taking measures for privacy to unnecessary extremes.

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