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Bloody Emissary
Mar 31, 2014

Powawa~n

Ratoslov posted:

Yeah, Toko's real core strength is being such a horrible fujioshi that it's honestly a relief when she turns out to have been secretly a serial killer the whole time. Byakuya's most humanizing trait is hating her.

Wait, what? I thought Genocide Jack/Jill was the horrible fujoshi and that was one of the things Toko hated her for.

IIRC, Toko's persecution complex was her main personality trait until she got that crush on Byakuya, after which it shared space with creepy drooling/fantasies.

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namehereguy
Nov 24, 2017

Bloody Emissary posted:

Wait, what? I thought Genocide Jack/Jill was the horrible fujoshi and that was one of the things Toko hated her for.

IIRC, Toko's persecution complex was her main personality trait until she got that crush on Byakuya, after which it shared space with creepy drooling/fantasies.

They have the same taste in men; Toko fantasizes about them and Genocide crucifies them with scissors.

Toko is picky about the writing quality of her smut, Genocide is picky about her crucification technique.

namehereguy fucked around with this message at 00:36 on Oct 18, 2018

Blueberry Pancakes
Aug 18, 2012

Jack in!! MegaMan, Execute!
Toko is a closet fujoshi.

Genocider is the closet.

Haifisch
Nov 13, 2010

Objection! I object! That was... objectionable!



Taco Defender
Also note that Toko's genre is romance novels.

She's basically famous for 50 Shades of Grey except it's not a thinly disguised fanfic in this universe. (as far as we know)

namehereguy
Nov 24, 2017

Haifisch posted:

Also note that Toko's genre is romance novels.

She's basically famous for 50 Shades of Grey except it's not a thinly disguised fanfic in this universe. (as far as we know)

It's at least a thickly disguised fanfic. She's good enough at writing it got her into Hopes Peak so it's on the level of running a Strong AI on a 2010 consumer laptop.

FPzero
Oct 20, 2008

Game Over
Return of Mido

If I remember right, she got famous for writing sailor romance novels and kickstarted a trashy teen romance trend.

Lord_Magmar
Feb 24, 2015

"Welcome to pound town, Slifer slacker!"


FPzero posted:

If I remember right, she got famous for writing sailor romance novels and kickstarted a trashy teen romance trend.

That was the one she wrote two years ago (relative to starting at Hope's Peak, which puts it like, 6 years ago now?) and became a world famous hit that made sailors/fishermen more popular with women worldwide. She was a writer well before that though and it's only her most famous work. She became famous all over Japan for a novel written at 10 years old, and then world famous as she kept writing great romance novels is the idea basically.

TheMcD
May 4, 2013

Monaca / Subject N 2024
---------
Despair will never let you down.
Malice will never disappoint you.



♪ BGM: DSO_Beautiful Dead





Wh-What!? You don't know? Don't you live in this city?



Imprisoned, huh? Th-That's an interesting backstory...



But how did you know I was living in this town?
...Huh?
And while I'm at it, this has been on my mind for a while. You said something when we first met... You said, "You must be Komaru Naegi." Toko... How did you know about me?
D-Don't get all detective mode on me out of nowhere! You've caught me off guard!
Well, I think I deserve to know...
I-It's not some big secret or anything. On the helicopter ride over, Master mentioned you and...
Helicopter? You mean Future Foundation's? You're a member of Future Foundation?
W-Well, I'm more like an...intern. That's why I don't have my own uniform yet...
Ahh, that's why you aren't in a suit...
S-Such a cheap-rear end organization, they could've at least given me a uniform! Ugh, when will I finally get to change out of this old ratty thing?
You only have that one uniform, huh?
Yeah, but...I'll endure it for a little bit longer... I made a promise with Master... He said...if I can prove I can control her, I get to be an official member...



Uh oh, looks like we're losing her again!



♪ BGM: Absolute Delusional Girl

Toko... You must never leave my side. Protect me, always. That is your purpose. Your destiny.
B-But, I'm not an official member...ah!



Y-Yes... I'm your livestock.
My pig.
Y-Yes! I'm your pig!
Hey, pig...repeat the promise you made with me.
Uh, uh... Oink oink oink?
In English, fool!
I promise to never let Genocide Jack kill another human being! Then, I become an official member!
I...need...you... You must never...break...that promise!
...Oink oink!

Again, the text doesn't do this scene justice. The voice acting is amazing.



♪ BGM: DSO_Junk Food for a Dashing Youth

...Ah!





N-No, not at all! You didn't look disgustingly gross at all!
I didn't ask you if it was gross! I just said "weird"!
Oh...sorry?
Jeez, even this immature schoolgirl treats me like an intern! Grr, and even that occult moron and the swimming idiot bimbo are official members!
...Wow, you sure give your friends nice nicknames...
They're not my friends! My whole life I've never had a friend!
...And now you go making me remember stuff like that! Stop prodding my mental wounds, girl!
I didn't mean to!

♪ BGM: DSO_Beautiful Dead

Hmph, anyway, who cares about having friends. I have Master Byakuya!
And as long as I have Master, I don't need anything, or anyone else...
To actually care about someone that much... That's a pretty amazing feeling.
But I got separated from my precious Master thanks to these drat riots! Now I'm all alone...
Of course, I did sneak onto the helicopter without Master or anyone else knowing...
Wait, so ever since then, you've been alone? Then who told you Byakuya was captured?
...Huh?
O-Oh, well, a lot of things happened...
A-And more importantly! What are you going to do from here on?
Me?



...
But you... You want to look for Byakuya, right? I know that's what you want, but...



♪ BGM: DSO_Desire for Execution...

I feel trapped. No matter what I do, I'll end up getting killed.
...
So... Listen, I know this is...an unfair request, but...
Fine.
Huh?
You want me to tag along with you, right? Fine. I'll go with you.
I-It's...okay?
Th-There's no other choice! As a member of Future Foundation, it's my duty to protect you.



♪ BGM: This Is the Path We Follow

This is another one of my favorite tracks. It's a simple piano track, but it fits really well, and sometimes, something simple does the trick the best.

H-Hey, what are you doing!?
Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you! From the bottom of my heart, just... Thank God I met Toko!



But... Are you sure about this? What about your search for Byakuya?
Th-There's no need for you to worry about that. I've been thinking up a plan.
Oh, you're right. An amazing girl like you would have a plan for sure. No point in me worrying.
Hmph...
But... I'm glad. Ever since I was imprisoned, I've been all alone. I couldn't depend on anyone else...



Y-You don't have to repeat yourself, I heard you the first time! Now, do you know a way out? I don't know anything about this city, either. I don't know where we should go...
You're right. We have to figure out more about this town, first.



It's commonly called Towa City.



♪ BGM: DSO_Beautiful Dead

Hey, Toko! Do you remember seeing a bridge anywhere?
A bridge?



Perfect! If this town really is an island, we should be able to escape over the bridge!
Huh... I guess you're right.
Let's go to the bridge! We have to at least try!



I-I see... Good for you...



I'd like to introduce some small necessities - skills that'll turn the battle in your favor. First, bring up the menu with Esc Key and switch to the skill screen with Z Key/X Key. Choose skills using the A,S,W,D Key and attach / detach with the E Key. S-S-Surprise! It appears you already have one skill! Hooray! If you attach this skill, you'll be able to automatically lock on to the target. By finding reference books around town, you can get new skills. Don't forget to attach them to turn the tides of war! By the way, attaching skills would require skill points... Skill points increase when Komaru levels up. Pretty standard stuff. Now then, defeat a lot of Monokumas and level up quick!

Well, we've basically already gone over this and already equipped the skill, so let's just go.



♪ BGM: Wonderful Dead 001

This is the first of the Wonderful Dead variants (albeit not the first we've heard, since 004 made a quick early cameo), and one of the other subtype. The last one we heard was more of a lounge ambience, whereas this is more upbeat, with more going on, making it more fit for general gameplay. I like these as well.



To start off, we get some potty saving action going.



We run into two Monokumas really intent on stabbing this dead body. After taking care of them, we find a note near the body.





Sometimes you just don't really know what to say. This is one of those times. Let's just move down the road.







Works like a charm!



The Monokuma kids do a whole bunch of stuff around here. Things like messing around with bodies...



...running around Monokumas...



...and incredibly eagerly hip-thrusting for some reason.



Heading down the path, we find some literature to look at.







♪ BGM: DSO_Beautiful Dead

Hm? What makes you say that?
80% of authors who write books with drugs, guns, and high school girls in them are anime nerds. It's a safe bet, like knowing your white shirt is gonna get splashed when you eat curry.
Yeah, putting aside the curry thing... I'm a high school girl, and I have this hacking gun... Is this some anime nerd fantasy?
Do *not* associate a gift my Master gave you with anime nerd imagination nonsense! Keep being condescending and I'll cut you with a kitchen utensil only master chefs have heard of!
I-It's even more terrifying not knowing what it could possibly be!

Note that the author of this book is named "Kodaka". Now who else do we know named like that?

But, seriously... I don't know much about guns. I barely know how to work *this* thing.
You really don't have a sharp memory, do you? It sends program codes in the form of radio waves that hacks the target machine.
Yeah, I don't get that at all but... It sounds really cool!
Jeez, you didn't get my explanation at all, did you?
But this doesn't work on *every* machine, right? I wonder why not...
Well I'm just an intern, so I don't really know the details, but I know it's a research project. M-Maybe it's made so that it doesn't work on machines you don't need to use...?
Well that's...convenient. But, I have learned one thing!
Wh-What's that?
This gun works as well on humans as the ray guns do against Crystal Bowie!
Wow, now *that's* an obscure reference... How old did you say you were?

Komaru is apparently referencing the manga "Cobra" here, which originally ran from 1978 to 1984. I guess Komaru is a fan of the classics.



♪ BGM: Wonderful Dead 001

This Monokuma guide sign is kindly pointing us towards this door, so I guess we should go there. What could possibly go wrong?



However, we are then immediately stifled by something blocking our path.



W-Work together? With you!? Gah, guess we don't have a choice... Do you wash your hands?
O-Of course I wash my hands!





And now we can get up larger objects through the power of teamwork! However, the moment we jump back down...



♪ BGM: Silence ♫





Grenade incoming!



It explodes without causing further damage. And then, the source of the grenade is revealed!







Alright, so, Bomber Monokumas. Of course it would be rather boring if all we got to fight was plain old regular Monokumas, so throughout the game, we'll be introduced to new enemy types to keep things fresh. These guys have two notable things about them. One: They throw grenades, which blow up. Being blown up is not conductive to not dying, so we'll be trying to avoid that.





Two: When you kill them, they blow up themselves. This means you should also avoid them after killing them, but it also means you can kill other enemies with them, which comes in handy.



And that's about it for our new enemy introduction, so let's head out.



♪ BGM: Wonderful Dead 001



Based on where we are, the bridge should be on the opposite side of this hotel...



A-Are you telling me we have to walk through this busted-up hotel? Oh, this is the worst.



But before that, we get to Move another electric car...



...and find something shiny behind it!



♪ Jingle: Skill GET!



So this skill would give Komaru another point of HP, but we don't have the skill points for it yet, though we'll have it on the next level.



Anyway, that'll be enough for this time. Next time, we'll be heading through this hotel, and you know it's going to be great.

Carbon dioxide
Oct 9, 2012

Wait, Komaru asked Toko how she knew that Byakuya was caught... but didn't Komaru literally tell Toko this when they first met? Plot hole ahoy?

Also I want to see how Toko's fantasy memories played out from Byakuya's perspective.

TheMcD
May 4, 2013

Monaca / Subject N 2024
---------
Despair will never let you down.
Malice will never disappoint you.

Carbon dioxide posted:

Wait, Komaru asked Toko how she knew that Byakuya was caught... but didn't Komaru literally tell Toko this when they first met? Plot hole ahoy?

Nope.

TheMcD posted:

R-Remember this: I won't let anyone interfere in my romance with Master!
I'm going to rescue Master, and then, in the heat of the moment, we'll... Oooh!
Huh? Rescue? W-Wait! Hold on! Byakuya...was captured!?
What, you just figured that out? Why would I even be here if it weren't for Master?
He was probably ambushed by cowards... There's no way he'd just allow himself to be captured...
I-I see... So he was caught after all...

Komaru had no idea Byakuya ended up captured, meaning the question of "actually, how did you know that" is still valid.

Blueberry Pancakes
Aug 18, 2012

Jack in!! MegaMan, Execute!

TheMcD posted:

Hey, pig...repeat the promise you made with me.
Uh, uh... Oink oink oink?
In English, fool!

Alright, that got a laugh out of me. :allears:

Psycho Knight
Jan 19, 2017

"Being a fangame and not bound to a rating, Pokemon Reborn is able to expand more on topics such as death and the extreme dangers Pokemon could pose. These topics...are treated with the respect such a subject deserves."

Let's throw a Medicham into a volcano and make it give the T2 thumbs up!

TheMcD posted:

This:


Is the completely correct response to this:



TheMcD posted:

Nope.

Komaru had no idea Byakuya ended up captured, meaning the question of "actually, how did you know that" is still valid.


It would have gone beyond plot hole if she had suddenly told Toko that he was captured. Even with that Megaphone gun, Komaru saw Byakuya's entire team get torn apart in seconds and she had blocked off the nearest escape route by taking the elevator. If I was in her shoes, I would've written him off as dead the second the doors closed. Not to mention that those things don't exactly look like the 'capturing' type.

TheMcD
May 4, 2013

Monaca / Subject N 2024
---------
Despair will never let you down.
Malice will never disappoint you.

Hobgoblin2099 posted:

Alright, that got a laugh out of me. :allears:

Even in her fantasies, Toko can't avoid catching poo poo from Byakuya.

ultrafilter
Aug 23, 2007

It's okay if you have any questions.


I think she might have some self-esteem issues. Just a hunch.

SoundwaveAU
Apr 17, 2018

New episode of voice actor talk. I'll hold off on doing the Warriors of Hope until we see a little more of them, but have the co-protagonist.



Toko is voiced by the same person who voiced her in DR1, Amanda C. Miller. In the land of Danganronpa, Amanda C. Miller also voiced Junko (both her normal speaking voice and some of her personalities). Recently she landed the role of Boruto which is undeniably gonna be huge for her career, and she was also the voice of Sailor Jupiter in the VIZ redub of Sailor Moon. She's very good and having so much dialogue in a game like this means she really gets to show off her talents. In particular I've always been a really big fan of Toko's stutter. There's a lot of really stereotypical and over-the-top stutters in acting so I appreciate how natural Toko's sounds. It's just a slight drag on some of her letters, like she's not entirely sure of herself. One of the best performances in the series for sure.




And here we have her serial killer alternate personality, Genocide Jack. Or Genocide Jill. She's voiced by Erin Fitzgerald, who ALSO voices Junko (to be exact, Erin voices Teacher Junko, Jojo Pose Junko, Monokuma Junko and the Horny Junko from DR2). I think it's pretty cool that they just decided to run with the connection between her and Amanda C. Miller, with both of them sharing two different roles in the series. Apart from DR but still in the world of anime, Erin is easily most famous for being the role of Chie Satonaka in Persona 4 in every game after the original, but she's in a ton of other games and anime too. She's also got a great resume in western cartoons, such as Ed, Edd n Eddy and Monster High. Anyway, voice acting wise she's absolutely excellent at Jill/Junko. Jill in particular being a complete psychopath, the voice acting needs to be absolutely on-point to make the character work and sound genuine, and yeah, she nails it. Just like with Toko, it's one of my favourite performances in the series for sure. In addition, she actually streams on Twitch quite a bit so if you're interested in following her, here you go: https://www.twitch.tv/erinfitzgerald

TheMcD
May 4, 2013

Monaca / Subject N 2024
---------
Despair will never let you down.
Malice will never disappoint you.



Alright, let's check out this hotel.



♪ BGM: Alice in the Children's Land



Before we get to do anything...



This right here is a toy vending machine popular with the kids, the MonoMono Machine. By shooting Move at this machine, you can spin it for free just once. There's nothing scarier than free things... ...I sure hope nothing bad happens. Items that might be useful in battle will drop, so use it whenever you see one.

Let's give it a shot!





So this time it gave me a Break refill, just a short time after the last one I got, meaning I got one whole shot extra. Awesome.





Next, we get to boost ourselves up to the vomit staircase to proceed.



♪ BGM: We Can't Change The World

As we proceed, Komaru gets an idea.

Wh-What?
I think I've got an idea! Look, if we use this telephone to call the police, won't they come save us?
The police? That collective of psychos that think all humans are criminals until proven innocent!?
That's...quite a bias...
It's a lovely idea! There's no way it'd go through. Telephones, internet, nothing!
Huh!? Nothing works?
I-If they did, this whole problem would have been solved by now! Jeez, use your brain!
You're seriously useless... More useless than... Than a salmon that already laid its eggs!





♪ BGM: Alice in the Children's Land

Toko's a bit slow on the uptake, calling out Monokumas I've already blasted.



Hm, another door. Is this the path onwards or a side path to be explored? Let's ask the map!



And now we know! We should enter that room.



Looks pretty nice. And there's also a sparkly thing!







♪ BGM: DSO_Beautiful Dead

You think *you're* tired? If you're tired, I don't even have a word for how tired I am. I need a new onomatopoeia to express the sheer tiredness...

Writing shorthand #1124: Actually using the word "onomatopoeia" means the character is a writer of some kind.

You're tired? You don't really look like it, Toko.
I'm liberal arts to the core. No energy...at all.
Aren't you younger than me!? Telling me you're tired already...
My age doesn't affect how tired I am...
Oh, hey... How old are you?
Y-Your tricks won't work on me!
...What?
You're trying to show how young you are by comparing yourself to my age, aren't you!? Trying to add "old hag" onto the usual insults of ugly and gloomy and smelly!
Th-That's not true at all! I was just curious!
Doesn't matter... I won't tell you.
Your hiding it makes me want to know even more, Toko. Makes me think that maybe you're even older than I imagined...
No *way* I'm 5 or 6 years older than you.
...No way you're younger than that either...
I very well could be!

Age insecurity!



♪ BGM: Alice in the Children's Land

Continuing on through the hotel, the Monokumas we encounter here have little chef's hats on! Adorable, but they get blasted all the same.



Over in the next hotel room, we find another sparkly thing!







Backstory!



Oh hey, a shiny looking gift!



It's a trap! However, a trap featuring a single Monokuma which is easily dealt with.



Also, why the hell are there church-style stained glass windows of Monokumas in a hotel? Not complaining, mind, because they look neat.



Another shiny thing in the next hotel room.



This is the best manga.







♪ BGM: DSO_Beautiful Dead

Wh-What!?
The Bomb Inside Her! This manga... Oh it's been ages since I read this! I love it!
It's just a manga... Why'd they draw her eyes so big? Jeez, at least I still look remotely human.
The size of the eye is a sign of beauty! A sophisticated process and form! A manga with small eyes is like ramen with no bamboo shoots!
...Sounds like some pretty good ramen.
Oh have you even read it!? The Bomb Inside Her is like, required reading for high school girls!
There's no way I'd read even a single page of that manga dreck!
And what do you mean, "high school girls"? Were you even in high school?
Well age-wise, I am...
Age-wise? You've been...imprisoned since middle school? Is that your middle school uniform?
No, this is a high school uniform. While I was imprisoned, it was delivered to me one day along with the food. Until then I had been wearing my middle school uniform... The culprit probably felt sorry for me.
Well, for criminals, that was a pretty nice gesture. A grown woman in a middle school uniform... People would have called the cops.
Well you're one to talk, wearing a high school uniform after you've graduated...
But... I'm really glad they gave me one. This is the St. Koa Girls Academy uniform. It's a famous rich-girl school!
Koa? I've never heard of it.
Koa Academy has a 300-year history of culture, activities, and sports. The club uniforms are also super cute. There are tons of girls who want a chance to wear one. The school cafeteria is buffet style, and you hear about it on television all the time... ...
...Ugh.
Wh-What!?
I'm feeling... It's just silly of me to fantasize about all those details now, isn't it?
Well it sounded too good to be true, but you're telling me you made up the whole thing!?
I wanted a high school life like that!
Even if you weren't imprisoned, I don't think that school life was in your future.
Y-You don't have to be so blunt about it!

Toko Fukawa: Destroyer of Dreams.



♪ BGM: Alice in the Children's Land

Heading down the path, we find an elevator and another shiny thing!





This is...
D-Did you remember something?
Yeah, it's probably something the brats made. A list made so that they can efficiently hunt and kill targets like you.
B-But that's... Why would they do that!?
Take a look at this part. It says "Hunting Grounds". And with this stupid title, Hit List... It's got to be those brats. They made this.
But does that mean...there's other people who are being hunted by the children?
I'm not sure, but that does seem likely.
But why would something like this...?
Well I doubt they're passing this list around to the adults, so some brat must have dropped it.
If that's the case, we have to hurry and tell this person! The children know where they are!
Your life is more important than that right now. I understand how you feel, but we have to go on. If we run into them, we'll let them know then. That's how we have to handle this for now.
I-Is that really okay...?
Don't think of it in terms of "good" or "bad"... It is what it is...
I-I see... It is what it is...

So, this is the next kind of collectible we have in this game - the Hit List. Throughout the game, we are going to find assorted profiles of Demons the Warriors of Hope are hunting. And the more astute of you will have noticed something, the same thing Toko noticed. Somebody with the last name of Ishimaru... son to a former Prime Minister of Japan... this is Kiyotaka Ishimaru's father.

So, remember those "motives" that Monokuma showed everybody in DR1, those that were about "human connections"? The one where Makoto was shown his sister and parents subjected to an unspecified, yet implied grim fate? The one where Sayaka was shown her bandmates subjected to a similarly unspecified, yet implied grim fate? Well, UDG shows us what happened to them. Turns out that they were apparently imprisoned in a very confined, isolated, yet not entirely unpleasant life, presumably with the idea being that if somebody were to actually win the killing game, they would be reunited with them, or would be shown them being murdered right in front of them for extra despair, or whatever - trying to figure out what Junko's plan would have entailed if it went a different way than it should have is a path down which lies madness.

Regardless, seems like they were all stuck in Towa City, and now that Junko's plans have completely gone to poo poo, the whole thing with the motives has become entirely pointless, and I guess the fallback plan is "Monokumas break open their confinements and they either get slaughtered or hunted by insane children for sport", judging by what Komaru is going through.

Well, it is what it is. Let's head down the elevator.





Some more Monokuma blasting occurs, and Komaru levels up again!





That means we now get to have an extra heart! I haven't taken a hit yet, but I'm sure it'll come in handy later. Let's head through those swanky doors, which mean...



♪ BGM: It's a Monokuma World

...it's Monoku-Man time!



♪ Jingle: Monoku-Man Activate



This one is pretty simple, just to get you into the swing of things for the general way these things are going to go. We have four regular Monokumas facing away...



...and one Bomber Monokuma walking between its current position and right between the four Monokumas. The course of action seems clear.



That last room's clear requirement was to get past without getting caught. But from now on, arcade machine room clear requirements will be: kill all enemies.



All arcade machine rooms have strategies that can destroy all the enemies at once.



Of course, you could just clear them all with Genocide Jack, but... If you use it too much, it might affect how that being judges you...





Huh? Who is "that being" you say? It's "that being" who loves you deeply... Well, anyways... I believe looking for the strategy is the best thing for you smart people to try.



Oh, I almost forgot! If something happens, and you feel like you're stuck... Please choose Retry from the Menu. But, using Retry affects that being's review, so play wisely...

Mysterious.



Anyway, like both I and the tutorial said, this is easy. Wait for the Bomber Monokuma to move up...



...blast...



...explode...



♪ Jingle: Monoku-Man Success

...win!



♪ BGM: Alice in the Children's Land

We make our way through another stained glass hallway...



...and find ourselves in a large foyer-like area with a Monokuma kid and a computer.



♪ BGM: Riddle Land



What is this? A letter...?
Maybe it's a love letter! This might be the last one you ever receive, so open it!
You don't have to make it sound so ominous!





Wh-What the heck...? This is no time to be playing games like this!
I want to slap this brat in the face for this... Monokumas would ambush us if I did... It's a pain in the rear end... But we gotta do it.



Did... Did you just make a pun? Wow... That does not inspire confidence.

She sounded so drat proud of herself for that pun, too.



♪ Jingle: Challenge from a Child

So this is another thing to mix up the gameplay a bit - every once in a while, you'll get these challenges from the Monokuma kids. Here, we need to solve this puzzle to open the door out of the hotel, so I guess we should get going on that.



Good idea, Toko.



There's the arcade machine, but also a sparkly thing, so let's pick that up first.





So, Towa Group has been a frontline fighter against despair, and seems to have been deterring Junko from attacking Towa City due to sheer technological power. Interesting. Well, I guess that went out the window now, with killer Monokumas roaming the streets of the city. Now, let's check out the arcade machine.



♪ Jingle: Monoku-Man Activate



...hang on. That's not right.



There we go. Toko suggests looking at it upside-down, and mentions she feels like she's seen this trick before. It probably involved the number 11037. Anyway, this is pretty simple. We just flip it upside down, and get 7734.



So we punch the password in...



♪ BGM: We Can't Change The World

...and the door unlocks!



Boo hoo!



"In yo FACE, you little poo poo!"

D-Don't be gloating about beating a little kid...



Anyway, that means we now get to leave the hotel.



♪ BGM: Hope of the Other Side



Toko! This way!
Hold on a sec...



We're almost there! If we cross that bridge, we can get out of this town!
I hope so...

Well, I think that'll be enough for this update. There's a save point right nearby to where we are right now, so that's where we'll be picking up from next time. Next time, the bridge, maybe?

TheMcD fucked around with this message at 17:55 on Oct 21, 2018

Blueberry Pancakes
Aug 18, 2012

Jack in!! MegaMan, Execute!
I wish I enjoyed anything as much as Komaru enjoys bullying children.

FPzero
Oct 20, 2008

Game Over
Return of Mido

TheMcD posted:



...hang on. That's not right.

God drat it TheMcD

Haifisch
Nov 13, 2010

Objection! I object! That was... objectionable!



Taco Defender

TheMcD posted:

You're tired? You don't reallv look like it, Toko.


FPzero posted:

God drat it TheMcD
Is it Loss? I'm not sure what it is, so I'm going to assume it's Loss.

Lord_Magmar
Feb 24, 2015

"Welcome to pound town, Slifer slacker!"


Hobgoblin2099 posted:

I wish I enjoyed anything as much as Komaru enjoys bullying children.

She seems so incredibly hyped and ready to rumble in her little hand up come and get some gesture, which she's doing exclusive towards children in weird robot heads. I suspect Komaru is slightly less average than Makoto was.

Blueberry Pancakes
Aug 18, 2012

Jack in!! MegaMan, Execute!
If you told me that Komaru was quirky enough to get into Hope's Peak but Makoto's luck caused the letter to wind up in his hands instead, I'd believe it.

It'd require no first name or gender pronouns to be used in the letter, but I'd believe it.

NGDBSS
Dec 30, 2009






Edit: Nah, let's wait for confirmation.

ultrafilter
Aug 23, 2007

It's okay if you have any questions.


Haifisch posted:

Is it Loss? I'm not sure what it is, so I'm going to assume it's Loss.

It's Loss.

TheMcD
May 4, 2013

Monaca / Subject N 2024
---------
Despair will never let you down.
Malice will never disappoint you.



♪ BGM: Wonderful Dead 001

Alright, so last time, we went through this hotel. There's a path over to the right, but we're not going to be going that way.



Instead, we have an ominously black-and-white bridge to be checking out.



We get a setup made for some more creative Move application.



Shoot Move...



...squished Monokumas!



♪ BGM: We Can't Change The World

There's also some more corpses piled up.

They probably don't have a real reason. From what I can tell, they're just doing it for fun.
They're doing something like this...for fun? What *are* these kids...?
When I got here, they were already wearing those helmets and marching in the streets. Killing the adults...and bringing Monokumas with them like a parade...
Why do they hate the adults...?
L-Like I said, I have no idea! I'm just as confused as you are! Stop asking me about every little thing!
Jeez... You don't have to be so angry...
I-It's because you nag just like those brats!



♪ BGM: Wonderful Dead 001

Moving on exploring, it seems like Hotel Towa has been assigned a new purpose by the kids.



We head up a staircase and can practically see the bridge, but let's check around first.



Heading down here and checking in the back nets us another collectible!



♪ Jingle: Skill GET!



Hrm. I have no idea what "Despair Time" means in this context. Oh well, not like I intend on using Genocide Jack much.



Heading down the other side of the stairs, we make it to the bridge!





We did it, Toko! Just a little more! We're going to be alright!
I wonder...if it will really end this easily...
...Huh?

Toko is a writer. She knows when we're only in the first chapter and the story obviously isn't ending here.

I-I have a bad feeling about this... This bridge has...a dangerous scent...
???: Heeey! You two girls over there!



♪ BGM: DSO_Beautiful Dead

A new person!

That means...you're on my side, right? Right?
Huh? Uh...yeah.



Man, it's been forever since I've seen a normal person! I'm so happy!
I hate this kind of guy... Just walkin' up and talking to a girl like it was nothing!
Ah... I think this handshake is over now...



H-Hey! How much longer are you gonna hold her hand!? You're like a creepy fan meeting an idol!
No! It's not like that... It's just, this wristband... Could it be...? Were you also captured by those kids who call themselves the Warriors of Hope?
...Huh?
And then you got thrown out here, and told it was part of some game, right? Well, look! Me too!



Ah, that wristband!
Oh, this is great! Well, not...completely great. I'm already at my wit's end trying to figure out what to do... I guess I was just so relieved to see someone in the same spot I'm in. Still...cou|d be better.
I sorta understand. I'm also a little glad to know that I'm not alone in this situation.
Right!? Right!? Oh, that reminds me, I never told you my name! I'm Yuta Asahina!



Toko again notices something Komaru doesn't and we do. This guy is related to Aoi Asahina and is her motive person.

I'm Komaru Naegi. Nice to meet you, Yuta.



...What're you doing?
Oh, this? If you wanna really remember a name, write it down on your palm three times.
Oh, I see. I've never heard of that.
Ah, but seriously, it is so reassuring to finally have a friend to work together with!



...
Oh, this is Toko. Toko Fukawa.
I-It's fine, you don't have to make introductions like this... Not for an outcast like me.
Listen to you two, going on like you're lovers already! And you j-just met!
I-It's not like that!
Well, come on, I'm sure we'd all be happier on that side of the bridge. Now let's hurry up and get out of this town!

And he heads off.

Toko, we should go too!
...
What is it?
Like I said... I-I don't like it. I have a very bad feeling about this...
Oh, you're just being paranoid! Come on, if we don't hurry, Yuta will leave us behind!
H-Hey, don't just run off! Hold on!



♪ BGM: Wonderful Dead 001

So now we just head down the bridge, with Yuta running ahead of us.



But eventually...



♪ BGM: We Can't Change The World

N-No! Isn't there something we can do?
There's nothing we can do... It's impossible to get over the bridge now! Dammit! We were almost there... Stop screwing with us! What the hell is this!?
Hmph, how pathetic... Giving up right away just because things got a little screwed up.
If you have the energy to shout and scream like that, use it to move your weak rear end instead!
Huh? M-Move...?



♪ BGM: DSO_Welcome Despair Academy

Go back!? You want us to actually go back there!?
Yes. That's the only way... If you wanna live, you can't always take the easy path. Sometimes, you gotta take the painful ones.
On that path you might suffer and writhe in pain, but at least you'll survive.
...You say that as if you've experienced it before.
...Hmph.

I guess it kinda is hard to reveal the poo poo she's been through without bringing up the whole part about Makoto and Aoi being there.



♪ BGM: Silence ♫

But suddenly, explosion!

Wh-What?



Explosive charges have been set under the bridge...



...and they start going up!



The children looking on are quite happy with this development.



And one kid has a detonator!





Our gang decides that getting the gently caress out of Dodge is the best way to proceed from here.



♪ BGM: DSO_Living to the Fullest



So, we're on a timer now and have to head back.



Monokumas are now roaming the bridge as an impediment, though in my case the main impediment is my desire to score nice shots.



We also find this trailer blocking the way.



We deal with it by shooting the Bomber Monokuma in it...



...which then leads to the entire thing exploding and us being able to pass.



We get to repeat the fun with the trailer one more time, this time with more Monokumas popping in and out from the trailer. We have to wait a bit for the Bomber to show up, and killing it takes a bit...



...but eventually, the path is open.



♪ BGM: Silence ♫

And thus our heroes escape from the bridge as it collapses behind them.



poo poo's pretty hosed. Even more hosed than before.



♪ BGM: DSO_All All Apologies

I-I thought we were gonna die...
We're safe for now... But with the bridge like this, there's no way we can get across.
N-Now we have...no chance of escape...
...
No! Not yet! I'm not gonna give up yet!
Wh-Why are you yelling!?



And if I don't do everything I can, I know that nothin's gonna get solved!
What're you doing?
Isn't it obvious? I'll swim!
What!? Swim!?
Yeah! I mean, my specialty is more track and field... I'm not that confident in swimming... Well, it's not that I'm not a good swimmer, it's just... There was always someone better.

I think we know who that "someone better" is.

But now's not the time for that! Can't chicken out now!
Wait! Even if you are gonna swim... It looks really far to the other side.
...Yeah, that looks pretty tiring.
But the water is freezing, and with all the pollution, there are weird creatures in there...
Then I guess I'll just be extra careful.
No, it's not that! I'm telling you not to try it, you idiot swimmer! D-Don't be a hero!
Idiot swimmer...? But I'm on the track team!
Grr, anyway! This isn't the time to rush into things. Let's think this out.
I'm honored that you worry about me, but I've already made up my mind.
S-So you're just going to refuse to listen to reason!?
Look, all I have to do is ask for help from those Future Foundation guys after I cross, right?
I'll bring back help, I promise. No matter what it takes! So just wait for me until then, okay?
Ah, Yuta!
Hm?
Um... Be careful... I-If you run into any trouble, come back right away, okay?



And with that, he gets ready to go.



♪ BGM: Business Trip Version Punishment ~Swimming Explosion Episode~



...well, now you can tell this isn't going to end well. Komaru and Toko are unsure of what's going to happen...



...as Yuta jumps into the water and gets going.



He turns on the jets and really blows through the water.



Komaru is very excited, but just a bit afterwards...



...his wristband starts beeping...



...and goes "boom". And in the middle of the water pouring down from the explosion...



...Komaru, once again, doesn't know what the gently caress.

So that'll be it for this update. Next time, we find out how much Komaru cannot deal with this turn of events and if she can maybe manage to deal with this after all.

FPzero
Oct 20, 2008

Game Over
Return of Mido

And here we see the first of many reasons I dislike this game's plot. Specifically, how it handles Yuta's "execution" compared to the rest of the series' murders. In the span of one update, about 10-15 minutes in the game, we are introduced to Yuta and then witness his death. There is absolutely no time for the player to get attached to this character in any sense and his death feels cheap and arbitrary, like nothing more than the developers suddenly remembering "hey we're making a danganronpa game, that means we have to kill cast members". In DR1 and 2, the player spends a good few hours with every single character before anyone dies in Chapter 1, leaving way more time for them to start getting attached to even the earliest murder victim. It's why the tension of knowing a murder would occur soon and hoping and praying it wasn't going to be a character you liked and had spent time with would be the next to die was so good in the previous games. The games were ripping apart your relationships with the characters by killing them off right in front of you after you'd spent time to get to know them. The same can't be said of this scene and it's really disappointing. Going into this update, I didn't even remember Yuta's name, just his relationship.

His death would be much stronger if he were treated as a recurring character and died at some point later in the story. Instead, he's nothing more than a story reminder that the bracelet on Komaru will explode if she tries to leave.

eternaldough
Jan 16, 2017

FPzero posted:

His death would be much stronger if he were treated as a recurring character and died at some point later in the story. Instead, he's nothing more than a story reminder that the bracelet on Komaru will explode if she tries to leave.

I may be wrong since I don't know what's coming ahead, but I don't get the sense that this scene was meant to be anything other than just reminding us that those bracelets are for real and that nobody is safe. I doubt the writers meant for you to feel any attachment to Yuta since it was so obvious he was going to bite it the moment he insisted on swimming on it.

Psycho Knight
Jan 19, 2017

"Being a fangame and not bound to a rating, Pokemon Reborn is able to expand more on topics such as death and the extreme dangers Pokemon could pose. These topics...are treated with the respect such a subject deserves."

Let's throw a Medicham into a volcano and make it give the T2 thumbs up!

FPzero posted:

And here we see the first of many reasons I dislike this game's plot. Specifically, how it handles Yuta's "execution" compared to the rest of the series' murders. In the span of one update, about 10-15 minutes in the game, we are introduced to Yuta and then witness his death. There is absolutely no time for the player to get attached to this character in any sense and his death feels cheap and arbitrary, like nothing more than the developers suddenly remembering "hey we're making a danganronpa game, that means we have to kill cast members". In DR1 and 2, the player spends a good few hours with every single character before anyone dies in Chapter 1, leaving way more time for them to start getting attached to even the earliest murder victim. It's why the tension of knowing a murder would occur soon and hoping and praying it wasn't going to be a character you liked and had spent time with would be the next to die was so good in the previous games. The games were ripping apart your relationships with the characters by killing them off right in front of you after you'd spent time to get to know them. The same can't be said of this scene and it's really disappointing. Going into this update, I didn't even remember Yuta's name, just his relationship.

His death would be much stronger if he were treated as a recurring character and died at some point later in the story. Instead, he's nothing more than a story reminder that the bracelet on Komaru will explode if she tries to leave.


freshlybaked posted:

I may be wrong since I don't know what's coming ahead, but I don't get the sense that this scene was meant to be anything other than just reminding us that those bracelets are for real and that nobody is safe. I doubt the writers meant for you to feel any attachment to Yuta since it was so obvious he was going to bite it the moment he insisted on swimming on it.

This is what I side with in this instance. FPzero is definitely right in that introducing a character in detail and then immediately killing them is a cheap moment, but I also think that there is some narrative value to pulling this from time to time.

His death most certainly would have had more weight had the audience/player been given the chance to bond with them and grow attached, but setting up that expectation and then subverting it can be a powerful moment in its own right.

I don't know anything about the Danganronpa universe or the characters. It was a series I missed out on and never bothered trying to catch up with as new games came out. Maybe this is a slap in the face of fans. From an outsider's perspective though, I think this mostly works. It serves to remind characters and players of the stakes, consequences, and a problem that will need to be solved for the heroines to get out of this. The game also seems to center on these two characters as the lead, making them the focus, not the extended cast.

Now whether or not this is a one time deal or it gets pulled again later, I think that will be the determining factor for me. There is also the question of how much of an impact this has on our focus characters. Then there is the slim chance of a 'fake-out death' being attempted. I'm not going to rule that out either. I'm interested to see how this plays out and how I end up feeling about this death as the game goes on.

namehereguy
Nov 24, 2017
Narratively the purpose is pretty obviously to demonstrate that the bracelet is a bomb and there's no possibility of simply leaving, and to ensure the characters know that and take it seriously. That's fairly common, and is basically analogous to the Ninth Man from 9 Hours 9 Persons 9 Doors, whose initial story role is to persuade people Zero is not bluffing.

That said it felt pretty cheap to introduce Aoi's brother and then kill him off right out of the gate just because the audience wouldn't expect him to get killed off immediately. The shock value of an unexpected death is ruined by both the fact that the audience can pretty much guess the kids aren't gonna let their hunt targets leave the city alive that easily, and the fact that it switched into the Execution art style the moment he starts the swim. That second part isn't clear to a newcomer, but the reason for

theMcD posted:

...well, now you can tell this isn't going to end well.
is that the art style of the immediate prior image has previously only been used for culprit executions at the end of a trial section

namehereguy fucked around with this message at 22:49 on Oct 27, 2018

TheMcD
May 4, 2013

Monaca / Subject N 2024
---------
Despair will never let you down.
Malice will never disappoint you.

I have words to say about this topic, but I'm going to sleep now. I'll join in tomorrow.

I will say one thing to clarify something due to the cutoff point: As far as we're concerned right now, Yuta is loving dead. He's passed on. He is no more. He has ceased to be. He's expired and gone to meet his maker. He's a stiff. Bereft of life, he rests in peace. Etc, etc. This will be established very quickly into the next update and it's hardly a surprise.

Him coming back and turning out to be the mastermind is still in the cards (and really, "character X turns out to be a mastermind out of nowhere" should never really be not considered to be in the cards as far as this stupid series is concerned), but as far as the immediate future is concerned, motherfucker blew up good and rests in pieces.

namehereguy
Nov 24, 2017

TheMcD posted:

Him coming back and turning out to be the mastermind is still in the cards (and really, "character X turns out to be a mastermind out of nowhere" should never really be not considered to be in the cards as far as this stupid series is concerned)

Well literally the second person to die in the first game was "Junko", then Junko turned out to be the mastermind and died at the end of the first game, then was the mastermind of the second game. So yeah, being loving dead and the mastermind are not mutually exclusive in any capacity in this series.

Blueberry Pancakes
Aug 18, 2012

Jack in!! MegaMan, Execute!
First her BFF and now her brother.

Being Aoi is suffering.

Cyouni
Sep 30, 2014

without love it cannot be seen
Theoretically, shouldn't Touko have someone in the city as well? She doesn't seem to care too much about that.

(Unless her first video was Genocide Jack as well.)

limeicebreakers
May 1, 2017

Cyouni posted:

Theoretically, shouldn't Touko have someone in the city as well? She doesn't seem to care too much about that.

(Unless her first video was Genocide Jack as well.)

Touko's motive video was about all of her novels being adapted into anime

Did they made a light novel adaptation based on the anime? Find out...after graduation!

eating only apples
Dec 12, 2009

Shall we dance?
That's some character design right there, Aoi's head on a male body. Good job guys, workin' hard!

TheMcD
May 4, 2013

Monaca / Subject N 2024
---------
Despair will never let you down.
Malice will never disappoint you.

Alright, so here's my take on this situation. This might define a theme for my takes on the situations in this game, which would follow a motif of "yeah, OK, I can see that, but I don't think it's that important because...".

So basically, yes, Yuta's death was pretty cheap and we don't really have a reason to care about the character. But I think we're not really supposed to care that much about him. This plot is engineered differently from the mainline games. This isn't an experience of meeting people, teaming up with them and building a sort of posse that makes its way through Towa City. This isn't about group dynamics and getting to know multiple characters. This is about Komaru and Toko and their misadventures in Towa City, trying primarily to achieve the objective of "not being dead". The focus is deliberately put on those two, and other characters are put on the periphery. Not every character with a name needs to be important or fleshed out.

Were we to actually give Yuta some character building time, we'd have to be schlepping him around for like two chapters, and that brings new problems with it. How does he deal with the Monokumas? Komaru has a magic hacking gun and Toko has a serial killer she can call upon. Yuta runs fast. So does he just run away or tag along? Does he become another playable character that could run around, leading Monokumas into more advantageous positions for the others to deal with them? Also, the character building time made for Komaru and Toko now needs to be split with Yuta as well. And then you consider that we're probably not just going to run into Yuta, but other characters as well. Honestly, I think having Yuta tag along in some fashion to build him more as a character would be to the detriment of the game.

A different way to look at it would also be this: The death wasn't necessarily supposed to be shocking or impactful for the player, but for the characters, in particular Komaru, who has been subject to a conga line of traumatic experiences ever since the game started.

Also, I kinda think Yuta's voice is annoying and I'm therefore not really irked that he gets murdered immediately.

Carbon dioxide
Oct 9, 2012

TheMcD posted:

Also, I kinda think Yuta's voice is annoying and I'm therefore not really irked that he gets murdered immediately.

It annoyed me that he sounds exactly the same as one of the kids on the airship.

TheMcD
May 4, 2013

Monaca / Subject N 2024
---------
Despair will never let you down.
Malice will never disappoint you.

Carbon dioxide posted:

It annoyed me that he sounds exactly the same as one of the kids on the airship.

Well, not to take away from SoundwaveAU's voice actor talk, but I just looked this up, and it turns out that indeed, Yuta Asahina and Jataro Kemuri have the same VA. Jataro's a lot better though.

Epicmissingno
Jul 1, 2017

Thank gooness we all get along so well!
I think one thing I dislike about this bit is that this is a character the player (assuming they know about DR1's characters) sort of knows by proxy, kinda. We know Yuta's sister, so him dying immediately after being introduced is a slap in the face because, while it doesn't affect the characters we see, it feels like an insult to Aoi. Or, at least, that's my take on it.

If he wasn't in this scene and his role was played by someone unrelated, then I think this would feel less cheap.

Deadmeat5150
Nov 21, 2005

OLD MAN YELLS AT CLAN
For me it seems like Yuta's death is supposed to impact because we know Aoi survives DR1. So Toko not saying anything to him about that us pretty lovely too.

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namehereguy
Nov 24, 2017
My main complaint is that it basically squanders the plot potential of meeting Aoi's brother by just promptly killing him off. It only really matters in that we kinda expect Yuta to survive long enough to get some mileage out of exploring his relationship with Aoi and how they view each other.

That could work in a lot of scenarios by making his death more shocking, but this is Danganronpa and major characters die suddenly with great regularity.

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