#HAJIME : the future isn't a path . it's an endless sea .

[maskedyoel]

Character Inspo: Yoel Waley

"The future isn't a path. It's like an endless sea..." - Hajime Hinata from Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair

[catboyebooks]

yes of course there's an epilogue.

i think the narration here is actually from naegi's perspective; it's definitely not hinata, and the melodramatic phrasing is pretty distinctive. anyway, the narration says this absurd nonsense incident is about to wrap up, and remarks on how small this entire incident has been compared to the worst most despair-inducing event in the history of mankind. there isn't even a name for this incident (uh yes there is, it's called super danganronpa 2 goodbye despair academy 🙄) and the world at large isn't even going to know that this happened. at least, not as long as the group remains here.

the dr1 trio is standing on the docks on the real jabberwock island, looking out at the ship they're about to board. the preparations for their departure are finished and kirigiri and naegi both seem ready to head out. but togami has more questions. he asks if the sdr2 survivors are really going to be okay. didn't they just turn back into shsl despair? naegi seems a little uncertain when replying, but he says he doesn't think so. if they had, why would they have elected to stay on the island? both kirigiri and naegi figure that they want to remain behind to help their friends, the "dead" people, who i guess are still in a VR-induced "sleep" with their fates uncertain. kirigiri points out that just wanting to help is proof that they've changed, but says the reality is that the odds of everybody waking up are close to zero. naegi says that's not a problem because no matter how bad the odds are, they're still trying. togami says it'd take a miracle, and naegi says he thinks they'll be able to achieve it anyway. they've accepted both hope and despair and resolved not to give up. for people like that, maybe miracles are inevitable. (and also there's a guy here whose luck basically guarantees that if an outcome is extremely unlikely, it'll happen to him. no one brings that up but i'm gonna.) both togami and kirigiri are like Dude you are so naïve and you are like a little baby (affectionate). happy to see the throuple is doing well.

they talk about how they are going to be in big huge trouble if the rest of the future foundation finds out about this. since the other two let naegi take the lead on all this, they ask him what his plan is. he doesn't have one. kirigiri's like "ok good luck coming up with something bc i'm not going to help you that much." naegi protests but togami tells him he should be glad they let him take charge here and he's like "ok... fine." these three are extremely fucking married. i'm delighted.

the three of them head to their ship. they've got more work to do, the whole despair apocalypse thing isn't fully over yet. naegi says they have to create their own futures, too.

we cut to black and now hinata is narrating again. he says the ordeal is over, and their daily lives have begun. "lives that are much more absurd, nonsensical, and irrational than before... things are... probably going to be a lot more difficult now." this isn't a mystery with a tidy ending, and it's doubtful the ending will even be good. visuals and background noise fade back in; we're looking out across a vast expanse of ocean, hearing the waves. hinata says the future's not a path, it's like an endless sea; you can try to go anywhere, but that doesn't mean you'll get there. even so, he's going to keep on living as himself. as hajime hinata.

and then we roll the credits! once again the end theme is written and performed by megumi ogata and as always it slaps and it did not make me feel normal at all. i was sort of planning on talking about the lyrics but that feels like it should be a separate post, and might also involve me doing some amateur translation work.

there isn't a post-credits stinger this time, but when the spike chunsoft logo appears at the end, monokuma falls down and lands on top of it. he says — and this isn't subtitled so apologies if my translation is a little rough, i only heard this the one time after all — something along the lines of "until next time, thanks, everybody! i love you bastards!" (yeah, he used omaera and aishiteru in the same sentence) and then he lets go of the logo and falls offscreen. And that's it! that's the actual end of the game. we did it. we fucking did it. it only took me a year and eight months. Holy fuck

[onlynear]

kibokill replied to your post.

:)

[onlynear]

ah. right then!

[onlynear]

@wirelies  asked  :   ‘  maybe  growing  up  means  many  things  .  ’  makoto  and  hajime  ...

he’s  still  searching  ,  for  what  it’s  worth  .  losing  years  has  only  made  him  more  desperate  to  find  out  exactly  what  maturing  is  like  --  hajime  has  always  been  above  his  age  ,  but  now  he  simultaneously  feels  it  and  doesn’t  understand  how  he  maintained  that  act  for  so  long  .  he  wants  to  be  a  boy  again  ,  staring  sullen  out  of  a  window  ,  wishing  for  better  things  .  he  supposes  he  still  is  wishing  .     ‘     i  hope  your  friends  tell  you  how  cheesy  you  sound  ,     ’     he  says  ,  without  a  smile  ,  at  first  --  then  it  cracks  over  his  face  ,  light  and  nervous  .     ‘     but  ,  yeah  ,  i  think  so  .  you  might  be  right  .     ’     he  stares  out  over  the  sea  ,  swinging  his  legs  idly  .     ‘     i  think  we’ll  be  okay  ,  once  you  leave  .     ’