The Anime/Manga/Related Merchandise Thread

I'm always going to be more squeamish about the death of someone pleading for their life than of someone who kills themselves. I think that might be the worst episode of the anime for me.

Never say never, of course.

if they've been brainwashed to kill themselves? I'm pretty certain that's what Junko's got planned there, and that would make the mass suicide as non-consensual as Killing Game Alpha.

Personally out of the Despair content I've found Hajime's stuff the hardest to deal with, brilliantly done, but pretty hard to stomach. Pretty much tricked and abused in to agreeing to a science experiment that would see him purged from his own body. A perfect tragedy.

Turns out Scout guy was actually just an awesome bro, naturally revealed just before killing him off for maximum feels overdrive!

Ryota continues to creep me the heck out, I don't trust him one jot. Maybe I'm pulling another Scout guy, but given his connections to Junko and how eager he is to stick to Kyoko like super-glue I simply don't trust him.

I still don't think the mastermind is even in the game, and I'm expecting some sort of insane twist like the mastermind turning out to be Nagito or something bats*** insane.

Also Munakata has completely LOST IT, holy cow he's as bad as Ultimate Despair, if not worse! Heck, if anybody in the killing game is the mastermind I actually think it's most likely him, his sheer insanity is just oozing despair.

NAGITO!  IS!  BACK!  

God I love that magnificent bastard and his magnificent luck!  Mikan has fallen to despair and is now the crazy b**** we saw in the game (and creepy as hell!)  And best of all, we finally saw Kamukura in action!  RIP battleships in the future arc!

God, this episode was awesome on so many levels.  Kamukura existing.  Nagito being Nagito.  Nagito facing down Junko!  Chiaki meeting Kamukura!  A few surprises in store too, it looks like Ryota might be exactly as advertised in Future after all!  Don't think this means I trust him yet though.

...is that obviously Yukizome survives this arc... then dies in the embrace of a chandelier, as we know.

Chiaki, though?  I think her death might be The Ultimate Despair of the series.  And then the AI is created in her name.  Just a matter of when it happens.

I'm not convinced it's going to happen, or if it does it'll happen in a completely unexpected way. Chiaki dying pushing class 77 to Despair has been painfully obvious from day one, obvious to the point I don't buy it.  

Honestly I reckon Chisa will do something to hold them off while Chiaki gets herself and, perhaps, Nagito out of there (no guarantees there given what we know of his future) and something will happen to Chisa instead having immediate effects on how we perceive events on Side Future.  

Plus one has to remember that right now the only people who are aware of Chiaki's influence on the class, and therefore the only two people who'd know to include her in the Neo World Program as an AI, are Chiaki herself and Chisa.  

I mean it's possible they'll do something this predictable, but this is Danganronpa and Chiaki's fate doesn't feel like a secret being hidden, it just feels blatantly obvious.  If this series has taught me anything it's to distrust everything that's obvious.  

The Monaka twist for example was obvious, but at the same time there were some attempts to hide it (Monomi being the avatar used), and on top of that the series almost played up the idea she was the mastermind or had some direct link to it as well.  It felt like we had to work to puzzle it out.  With Chiaki it doesn't feel like work to puzzle out that her dying will push the rest of the class to despair, if anything it neatly ties everything together with a neat bow on top.  Given how close we are to the endgame of Side Despair the less likely I am to believe Chiaki's fate is as straight forward as being killed to push Class 77 to despair.


Or this could all turn out a case of Occam's razor and Danganronpa has just made me a paranoid nut!  

He doesn't seem to actively attack others unless I'm forgetting something.  Every single time he's gone for someone so far it's been self-defence.  Junko charged him with a knife prompting him to deck her, Mukuro did much the same before he took her out.  The crazy student went for him before he sent him flying, and now Nagito got shot after trying to shoot him.  

Also worth noting is every one of his actions, with the exception of shooting Nagito, incapacitated rather than outright killed.  Even Nagito once it was shown he survived was left alone.  

ever falls to despair, since his future appearances don't seem to be any different from his current attitude and his current actions are not those of one in the grips of despair syndrome.  Not to mention we already know he wasn't responsible for Killing Game 0 like originally told.  

Naturally the person I was watching the most in the episode was a certain Maid, who after the cliffhanger of Despair 8, well, lets just say I wanted to compare the Chisa of Future to the Chisa of Despair.

Conclusion?  Aside from the obvious something big is going down in Despair episode 9, I finally start to maybe agree with the rather popular theory Chisa is the traitor.  

It's simple really.  Her behaviour and remarks were at odds with the Chisa we know.  In Despair she's ebulant, emotional at times, but always positive.  Her remarks in Side Future imply anything besides that.  Her remarks about her class to Makoto were what really set alarm bells off, the Chisa we know in Despair would believe in trying to save them, yet one of the first things she says to Makoto?  Why did he try to save them?  

This struck me as a very un-Chisa type thing to say.  The Chisa we know in Despair wouldn't even consider asking that, she'd know why.  Because she'd do the same thing in Makoto's place: try to save them, believe that they can be saved.  

She went on to say something that, in hindsight, also strikes me as slightly fishy, musing about his Ultimate Hope talent, as if she doesn't understand the ideals that would lead to someone trying to save them.  That she no longer understands hope, to put it bluntly.  We should all know what that would mean.  

Something else to consider: we're assuming Chiaki is the one to spread Despair to the rest of the class through some sort of misfortune.  What if that is in fact wrong, what if Chisa is the one who does that?  If she's the one directly responsible for bringing the class in to despair (one way or the other) that would, again, make her lack of belief in their being saved all the more natural.  

Now of course this could all be another Occam's Razor (after all I was as far off Scout guy as you could get), with the years after the calamity simply eroding away her faith in her ex-students, or it could imply something far darker.  


On another note the Monokuma appearance seemed filmed.  Although that could just be the way the episode looked, I'll have to finish his message in episode 2 before reaching anything concrete.

I suspect Munakata of being up to something as well, however his plans have since been hijacked. Asahina is also acting very suspiciously, what with that Warriors of Hope pun and the complete apathy upon seeing another member died.

I REFUSE to accept this!  Until I see that death count in the op read seven next episode I refuse to accept this!!!  I deny this reality, and everything it proclaims!!  



This is f***ing chapter 5 all over again!  

I was just about to let Mitarai off the hook, I had been thinking "maybe he's just being blackmailed or bullied" but after those blatant signs of agression towards Makoto that whiny little punk is now top of my list for a traitor.  

And don't think I missed that he showed up literally seconds before the aerial assault in episode one!  

I hate Boxing A**'s, well, a**, but even that was harsh.  Literally stabbed in the back.  I was rolling at his rage at finding their trapped underwater though, his rage was delicious!  

If Chisa isn't still alive I'll be incredibly surprised.  Although right now Munakata is a bigger problem, on a despair high and a killing spree, I have no idea how they're stopping him from murdering the rest of them and spreading despair in the guise of hope (ironic that that's all he is capable of given his earlier hypothesis).  But that doesn't change the fact I'm confident she's still alive and up to something despairful.  They even went to the effort of showing us her forbidden action!

I still think Chisa is the traitor, however I'm also starting to wonder if Mitarai's brainwashing-hypnosis anime is in play here.  That screen when candy girl died (YAY!) makes me wonder if it was only to set the tone of the shot, or perhaps allude to something more.  

Crazy whack theory: the soon-to-be-deadee is woken up and hypnotised in to killing themselves.  

Looking at the opening credits most of the deaths so far have all happened as the opening predicted.  In particular all of Munakata's kills have been forshadowed in the opening as of this episode killing boxer and robogirl.

In contrast Kirigiri dies via hanging, so maybe she's still alive somehow!!


#denial

that they're possibly killing off Chiaki in Despair this week. . .

I mean talk about screwing with the viewers, Kirigiri and Chiaki in the same week?  Only in Danganronpa!!

...Chisa.  But wrong about Chiaki, I do think she'll die.  Maybe not straight away, but soon.

Reading back over events on the DR3 Wiki, I got the following (sorry if you've already said this, only so many spoiler tags a man can pore over):

DR3 Wiki wrote:

Kazuo claimed to know the true identity of the attacker stating that the logic behind it was "too simple" for Kyosuke. Kazuo told Kyosuke the identity of the accused attacker and Kyosuke recoiled in shock. Kazuo revealed that his NG Code is to "Answer a Question With a Lie" to confirm his story since the poison has not taken effect.

Kyosuke laughed and claimed that Kazuo is just making things up to cause him to waver.

This is after Tengan's taunted Munakata about Chisa making him lose his mind.  Yup.  It's her.


Completely different topic: we're getting close to the endgame and we still no nothing about what's going on on Jabberwock. What's up with Hinata? Is he Hinata, or Kamakura right now?

the game is taking place underneath Jabberwock Island!  That would make all the kerfuffle around the ff building nothing more than a diversion.  

Ah, but I can already tell what you're thinking, "but Athrun we saw the whole place rumble at the same time the ff tower came down so it can't be a different location!"  Misdirection to throw the viewer off, coincidence, or the mastermind timing the tower collapse with a missile silo in case anyone in the game still has contact with the outside world.  Could be any one of those!  

Remember last we saw of Jabberwock was Izuru facing down a armada, a missile silo would cause that sort of rumbling in the game.  


I don't necessarily believe that this would make Izuru the mastermind however.  His response to the battle fleet was boredom, so I suspect if there is anyone on jabberwock doing this game they're doing it without his knowledge.  


Funnily enough this actually brings back my original crackpot mastermind theory in to play: Nagito is the mastermind of this somehow!  His line about hope fighting hope to create a stronger hope in Despair made me veeery suspicious of him, and if anybody is going to wake up from a coma it'd be mister "My Luck is Borderline Reality Warping" Komaeda!  Plus I've always been suspicious of him ever since they spent an entire episode of a 12 episode series just to demonstrate what his luck hax does, could have just been fanservice, or it could have been a hint that Nagito has some kind of role later on.


Chiaki is going to be the mastermind just you wait!  

She's the ultimate gamer.  This is all a big game.  Who better to mastermind a game so thoroughly that they can direct everything up to this point just through the forbidden actions than a person whose talent is analysing games and how others play them!  

Plus Chisa doesn't strike me as mastermind material.  She just doesn't seem clever enough for these grand conspiracies.  That leaves the list of possible masterminds very small.

Chisa being tortured might just be one of the most disturbing things in the series.  Right up there with Nagito's stunt in chapter 5.  Plus yay, random person sawing through their neck!

Suspicions about Chiaki being the mastermind: Rising


So then.  Chisa is indeed Despair Remnant.  I still doubt she's the mastermind however, although she has proven something: Future Foundation does indeed have moles in it.  By virtue of being in it she proves that much, so if anybody is thinking "well Chiaki won't fall to Despair because her AI existed" put that idea to bed right now!  Because Chisa has made it clear that helping the FF out isn't beyond them.

I also feel Chiaki's survival is all but assured now, she wasn't killed to Despair Chisa and she doesn't look like she's going to be killed to make her class fall to despair (no need to separate her from the group otherwise).  

Meanwhile we've got Mitarai, ah poor Mitarai.  Looks like the theory that he's being blackmailed in Future is on the mark given Junko let him go.  


One last thing, I know I've been saying Chisa isn't the mastermind because I believe Chiaki will be, but putting that theory aside this episode for me cements that she isn't the mastermind.  If she were she would've been the one to come up with the forbidden actions, and given hers is "Munakata dying", well, I'm sure it's obvious at this point why I don't believe she made that one.  If she made that one it'd imply some sort of internal desire to die with her "beloved", however the brainwashing process has made it perfectly clear any feelings she had are as gone as Hajime's feelings for Chiaki is from Izuru.  

This back up my previous idea that the people in Future are being controlled in to offing themselves! Part of the process has now been established to make someone hurt themselves, which simply adds to evidence that everyone has been offing themselves.

How the cast would go on to inflict unthinkable harm upon themselves after their transition to ultimate despair, and someone elsewhere even found a reference to brainwashing in the final case of danganronpa 2.  Not to mention Side Future has made it clear that post-Despair the cast went on to mass murder.

Chisa watching her own death in a theatre (a theatre others have spotted looks exactly like Jabberwock Islands it should be noted) could be a hint that Despair is going to go full meta on us by the end.  

-Resuming from where ep 8 cliffhanger left off Chiaki tries to reach out to "Hajime" and is informed by Izuru he has no idea who she even is.  Junko relishes every moment and makes a fun jab about shoujo manga.

-Chisa enters, causes a smokescreen with a fire extinguisher thrown at Junko's head, and allows Chiaki to flee with Nagito.  Junko reveals she essentially wanted Chiaki to flee for she would bring class 77b straight back, before demonstrating exactly what she plans for the class with a despair'd blue nobody who, on command, saws through his own neck.  

-The class regroups in the main building for the first (and likely last) time as a single complete group after Peko is escorted in with Mikan's assistance.  Nagito tries to convince them not to go and almost succeeds until Chiaki gets their fires burning, unwittingly leading them to their doom, and possibly her own as well.

-Upon heading out the group encounters some of the angry protestors who, in their rage, decide to attack.  Nekomaru and Tanaka stay behind to deal with them while the rest continue on with their now even more doomed rescue mission.

-Chisa undergoes brainwashing via a viewing of Junko's now complete Despair video while strapped to a restraint chair with her eyes held open, Mukuro is left behind to finish it with some prodding around Chisa's brain while Junko leaves on unfinished business.  Chisa's feelings for Munakata are shown to be burned away.

-Munakata and Sakakura continue their investigation with Munakata narrowing down Junko as a firm suspect for the massacre and sending his enforcer Sakakura off to apprehend her.  

-Mitarai is shown running from another hoard of angry reserve course students in sheer terror before inevitably tripping in the middle of a bridge and encircled by the group.  Junko proceeds to walk out from their midst revealing they're all Despair'd and under her control.  

-Junko then proceeds to troll/break Mitarai, he is allowed to leave, to run, for that shall be his despair.  She has what she wanted with the complete video and class 77b on its way to her and so he is free to go and suffer how he chooses.  He runs off, eventually running in to a raging river in his panic and lamenting/cursing anime, eventually washing up on shore before breaking down through his own inabaility to even move, all the while knowing the rest of his class is on its way to a doom he personally helped create.

-Back at the bridge Sakakura catches up to and confronts Junko, who openly admits to and relishes in that glorious way she always revels in her evil.  The reserve course students are arranged neatly out of the way.  

-Meanwhile class 77b make their way down the stairs to Junko's lair, unknowing of the fate that awaits them.  Upon reaching the end of the stairs Mikan separates Chiaki from the group and apologises while shoving her through a trap door.

-The final scene of the episode has Chiaki met by Chisa in the hallway the trapdoor sent her to, Chisa informs Chiaki that the "boy with long hair" let her go before helping Chiaki up.  Cue this last chilling image followed by the title "Chisa Yukizome Doesn't Smile"



End credits

Chisa post-Despair is a absolute monster confirmed.  No wonder Munakata fell, your dead GF-to-be once cryed to you asking who could massacre a pile of children, all so she could eventually leave being a before and after image of her doing it with a simple "I did it!   "

ChiakiissoscrewedChiakiissoscrewedChiakiissoscrewedChiakiissoscrewedChiakiissoscrewed  

Coming fresh off seeing Chisa turn the scene where Munakata is just smashing Makoto in the face repeatedly angrily and desperately yelling at him to tell him when she fell really hit the feels hard.  

Nice to see someone for once recover from Despair as well, Munakata's ghoul eye is gone and he's had a good loud breakdown of mourning so I think he might finally be throwing off the shackles of despair.  

Meanwhile that cliffhanger, who would've thought seeing a ship you know nothing about going towards an island would make a tantalising cliffhanger!

Sounds like the hypothesis everyone is being hypnotised to kill themselves is on the money too, but if that's the case then why's the counter still off by 1?  I don't believe Chisa is alive after this episode, but that simply raises the question of who the other person is.  Monokuma maybe?  No idea.  

Also lol everyone last week is dead.  So much for the tinfoil "Sakakura will shrug that off and return" theories!  

"It seems your luck has run out Naegi Makoto" ~ Munakata seconds before getting hit by Nagito level luck