oh no

Hinata at the beginning of chapter two: anger, forgotten

By the end of chapter one, Hinata is extremely angry towards Komaeda. This becomes curious at the start of chapter two because Hinata seems to have calmed down considerably about Komaeda. It's not that Hinata has completely forgotten his resentment, but when you compare his behavior in early chapter two to the one he had at the end of chapter one, Hinata seems considerably calmer, even more empathetic about Komaeda. He openly expresses his worry in his thoughts without any inhibitions or shame, and he asks openly about his whereabouts without feeling like he shouldn't care. He is also framed as the person who is being more "calm" about Komaeda in the breakfast scene, when later he would even be framed as the more dramatic one.

Hinata's lack of anger towards Komaeda in this part of the story is very strange, especially in a superficial reading of the story. It feels like without interacting with Komaeda for some time, Hinata had forgotten what made him so angry with Komaeda in the first place. Hinata "forgetting" the specifics of Komaeda's behavior due to not interacting with him may seem strange until we remember that's something that happens frequently to people. It's not that Hinata doesn't "remember" Komaeda's behavior per se; it's just that because of the time that has passed, he has "forgotten" the specifics that made him so mad about Komaeda.

The conclusion we have arrived at implies something that is very important, much more than it superficially seems: what makes Hinata be mad at Komaeda is his behavior and not the consequences of his actions. The consequences of Komaeda's behavior are still fresh, so if Hinata's main source of anger was that, there would be no reason for Hinata to be calmer in this part of the story. This is also implied by the detail that Hinata's anger only returns by seeing Komaeda again, not by being reminded of his actions.

Making the distinction that Hinata's anger comes from Komaeda's behavior and not his actions is very important for this essay's point. Since it is Komaeda's behavior, and especially what it represents, that makes up the actual reason for Hinata's feeling of betrayal.

Hinata's anger returns by seeing Komaeda again

Something interesting about the disappearance of Hinata's anger is that it immediately returns when he talks to Komaeda again. It's very strange that Hinata, who clearly remembers the consequences that Komaeda's behavior had, only feels angry again when he talks to him, as if it wasn't what Komaeda did in itself that angered him.

This scene has a very strong importance to the story of Komaeda and Hinata, even without considering its allegorical aspect. It's the part of their story, where Hinata declares that he's distancing himself from Komaeda. His words, "I don't want to be tricked by you anymore," mark Hinata's decision of ending his friendship with Komaeda. If, in Hinata's mind, what Komaeda has done until now is tricking them, not wanting to be tricked anymore simply means that Hinata has no desire to keep associating with him.

While not usually recognized, this scene is the true point of no return for Komaeda and Hinata. It's this moment where it is undoubtedly declared that their relationship has been severed and that there is no way to easily go back to how things were before. It's no coincidence that from this moment, Hinata starts to become Nanami's friend and fill the hole Komaeda had left with her.

But while the return of Hinata's anger can be explained by the simple explanation that by interacting with him, Hinata remembers what had angered him about Komaeda previously. There's still a detail about this scene that sticks out if we take this simplistic explanation: why is it that a scene that is meant to simply remind Hinata about what is bad about Komaeda doesn't really focus primarily on that and instead mainly remarks on Komaeda's sexuality? The answer to that is very simple: it's because Komaeda's sexuality in itself is the reason for Hinata's anger towards him.

the eroticism of the scene and the betrayal of homosexuality

The problem with this scene isn't that it doesn't do any sort of effort in illustrating the actual problems of Komaeda as a person. This scene really doesn't delve into Komaeda's ideology, but it does exemplify some issues with Komaeda. The moment where Komaeda urges Hinata to try Twilight Syndrome reminds the reader of Komaeda's persuasiveness, which, in this case, tempts Hinata to break the promise of not touching the game. But even so, the focus of the scene isn't Komaeda's problematic persuasiveness; the focus of the scene is clearly on the eroticism of Komaeda's figure.

It's not hard to find the eroticism of this scene, since it is an element that was clearly consciously incorporated all over it. It can be seen in Komaeda's voice: sultry, low enough to be almost a whisper, almost implicating something else in its tone. Komaeda's face in the CG is also worth talking about: his face is purposefully drawn to look erotic, almost as if filled with intention. He is tied by ropes and chains, unable to move on his own, which reinforces the eroticism of the scene. The eroticism of his face is almost a confirmed fact, since he is described in the Danganronpa 1·2 Reload guidebook as having an "indecent smile." (414). The adjective used is "iyarashii" (いやらしい), which, while it can mean disagreeable and disgusting, also has the connotation of something sexual and lewd, especially in a context like this.

It must be specified that the scene is not only erotic; it is homoerotic. The eroticism of the glances, the voice, and the pose are not directed to the audience or to a third figure; they are directed to no other than Hinata. This is important, since what constitutes Komaeda's "perversion" isn't the eroticism in itself; it's the queerness that exists in it.

Komaeda in this scene is presented as a lewd, almost perverted figure. This is strange because Komaeda is truly not doing anything that is inherently sexual in the scene. Komaeda does ask Hinata to "feed him," but feeding someone isn't really something that has commonly sexual connotations. Feeding someone has, usually, a different implication: a romantic one. While Komaeda's voice, face, and position are erotic in nature, Komaeda's actions remain completely non-sexual and speak instead of the romantic attraction that he feels for Hinata.

Komaeda's sexualization in this scene reads as an imposition of the gaze of the story itself more than Komaeda's own decision. After all, he doesn't say or do anything explicitly sexual, a difference that contrasts with his portrayal in UDG, where it is very clear that his sexualization is not a total imposition of the gaze of the story. The purpose of Komaeda's sexualization is to present Komaeda as a sexually deviant figure. He is, by the story's gaze, a perverted being and an object of temptation that preys on the supposed "innocent heterosexuality" of Hinata's gaze. Komaeda's sexualization speaks about the stance of the story itself but, more than anything, speaks about Hinata's own thoughts on Komaeda. The gaze of the story is Hinata's gaze, after all. The sexualization of Komaeda speaks of Hinata's own repressed attraction towards him.

The demonization of Komaeda's homoeroticism here can be seen in Hinata's own dialogue. Komaeda's voice, which was clearly made to sound erotic, is likened to poison. In a certain way, the comparison to poison has a certain queer significance. Poison is something that is characterized by easily entering undetected; it slips easily under a different, more acceptable form. Komaeda is a character that is easily related to poison: he was killed by it, and it's one of the most important parts of his plan in chapter five, not to mention that it's also how his famous character song is called. Komaeda's "nature," his queerness, is a lot like a poison for a homophobic society: it slips undetected, and when it has already entered, everyone just realizes what was being hidden.

For Hinata and Komaeda, poison is very important: Komaeda "poisoned" Hinata with queerness, and Komaeda "poisoned" their friendship. Komaeda's queerness is likened to poison because ultimately poison is corruption, and in an oppressive society, queerness is just another example of corruption of "the normal."

It must be clarified that the presentation of Komaeda as a sexually abhorrent figure is much more complex than simply the text being homophobic. The framing of Komaeda as a "sexual deviant" is a commentary in itself of Hinata's own thoughts and his own perception of Komaeda's queerness and his own. The representation of Komaeda here reveals a commentary on how the anxieties and fears around queerness manifest through the demonization and over-sexualization of the person that is a victim of it.

Now that we understand all of this, we have to go back to our original topic: what does this mean for a scene that is meant to represent everything that makes Hinata angry about Komaeda? What is the point of making the scene that represents the break-up of their relationship one filled with homoerotic connotations? This is because of Komaeda's betrayal; his "true nature" is nothing other than his queerness.

If we assume that Hinata's resentment towards Komaeda stems from what the text superficially implies: his actions and warped ideology, It's strange that the scene where Hinata decides to cut things off mostly highlights Komaeda as a homoerotic figure. This is all to say that what implies this scene is that Komaeda's betrayal is not about Hinata's morals or Hinata's fear. Komaeda's betrayal is an allegory for homosexuality. Hinata's feelings of being betrayed by Komaeda are because Komaeda turned out to be something Hinata cannot accept: queer, and that queerness reminds Hinata of his own queerness he will never be able to accept. Komaeda's betrayal is his own "nature" (as the text frames it) as a queer man.

Komaeda's "true nature" as an allegory for homosexuality

In the screenshot, Komaeda is called a pervert (hentai) by Kuzuuryu and Souda in the japanese audio

Komaeda is a character of discovered secrets. His concealed beliefs are outed in a humiliating moment to everyone present in the first trial. Komaeda's ideology and beliefs have a double purpose for the narrative: they are both a symbol of Komaeda's thoughts, which are related to the main themes of the story, and also a symbol for Komaeda's queerness.

Komaeda's beliefs are not in themselves an allegory for something else, since they are related intimately with the themes of the story. The allegory is not in the beliefs themselves; the allegory is in how Komaeda's beliefs are framed: the way the others react to the reveal by othering Komaeda, the way his beliefs make him something obscene that goes beyond being "morally warped," and the way they are framed as a nature that defines the totality of Komaeda as a person.

If Komaeda's othering is simply a result of his beliefs and behavior and not an allegory about something else, it's strange the insistence of the text in likening Komaeda's "nature" to things that have nothing to do with what Komaeda's beliefs entail. Komaeda is referred to due to his beliefs as a "pervert" (by Kuzuryuu and Souda) and as a "pedophile" (by Saionji). Even the scene we are discussing here frames Komaeda as some kind of pervert. This is important because not only does Komaeda's ideology or behavior have absolutely anything sexual, but Komaeda is a character that is way more respectful to women than any of the other male characters. Komaeda, a character that is characterized by his respectful demeanor and hatred towards sexual harassment, is constantly remarked as a sexual pervert, even by people who wouldn't throw the term around, like Kuzuryuu.

Moreover, it's also important to notice how the text places emphasis on referring to Komaeda's beliefs and behavior as a "true nature." If the story truly doesn't mean to talk about anything other than what we see superficially, the choice of words that are used to talk about Komaeda is strange. I will say what I mean bluntly: being a bad person, being someone who has warped ideology, is not usually referred to in common speech as "nature"; that word is reserved for more than having wrong morals; instead, it's used for mentally ill people and marginalized people in general. The use here of "nature" is not mere coincidence; Komaeda is framed as being bad beyond his beliefs. His "inadequacy" goes beyond morality; it extends to his whole person.

It also must be talked about how much of the framing of "nature" has to do with homosexuality. Homosexuality is one of the social taboos that is more often referred to as "nature." Similar to Komaeda, this "nature" is one that is hidden, and when it is discovered, everyone accuses the person of "deceiving" and "betraying." How could we have been living with someone like that and not know? Like with Komaeda, there is an entitlement to know the "nature" of the person.