Welcome to the social media phenomenon that is Danganronpa.
For weeks before I even knew this was becoming an anime, the internet had soundly bombarded me with a ton of media on this series. This is one of those game adaptations based on a PlayStation game that was only recently patched in English, and its presence in anime fandoms as of late has been pretty huge. So huge in fact that my personal exposure to this show was higher even than
Free!, despite the fact that the latter has been more anticipated and talked about than most series this year (excepting
Shingeki no Kyoujin). Despite its popularity as a franchise, however, the fact remains that this is a game adaptation, and as such, it has
certain expectations and challenges unique to other series of its kind. As such, does a game plot as eclectic as this one translate well into the anime medium?
Personally I don't really think so. From the start of the premiere to the end, I felt like this series tried too hard to remain
true to its game roots, and that that held it back some; it's already a bit difficult to translate personalities as weird as these (MonoKuma is the creepiest one by far) into a non-gaming format (where they're likely very charming, I'm sure), but that's made more difficult by the general atmosphere and feel of the thing. It's not a terrible animation either; it is interesting, and it has that
classic murder mystery/battle royale feel about it, but even so, I didn't find it hugely compelling as a series that's taking itself seriously. Or perhaps the point is that it's
not taking itself seriously, and thus it doesn't really work in the anime medium.
Still, I suppose there's something weirdly charming about all of that, even if I personally don't feel so attached to it. The character designs are
infamously exaggerated to the point where I knew exactly who Ishimaru (
Toriumi Kyousuke) was despite never having played the game (or reading it) and there's an interestingly playful sense about the whole thing, something I find a bit disturbing considering this is a series where most of the characters are likely going to die. As a result, we have an absurd plot with absurd characters in an
absurd setting, and I'm quite sure it would make a hugely entertaining game. Just not as interesting an anime so far.
N.B.: Thanks to Ivan for the caps!
OP "DANGANRONPA" by Masafumi Takada
Episode 1 Screencaps: "Prologue Welcome to the School of Despair"
ED "Zetsubousei: Hero Chiryouyaku (絶望性:ヒーロー治療薬)" by suzumu feat. soraru
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