#The MM! comic is actually almost fully translated

[ecogirl2759]

Every now and again I have the overwhelming urge to archive Taka lore, and, honestly? Might do that before the end of the year.

Like, idk how many people know of the comics and stuff, but there's so much going on with this one character who canonically has no backstory. He's the ONLY ONE without a backstory and it INFURIATES MEEEEEEE

And ik I've said this before, but I'll say it again: TAKA'S ALSO THE ONLY CHARACTER IN THE ENTIRETY OF DANGANRONPA AS A FRANCHISE TO HAVE AN OFFICIAL MASTERMIND OUTFIT WITHOUT EVER BEING THE MASTERMIND!!!!

(At least to my knowledge. No other character has had a MM! outfit published in an official source directly tied to Spike that I've been able to find.)

(First two pictures are definitely official (4KOMA KINGS Vol.4), the second two I can't find a source for)

I'm pretty sure everyone already knows most of this stuff, but I just want to remind people just how much about this character we either don't know or we wish would have happened to him. And also he's my favorite so there's that :)

(And, yes, MM! Taka does have two-toned boots as well lol)

[syncogon]

[YB2] what other characters would the main cast want to play?

Translating an excerpt of 《团建吧！七斋》 [Seventh Room Teambuilding!] — one of the variety shows filmed with the main cast alongside Season 2.

Using the actor names and abbreviations. Note that Zhang Xincheng (Yuan Zhongxin) regrettably could not make it to this show (don't worry, they honored him with a cardboard cutout. they all agree that zxc is the actor most different from his character!).

This sort of question / what-if is always one of my favorites! I really liked the insight and character analysis here.

If you could play anyone else in this show, who would you pick? (regardless of gender/etc)

Su Xiaotong (Xiao-Jing): I want to play Wen Wuqi. 

Wang Youshou (Wang Kuan): Yeah… Those characters are really good.

Fu Weilun (Wei-yanei): At the very beginning, I was meeting Wen Wuqi. 

Zhou Yutong (Zhao Jian): You were auditioning for Wen Wuqi?

FWL: Right.

Zheng Wei (Xue Ying): You don’t seem calm enough.

FWL: Wait, no, I was still trying out for Yanei first.

ZW: But you also tried Wen Wuqi.

FWL: Right. 

ZW: And then the director still felt you fit Yanei best. (laughs)

ZYT: But that’s how it goes—whoever plays the character, it becomes theirs. If he played Wen Wuqi, it would become Fu Weilun’s Wen Wuqi. And if Xiao-Yu [Wen Wuqi] played Yanei, it would be Xiao-Yu’s Yanei. A thousand people will give one character a thousand different faces. No one can say for sure whether someone playing a role will for sure be good. But the director will definitely have a sense of what they’re looking for. 

FWL: Youshou I know, if you weren’t Wang Kuan, you wanted to play Yanei.

WYS: Right, I’ve said that before. But now, I… 

ZW: You want to play Yuchi Yuan.

WYS: Right, I really like Yuchi Yuan as a character. But I think that if I were to play him, I probably wouldn’t be able to make him as comical. 

ZYT: But, putting aside for now whether or not you think you’re suitable—

SXT: Just based on pure liking. 

ZYT: Even gender can be changed. 

WYS: Then I’d like to play Yuchi Yuan. 

ZYT: That just means you like those kinds of very comical characters. 

WYS: Well, not really. I just like those kinds of interesting characters. 

ZYT: A bit more outgoing. More lively. 

ZW: More different from your real-life personality. 

WYS: Mm. Characters that are a bit more meaningful. 

ZYT: What about Zheng Wei?

ZW: Me? I think I kind of want to play Yanei. 

WYS: (grins) You also want to play Yanei?

ZYT: This character is so beloved!

FWL: Because it’s two extremes. I don’t shut up, and then Xue Ying doesn’t talk. (grins) He must feel so smothered every day, keeping it all in. 

ZW: And in real life, I think my personality is closer to Yanei’s. Good-natured, adaptable. Actually, Xue Ying is almost too different from me. (laughs)

ZYT: Yanei, who do you want to play?

FWL: (thinks for a moment) Earlier, I felt that Yuan Hao would be really interesting. Because of his conviction, he’s like that Thanos—

SXT: You probably want to play this character because you’re eying that throne of his. Lifted by a couple hundred people—

FWL: (laughing) That’s not it!

SXT: —sitting on top like a KING! (laughs)

ZW: How come no one wants to play Ningling Ge?

ZYT: (raises hand) Me.

ZW: You want to play Ningling Ge?

WYS: Why?

ZYT: I feel like this person is really interesting. You know, you say he’s evil—

ZW: Wicked.

ZYT: —or ruthless, or cruel. But then sometimes you’ll feel that he has that bit of warmth toward some things. For example how he treats his mother, or how he treats Zhao Jian. I feel like, even though he is also very ruthless toward Zhao Jian, I also feel that some of his interactions with Zhao Jian contain some of that warmth. But then, he’s still able to hide away this warmth of his, and then still carry out those extreme actions.

FWL: (overlapping) But he can’t hide it away completely, he can’t manage to be fully ruthless toward Zhao Jian.

ZYT: Right. And then he and his father, that storyline also made me feel, it has that feeling of ancient Greek tragedy, that kind of feeling. I just feel that his entire character is written to be quite tragic. And I feel like this person never received any kind of love, and so he doesn’t know how to love someone else. So, I’d still really want to try this kind of character. 

ZW: Still pretty impressive, really. 

[sillyfudgemonkeys]

Comic buff with a thought, I notice the P5MM art and composition is more striking and closer to p5's art and style than the other manga, which is fine, but kinda... flat. (I find myself thinking there's something missing when I read it, then I look back at P5MM and I notice how there's more clever paneling, imagery, and stylistic choices akin to the games in it (like that one goro panel ya had a rant about) and I realize what's missing) That could be why P5MM is brought up more, just a guess. I dunno how you feel about all that though, I'm curious.

Under the cut cause it gets long cause of pictures:

I am very big on art style and visual presentation. I do actually judge a book by it's cover (manga, game, movie, show, yadda). If I find something pleasing to my eye I'll read it.....even if the contents are trash. Domestic Girlfriend is one, horrible manga (didn't finish, was holding out for Momo, aka best girl, and getting closure for her....then I bounced). Didn't watch the anime (didn't need to I was way ahead in the manga I think), but I know that opening is wasted on it. ldskfjaf Don't invest your time into it, it's not worth it, you would probably learn better morals from P5.......probably. But yeah I found the art style pleasing enough to try it out (I's not amazing by any means, but I like looking at it....or did.....that writing man....dat was bad ;w;).... *waves hands vaguely in air* yeah.

Fun fact, it's why I got into Persona. I happened across an ad for P4 on the PS2 in the Gameinformer magazine, it showed a screenshot from an animated cutscene plus one of the fully body art for the chars and I was like "Yes this is my jam!" (which only doubled down when I read what it was about, and it was a murder mystery and the article also talked up "the mystery of the glasses" which fakldjsalkfs yeah). So yeah it really clicked for me.

Tbh it's why I'm probably going to get back into freaking Bleach, and it's why I got into it and Naruto over One Piece (I don't think I'll ever read ON I'm sorry). Tite Kubo has sexy art what can I say? Can't trust a thing that man writes now but eh. It's also the reason I read a lot of Shojo (and now Yuri) manga, cause their art style is usually what I find very appealing (even if I've read the same gd shojo love story just by a different name for the 1000th time, give me the flowers and sparkly eyes! they are my life blood!)

And I've mentioned I really like Saito's art style. I've (attempted) to color some of his pieces on top of animate some manga frames (most of which I haven't actually published......I...I should....get around to finishing those up....haha...aha....haaaa). I really like his art, it's pleasant. But even with good art, I can still see past it and see what BS it's peddling and it can hamper my enjoyment of it. If I don't look at the context of the scene or the words on the page, I can be down with it. But when I'm reading.......I get annoyed. I balk at anything with Goro. I guffaw whenever Makoto's on screen (cause Saito nails her from P5, she acts useful but really she's useless but the narrative views her as useful it ironically makes her useless......it's the weirdest thing I've ever witnessed >.>). Like Saito really.....gets P5 it seems, down to it's flaws even (tho he can actually make the good parts of P5 shine, or at least parts that P5 failed to execute....execute in a way). But he also makes the flaws.....shine that much harder for me.

Now the Reg manga? it's nothing special art style wise, in fact it starts off VERY wonky, and while still wonky, has gotten a lot....better/cuter (esp Ryu). Not like shojo cute just.......I wanna squish their wittle faces cute (at times when it's not serious).

Like when it comes to Reg Manga these are the two pieces that have appeared in it that I feel kinda hit the P5 mark in terms of style:

(look at Mona, coming into this world like the pustule that he is 8U)

Which isn't much, but it's something. At least Reg's AOA is better looking than the anime. 8U

But I dunno, as the chapters go on, the Mangaka allows for more cuter expressions, and I just like their neat:

(btw I colored that page)

I dunno, it's not as overtly cutsey as Saito:

But they are still charming in a more simple way (without out having them go full chibi), it subtle but it gives it flavor. "Silly why are most, if not all those pics of Ryu and Anne?" I dunno guys maybe you should ask them how their backs are doing, cause they're the ones who are carrying the Reg manga when it comes to this! 8U

Tho I do think the first ch or two of Reg does a better job capturing P5's feel than the rest of the chapters, I think the mangaka is just.....bogged down by exposition and the game's BS that a lot of text on their pages so it almost reads like a novel:

ALots of text, not the most dynamic of framing with the panels. It's kinda eh. I haven't really read the manga past the 2nd dungeon tbh (I mean......as the residential #1 Makoto hater, I think that's fair.....that I'd start to zone out during my least fav dungeon....and then continue zoning out during my 2nd least fav dungeon askfdjaflk)

But during the first two dungeon arcs, I liked how.....bad the PT were at thieving, I liked how green they were. It was obviously a learning process. I also like some of the fight choreo (Saito did the best hand to hand one in the series in P4U's Yu vs Sho....which I actually animated....spoiler.....no I have no released that...my dumbass wants to tempt fate and see if I can redo it in color even tho it took me 4 days non stop to get that animated in just black and white.....but I am a fool so alas 8U). I mean it's not mind blowing, but it was simple and decently thought out, which is more than I feel like we usually get (esp with the anime shows....or at least P4/5's).

But I think what draws me in is....it's lack of P5 style. P5 style has them being still oh so cool despite being new at everything. It's tired me out. P5's how identity is style. It's....style over substance (gonna rile some feathers with that....Cvit(?) vid title). But P5 is overtly stylish, to the point it......weighs on me. Drags me down. Tires me out. I don't think they're cool, I'm bored with it. Ironically, Reg manga lacks that, which......def would make someone (and me usually) give it much of a passing glance. It's very basic I guess. But.....consider me, being in P5 hell, surrounded by all it's nausea inducing stylishness, sees a small break in the hellish hurricane to see.......normalcy. It kinda makes me connect better with the kids (kinda, it's still P5).

They feel like normal kids, trying to do their thing (sometimes trying to look/act cool and failing), and.....it's just the absolute antitheses to P5's brand......and I think that's why I like it. KLFJDSAFLKJA;

Anyway, who knows, maybe when I catch up on Reg in english and re-read MM with the official translation I might change my mind about a few things, or at least how I rank them. But for post length sake, and my sanity sake, I think I should keep the anime and mangas out of the "Which entry do you hate least" post......because I should just make another post where I go into both mangas as well as compare and contrast the anime! :D I'm just delaying some insanity for later haha....

Wait.........I just remember Day Breakers exists......and I liked it....still do....don't have much issue with it. Well shit, that is probably the one entry I hate the least. fklsdjfalkjdfkla;jsL;FJljsfdlskafaj *sobs* nO NO, I committed, and that's just a sad loophole. fdklsajflakfj *sobs* I still need to the game thing, cause let's be honest, the games are where it counts.

So right now my ranking for manga/anime is:

Daybreakers>Reg manga> MM>>>>>>>>>>TV Show Anime and it's OVAs (may the burn in the hell fire from which they spawned)

Oh, one last thing, forgot to put it in but I dunno where to put it now. I like how the manga tones down the pervyness some:

I mean Ryu is a fellow monkey. u_u .......but it's for the best I don't have to see his ape expression. ;w; (iirc the pyramid scene was a lot shorter/faster, but that's by the grace of reading and books rather than animation I suppose).