Danganronpa Review — D-

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Some classmates are locked in a school. The only way out is to murder a friend and get away with it at the trial.

Well, it was an interesting premise. It seems like the game has some good ideas behind it. Some, mind you. Most of it is just silly. Like how everyone has a long title, “Super Duper High School Blah.” Or how all of the characters seem to have bipolar disorder. The way they execute the losers at the trials is frankly disgusting.

I’ve never played the game, but I could still tell that this adaptation was sorely lacking. Lots of holdovers from the game, e.g., shooting “bullets” marked with evidence at the trial, made no sense and had no place in the anime. Furthermore, facts just seemed to appear from out of nowhere at the trials. The final trial was particularly horrendous. Essentially, the final boss just randomly decides to explain their evil plan to everyone. Ok…

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That said, you can tell that if it didn’t skip over half the important details, the mysteries might be interesting. And the characters are likable, even if they all are caricatures with pronounced mental disorders.

  • Storytelling – F – Terrible adaptation. Many useless carryovers from the game, skips important details.
  • Voice – C – It does have a unique feel by shooting up absurdity to the max and with the odd game artifacts. Did not like the feel though.
  • Characters – D – They all suddenly develop bipolar disorder at the drop of a hat.
  • Attention Grab – C – Was curious to see what would happen next. Even if the road there wasn’t enjoyable at all.
  • Production – D – Does not look pretty.
  • Overall – D-

Recommendations – Higurashi, Umineko, Mirai Nikki

10 thoughts on “Danganronpa Review — D-

  1. Hey, I thought the “shooting “bullets” marked with evidence” was the coolest part of the trail! Just think of how much more boring it would be WITHOUT it.

  2. It wasn’t a good or even a decent show but for some reason I found it quite entertaining. Perhaps it’s the voice, as you say: “It does have a unique feel by shooting up absurdity to the max and with the odd game artifacts.” It was good to relax as the pace was very fast and thinking was useless anyways. The art was subpar but I liked the expressive, cardboard-cut character designs. I loved the ED theme. Only thing I really disliked was the psychopath killer girl who was just too annoying.

    1. Pretty much. Despite thinking it was bad, I did find it entertaining most of the time. Psychopath killer girl really was obnoxious as you say.

  3. I was meh about Danganronpa 1 (including the game), but Danganronpa 2 was excellent. It’s a pity they are not animating that and jumping straight to a spin-off anime that spoils DR2 from the get-go.

    DR2 is so good because of the deuteragonist, who basically makes the game. The game was so good because of him and the way he reacts to and drives the plot.

    1. Just finished playing Danganronpa 2 actually, and I agree. That guy was such a fucking asshole, he was great. Now I can watch Danganronpa 3!

      1. freaking komaeda. because of him i can’t get over this game. his bullshit is extraordinary and every time he appears you know something crazy unexpected is going to happen AGAIN. freaking sdr2. i need more komaeda in future games. he’s such a joker

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