Danganronpa (ダンガンロンパ)

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DANGANPONPA is “high speed detective action” game which employed individualistic system which has never been existed before and also made into anime. The setting of this game is “Kibougamine academy” at where students with “super high school level” ability were collected. Their “killing each other school life” has started. Students are imprisoned. The person who can “graduate” from the academy is only “kuro”, who murders another student! When a murder occurs, a “class trial” is held, in which the remaining students must determine amongst themselves who the killer is. If the wrong accusation is made, then everyone will be put to death as “punishment”. The best part of the game is “deadly class trial”.

Player must determine “kuro” by finding a contradiction and shoot it with a bullet “kotodama” through the protagonist Naegi Makoto. The anime well incorporated this game element in production. I was struck with wonder since the class trial scene with flurry of words on the screen and kotodama shooting it is actually the game! The cut-in appears with signature phrase “It is wrong!” is re-created authentically. But the anime is not mock of the game but it maintains a distinctive character. I had misgivings about how to depict the game system before the game was made into anime. But it was well made beyond expectation.

The happy point for me is the punishment scene after class trial was depicted with full-length. The punishment scene was re-created so well that you may thought “it uses the same pictures of the game”. About this, it is officially commented “It seemingly using the same pictures of the game, but they were drawn for this occasion!” It explains their devotion too this anime. They also know how to have fun. It bowled out me when Kobayashi Sachiko feat. Monokuma (Oyama Nobuyo) was used on opening song once.
Depiction of game is well depicted in anime as well such as production of finding dead body and the scene collecting “kotodama” in examine part. Game systems are depicted in anime in a fine balance.
BGMs are arranged for anime. The music which I found the nicest is the opening theme of danganronpa which makes a nice accompaniment to new character illustration!

The story line zips along. Murder happens one after another. Information is becoming snarled such as “there is a betrayer who holds secret communication with behind-the-scenes fixer”. Mystery thickens along with the story. I am sure you will stare intently on the screen! Even you know the story line from the game, you will be lured into the anime by many different kinds of production. There is no mannerism. The theme of danganronpa, “hope and despair” is well depicted in the end of the anime! I’d like you to loot it with your eyes.
The protagonist Naegi Makoto is a ordinal high school student who was selected in a “lottery”. How Naegi, who is a pretty normal student, will grow spiritually through “killing each other school life” amongst individualistic characters? Naegi had an air of timidity and unreliable at first but his spiritual growth in the final episode is appropriate for protagonist. We could call his success “a hope”! Naegi in the final episode is so cool!
The production which I really got to is the illustration of ending theme. It is a ceremonial photograph in a class room. Only the protagonist appears in the photo at first but murdered students appear in the photo along with the story. I felt tightening in my chest when I knew the “truth” of the “killing each other school life”.

Voice actors used on danganronpa are impressive. Voice actress of the protagonist Naegi Makoto is Ogata Megumi, mysterious heroine Kirigiri Kyouko is Hikasa Youko, mysterious baddie is Oyama Nobuyo. Other than those, impressive casts act in the anime such as Ishida Akira and Sawashiro Miyuki. It is appeal of anime that you can listen to all lines in real voice which was not dubbed in the game.
Awkward characters are depicted more actively and attractively by dubbing! It is satisfying that super high school level idle Maizono Sayaka sings and dances in the anime, which was still image in the game!
I was happy to see gag lines using a character that the voice actor acted before and strange lines from the original game was dubbed such as “Get the first attack by a mock sowrd!” and “Shining message!”.

Anime makes my favorite character Maizono Sayaka twice attractive! I was worried that she would be depicted poorly since she quits the scene in the first half, but I was wrong. She has many lines by involving Naegi and adding charm to him. Psychological description of her at class trial in the episode 3 is well depicted. It tells from conversation between Naegi and Kirigiri in the end of episode 3 that how Maizono affected Naegi’s heart.
Other characters are also attractive. Anime males the most of each character’s personality!

A sequel Super Danganronpa 2 was released. Danganponpa was made into novels “Danganronpa/Zero” and “Danganronpa Kirigiri”. Personally, I recommend you to enjoy Danganronpa, Danganronpa/Zero, and Super Danganronpa 2 in that order. Then you can enjoy the world of Danganronpa more. If you have interested in Danganronpa anime or game, it is worth enjoying Danganronpa in various media! I’m sure you will like Danganronpa more! For Kirigiri fans, I recommend “Danganronpa Kirigiri” in which Kirigiri’s early life and success are written as orthodox detective novel. Cuteness of Kirigiri’s early life just a little bit different from the current is revealed! “Danganponpa Reload” for PS Vita mounts “if” story without killing each other school life “school mode”. You can enjoy peaceful school life. If you have a favorite character or want to see peaceful school life, it is worth playing it! When you bond with characters, you can get their underware!

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