ON MY BULLSHIT GAMERS

That’s true. I do feel like everything after DR2 was. Lowkey ass (as much as I love Toko’s character development in UDG, holy SHIT are the themes they try to do are executed in such a shit way)

That said, DR3 ALSO applies for ‘holy shit realized potential could’ve fixed you’

DR3’s case definitely felt like it should’ve been a game, both Despair and Future sides. Despair I felt could’ve been SO MUCH better (you mean to tell me the world fell apart because JUZO WAS TOO MUCH OF A BITCH TO TELL HIS FEELINGS ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS); and actually getting to explore both classes would’ve been a lot more meaningful. Plus the whole thing Junko mentioned in DR2’s trial that, with Izuru, she “broke his spirit” and lead him to despair. As much as I love the stark difference of emotionless Izuru shown in the anime and Hajime, how did making him a scapegoat “break his spirit”?

Future was also so fucking ass holy shit (and another tally for racist depiction of a black man goes to—); I do like the idea of Makoto and Kyoko taking over Hope’s Peak, though

That said, if the series ended there, then I think I’d be okay with that. It’s the Danganronpa levels of ‘it could’ve been great’, and at this point it’s just a part of it

FUCK V3 THOUGH JESUS CHRIST

Yes DR3 was objectively worse (showing the past and future of the lore we’ve come to know, only to have it shoved to the side in the parts that really mattered), but V3 should NOT have been the next step

Everyone on the cast are either insufferable or boring, the Monokubs (while on paper are fine) drive me up the wall, and the story and plot is so. Detached from what we’ve known

The idea of the killing games being a show that are enjoyed by people because they, in that universe, believe it’s fiction? Fine, I can accept that. Especially if you have it set years in the future, because people typically don’t fucking learn anything from the ‘hey here’s this horrible thing that happened’ (whether in fiction or in reality), and people will reenact it anyways

The execution (pun intended) was so fucking atrocious, however. At least with some of the characters in Future and Despair, you see how things could go. You understand their flavor of fuck ass

V3? Again, either insufferable or one note and bland. And sure, you can summarize that as the show being on it’s 53rd season, it’s a result of lazy writing. But that doesn’t excuse it whatsoever from a real life standpoint

Kaede had so much potential as a genuine leader-type (and also as our first main series girl protag, i miss you Kaede), only to get shoved aside for the world’s most annoying, incompetent detective who could only WISH he was like Kyoko or even Sherlock fucking Holmes. And only for Kaede to be reduced to more of a concept than a person, as (in a line Kokichi says in a class trial iirc) the dead friend

And while I normally like character arcs where someone starts out as more introverted and unsure of themselves, and by the end of the line they’re more confident in their skills or just generally SICK of the pain they’ve been put through.

Shuichi, for me, was a poor example of that character arc. Yes, it happened, but in a way that I couldn’t give two shits about him as time went on

Korekiyo? Interesting idea, and then became a nothing character (I say while acknowledging that he was DEFINITELY abused by his sister, holy shit)

Rantaro? Interesting character! So interesting that they killed him in the first fucking chapter and was only used as basically a lore piece (I will stand by my ‘Rantaro should’ve been the antagonist to complete the trifecta of mystery talents’)

Angie? Did not care at all (she should’ve been the mastermind, in my heart)

Gonta? Endearing but when the game itself sticks to its rigid structure, it’s no surprise to see where he ends up (his trial was so fucking stupid)

Maki? Did NOT care oh my god girl SHUT UPPPP

Himiko? I WANTED HER DEAD SO BAD. Do you get how FUCKING UPSET I WAS SEEING HER ASS MAKE IT SO FAR

Tenko? Didn’t care

K1-1B0? Didn’t care

Miu? Literally so fucking annoying

Kirumi? SHE HAD SO MUCH POTENTIAL and one of the ONLY GIRLS to have an actually interesting designs (except for the inconsistency with her eye showing up in her sprites but V3’s sprites are so fucking. Inconsistent or seem unfinished); and then it dropped some stupid shit that she’s the Prime Minister and I stopped caring

Ryoma? Didn’t care

Kokichi. I fucking despise that little shit so much, but I can also see WHY he was so popular (and still is to this day somewhat). That said, I couldn’t stand him, I’m sorry but god he was such a nothing character

(That said, I can appreciate the attempt of the game’s theme of Truth vs Lies; Shuichi and Kokichi are embodiements of that theme (Shuichi’s a literal detective lmao)— THAT SAID. Having Kaede and Rantaro in those roles instead I feel could’ve been so much more interesting)

Tsumugi? Literally didn’t care for her whatsoever (and i EVEN THOUGHT SHE WAS THE KILLER IN THE FIRST TRIAL BUT NO THEY JUST HAD TO MAKE A BULLSHIT WAY OF KEEPING HER ALIVE); she’s genuinely the worst mastermind of the trio thus far. A nothing mastermind and a nothing character that shouldn’t have had the role

(I had originally thought that she was some kind of like. Shapeshifter, similar to Twogami’s talent but on a more refined level, ESPECIALLY as the ultimate cosplayer, but it’s like. No, she doesn’t do anything with it at all that makes a difference other than changing into the different characters in the final trial)

Even the setting itself is such a nothing burger; it’s a school inside a bird cage. Okay, sure, but like. Why. You couldn’t have thought of anything more interesting?

The idea that everything we’ve come to care about being fucking fake is so. Ass to me. Like, okay the stories you’ve invested in? Didn’t happen, lmao, all fake (whether it’s a lie or not from the in universe Team Danganronpa, I don’t care)

TLDR: while DR3 also has just as much potential wasted, especially with characters we’ve come to know and want to learn how shit went wrong, or how the actions of Makoto affected Future Foundation— getting a chance to change the formula and dynamics, and breathe new life into Danganronpa only to fucking FUMBLE the ball so badly is even worse