#How is this any different then say... Mikan's entire deal in 2???

[lilyflower06]

If I see just one more person hating on DR UDG for no reason again, I swear I'll become UDG's number 1 defender even though I don't like it as much as the main games. But I still like it damn it!

[aj28gaming]

Danganronpa messing up Nagito's character cuz apparently even they believe headcanons

Is it just me or is Danganronpa making Nagito worse?

Like at the start we have a socially intelligent and intuitive paranoid kid who hates despair and gets forced into a killing game that is filled with everything he hates and fears

So he clings desperately to hope as a coping mechanism to deal with everything

And then in the anime, we get a social outcast (for some reason even though people would've loved his hope talks like they did back in chapter 1 since no killing game happens and he is just speaking normally)

who bombs a school (forget his paranoia apparently) and nonchalantly allows himself to get out of the island and accidentally kill 40+ soldiers (again, ignoring his paranoia of his destructive luck cycle apparently)

And then in Danganronpa 2.5 we get a socially inept, clingy hope addict who apparently doesn't have boundaries?

(We seriously ignoring how much he pushes people away back in SDR2, is afraid of having friends due to his luck cycle, respects boundaries to the max, and how socially intelligent he is and his crazy empathy to know people's hopes and despairs?)

(And no even Mikan's motivations he understood, he knew she killed for despair because she literally killed for Junko, Mikan just says he doesn't understand because she doesn't count is as killing for despair, she counts it as killing for love)

And some of the fans defend this and says Nagito is hated or is supposed to have no boundaries because of his social ineptness or inability to properly socialize

Okay

WHEN?

WHEN HAS HE IN SUPER DANGANRONPA 2 ACTUALLY SUCKED AT SOCIALIZING OR WAS SOCIALLY INEPT OR OUT OF TOUCH?

NOT THE ANIME OR SPINOFFS, I AM TALKING ABOUT THE ACTUAL SECOND GAME WHERE HE FIRST SHOWED HIS FACE

DISCLAIMER: I AM NOW GONNA BASE ALMOST ALL OF MY POINTS ON HOW NAGITO IS AND ACTS DURING SDR2 AND THAT INCLUDES HIS FREE TIME EVENTS AND ISLAND MODE

NOT THE ANIME OR DANGANRONPA 2.5, JUST DANGANRONPA 2 GOODBYE DESPAIR

Bruh, the guy is hated sure, but boy was he awesome at being a people-person and gathering people during chapter 1

He encouraged everyone with his hope talks and Hajime even kept simping for the guy because of his positivity

And due to the guy's CRAZY HIGH EMPATHY AND UNDERSTANDING, he is able to understand the hopes and despairs of almost every freaking character

He knew Teruteru wanted to continue the culinary legacy and help his mom, that's his hope

He knew Imposter would want to protect everyone no matter what, that's his hope

He knew Mikan killed for Despair, that despair being Junko Enoshima

He knew Fuyuhiko's hope is Peko and that both of them care about each other very much

He knew how similar he and Hajime are and how they are both bystanders and lovers of Hope, for Hajime that Hope being Hope's Peak academy itself and/or having talent

The guy is crazy with how well he knows people, and he is definitely not socially inept at all

He respects boundaries, is able to read the room and the only time he seems socially inept is when he is either trying to purposefully annoy someone to get a reaction or when he is too obsessed with his ideas with hope

The guy is obsessed with hope, yes, but he is not socially inept

That is seriously downgrading how much empathy he has and how much understanding he has for every character

And Nagito does have empathy, the reason why it seems like he doesn't is because he treats the dead people like stepping stones for hope

He does have empathy tho, and too much that it takes a toll on his mental health whenever he sees dead bodies, so he clings to hope in order to cope and tries to pretend that it's okay if people die because there is always hope

(basically, deniability at it's finest)

It's not that the guy doesn't care, it's that he does a little too much

Which is why he laughs, laughing for him doesn't mean he is happy, it means he is surprised (he says this in island mode)

And seeing that his greatest fears are seeing people die constantly because of his luck cycle, wouldn't be surprised that he laughs like crazy in a literal killing game

And laughing out of stress or fear isn't unheard of, I mean there is also a thing called nervous laughter

And jesus christ, CAN PEOPLE STOP TRYING TO USE FRONTOTEMPORAL DEMENTIA SYMPTOMS TO EXPLAIN HIM?

What I mean is, yes he has dementia or is at least diagnosed with it

And I believe that he probably does actually have dementia (not saying he could've lied tho but he could've still been misdiagnosed)

But that doesn't mean he has all of the symptoms

I don't think we can confirm if he does or doesn't have dementia because he might just not have all of the symptoms

But I do know that using the symptoms to explain his character isn't a good idea especially since it usually undermines who he actually is

Like, let me explain

Behavior and/or dramatic personality changes, such as swearing, stealing, increased interest in sex, or a deterioration in personal hygiene habits

- No, and no not even when the killing game started. Yeah sure he laughs now, but that's no different from how he is normally since laughing for him is what he does when he gets surprised or stressed. He doesn't change much in the killing game, he still believes in hope and everyone else, still respects boundaries, still have crazy high intellect and empathy, still pushes people away

Socially inappropriate, impulsive, or repetitive behaviors

- not really, again the guy is a freaking gentleman even during the killing game. He respects boundaries, reprimands Teruteru for sexual assault during chapter 1, pushes people away and distances himself from others, isn't at all impulsive (usually quite the opposite really), and is usually planning and tries to remain calm and composed throughout the killing game (struggling tho cuz yeah killing game)

Impaired judgment

- here, I kinda disagree. I wouldn't say that Nagito is entirely in the right with everything he does, but I understand his views. The guy knows that no one is truly a bad person in the killing game because everyone was forced into it. He knows that even the blackened escapes and everyone dies, it isn't fully a bad thing because that means someone escapes and goes back home to their loved ones while the killing game ends

If a blackened succeeds, the despair would be of course everyone else dying and the blackened going through a lot of trauma, but the hope would be the end of the killing game and the blackened going home or to their loved ones or to their goal in life or whatever

If the blackened dies, the despair would obviously be the blackened dying and the killing game still continuing, while the hope would be everyone else still alive

Nagito isn't exactly wrong in wanting to help the blackened as well, of course, Nagito would want him himself to be the victim so another person gets a chance at escape and no one else would be the victim

Sadly for Nagito, that time never comes

Nagito doesn't want others to be killed, he wants to sacrifice himself instead as the victim instead of everyone else

Apathy

- .....big no. Nonononono. The dude is anything but apathetic.

"Apathy is a lack of feeling, emotion, interest, or concern about something."

Seriously, being a dude who is constantly supportive of everyone and their hopes in life and how passionate this dude gets about hope and despair, and the fact that he is the most stressed 24/7 about something bad happening due to his luck, this guy is seriously anything but apathetic

Lack of empathy

- No. If the guy truly lack empathy he wouldn't need to use Hope desperately as a coping mechanism, wouldn't care about the ultimates and their hopes and despairs, wouldn't constantly be thinking about helping the ultimates and overcoming despair, wouldn't be the most stressed out of everyone, and definitely wouldn't be in love with Hajime or even act the way he did in chapter 1

Decreased self-awareness

- You don't actually understand why you act the way you do.

A good indicator that you lack self-awareness deals with how well you understand your emotions, actions, and behavior. People who lack self-awareness often feel constantly off-kilter, anxious, or angry.

This is not Nagito at all. The guy understands his emotions and behaviors which is why he is able to do the things he does and is able to conduct plans based on how much he understands his own self and capabilities. The guy is actually the most self-aware out of everyone, he knows about how people don't understand him and constantly misunderstand him and his intentions, he is aware constantly of his inability sometimes to properly explain his goals to people.

The guy has a lot of self-awareness and isn't afraid to take responsibility for his actions. Actually, it's because of how self-aware he is of his own self and his destructive luck cycle that he constantly blames himself for anything bad that happens.

The guy is seriously self-aware as hell and it's scary sometimes

Loss of interest in normal daily activities

- Nope, he hasn't shown any sign of apathy towards anything and is usually pretty hyped about doing daily activities. He is paranoid though on the daily because he fears for what his luck cycle might do

Emotional withdrawal from others

- Emotional withdrawal involves bottling up your emotions. It involves cutting out the people who could help us, because we're so used to rejection that we've learned to anticipate it. Because we've learned to disconnect from others, we develop other unhealthy coping mechanisms

Emotional withdrawal is defined as pulling back emotionally or physically by bottling up your feelings or disconnecting from others. Emotional withdrawal can be far more complex at times. It is comparable to a breakup, in every way but physical.

Kind of? Yes, he pushes people away, but he is still willing to spend time with people, especially Hajime, when they really insist. He politely pushes people away, but he isn't opposed to hanging out with people either though it is sometimes rare

Loss of energy and motivation

- .... I already said it before, the guy is full of motivation and energy and passion that it is scary sometimes

Inability to use or understand language; this may include difficulty naming objects, expressing words, or understanding the meanings of words

-.....WHY IS THIS HERE? THE GUY IN THE JAPANESE DUB CONSTANTLY FLEXES HIS DAMN ENGLISH VOCABULARY DESPITE IT BEING A JAPANESE DUB

AND THE FUCKING ENGLISH WORDS HE USES ARE FANCY AND HIGH LEVEL AS FUCK THAT I FEEL SMART JUST READING THEM

Hesitation when speaking

- Definite no, the guy isn't afraid to voice his own opinions and never hesitates and can get very vocal about the things he is passionate about

Less frequent speech

- Again, definite hell no. I wouldn't be surprised if his voice lines are longer than the voice lines of everyone else combined

Distractibility

- Nope. The guy is focused on his goals constantly. No matter what he does, you can always be sure that it is for a certain goal. He pisses of Fuyuhiko? It was to get a reaction from him to confirm his suspicions about the true culprit. He lied about the rope? It was to see how Mikan would react and how the trial would go to confirm his suspicions about Mikan being the culprit?

The guy is focused like a damn soldier

Trouble planning and organizing

-.....do I seriously need to explain? This is Nagito we are talking about

Frequent mood changes

- Not really. He usually acts or reacts a certain way because something happened like someone died or something. He is actually pretty normal with how he acts and reacts and doesn't really change his mood rapidly that much

Agitation

- Yes and no? Sure the guy gets paranoid 24/7, but is still somewhat more chill than agitated to an extent. He is easy going and is just paranoid about what his luck would do, he is vigilant but not necessarily agitated

Increasing dependence

- No. The guy is independent to a fault and only relies on others when his plans call for it. He also usually does things of his own accord and rarely with a partner unless he really needs to or his goal is to help that person specifically, which knowing him is a usual thing

Unwillingness to talk

- Again, no. The guy talks a lot and while he pushes others away, he wouldn't turn down a conversation if the other person wanted one

Lack of inhibition or lack of social tact

- Again, no. The guy is a gentleman and respects boundaries and definitely gets stressed especially in the killing game. The guy is also paranoid 24/7 on a normal day due to his luck cycle

Obsessive or repetitive behavior, such as compulsively shaving or collecting items

- No? Sure he clings to hope but that is more of a coping mechanism. If he isn't in a stressful situation like a killing game he doesn't get that obsessive as much about hope since he doesn't need to desperately cling to it as a coping mechanism

Unusual verbal, physical or sexual behavior

- No? He isn't at all like this. It isn't unusual to panic or use a coping mechanism desperately when in a situation like a killing game, and he doesn't do anything unusual like this when it's a normal day. Sure the guy gets paranoid, but that's it

Weight gain due to dramatic overeating

- No? Actually, I don't really know how much weight he gains to be honest so idk

My main point here is, yes there is a chance Nagito does actually have dementia, but using the symptoms as a way to explain his character undermines who he actually is and can cause a lot of misunderstandings of his character

Especially since I remember being told that they only added in dementia to his character backstory a little late during his character development and creation

It isn't a good idea to use his symptoms because it usually gets his character wrong and sometimes makes them excuse a lot of the things he has done

The guy is self-aware, isn't socially inept, is a gentleman, and socially intelligent as hell

And I really hate how even Danganronpa itself seems to forget that

It's like they forgot who Nagito is, to begin with

[spookyc]

*spoilers for heathers the musical and danganronpa 2 goodbye despair*

*tw for mentions of death and suicide*

Okay so I know it's been a minute since I've posted anything substantial so here's this:

I've got an heather's au for dr 2 that id like to share. Its not a completely fleshed out one but I have a good idea of most of the main characters in the story. So the easy choice would just be to make hajime, veronica, and make nagito, JD. Especially nagito for jd with the whole, well, bomb thing as well as them both being mentally unstable and having rough childhoods. Hajime fits the role of veronica because, like veronica, he wants to fit in and not be ostracized constantly. More specifically though, it would help him become confident, which is literally his whole arc in the second game. The heathers and the rest could then be determined by a lot of different characters and so on and so forth. I respect this interpretation and it does make a lot of sense, however, I would like to propose my own interpretation.

Let's start with the two main characters, veronica and jd. So for my au, I have decided that fuyuhiko will be veronica and peko will be jd. Let's start with my choice for jd. So, after my binge of the second game's playthrough, I remember that one night I was listening to heathers, specifically the song, our love is god. And as I listened I realized how similar peko and jd actually are. Now to preface, I'm not saying jd and peko are the same character, jd attempted to bomb an entire school and peko simply made the calculated decision to kill in order for fuyuhiko's safety to be assured.

What i am saying though, is that jd and peko's thought processes are very similar, and if peko was just a tad more unhinged, they would be hard to distinguish. How are they similar? Well, first you have the whole, "I worship you" mentality. Now, peko doesn't necessarily kiss the earth that fuyuhiko walks upon but this could be connected more to their actual relationship. That of a master and his servant. I servant must serve, much like a believer would to a god.

And right after that line jd says, "Id give my life for yours." Which peko literally does in the canon story, she gives her life in order to save fuyuhiko, and even protects him with her body in her own execution. Secondly, they both are delinquents, or socially awkward. They are both standoffish and seen as intimidating by others, and they both don't exactly know how to communicate well. Thirdly, they have somewhat similar backgrounds. Jd lost his mother, and peko is an orphan, they both know what its like to not live with parents, or at least not favorable parents. For example, peko had to constantly interfere with mr. and mrs. kuzuryu fighting to insure fuyuhiko's safety. And jd and his father have a tenuous relationship, with jd's father mostly being a near non-present force in his life. Additionally, im sure the leaders of a yakuza clan weren't exactly doting parents.

And lastly, their mutual feelings of self worth, or more so, the lack of it. Both jd and peko believe their lives to be meaningless without the existence of their veronicas. The only good things in their lives are their veronicas, and they would do anything to hold onto that happiness, even if it resulted in their deaths. But enough about jd and peko, what about fuyuhiko? This may seem like an odd choice and solely made on the prospect that jd is peko, but that isn't exactly the case.

While yes it seems unlikely that fuyuhiko would bother himself with the heathers, or even have a martha, i think it fits more as a visual metaphor of his character growth shown in the game. Its just that in this au, he's a popular dick that learns to be a better person after his gf dies, which is almost what happens in the actual game, minus the popular part. But mostly I'd like to tie in fuyuhiko's role as veronica when it comes to jd. This is where the similarities really start to shine. This is shown mainly in the song, seventeen, where veronica yearns for a normal relationship and to just be normal kids that aren't surrounded by murder. Sound familiar? Well it should, that's literally fuyuhiko's whole speech near the end of chapter 2.

I doubt this needs repeating since this scene is the equivalent of the g note in the dr fandom but for the sake of the argument I will go on. Fuyuhiko in his parting words says this, "You didn't need to be a tool, you just needed to be yourself." And, "I never wanted a tool, I just wanted you....Only you." Which is him saying, "Peko I don't what you to serve me, I don't want this kind of relationship. I just want you to be yourself, and I wanted you for you, not to be a tool for murder." Which could then easily be implied that he doesn't want to murder anyone anymore. This is a near exact mirror of the feelings expressed by veronica in seventeen.

Sure im probably looking into things a bit, but still fuyuhiko's speech near the end of ch. 2 and veronica's feelings in seventeen share a lot of similarities. Both veronica and fuyuhiko simply want to have a normal relationship with their respective partners, but this ultimately fails because their partners worshiped them and this fatal misunderstanding would lead to their deaths. As for the others, I don't have nearly as deep anlaysises of them and I don't have all the characters but I'll briefly discuss my choices for the heathers, kurt, ram, and martha. Also, this is purely in the universe of dr 2, so possible better choices for characters in other games would not be possible in my au.

So heather chandler is the ultimate imposter, this was a pretty obvious choice, while the UI isn't quite as big of a dick as byakuya he's still a jerk, but more importantly, just like in the game, he is a great leader for the heathers and without him the other two descend into chaos. Now this pick is gonna be a strange one but I will explain. I chose mikan to be heather duke. Now I know yall may find that to be an unfitting choice but I personally chose mikan to be heather duke mainly for the shine a light reprise. This is because I chose heather mcnamara to be hiyoko.

Most of the other girls also didn't fit this role, akane would be hard to see as any of heathers and I also think she's far too carefree to urge someone to commit suicide. Ibuki is completely out of the question, and considering how her death looked in the game it would be quite ironic as well. Chiaki also wouldn't make sense for obvious reasons. Mahiru also would obviously not make sense either and she's already a choice for another character anyway. And lastly, sonia wouldn't fit either. I could see her having a secret nasty side but I dont think she would tell someone to commit suicide and she also was always kind to hiyoko even when hiyoko lashed out at others.

And just to cover my bases, I don't think any of the boys would fit either. Maybe kazuichi or nagito but kazuichi is too much of a pussy and nagito would be more likely to say that stuff about himself rather than direct towards anyone else. Heck I could also even consider that after the ultimate imposter dies that's when mikan reverts back to her personality as the ultimate despair, so instead of her reverting because of some disease it would be at the death of her "friend" and the role of leader getting into her head. This would then influence her to tell hiyoko to commit suicide, causing peak despair and blah blah whatever. Hiyoko as heather mcnamara was a pretty easy choice thanks to lifeboat, it also especially fits if you consider hiyoko's backstory. She's the sole daughter of the saionji family, which is a very prestigious family in dr. This along with her talent as a dancer means that she is held to a much higher standard than other kids of her age and that she goes through constant pressure each day due to this standard.

"If I say the wrong thing, or i wear the wrong outfit, they'll throw me right over the side." This is what hiyoko has to deal with on a daily basis from her family as well as her fans. She also could likely be projecting this fear onto the other students. Alright, last three. For kurt and ram, I chose mahiru and sato and if you want my honest opinion it's literally just because peko gets to kill them both in our love is god and that's pretty much canon in the actual game. I say pretty much because, technically fuyuhiko is the one that kills sato but this is an au and that's honestly a pretty minor fix.

Lastly, I haven't thought a lot about martha's role in this au, but if I had to choose it would most likely be kazuichi, he fits as the social outcast and especially as the frequent punching bag for the heathers, especially considering that hiyoko is among their ranks. And that's about it for my dr heather's au! This post definitely went on longer than I intended but I had fun with it and I think you guys deserve a lengthier post since I haven't made as many actual posts besides birthdays in a hot minute. Let me know what yall think of this, and if you'd like to hear me infodump about more of my dr aus or thoughts than I would be happy to oblige.

[serahne-is-here]

Female characters and sexist tropes in Danganronpa

Because why not, I’m bored. This is... some data ? Do of that what you will, haha. It’s another set of data I collected for a larger analysis, but since I will never publish it ( probably ), here we go.

List of tropes :

- Manipulate men with her womanly ways : pretty self-explainatory, some character will manipulate men’s emotions through seduction, or emotions at least. Honestly there are a lot of great characters out there that fall into this trope, but these characters are often seen as ireedemably evil, or - at best - femme fatale, with a cold, cold heart.

- Victim of sexual abuse/harassment : Whether it’s played for drama or for laugh. Can range from verbal abuse to straight-up rape. Of course there is nothing inherently bad about having female characters that are victims of sexual abuse in your story, but this topic needs to be treated with respect.

- Revolve Around Male Character(s) : Pretty self-explainatory, again. Can lead to fridging, especially in Danganronpa. Usually used to prop-up a male character’s developement.

- 'Waifu’ material :  I decided to use it for any female character that will fit these criteria : a) is of course incredibly attractive b) is completely unaware of that or of the way that her body is perceived by others c) is incredibly naive when it comes to dating/sex d) had actually very little contact with men through her life, because of specific circumstances e) will fall for a completely average guy, despite the fact that he is... well, completely average and does nothing specific on his end, just because he is the first guy that she spends time with.

- Sexist language or behaviour : Toward men, or women. Obviously we notice it toward men - some people on tumblr approve... to each their own, I guess - but it’s a lot less noticed toward women.

Danganronpa : Trigger Happy Havoc

Observations

- If you’re in Danganronpa and you’re manipulating men with your womanly ways, you are evil. Celes, Sayaka and Junko are probably the most hated female characters in the first game ( when, I remind you, a serial-murdered in included in the casting ).

- I absolutely despise the ‘pass’ given to women to be sexist in DR. I don’t mean just sexist toward men, but sexist toward women as well. The comments made by Toko toward Asahina are despicable, unfunny, and frankly uncomfortable as far as I’m concerned. Way more than, let’s say, Hifumi’s. You could justify Kyoko’s comments by her daddy issues, and Junko/Monokuma’s comments by... well, being herself.

- Asahina is the only one I qualified for the Waifu trope. I don’t know if I’m being unfair, but her ‘sudden’ crush on Makoto, her gratuitious fanservice scenes and her childish behaviour made me think that it made sense to put her here.

- Toko was such headscratcher, because while, yes, her entire goal is to please her ‘Master’, Byakuya, I’m re-reading the definition of this trope that I just wrote and... she doesn’t qualify. She isn’t fridged, she doesn’t prop up Byakuya’s developement, and she, de facto, does have her own shit to deal with beside her obsession with Byakuya. So just... take it as it is.

Danganronpa 2 : Goodbye Despair !

Observations :

- A lot less of evil manipulative women in this game. Mikan only qualify when hit by the Despair Discease, as for Hiyoko, it’s a complicated grey zone. She doesn’t exactly manipulate the others with her womanly ways but more her very-young looking girl ways which is... better or worse, you decide.

- Half of the female cast was sexually harassed/abused. Sonia is sexually harassed during the first scene we see her. That seems a lot. Sure, this game relies on the characters having heavy backstory, but I wish they were a bit more creative with theit backstory. Also, this is really played for laugh multiple times which, I don’t know about, but create a cognitive dissonance.

( I didn’t include Mahiru in the list, even if technically, we can watch her naked without her giving her consent because a) I didn’t drink that much bleach back so that I still remembered this scene, thank you very much b) this is a ‘bonus’ scene that I don’t consider as canon, fight me )

- On my first draft, the ‘Waifu’ trope was the ‘Born Sexy Yesterday’ trope, but it could only be really applicable to Chiaki, as she is literally created as a naive child that doesn’t know what holidays are in the body of a over-sexualized teenager. As it is, though, for the Waifu trope, Sonia qualifies big time. Akane and Mikan barely don’t.

- Also Chiaki is lucky I’m not taking into account Dr3.

- Ibuki was almost the unproblematic fav of the list, and then I remembered her behaviour whenever Mikan was humiliating herself, and so she will never be at Sakura’s level, sorry Ibuki.

Danganronpa : Another Episode and Danganronpa 3 : The anime

Observations :

- The difference of treatment between Kotoko’s sexual abuse and Komaru’s sexual abuse is baffling. I don’t know how this happened.

- Ruruka, being, you know a woman with womanly ways, is evil, and I love her.

- Chisa’s character is a trainwreck, but I genuinely have no idea if his character revolve around Munakata. It has to, right ? What would it revolve around, if not ? She does prop up his development, so I was like ‘good enough’.

- I will not subject myself to the anime once again, so it’s totally possible that one of these character had sexist language and behaviour. If it’s Chisa, tell me, because she would almost hit a bingo with that.

Danganronpa V3 : Killing Harmony

Observations :

- Are all the FTEs in NDRV3 really, really stupid ? Yes. But at least, that means no sexual abuse in half of the female cast’s past, and I will say it’s a win.

- That said, I’m not taking in account the Love Hotel’s events. Once again a) bleach ain’t cheap, you guys b) it would create such ridiculous bias when compared to other games... like, arguably the entire cast would have been sexually assaulted by Shuichi, and the ‘Waifu’ trope would also rack up a lot of points. That doesn’t make a lot of sense. These events are still... a thing. Unfortunately.

- Angie is perfect, and blessed by Atua. Obviously.

- While Tenko’s behaviour is making Himiko’s uncomfortable and could be considered sexual harrassment, I still didn’t put Himiko in the ‘victim’ category, though I suppose I could have. Double standards also get me, sometimes.

- Do Maki and Kaede revolve around a guy ? I personally would say no for Maki. Kaito is the one that props up her character development. Hell, he is the one getting fridged. I knew I had to mention it anyway, but to me she doesn’t qualify. Kaede is a bit more difficult. No, until her death, would be the most correct answer. Then it’s damn Shuichi, we get it, you have a dead girlfriend, shut the heck up about it, thanks. Same thing for the Waifu trope for Kaede. She is fine when we are playing her, but during her FTE... damn.

- If you were wondering, Kaede threatens - and actually start - to rise Tsumugi’s skirt until Shuichi can see her panties. Tsumugi might be an evil mastermind, it’s still sexual harrasment in my book, though obviously not at the level of what we have in earlier games.

[silenthillmutual]

what Classic Film(TM) you should watch based on who your fave Danganronpa 1/2 character is

disclaimer - obviously as a film dude i’m gonna say you should watch all of these. but maybe watch the one correlating to your fave first!

Makoto: 12 Angry Men (1957, dir. Sidney Lumet) - strong themes of justice, it’s about a jury trying to determine a man’s guilt. it’s basically what Makoto does for the entire game. you’ll also like it if you’re a fan of Phoenix Wright.

Sayaka: A Star is Born (1954, dir. George Cukor) - it’s all about a girl’s rise to fame and how her relationships change with that. there’s three versions of this film, most recently with Lady Gaga. 

Mukuro: Vertigo (1958, dir. Alfred Hitchcock) - themes of murder and hiding your identity, losing yourself to a cause.

Leon: Animal House (1978, dir. John Landis) - a comedy about a fraternity. it’s THE college frat movie and i think Leon would enjoy it a lot.

Chihiro: WarGames (1983, dir. John Badham) - two teenagers might have accidentally started a world war during the cold war by trying to play computer games...fitting for the series, no?

Mondo: On the Waterfront (1954, dir. Elia Kazan) - struggling to do the right thing and being sort of frustrated about your circumstances as they pertain to class and missed opportunities. being dragged into bad situations by family. also Marlon Brando is a bicon and very hot in this movie.

Taka: Rebel Without a Cause (1955, dir. Nicholas Ray) - a lot of turbulent shit happens to three teenagers over the course of 24 hours. one of - if not the first canonically gay teenager on film. i think we all know by now that James Dean was mlm, but so were the director and Sal Mineo. big bi polyam vibes; if you like chishimondo as a ship you’ll probably like this film too.

Hifumi: Akira (1988, dir. Katsuhiro Otomo) - had a hard time figuring out what to put for Hifumi, but overall i think if nothing else he’d appreciate how impressive the animation was (and honestly, still is) along with the fact that the mangaka was also the director. so although there’s a lot cut out (the manga had not finished before the film came out), it’s still roughly the same plot as the manga.

Celes: Dracula (1931, dir. Tod Browning) - probably the most iconic iteration of Bram Stoker’s novel, this is the one staring Bela Lugosi. not terribly true to the novel from what i remember, but it’s peak aesthetic and exactly the kind of thing she’d enjoy.

Sakura: Rashomon (1950, dir. Akira Kurosawa) - finally getting onto films i haven’t actually seen but that are on my list. sakura’s another person i had a hard time deciding on a film for, but the “several characters telling different accounts of the same plot” reminded me a bit of her case in the game. 

Hina: West Side Story (1961, dir. Robert Wise & Jerome Robbins) - admittedly i had a different film in mind for her to start with, but Maria’s final monologue fits with Hina’s motivations during Sakura’s case.

Toko: Gone With the Wind (1939, dir. Victor Fleming) - another one i haven’t actually watched yet, but it’s based on a famous novel, described as “epic historical romance.” i think that vibes with Toko pretty well.

Byakuya: Citizen Kane (1941, dir. Orson Welles) - if you’re really interested in film, you’re gonna be made to watch this sooner or later. famous for being the “best film ever made”, it’s more or less about newspaper moguls like William Randolph Hearst - who is also the main reason why this film is famous at all. it’s not exactly a flattering depiction of those kinds of people and boy, did that ever piss Hearst off. if he hadn’t made such a big deal trying to keep Citizen Kane from seeing the light of day, something much better might have made it to the top spot. 

Hiro: The Music Man (1962, dir. Morton DaCosta) - based on the Broadway musical of the same name, a “travelling salesman” (read: con artist) starts to work his latest con on a gullible small town, but actually starts liking the people in it.

Kyoko: The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956, dir. Alfred Hitchcock) - not to be confused with the other Hitchcock film from the 30s also titled The Man Who Knew Too Much. this is the one with James Stewart and Doris Day. it’s a highly suspenseful film that gave us the song “Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)”.

Junko: Gaslight (1944, dir. George Cukor) - ever heard the term “gaslighting”? this is where it comes from! based on a play in which a woman’s husband psychologically tortures her into believing she is going insane.

Monokuma: Duck Soup (1933, dir. Leo McCarey) - all Marx Brothers films are as utterly silly (and sometimes as incomprehensible) as one of Monokuma’s MonoTheatres. i watched about half of Duck Soup and had to stop because it was finals week and i was supposed to be doing something other than losing my shit.

Hajime: It’s a Wonderful Life (1946, dir. Frank Capra) - you probably already know this film. if you’re Christian you know it as That Film Your Parents Watch Every Year On Dec 24th Around Midnight. if you have seasonal depression, don’t watch it then; warning for suicidal ideation. it’s supposed to be uplifting. your mileage may vary on that one. 

Impostor: To Kill a Mockingbird (1962, dir. Robert Mulligan) - i don’t have a good reason to pair these two up other than gut feeling. as far as film adaptations of books go, it’s pretty damn good, and Atticus Finch is the original DILF. themes of childhood innocence and racism. 

Teruteru: Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961, dir. Blake Edwards) - apparently much different from the novella on which it is based, but i think Teruteru would really dig the aesthetic and romantic vibes of the film. Holly Golightly is probably the original Manic Pixie Dream Girl.

Mahiru: Rear Window (1954, dir. Alfred Hitchcock) - like It’s a Wonderful Life, chances are good you know this film - or at least, you’ve seen its plot recycled a hell of a lot. a professional photographer recovering from a broken leg thinks he witnesses a murder take place and is determined to get to the truth.

Peko: Seven Samurai (1954, dir. Akira Kurosawa) - another one on my to-watch list, but it’s oft referenced and remade in film. a village hires seven ronin to protect them from bandits who will return to steal their crops. 

Hiyoko: East of Eden (1955, dir. Elia Kazan) - i’ll be honest here, i didn’t really know what to put for Hiyoko because i’m not sure i understand much about her, but i seem to remember her family playing a pretty big role in her being Like That and for “shitty family” the first two things to come to mind were this and Giant. and unless you like 3-hour long movies about the state of Texas, i’m not about to recommend you watch Giant.

Ibuki: A Night at the Opera (1935, dir. Sam Wood) - another Marx Bros film in which they help a girl both to be with her lover and to achieve her dreams of stardom as an opera singer. the kind of silly, manic thing i think Ibuki would like.

Mikan: The Shining (1980, dir. Stanley Kubrick) - i hate hate hate putting this on here, but since this is for film and not books i couldn’t exactly state to read the book. the book is about the cycle of abuse. the movie is more about... a trapped man going crazy in a spooky hotel. 

Nekomaru: It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963, dir. Stanley Kramer) - comedy about five groups of people racing to get to a large sum of money buried by a recently escaped convict they stopped to help out after his car crash. it’s a comedy, and just kinda seemed like Nekomaru’s thing.

Gundham: The Seventh Seal (1957, dir. Ingmar Bergman) - i watched this in like 10th grade and all i really remember is a man playing chess with Death and if that doesn’t say Gundham Tanaka to you, i don’t know what does.

Nagito: North by Northwest (1959, dir. Alfred Hitchcock) - i don’t really have a reason for this one either but it’s a spy film and i think komaeda could get behind that kind of intrigue. 

Chiaki: Metropolis (1927, dir. Fritz Lang) - not to be confused with the anime, this is a 1927 German expressionist film that seems to be about socialism and unionization. it’s also famous for its (purposeful) use of the Male Gaze and being one of the first sci-fi films ever made. be warned: it is a silent film.

Sonia: Strangers on a Train (1951, dir. Alfred Hitchcock) - another one of those films you’ll get told to watch if you’re interested in the queer history of film, i was gonna put something else but honestly the character of Barbara kinda reminded me of Sonia. a famous tennis player meets a man on a train who attempts to plan a double-murder with him.

Akane: My Fair Lady (1964, dir. George Cukor) - i was trying so hard not to double up on the post about musicals, but Akane really does have Eliza Doolittle vibes. they’re both feral and nothing would be able to really domesticate them. for whatever it’s worth, this film and the musical on which it is based is itself based on the play Pygmalion, in which your typical rich cishet white dude bets he can turn any street urchin into a real lady because he’s just that good. you might know the plot better as Pretty Woman.

Kazuichi: A Streetcar Named Desire (1951, dir. Elia Kazan) - i don’t really have a good excuse for this one, either; i haven’t even watched it yet (although i have read the play on which it is based). all i’m gonna say is i want Souda to have his gay awakening via Marlon Brando, as we all do.

Fuyuhiko: Casablanca (1942, dir. Michael Curtiz) - despite his love and adoration for Ingrid Bergman, Humphrey Bogart decides fighting Nazis is more important. i think Fuyuhiko would like the aesthetic, and the film. don’t let him know but i think he’d probably cry watching it.

Usami: To Sir, With Love (1967, dir. James Clavell) - issues of race and class intersecting in a film about a teacher working with inner city students. i was going to put Singin’ in the Rain here, because it’s what Usami would want people to watch...but i think this better fits the effect she wants to have as a being. 

[pandoratheprocrasticreator]

Month of Drabbles Day 10: Diplomacy (Super Danganronpa 2)

Summary: Sonia Nevermind has always had a way with words. But how much use, really, does a diplomat have in a killing game?

Words: 2295

Warnings: Mentions of death, violence, and suicide.

When Sonia Nevermind was five, she kept her twenty kidnappers entertained until she convinced them to send her back to Novoselic in a first-class jet clutching a suitcase of diamonds. When she was eight, she secured a trade deal between Novoselic and the United States which boosted Novoselic’s GDP by fifty percent within the first month. When she was eleven, she stopped a nuclear war with a tilt of her head and a few words from her lips. Her mother had asked her how she did it once. Sonia told her she said her “please’s” and “thank you’s.”

Sonia always found that she had a way with words. Of course, she had to if she wanted to be queen of Novoselic someday. Novoselic had the highest civilian to militia ratio of any country in the world, but its tiny size meant that a good leader must use words instead of brute force in foreign relations if she wanted her country to survive. Despite this, everyone was surprised when at age twelve; Princess Sonia Nevermind became the head of foreign relations in Novoselic.

There were people that called her the Ultimate Princess. Sonia thought that that would probably mean something a hundred years ago when there were more princesses in the world. It pained her to think that she only had this title from her birthright and not from any talent of her own.

When she was accepted into a school in Japan because of this birthright, she didn’t feel the excitement that she thought she should have. Here was another prestigious school that wanted Sonia Nevermind not for her skills but for her bloodline. It was richer and better staffed than any school in her entire kingdom, but she was about to reject the invitation when it hit her.

Here was the best school in the world. Everyone who graduated from it was set for life. Sonia would have been set for life anyway, but Hope’s Peak Academy might take what skills she had and amplify it by tenfold. She had to go to this school. After all, wasn’t it a queen’s duty to become the best person she could for the subjects of her kingdom? Sonia proudly entered herself into Hope’s Peak Academy as the Ultimate Princess.  If she was going to become a leader, she should try to grow fond of the position before the end of high school.

~

Except…in high school, Sonia didn’t get to lead. She led a group of girls onto the sandy beaches to enjoy themselves, but that was the end of it. When the black and white bear appeared and announced that she and her classmates will be killing each other, a Byakuya Togami immediately took charge. Sonia didn’t have to worry about protecting everyone anymore-someone else was doing that for her. This newfound freedom was almost euphoric.

And then Byakuya Togami was found lying face down under a table and covered in blood. Teruteru Hanamura was the killer. If Sonia had been aware of what Nagito Komaeda was planning, would she have been able to convince him to put his knife down? If Sonia had beaten Byakuya to taking charge, would she be the one lying face down on the wooden floor of the old hotel?

Sonia had disarmed bombs with her smile. She had stopped armies in their tracks with just a few words. She had saved millions of lives with a firm handshake and steady eye contact. So why, oh why, could she not save the lives of two classmates?

~

After Teruteru was dropped into that volcano, Sonia decided that letting someone else take charge was a luxury she did not have. If she simply took absolute power over her class, there’s bound to be opposition. That was not the way Sonia Nevermind did things. A good princess-a good diplomat-was to find the core problem and to solve it while the smile on her face never wavers.

The core problem with this class was that they didn’t trust each other. That was a given, seeing how they’ve only known each other for a few days and one of their classmates just killed another. This class needed to do more activities together.

Sonia organized a “girl’s only” party. She took a page out of Byakuya’s book. What better way to unite half the class than to have a party? It was going to be on a beach in the bright daylight, with no circuits to break and no floorboards to stab through. When Hajime Hinata and Kazuichi Soda decided to tag along too, Sonia didn’t mind. As long as Kazuichi didn’t try to hit on her, she was happy to have more of the class along. Some of the girls were missing, but the classmates who were her were happy. What’s the worst that could happen?

~

The worst that could happen was Kazuichi finding the dead body of Mahiru Koizumi lying in front of a door in the beach house. As Sonia stared at the blood-soaked corpse, she wondered if Mahiru would still be alive right now if she had been more insistent that she joined her party.

At the trial, Ibuki Mioda revealed that she was going to go with Mahiru had she not already agreed to come to the party. So Mahiru’s death was all Sonia’s fault, then. If she’d never arranged this beach party Ibuki would have been there to stop Peko Pekoyama from swinging that deadly baseball bat and none of this would have happened.

Peko claimed that she was Sparkling Justice, the serial killer that Sonia admired so. Something was wrong. Sonia tried to say something, but her classmates all talked over her. She felt a rush of anger. Why weren’t they listening to her? Wasn’t she their princess?

Peko Pekoyama had been lying about being her friend the whole time. Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu had been lying about his history with Peko. Hiyoko Saionji lied about small things, but those small things had almost gotten Sonia’s entire class killed.

Sonia turned away as the straw robots on the screen plunged their swords deep into the body of Mahiru’s killer. She had seen through the lies of countless politicians and diplomats. Why couldn’t she see through the lies of her classmates?

~

Monokuma announced something he called the “despair disease.” Again, no one in the class was willing to lend their ear to what their princess had to say. Sonia decided then that if she was going to unite this class, she would have to start with individuals. And it seemed that most of the class was more than happy to be friends at Sonia’s request-except for one Hiyoko Saionji.

Hiyoko Saionji was a challenge, Sonia decided. The rest of her class had their differences, but they at least tried to get along, if only to survive. Hiyoko, on the other hand, had shut herself off from everyone. The only person exempt to her rotten attitude had her head split open with a metal bat.

Sonia wasn’t sure why she tried so hard to befriend this rude girl. Was it because she just enjoyed this challenge? Was it because she wanted everyone to get along that badly? Was it just out of pity for this girl who had lost the only person that cared about her on this island?

A day passed after Sonia told Hiyoko about that mirror in the studio. Ibuki hung from the ceiling. Hiyoko was strapped to a pillar. Once again, Sonia was responsible for the deaths of her friends. If only she had been kinder to Hiyoko. If only she’d volunteered to take care of her sick classmates with Mikan. If only she had done something.

~

Sonia gave up on being a good leader after Mikan left them. She would rather spend the night after the trial sitting on the beach, Gundham Tanaka at her side, chatting about hamsters or horror movies or demonic rituals. Gundham told her about the poison in his blood. Sonia smiled. Her blood was no good, either, not because of poison, but because of a family and responsibilities she was beginning to wish she never had.

If Kazuichi was glaring at her and Gundham angrily, then so be it. She was finished dancing around others with her words. Maybe if she was lucky, Kazuichi would realize that Sonia was no longer the perfect princess he thought she was.

~

Monokuma said that he was leaving Sonia and the others to starve to death in the Funhouse unless a dead body was found. Sonia decided then that she would accept her death with dignity.

Had it been a week and a half ago, Sonia would have taken her own life at the first opportunity in order to free her classmates from starvation. A princess should not simply sit and watch her people suffer, nor should a princess ever take an innocent life. Sacrificing herself for her subjects would have been a great honor for the Ultimate Princess.

But these were Sonia’s classmates; not her subjects. Sonia was not their princess. She had long since decided that her title of princess had no use on this island, but that didn’t mean she was allowed to panic and scream like a child. She found that she cared about her classmates, and so Sonia resolved to keep them calm in their final moments, so that they could slip out of the world of living not with a shout, but with a whisper.

~

Nekomaru Nidai’s metallic parts lay scattered on the floor. Hajime and Nagito present argument after argument of Gundham’s guilt. In the end, not even Sonia could prevent the truth.

Gundham told her to keep living, so she promised to do just that. As she ran into the execution grounds to scoop up the Four Dark Devas of Destruction, she realized something: if she had not helped convince everyone to ride that roller coaster that brought them to the Funhouse, none of this would have happened.

Sonia always found that she had a way with words, but now she realized that her way was simply making the poison that poured out of her mouth taste sweeter. How many people had she led to the deaths of already?

~

Nagito Komaeda was planning to blow up the entire island. Sonia searched for the bombs along with the others. She wanted to save her own life, but she also wanted to save the lives of her classmates. That feeling of responsibility towards these other Ultimates has not gone away. But this time, instead of protecting them as their princess, Sonia would be protecting them as their friend.

When she saw the streams of fireworks shoot into the sky in colorful bursts, Sonia thought her heart would stop with relief. Now that she was certain she wasn’t going to blow up in the next few hours, she went to study the weaponry on the fifth island. If any of that equipment worked, Sonia planned to use her expertise to fight her way out of Jabberwok Island. After nine deaths, she hardly had any patience left over for words-sweet or poisonous. A princess did not point weapons at the innocent, but Monokuma was not innocent.

A fire started in the warehouse, resulting in the discovery of Nagito’s mangled body. Sonia knew she should have been horrified. Maybe she was, but that feeling of guilt that lingered after every previous death no longer lingered here. All these horrible injuries on Nagito’s body could not have been caused by her. She was only responsible for finding the killer of this case and bringing them to justice.

~

She was responsible for suggesting that her friends throw the fire grenades that killed Nagito Komaeda. Why couldn’t they have just poured water? They were on an island, for goodness sakes! Because of Sonia’s carelessness-because of her sweet words-everyone on this island was about to die.

She told everyone to vote for her. She was the one that suggested the fire grenades. She might as well have been Nagito’s killer. She wasn’t sure if she was so willing to sacrifice herself out of love or responsibility but it didn’t really matter anymore.

Chiaki Nanami suggests that she may be the traitor that threw the poisoned fire grenade. No, Sonia decided. She didn’t care if Chiaki was lying or not. This was the final straw. She couldn’t let another classmate-another friend die from her mistakes.

Chiaki wasn’t the traitor, Sonia declared. Sonia didn’t care that pointing out that she knew about the fake bombs made her more suspicious. She was ready to die. Over the past few weeks Sonia’s words have caused so many deaths. Her lack of words has caused so many deaths as well. Maybe this time she could use her words properly like she used to and save just one more life.

Hajime refuted her every argument. Sonia wasn’t sure when tears started pouring down her face, but she didn’t attempt to wipe them away. If she were still in Novoselic, these tears would have tarnished her image. Now, she didn’t care.

Sonia stared at the screen in the trial room as it showed her images of Chiaki Nanami running desperately from her inevitable death. She was never going to be a princess again. She was never going to be a queen. She was just Sonia Nevermind, whose sweet and deadly words killed whether they were used or not.

~

Sonia always found that she had a way with words. With her charm and wit, she could almost control the world. She could save the lives of millions of strangers with her words, so why?

Why oh why, could she not save the lives of eleven innocent friends?

[cutiecrates]

Cutie Reviews: TokyoTreat Jan 20

I was so excited to get to this box, it’s been 4 months since I did the November review for it, and since I didn’t get December’s box that one was skipped.

If you’re interested in my review on the DIY kit below, I made a separate post for it right before this one.

“The new year is coming! There are many exciting events to look forward to like New Year’s Eve parties and fun with friends and family! Sometimes though just having a relaxing evening indoors is just what you need too. That’s why we made a box that’s perfect for cozying up with some tasty Japanese snacks, a warm drink and enjoying the holidays before the busy year ahead!“

The flavor of the month is Milk.

Lucky Treat & Photo Contest

As I said, the Tokyo Treat people were really feeling Disney with their January boxes. In some shape or form, you can bet there was some in it somewhere. For this month’s Lucky Treat, there was a variety of delicious and cuddly Disney goods.

As well as in the Photo contest, with prizes based around Aladdin.

Lipton Tea Pack

(see top of post for photo)

To deal with the lingering chills of winter, TokyoTreat has decided to throw in a summer or spring-based tea. We could ether get the Sakura pack, or the Tropical Charge, featuring flavors of mango, peach, and pineapple.

Considering I already got the sakura pack, I’m quite happy to have gotten the other. But for anyone new here, I really really hate tea. So either way I was kind of anxious about this one. I don’t know why I can’t stand it so much, but the only tea I seem capable of drinking are super fruity lemon/raspberry iced tea (the lipton kind is really yummy), or the ones that taste like mint or cinnamon. I remember when I was little, my mom would make me this white-ish peppermint tea when I went to play in the snow. She would put it in a bottle so that I could carry it with me.

♥ ♥ 

Shockingly enough, I didn’t hate this :D it wasn’t the best tea I ever had but I almost finished the entire cup. You get a really strong peach scent and taste, I couldn’t really identity the mango or pineapple in it. While I was drinking it, I kept thinking that this tropical flavor would be better iced, so I plan on trying that next time.

Fluffy Softmallow & Colorful Baby’s Marshmallows

I love marshmallows, and this month we get 2 different types, both featuring a lovely pastel color scheme. However, these are both just basic marshmallows, they’re not fruity flavored or anything like that. The softmallow is 58.5 calories, while the pack is 61 calories.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

The softmallow is still soft even after almost a year of sitting in the packaging. It’s a lot of fun to look at while eating, and it tastes fine.

♥ ♥ ♥ 

The colorful baby’s pack is okay. But unlike the softmallow they are more... firm? chewy? Like they went stale or something, but I’m not sure if they actually did. The texture might be intentional, but it wasn’t appealing to me. They taste fine though, and they soften up if you use them in a hot drink.

Little Mikan Mints & Night Sky Star Candy

In Japan, its tradition to sit beneath a warm, lovely kotatsu while snacking on oranges, or mikan. To emulate their packaging and taste, we received this cute little container filled with tiny, spherical orange-flavored mints/candies.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

The orange flavor is really strong, and they actually bring to mind a bright, freshly bitten orange x3 they taste a lot like the tic-tacs. I used to love those when I was a kid, but now that I’m older I never buy them.

- - - - -

Konpeito are a very popular, cute, and fun little snack for any time of the year. Usually they are just sugary-sweet, but you can find flavored ones pretty easily online, often in cute glass jars! They would make adorable decorations while you munch on them over time.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Not only is the packaging really cute, but I don’t see how you could go wrong with these! I think they might be flavored too, because I tried a couple different colors and they each tasted differently. Great for a little sugary pick-me-up.

Winter Kakigori Gummies & Diamond Ring Candy

The ring we’ve had before, a very, very long time ago :3 it’s cola flavored, not the best I’ve had but I still really liked it. It’s 48 calories.

What I was really excited for in this box was probably this next item, gummies based on delicious Kakigori (shaved ice). They come in the flavors of mango and strawberry, each with a milky bottom to give it creaminess. The strawberry gummies also have a crunchy texture to emulate the icy crunch you might sometimes experience when eating it.

Each bag is 178 calories, which is kind of a lot, but you don’t have to eat them in one sitting. They can be re-sealed for convenience.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

I love shaved ice (and slushies/snow cones, I always get blueberry/blue raspberry flavor) so I was heartbroken to miss out on it this year. In a weird way, this kind of perked me up. Both flavors are very yummy too, the mango one is light and doesn’t have that... weird foot smell/taste some mango tend to have. The strawberry one is pretty artificial but I’m just fine with that. I really like it’s texture too.

Cheese Umaibo & Calbee Winter Chips

Cheese umaibo is no stronger to us here at Cutie Crates. It’s a very common, basic flavor of umaibo, and it’s not one of my most favorites. But I feel like with each one I eat, the more it grows on me.

- - - - -

Our next item are some salted chips from Calbee. The salt is powdered, to emulate the fluffy, thick snow on a chilly mountain top. Each bag is 363 calories! I wouldn’t recommend eating these at once, or at least share them with a few people to evenly divide the calorie intake.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

I wouldn’t say these have been my favorite chips from them, I really like getting to try the more unique flavors. But these taste fine/good, and have a great crunch to them. So if you like chips (especially the plain/regular salted) you would probably love these.

One Piece Cookies & Choco Cake

Considering I missed out on the December box (which was anime/manga/video game themed), I was very excited when I saw these in this months! These were randomly selected from a large variety of character-based cookie packs, most of which were Pokemon or Disney-based. Flavors ranged from basic chocolate chip to banana.

I’m very happy I got these, not only because of One Piece- but because I love chocolate chip cookies (I love a lot of stuff today don’t I ;P). Each cookie looks plain on the outside, but is filled with several chocolate chips slightly melted together to create a delicious chocolate-filled bite. They also come wrapped in a package featuring each of the crew members personal symbol.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

These are delicious, if basic cookies. Nothing super-special, but if you like One Piece you would probably enjoy getting these like me :3 I wanted to save one of each member <3< except for Sanji, because I didn’t get any of his. I’m a little sad because he’s one of my favorites.

- - - - - - - 

Our other item is this choco cake-like cookies. The pack includes 2 of them, but if you’re like me and waited too long you might just be eating them together. Per-pack or cookie (I can’t tell which), it’s 173 calories.

♥ ♥ ♥ 

These are really dry, they have a spong-cake like texture and the chocolate is on the bitter side. They taste pretty good though, if a little bit messy.

Animal Biscuits, Key Ring Chocolate, & Maple Hotcakes

The hotcakes we actually just had in the November box, so if you want my full opinion on them I would suggest checking out that review. We also get this cute little key-shaped ring filled with small M&M-like chocolates.

I’d give them ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥, because while there isn’t anything too special about them, the key shape is cute and fun. Plus they taste fine.

- - - -

This other item I honestly wasn’t expecting much from, because I assumed they were just animal crackers with English written on them. They’re super-adorable though, because ideally this would be a fun snack to give someone who isn’t familiar with English, or those who want to learn a little more Japanese can also use the box for that purpose. The box is covered in text and fun little puzzles to make learning it really fun!

(I tried to get my 3 top favorite animals, but I could only find the cat and bat. My box didn’t came with a panda, so I set out the owl, because my mom likes them). 

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

The cookies are basic in flavor but are dipped in a delicious glaze. With each one I finish, I’m left with an oatmeal-like after taste that’s really yummy. I’m not sure what the glaze is, but it’s lightly sweet. I love these!

Bubbly Rainbow Taiyaki & Milk Giant Caplico

Sorry about the crappy lighting here, I only just realized I forgot to get a pic of this one <3< But don’t worry because this isn’t new to me, we’ve seen this before on the blog. It’s a very yummy, berry-chocolate flavored Taiyaki that features a cute split-color, one side is baby blue and the other is light purple.

- - - -

I also decided not to get a picture of the Caplico because that was a little bit of a mess. At some point it all melted and ran out of the cone, then re-hardened in the package. It was still edible though, and pretty yummy. It has a faint vanilla white chocolate on top, while the chocolate filling the cone is more on the bitter side. They compliment each other well.

♥ Cutie Ranking ♥

Content - 4 out of 5. I’m glad we got a new DIY, I pretty much liked everything and besides the melted caplico everything held up great until I got to the box. I do wish we had gotten some more savory items though, the variety feels a little one-sided this time. Theme - 3 out of 5. I see where they were at with this, I really like the theme concept but maybe it could have been executed better? It could just be me personally, but maybe some sort of cinnamon or spicy, warming stuff would help amp the coziness of it.

Total Rank: 8 out of 10. I don’t really have anything to complain about. Nothing really exciting happened in this box besides a few surprises; but I like what we got. I’d recommend it unless you’re not big on chocolate and prefer less-sweet flavors.

♥ Scale of Yummy ♥

1. Winter Kakigori Gummies - they’re so cute, along with the packaging. Plus I really like their fruity flavors!

2. Animal Biscuits - I was extremely surprised by how much I liked these.

3. Bubbly Rainbow Taiyaki - I really like this :3 I didn’t go into detail on it because it’s already been reviewed, but it’s very yummy and sweet. 4. One Piece Cookies  - these made me feel nostalgic because they taste a lot like these big, soft cookies my mom would buy me as a child. 5. Star Candy - The packaging is so cute! Plus they’re tasty.

6. Caplico - It’s not the best one I’ve had, especially considering how messed up it got. But i happen to like bitter chocolate so I like the combination of the varying flavors. 7. Cola Ring - It still tastes the same as last time :P I just hope I finish it this time. 8. Mikan Mints - super-tiny but they have a lot of flavor. 9. Cheese Umaibo - I get it a lot but it’s slowly climbing its way up on my top 10 Umaibo chart. It would never surpass corn potage as my favorite though. 10. Maple Hotcakes - pretty much had the exact same opinion as last time. Delicious, I love their maple scent more than anything. Very dry though. 11. Lipton Tea - I hate tea but this was actually bearable with enough sugar. I’m hoping I’ll like it better iced. 12. Choco Cake - I can’t decide if I’m into these or not. They’re kind of firm/hard, not soft like cake at all. They taste bitterly but I don’t hate them.   13. Calbee Chips - You probably noticed that all the regular/average items have been put low on the list by now right? There’s nothing wrong with them but the other stuff has more to offer...   14. Key Ring Chocolate - fun shaped, but very basic.

15. Softmallow - This one had a better texture than the other ones.  

16. Colorful Baby’s - basic, nothing special. The packaging and colors are adorable though.

[oumakokichi]

Another character besides Komaeda that people (unfairly, in my opinion) compare with Ouma is Hiyoko in that they're both bratty, "sadistic" and child-like. Would you like to talk about their differences or similarities? Thank you!

Oh, this is a really fun question! I’ve seen people compareOuma and Saionji too for some time now, and while I think there are a handfulof surface-level similarities, there are plenty of differences as well.

In many ways, Ouma’s resemblances to Saionji are much likehis resemblance to Celes. While they seem to act or behave similarly, they’refar too different at their core to actually get along, in my opinion. Eventheir bonus mode interactions (there’s at least one in Ouma’s route, andanother in Saionji’s where the two of them interact along with Mikan), it seemsas though while they have similar interests and behaviors, they’re not reallysimilar enough to get along or befriend each other.

Saionji and Ouma are both two of the more childishcharacters in DR, it’s true. But it’s also true that there’s a world ofdifference as to why they act so childishly.

In Saionji’s case, a large part of it is because of herupbringing. Her strict background, as well as the abuse she went through, hasmade her into pretty much the definition of a playground bully, someone whothinks in terms of “as long as I’m picking on someone weaker than myself then I’mnot the one getting picked on.”

She’s undergone so much rigorous, severe training related toher talent, but as that was the only thing that interested her grandmother, she’sreceived almost no preparation or education about the real world. This isperfectly illustrated by her inability to tie her own obi, and why she flocks toKoizumi so readily when she sticks up for her once the rest of the cast beginspointing out that she stinks after not bathing.

Rather than just being childish, I would say Saionji is…well, “immature” might be a better word, though it means roughly the samething. While she does have certain childish interests, like gummy candies andplaying pranks, she’s also simply ill-equipped to deal with the world aroundher. There’s also something very genuinely immature and child-like about herinability to take what she dishes out.

While Ouma puts on crocodile tears frequently and likes toclaim he’s being “bullied” by the rest of the group, only to turn around andcheekily go “Oh, was I found out?” whenever anyone accuses him of faking it,Saionji’s tears are usually the real deal. In fact, she lies a lot more aboutfaking them than about the tears themselves, often becoming flustered and sulkyafter being made to cry by anyone else. Being teased or insulted even slightlyoften gets her extremely riled up, and she’s quick to cry from frustration.

In a way, the way that she acts actually reminds me more ofMiu than of Ouma. Both Saionji and Miu have a tendency to look for “easy prey”to pick on, throwing insults at the people they see as most likely to sit thereand take it (Mikan and Saihara, for example). And whenever anyone actuallypushes back or throws an insult their way instead, they’re quick to back down,only to try to repeat the same stunt a little while later when they think it’ssafe.

One of the most important differences to note is, in myopinion, the difference between Saionji’s rather black-or-white morality vs.Ouma’s grey morality. All of Saionji’s opinions about her classmates arecouched in completely black-or-white, good-or-evil terms. She either likes themquite a lot, or she can’t stand them, and she’s quick to maintain either ofthese opinions until something else comes along to convince her to change hermind.

She judges her classmates quite harshly for their flawswhile turning a blind eye to her own—which again, is fairly childish behaviorshowing how immature she really is in a lot of ways. She’s really, incrediblyfun as a character for all of these reasons, though. If anything, part of thefun is watching her go off on characters like Komaeda, saying things that noneof the other characters wanted to say because they felt it would be too bluntor rude.

Nothing illustrates the difference in morality between thembetter than their opinions on murder. Interestingly enough, both of them aresimilar in their dislike towards murderers. But again, it’s mostly only on thesurface.

Saionji has very childish, playground bully-like behaviors,such as stomping on ants and crabs and killing them (which reminds me quite alot of certain scenes in Umineko about breaking toys and killing butterflies,but that’s for another time). But she really can’t seem to stand actual, humankillers. This opinion of hers seems to stem less from an actual aversion todeath or from finding it sad or boring, but rather because she believes verystrongly in the “eye for an eye” adage. The day after Teruteru’s execution, forexample, she’s extremely outspoken about how he “got what he deserved,” and howhe was a “worthless, horrible human being for killing someone else.” In short,she seems to have zero sympathy for his actions whatsoever and wholeheartedlythinks he deserved to be killed after killing another person.

Ouma, meanwhile, has more complicated feelings on thematter. His dislike for murder means he feels very strongly about the subject,but it’s also true that he doesn’t necessarily hate people who kill. Throughout the course of ndrv3, hedemonstrates on multiple occasions that he can understand why people wouldbring themselves to kill someone else, but that he can’t agree with them foractually doing so. In short, Ouma is someone who can understand others withoutexcusing them.

Shortly before Kaede’s execution, we see him stronglyemphasize that it was still wrong of her to try and kill someone, even if itwas the ringleader (he’s the only character who seems to have this opinion, infact). But he also gives her a very forthright, honest send-off at the veryend, telling her that she wasn’t boring, which is one of the highestcompliments someone like him can offer. Again with Kirumi in Chapter 2, Oumademonstrates understanding for Kirumi’s motives even if he can’t agree withwhat she did personally. Just after her execution, he looks down and says thathe can understand wanting to live with all one’s might, demonstrating that hehad a high amount of respect for her even though he could never excuse herkilling another person and putting the entire group’s lives in danger.

Even with Maki, who he arguably butts heads with the mostover the course of the game, Ouma doesn’t hate her for having killed people. Hedislikes her, yes, and more than anything he resents the fact that she’s aconstant threat which the rest of the group refuses to acknowledge as such. Buthe doesn’t actually think that she or anyone else within the group “deserves”to die. The only reason killers have to be executed for their crimes is becausethe alternative is everyone else dying in the trial, period. If it weren’t forthe rules of the killing game itself, I highly doubt Ouma would demonstratenearly as much ruthlessness towards the culprits as he does in-game.

This ability to understand other people’s actions withoutexcusing them is itself quite mature. This is only fitting, as Ouma is always awalking contradiction. As I’ve stated in plenty of meta, he is childish, and enjoys playing pranks,teasing others, and just generally acting like a brat—usually without any realmean-spirited intentions, though it’s true that he does overstep his bounds onsome of his pranks even before he starts putting on his villain routine.  But his childishness is more like someone who’sa “child at heart,” rather than someone who’s actually immature and who hasn’tgrown up yet.

His mindset towards his classmates and towards the killinggame are extremely mature, complex, and multi-layered. As someone whounderstands the true nature of “lies,” and therefore the main themes of ndrv3itself, Ouma is capable of understanding multiple conflicting viewpoints at thesame time. Lies themselves are, as he says, “on the same level as truth.” Andunlike the truth, which is only ever singular, lies hold infinite potential.

It’s possible to believe in several conflicting lies all atonce, in order to not crush someone’s truth. The reason Ouma himself likeslies, as he states in the Chapter 4 trial, is because they can be used to  avoid hurting others, to comfort them in theface of a harsh reality. This is an extremely interesting and sympatheticmindset, because it’s not the kind of thing that someone who hasn’t been hurtbefore would understand. I found his entire speech about the “endlesspossibilities” of lies extremely reminiscent of Umineko, particularly as there’sa whole speech in Umineko about how “those who become witches” are the ones who“need magic in order to escape from the painful truth of reality.”

It’s clear then that even though Saionji and Ouma both actsimilarly on the surface, Saionji is far less mature and thinks in much moreblack-or-white, straightforwardly childish terms than Ouma does. Unlike Ouma,who’s a master at lying and seeing through others’ deceptions, Saionji is painfullytransparent when she tries to lie, and she dislikes being lied to or deceivedby others because she dislikes showing her own weaknesses and being taken advantageof. She seeks out people she perceives as weaker than herself because thebullying and abuse she experienced has led to her feeling like the only way shecan clearly demonstrate that she’s not still being bullied is if she bulliessomeone else instead.

While Ouma very much acts the part of a “playground bully”in his tendency to tease and pick on some of the other characters, his remarksusually never go past the point of teasing, and often when he teases someoneelse, it’s actually done in order to try and subtly guide them in another direction.For example, he often comments on Gonta’s naivete and how he should be morecareful or else he’ll “get killed.” His comments towards Gonta about how heneeded to stop crying and pitch in with the Chapter 4 investigation also, asSaihara himself notes, seemed harsh on the surface but actually succeeded ingetting Gonta to cheer up and feel more useful.

This kind of behavior is what Ouma specializes in: he likeshelping without seeming like he’s helping. It’s exactly what he did in theChapter 3 post-trial, where he told Himiko that she was simply lying to herselfand trying to avoid coming to terms with her own emotions despite havingpromised she’d stop in the trial.

People still, I think, misconstrue that scene as Ouma “bullying”Himiko or trying to make her cry just for the sake of being mean—but inreality, all he actually says is that he doesn’t think she should lie to herself.He doesn’t insult or berate her, but instead tries to push her to actuallyconfront her grief, and that’s why she finally breaks down crying over Tenko’sand Angie’s deaths. Everyone notes how much more peaceful Himiko seems once shefalls asleep after she’s done crying, so once again, we see that Ouma generallyonly does these things in order to try and help his classmates, rather thanactually bullying them or hurting their self-esteem.

If Ouma and Saionji were to ever interact for a longerperiod of time than just their bonus mode segments, I doubt they would hateeach other per se, but I do think they wouldn’t be able to see eye to eye.There’s a very unsympathetic, childish cruelty in Himiko’s black-or-whitementality towards others who she sees as “weak.” Meanwhile Ouma is far toocryptic and dishonest for Saionji to ever actually like him, especially when Isuspect he’d probably wind up taking her down a few pegs the same way he doesMiu, if she were to ever try making any comments towards him.

Ouma very much likes to actas though he’s the Saionji of the group—someone whose bark is bigger than hisbite, and who acts pretty childish and selfish and mean but ultimately isn’t athreat. But it’s just an act. Unlike Saionji, who truly is pretty harmlessother than her bullying behavior, Ouma is strategic, practical, andcalculating. The reason him punching Momota came as such a surprise, not only tothe other characters but to the fandom as well, is because no one saw itcoming. He downplayed his own strength and capabilities flawless until the verylast moment, because he acted as though he was all talk. No one expected him tobe physically strong, and in the same way no one expected him to be asintelligent as he was either.

I’ll stop for now because this has gotten really long, butthank you so much for sending this in. This was a really fun question to writeabout—I haven’t really written anything about Saionji before, I think, andsince she gets compared to Ouma so often it was really enjoyable to be able towrite about it in-depth! Thanks for stopping by, anon!