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spicyveggiesub · 2 years ago

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[ENG] Revue Starlight -The LIVE- #4 Climax Pamphlet Interview

Happy 6th anniversary to Revue Starlight! I managed to finish translating this interview just in time. Among other fun things, the cast of #4 left a message to each of their characters, and it's very sweet :') Translation under the cut.

Q.1

What do you think the highlight of this play is?

Mimori Suzuko: The brilliance of youth. The anxiety and anticipation of facing the future with graduation just around the corner! This world is huge, so do your best! Don't give up, Stage Girls! Without realizing it, you'll end up wanting to encourage them like that... for sure!

Kadoyama Yoko: After all, it's the Revue. It'll light a fire in the hearts of everyone who has watched and supported the plays up until now, without a doubt!

Ozaki Yuka: The theme is "Climax", so each of the Stage Girls must choose their own futures and part ways with their friends, and personally, I can relate to a lot of the feelings they're going through. Plus, there are interactions between members of the three schools of Seisho, Siegfeld, and Seiran that we haven't seen yet, so it'd be great if you paid attention to that.

Tomita Maho: It's "Climax", so there are a lot of moments that make you feel nostalgic. Please look forward to it! (laughs)

Iwata Haruki: Everyone's different paths! The different thoughts everyone's having with graduation just up ahead... and the Revue this time sure is a sight to see!!

Ikuta Teru: For Futaba, the highlight is that I'm using the most physical strength so far this time...! We're renewing the standard of what makes you feel like "there's no way Starlight can surpass this", and it's really difficult, but I'm able to feel the growth Futaba and I are experiencing together each time we practice, so every day is really fulfilling. I'll charge through with a fighting spirit!!!

Koizumi Moeka: Just like the title, it's loaded with a feeling of "Climax"! In #4, what will the Stage Girls fight against, and how will they overcome it? And there's maybe a Revue that will hit hard for the people who know about the plays so far...?

Q.2

Please tell us about your favorite song or line from the Starlight stage plays so far, as well as any related memories!

Koyama Momoyo: "Gunjou [Ultramarine]" from #2 is super super cool! It's so beautiful!!! Oh... Karen didn't sing in it, but... I watched over everyone from the back during every performance! I remember just itching to join in.

Koizumi Moeka: Through the words I said to Hisame-chan in #2, "It'll be colorful as always", I learned about Nana-chan's middle school days, and it gave me an opportunity to think once more about how Nana felt when she went to Seisho. She loves everyone in Seisho, but she also loves Hisame-chan, who she met in middle school.

Tomita Maho: I think it'd be "3･7･5･1･0", which we sang every time. When I hear it, it makes me feel like, "Stage Starlight is starting!"

Ozaki Yuka: "Grand Symphony", the curtain call song for Siegfeld's first stage play. During each performance, when all of our eyes met, everyone's expressions were brilliant, and I can't forget that moment. With the strong message of the lyric "I've made my decision to live on stage", it's a song that gives me a lot of encouragement.

Nomoto Hotaru: "I'll become the star of everyone's lives!", Yukishiro Akira's line from Delight. It makes me think "she's such an idiot~", but I can't hate her, and I can't help but think that it'll actually come true. I think it's a line that really represents Akira, and I've always loved it.

Itou Ayasa: The song "Position Zero e! [To Position Zero!]" from #1 is catchy, and the acting-like choreography was fun, so it left a deep impression on me. The lyric "I want to aim even higher" was so memorable that I thought the title was "I want to aim higher". (laughs)

Shiina Hekiru: The line "No matter which path you choose to advance on, the curtains of your lives will remain open". Once they enter this industry, these kids in the same class will make different decisions for their lives and go their separate ways. It's up to each person which path they choose, and there's a sight they can only see after they've made that decision.

Q.3

Episodes about your graduation ceremony/memories of graduation

Koyama Momoyo: Just like how Karen looked up to Starlight, I also had a play that I'd admired since I was a child, and the final audition for that play overlapped with my high school graduation ceremony...! I chose the audition, and in the end, I successfully passed. I was set to appear in the play of my dreams! I remember thinking, "You really don't know when your life is going to change, huh..."

Sato Hinata: On the day of my elementary school graduation, I didn't have any stick-on body warmers at home, so I attended with a non-sticky warmer on my stomach, and right before I received my diploma, it fell, and it was so embarrassing. I'll never forget it. I'll also never forget accepting the diploma while gripping the warmer in my right hand.

Haruki Iwata: I happened to be working on my Bachelor's thesis during the #1 revival, and during rehearsals I had everyone from the cast and staff fill out the questionnaire for my thesis...! I graduated thanks to everyone's help!! (laughs)

Mimori Suzuko: On the day of my high school graduation, there was snow piled on the ground, which is rare for March in Tokyo, and before I got to school, I fell on my butt and my skirt was soaked through...! I borrowed a spare skirt from the nurse's office and participated in the ceremony. It was a girls school, but I was popular with my juniors (laughs) so after the graduation ceremony, all of the buttons on my blazer were gone. Even the buttons on my sleeves♪

[T/N: It's a middle/high school graduation tradition for girls to ask guys they like for the second button on their blazer (more here), but if you're as (understandably) popular as Mimorin that extends to the rest of the buttons too.]

Ito Ayasa: I did a homestay abroad for two weeks in March just before graduation, and having stuffed myself full with all the food there before coming back, the photos from my graduation ended up being something incredible (laughs).

Aiba Aina: I remember staying up until midnight putting on flashy false nails, and then waking up at 5 AM to do my hair and makeup by myself as best as I could, but then it was ruined pretty quickly when I cried.

Q.4

A message to the members of your school

Maho Tomita: Every time we spend time together for a play, I realize how truly happy I am spending time creating plays together with all of you! Thank you so much for coming into my life♡

Ikuta Teru: I L O V E Y O U !!!!!!!!!!!!!! LET'S HANG OUT TOGETHER AS NINE AGAIN, OKAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Aiba Aina: I really can't thank you enough for coming into my life and becoming my friends. Thank you so much. When I couldn't do various things, without caring about anything like age or background, everyone gave advice to everyone, and including the ensemble cast, I just love Seisho's vibes. Let's keep sticking together from now on and forever! J'aime beaucoup tout le monde! [I love all of you so much!]

Nomoto Hotaru: To the Edel juniors. Yuka-chan and I are both doing our best as Edels. Let's stand on stage together as five again.

Kadoyama Yoko: I love you. Let's keep standing on stage together.

Shiina Hekiru: Keep on struggling. And, do not regret the path you have chosen.

Q.5

A message to the character you play

Koyama Momoyo: To Karen. The view I see from the stage with you is always colorful and radiant. I'll work hard to not lose to your brilliance, Karen! From here on as well, let's continue leaping into a yet unseen, beautiful future together! From Momoyo.

Mimori Suzuko: You went off to London without telling Karen again, I see...! The way you always decide where to go based on however you're feeling—I don't have that kind of proactiveness, and it sure is incredible. And the teacher did say that actresses are always selfish, so I think it's a good thing.

Maho Tomita: Let's go eat some yummy baumkuchen next time!!!

Sato Hinata: To Junna-chan. I can still vividly remember the moment we met. Your personality was so similar to mine, and I was a kid who thought it would be easier to give up when I was losing to someone. Since then, over the years, I was able to see many of your expressions, and before I realized it, I had gained courage from you. In order to make a decision, you need to take a big step forward, and in order to take that big step, you need an even larger amount of courage. But, Junna-chan, you taught me that taking that step can allow you to feel how big the world is. Thank you so much!! And let's keep doing our best from here on out! I hope you will continue shining brilliantly on stage with wonderful friends.

Haruki Iwata: I think you're feeling unsure about a lot of things on your new path, but you're a Stage Girl who's many times stronger than you think you are! May you continue shining on stage with strength, lovingly, and beautifully.

Koizumi Moeka: A lot of time has passed since we first met, Nana. I wonder if I've grown a bit since I met you? Up until now and from now on as well, my star is Daiba Nana, you and only you. I'll work even harder in hopes of being able to stand next to you proudly one day. Please watch over me, always.

Aiba Aina: Thank you for always pushing me forward. It's thanks to you, Claudine, that I could meet treasured friends and staff members, and overcome various obstacles! I'm really, truly happy to be able to play you, Claudine. You're "the best woman in the world" in my heart! I'll continue to work hard while looking up to you! Merci♡

Ikuta Teru: Futaba, I truly think you're amazing for deciding to go to Seisho with just a single word from Kaoruko, and then graduating from there and aiming for a new stage with your own will. I'm always learning from your hardworking and single-minded attitude. I'll do my best with all my strength so I won't lose to you! Thanks for always showing me a wonderful view!

Ito Ayasa: With how strong you are at your core, I'm sure you'll be fine no matter where you go from here on, Kaoruko. I'm looking forward to seeing your beautiful dancing in the future as well! Almost as much as Futaba-han is, I'm your number one fan too♡

Nomoto Hotaru: You're wild and free, and just live honestly on the stage, and you're so annoying, but I love you!!

Ozaki Yuka: Michiru, having walked with you thus far, I have so much respect for you and your charming personality that's hard to guess from your appearance. Please allow me to continue portraying your thoughts about acting and feelings about Akira, as dearly as I can. I'll keep working hard and aiming for greater heights in sword fighting, dancing, and acting so you won't be ashamed of me, so even when you're in Germany, let's do our best together♪ I'm worried that people will see you as a kid in Germany, Michiru~(laughs)

Kadoyama Yoko: There are so many people in this world who love you. Be confident and push forward towards your dreams. I will always be on your side.

Shiina Hekiru: You're lucky to have such wonderful students. The things you can pass down to them because you're you—please wrap them up nicely with deep love and strictness.

(JP text)

#revue starlight #shoujo kageki revue starlight #interviews #yoko's message to hisame made me cry the first time i read it.

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maria-renard-cv · 3 months ago

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[ Castlevania: Symphony of the Night ]

“Nocturne” (Cover Español) by Nadeshiko Najar ~

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P.S. It was sung by Hekiru Shiina in the Japanese version. If we're not mistaken, she is also one of young Maria's voices (not DXC).

[ + Maria from The Dracula X Chronicles ]

#Castlevania #Castlevania Nocturne #Symphony of the Night #SotN #CVN #Alucard #Faerie Familiar #Maria Renard #Video #Other #Youtube

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mono-blogs-art · 1 year ago

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Revue Starlight Sports Festival Draft!

As you know, the big Stage Girl Sports Festival Revival will take place in February - literally just a full day event of the various cast members of Revue Starlight (from anime, game, and stage plays) will participate in a funky pretend-highschool sports festival. Today the full teams were decided via draft stream!

The team leaders had previously been announced:

Koyama Momoyo (Aijo Karen, Seisho) - Yellow Team "ZERO" Tomita Maho (Tendo Maya, Seisho) - Blue Team "This is..." Nomoto Hotaru (Yukishiro Akira, Siegfeld) - Red Team "HOT" Nanaki Kanon (Yanagi Koharu, Seiran) - Green Team "shuThuarunomi" (集中あるのみ; "sTay focused")

Also quite funny to me that 3 of the team leaders (all but Maho) are former Sera Myu performers... the Sailor Moon squad has taken over

As is tradition at this point, ensemble member Jinko Moe is the MC for this stream and explains the rules. In the first two rounds, all leaders are free to pick 1 stage girl of their chosing per round from the roster as their top picks. If any chose the same person, they will have to decide by draft - the loser can then choose freely again. After round 2, all other rounds are chosen by draft completely by luck. We already knew not all cast members are going to be there so not every stage girl is available for chosing. Suzuko Mimori (Hikari), Emiri Kato (Tsukasa) and Shiina Hekiru (Souda-sensei) are going to be the MCs at the event, so they won't be participating as athletes either. Also, Tsukui Minami (Suzu) and Kobayashi Yuka (Yakumo-sensei) are a "2 for 1" deal, as they won't be able to make the whole event (iirc).

Team Zero's name is the most easily explained. Moyo gets a lot of praise from her colleagues and chat for her genius team logo design. The E is a crown with tomato jewels... I'm in awe

Maho explains the pronunciation of her team: The "..." is performed dramatically with the eyes, like the above. Lol

Nossan's design of course features Hot-kun, Akira's favourite food & beloved plushie. The Hot-kun icon is actually the inside of a chili, not a sun. Apparently.

Kanon struggled quite a bit with finding a team name, and after consulting with the other leaders in their Line chat group, she wanted a good Koharu line as the team name. Koharu's "うるさい." ("Shut up.") came to mind, but she thought that was too rude for a team name, so shuchuarunomi it became. She placed a big T (position zero!) for the "ch" sound. Complicated, but clever.

Time for drawing the teams! In round 1, everyone is asked to present their top picks for their team.

Moyo's is: MATSUZAWA! Aka Matsuzawa Kanon, who plays Shiro from Siegfeld Middle School!

Maho's is the one and only Sato Hinata - student council president of Seisho herself, Hoshimi Junna.

Nossan's top pick is: Ikuta Teru of Futaba fame!! And funnily enough...

Kanon's pick is also Teru!!! She even drew a tiny Ponzu (Teru's dog) to sway the public. The crowd goes wild. They have to let fate decide who wins over Teru for their team, and Nossan comes out on top. So Kanon gets to choose again, and her next free pick is Haruchan! Aka her fellow Photon Maiden bestie, Iwata Haruki of Mahiru fame.

Time for round 2, and last round of free picks! Again, Moyo goes first.

Moyo's second pick is Saeki Iori, who plays Rinmeikan's Yuyuko!

Maho's second pick is Sasaki Mikoi aka Mikoron, Shizuha of Frontier!

Nossan's next pick is Koizumi Moeka aka Moepii, who plays the one and only Banana! Complaints from the other leaders are heard for her making her team too strong. Lol. We'll see about that.

Kanon's pick is Kuge Kokoro of the Siegfeld Middle Schoolers, who plays Minku! No overlaps this time, so everyone gets their first pick!

The next picks are all made by random draft, so it's really just up to luck. Kanon is praying to get at least one other Seiran member for her heart. Everyone is praying not to get Aiai (lmao). Kanon manages to draw Tsumutsumu, another Photon Maiden member, making it a 3/4 for her team (with the fourth PM member, Hinata, sitting in Maho's team). For Nossan, she manages to draw two people very close to her - Ozaki Yuka (Michiru) and Kadoyama Yoko (Hisame), two of Akira's girlfriends. Moyo gets both of the Yumeoji siblings. Maho gets to draw her bestie's wife, KDHR. Kanon's wish is fulfilled by drawing the 2for1 duo of Minami&Kobayashi, her fellow Seirans. The crowd goes wild when Nossan draws Aiai, her team being declared the noisiest for sure (they're not wrong, this will be utter chaos).

Final distribution:

Yellow Team "Zero": Koyama Momoyo (leader; Karen), Matsuzawa Kanon (Shiro), Saeki Iori (Yuyuko), Tono Hikaru (Shiori), Fukagawa Ruka (Ryoko), Kurachi Reo (Fumi)

Blue Team "This is...": Tomita Maho (leader; Maya), Sato Hinata (Junna), Sasaki Mikoi (Shizuha), Ito Ayasa (Kaoruko), Kudo Haruka (Yachiyo), Takeuchi Yume (Mei Fan)

Red Team "HOT": Nomoto Hotaru (leader; Akira), Ikuta Teru (Futaba), Koizumi Moeka (Nana), Ozaki Yuka (Michiru), Kadoyama Yoko (Hisame), Aiba Aina (Claudine)

Green Team "shuThuarunomi": Nanaki Kanon (leader; Koharu), Iwata Haruki (Mahiru), Kuge Kokoro (Minku), Tsumugi Risa (Rui), Sato Yuria (Kuina), Tsukui Minami (Suzu) & Kobayashi Yuka (Yakumo-sensei)

Info & Graphics can be found on the official Revstar twt , the stream was archived so you can watch the shenanigans yourself here!

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#revue starlight #i just had fun watching this stream and wanted to do a write-up. nothing more.#sorry if there are any glaring mistakes...#seiyuu #video #butai shoujo dai-undoukai #personally i think team HOT will win. that line-up is crazy.#but also team ZERO very strong with all these young theater kids.#but lets also not forget. team this is with maho and hiichan. like hiichan is JACKED.#lol we will see!!!#personally i think i have to root for team shuThuarunomi simply because.#Youtube

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danganronpasurvivoraskblog · 24 days ago

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And thus we come to 1-3. Unsuprisingly this is the best of the Chapter 3s but the reason why is firstly as stated, its the only Chapter 3 where the double murder actually makes sense rather then be done because culprits drank the stupid juice, and as you mentioned its the only one where the culprit doesn't go insane for no reason as what Celeste does here, isn't too far removed from what her character has been established so far.

So a little bit of trivia. On the senyuu front Celestia actually has a massive name behind her voice as she's voiced by Hekiru Shiina, best known for playing as Hikaru Shidou from Magic Knight Rayearth. And if you know what that series is, you would know that Hikaru is as far removed from Celeste as you can get so it comes as a massive shock to Japanese fans to hear her voice come out of Celeste and again her breakdown is as dramatic as it is in the West, though I do prefer the English version as with her Japanese breakdown, its just her tone that changes whereas the English one changes accents. And from what I heard bilingual fans agree that the English version is better in terms of Celeste's breakdown.

Let's go over the main beats of this chapter. Firstly Alter Ego is a interesting way to extend a character's lifespan even if they are dead, I'm guessing Kodaka realised a Ultimate Programmer would be kinda OP to have but at the same time, wanted to have Chihiro help out more so thus Alter Ego. And it actually fits Chihiro to create an AI that can carry on his work even after his death. But while Alter Ego is a good idea, I'm not a fan of the Hifumi-Taka conflict which occurs because firstly Hifumi just literally loses all common sense. Espeically as you mentioned, Hifumi is quite an competent character and can offer some vital clues, for example he was in charge of the incinerator in Chapter 1 which reveals how Leon disposed of evidence and in Chapter 2, he found the broken Monopad which revealed that Mondo knew how to break Monopads, which was the final nail in the coffin in terms of his guilt. So for him to go OwO at Alter Ego upon his appearance is...quite diservice of the characcter and really the only way it goes this way is so he has beef with Taka that Celestia can exploit.

Taka is also equally grounded up because while after the last chapter he has completely broken down, there were other ways he could have recovered without going the stupid DBZ-like route which I don't even know how its even done. Is Mondo's spirit fused with Taka's? Why does the hair change colour? I know Danganronpa is a silly series at times but there's only so much you can willying suspend your disbelief and Kiyondo is not one of those examples. And once again Taka drinks the idiot juice because he thinks the AI is his bro. This is hands down the most pointless character conflict across canon and the Another series as its like both Hifumi and Taka decided to stop thinking and just be at each other's throats so Celeste can exploit them.

Unfortunely this sets the trend of Chapter 3s having stupid conflicts and characterisation going downhill or possible character development being cut short. And I believe this is why people hate 1-3 so much not just because of what narrative decisions were done in the Chapter itself, but because it lead the way and worrying trend of making Chapter 3s the infamous dumpster fires they are well known to be.

Onto Celeste herself this was both her best and worst showcasing. Unlike every other Chapter 3 culpirt ever, Celeste actually keeps in character and does something that wouldn't be out of place for her. She's already established to be lacking in empathy and often blaming the victims for why they get killed, and while she offers suggestions to keep the "group harmony" she doesn't take central stage. And on paper her plan is actually good; take advantage of a already established conflict, go for someone who thinks with their dick rather then their head, trick them into killing their love rival and then kill them so you get to be the blackened. Seeing how future games would later add on the rule that only the first blackened counts in the event of multiple killers, this really would only be a thing in DR1 as had it happened in say V3's rules, Hifumi would be the single blackened and Celeste wouldn't gain anything.

But while on paper her plan is solid, in execution its very much not. As while I do see her trying to misdirect and be as confusing as possible, it also results in her acting very much out of character, like she wouldn't be taking charge of the group, because she hasn't been established to be like that, if she took a more active role in group harmony in Chapter 3, citing Taka's current state to be why he's unfit to lead the group at the moment, then her actions while the murders were taking place wouldn't be so suspicious and it would confuse even more people. There's also the fact that making the Robo Justice suit the way it was just exposed Hifumi as her accomphice rather then if he went for a more simple design or have it be more mobile. I can see the logic of her framing Yasuhiro for the crime as he does have a solid motive to do so but again Yasuhiro's negative IQ score plays into this. Its the main reason why I have a serious issue with Iroha being a Void member because like Hiro, she's really, really stupid.

The slip up was also a capital mistake and while I know 1-3's main pull is more how she pulled it off and not who pulled it off because Celeste might as well be wearing a T-Shirt saying "I am the culpirt" on it with how obvious it was. But at the same time, the problem Celeste ran into is like all things she did in life, she gambled. In other words she relied on luck, and what's Makoto's talent again? Oh right, the Ultimate Lucky Student so there was no way Celeste was gonna win against Makoto.

I think a lot of the hate comes from the fact people expected Celeste to pull off a 4D Chess Plan when she commits murder but she keeps making silly mistakes after silly mistakes and they all come back to bite her in the end. However I do like the concept that Celeste's plan relied on her luck but she loses because she went up against the one guy who's whole thing is being lucky.

This is also where the BTB gets quite annoying since you do it very early on in the trial and not when Celeste is breaking down. While a nice change of pace, I do wonder if this trial is remade with modern minigames if the flow of the trial will change as a result. Though this won't be the worst case of BTB in Trigger Happy Havoc but we will get to that when we get to that.

Hifumi regaining his old school memories is a nice foreshadowing that everyone has had their memories wiped, and coupled this with the more pictures we see and Junko actually attacking Makoto at the end, is proof there is something else going on.

Kyoko starts to become more a character in this chapter as when she comes under sus from why she's vanished, and honestly it was a poor move on Celestie's front to not frame her as well as Yasuhiro due to her sussy movements, of course Kyoko would have immediately bust this open, but again if Celeste played on the fact Kyoko doesn't interact with the group that much and nobody really knows much about her, it could have harboured mistrust to the point that Makoto might have had to jump in and prove Kyoko couldn't have done it.

The single worst bit though, and the main reason why Celeste haters hater her, is when she goes for a false rape accusation on Taka. Not only is this extremely slimy as it carries a lot of uncomfortable messages to it that both the feminists and the misogynists in society love to use and I will leave it at that, but it also doesn't even make sense. Yes Taka was acting weird due to the stupid Kiyondo thing but he was taking on Mondo's traits and one of the biggest thing about Mondo is that he would not harm women. Especially as you mentioned all Celeste had to do to convince Hifumi to help her was take advantage over his feud with Taka and that would have been that. Adding on the false rape accusation was not only unnessarily warranted but it also comes with a lot of problematic messages and I honestly don't blame the Celeste haters for her hating her on that.

I would suggest how one would improve this chapter but that's pointless for two reasons. Firstly, suggestions are nice but they don't change the fact 1-3 is what we got, and we have the stupid Hifumi-Taka plot, we have Celeste being simultaneously extremely intelligent and a complete idiot at the same time, and we end up with a case which while its fun to solve and work out the logistics its also very obvious who did it. If you ask me this is what A2-2 should have been, yes Emma being the culpirt was obvious as day, but then comes figuring out how she pulled off and what went into it, and that would have been equally as fun if Kanade didn't decided to be a fun ruiner.

And secondly, I'm brainstorming a AU and one of those is a rewriting of Trigger Happy Havoc, where a lot of the ideas I have to improve Chapter 3 I'm gonna use in the actual story. And I'm not giving away spoilers on a countdown on what I'm planning to do.

This is a fun case to solve and when you catch Celeste, her breakdown is so glorious to see as well and she manages to be the one Chapter 3 culpirt who sticks to her previously estabished characterisation, rather then just go insane like the others did, but the way Taka and Hifumi are handled, how its quite obvious Celeste did it and how some parts were made for the intention of being confusing means while this is the best Chapter 3 by far, the fact its low down the list still is prove how much the Chapter 3s suck.

One last thing and a personal headcanon. After Celeste's execution, Kyoko starts screaming at Monokuma about what he did to her body. What is Kyoko going on about regarding this? Well I believe due to the events of Danganronpa Kirigiri, Kyoko has pyrophobia. And since Celeste's execution involved fire, maybe seeing this, triggered some primal fear in Kyoko and it ended up releasing her locked away memories of being the Ultimate Detective, so parts of her amnesia was cured. Hence why she not only screams at Monokuma but its afterwards Kyoko becomes much more involved in solving the mysteries of the school. As such in 1-5, when Kyoko claims to have amnesia I believe she was actually lying then. She wasn't at the beginning because her memories really were locked away, but after Celeste's execution, her talent memories started to come back to her so she's at the same state at the others are with their memory loss.

//This one took me a little late to get to because I effectively spent my whole evening writing one of the newer reviews for a trial that I honestly shouldn't have spent so long on, but there was a lot to cover.

//You'll see that when it comes out though.

//Firstly, in regards to Celeste's voice actor in Japanese, I think that is an equally creative way to go about it. Choosing a character who is well-known for voicing people who are pleasant to suddenly have a breakdown this emotional. But yeah, I don't mean any disrespect to Hekiru Shiina, but Marieve Herington just hits different, man.

//Hifumi going cookoo over Alter Ego can't really be excused by his previously established affixiation for 2D anime girls, because 1) As Hiro points out, Alter Ego still identifies as male, and 2) It really just throws whatever logical way of thinking Hifumi had out the window.

//Taka I think is a bit more redeemable, because when you step back and look at the situation, Alter Ego transformed into Mondo briefly, which gave Taka some semblance of hope that Mondo's spirit might live on. It just happened to manifest very negatively, and Taka ended up clinging to that hope like his life depended on it. It would have been perfectly fine to betray this without the use of Kiyondo though because that just shows that he's completely and mentally broken down altogether.

//But yeah, I already said this in a previous post, but I implore this to anybody who feels like making their own Fanganronpa, but please don't attempt a double-murder, not just in Chapter 3, but PERIOD, if you don't think you can pull it off effectively.

//Do not waste good characterization opportunities as a sacrifice for sticking to what is an arguably stupid trend.

//Also, the stuff that you were saying about Celeste kind of reminds me of how I originally throught Chapter 3 of V3 was gonna go when Angie took control of the school effectively. Three-Point Shot, which I keep drawing attention back to, kind of takes advantage of this.

//The stuff about how Makoto's luck beat out Celeste's luck though...I'm not sure. I do like thinking about it that way, because if you think about it, Makoto is played up to be very lucky, and yet over the course of the whole killing game, that luck manifests...once. At the end of 1-5.

//It's more like Makoto was relying on his redeeming qualities of optimism and observation than just chancing it. It's not like they just so happened to stumble across any major clues in the trial.

//The stuff about Celeste capitalizing on Kyoko's whereabouts is also a missed opportunity that I think LINUJ capitalized on with Another 1, because that happens to Mikako a few times in the early game due to her condition.

//But yeah, the stuff about Celeste trying to overly villainize Taka is my biggest issue with her plan too, which is kind of what I said in the review itself. And you're right. I'm pretty sure all Celeste had to do was tell Hifumi that Alter Ego was being kept hostage, and that would have been enough to convince him. Alternatively, if that hadn't been enough, she could easily just say "He threatened me to keep quiet; and said that he'd do terrible things if I didn't." It's still out of character for both Taka and Mondo, but if I was Hifumi, I'd find it more believable that Taka was willing to resort to violence if it was for Alter Ego's sake. Saying specifically that Taka threatened to have his way with Celeste is just an insult to the characterization of everybody.

//Also, that theory about how this is how Kyoko's memories started to come back isn't true, because Danganronpa Kirigiri would not have been planned at the time Trigger Happy Havoc came out, but it's not impossible that Kitayama thought about this and employed it as part of the scene in Kirigiri when he wrote it. It's fun to think about it that way regardless.

//That's basically all I have to say, but there is one more alternative to this that I want to talk about.

//I actually tried a rewrite myself of this chapter when I wrote Danganronpa ReProgrammed, and I can quickly break down what happened there because of the different circumstances. In case you don't want me to spoil it so you can go read for yourselves, DO NOT read beyond this point.

//In ReProgrammed, the way I change it up is Celeste still conspires with Hifumi to plan a double murder. However, Mondo and Chihiro actually survive Case 2, and Chihiro doesn't reveal Alter Ego to everybody until later, so Celeste gives Hifumi a different incentive to help her plan an escape.

//The monetary motive in this chapter holds even less weight than it did in the original story. In Celeste's case, it merely acted as a slight nudge to commit a crime she was already contemplating. To raise the stakes, ReProgrammed introduces a new, more compelling motive:

If someone successfully commits a crime that kills TWO people, they can leave the academy without facing a Class Trial. Furthermore, no one else is executed if the double murder is achieved.

//It's reminiscent of the First-Blood Perk from Danganronpa V3, but with added layers of complexity. Either way, Celeste exploits this new motive to manipulate Hifumi.

//She convinces him that if he sacrifices two people to escape and later seeks outside help, his actions will be seen as heroic despite the crime. Reluctantly, Hifumi agrees, driven by his insecurity and fear of being perceived as useless—an insecurity highlighted in this chapter.

//Celeste's plan involves incapacitating Taka while Hifumi kills Sakura through electrocution. She assures Hifumi that she will hide Taka's unconscious body, allowing him to deal with Sakura and then return to finish off Taka, meeting the two-victim requirement.

//However, in case you didn't already suspect as much, Celeste’s true intentions are more sinister: she plans to let Hifumi kill Sakura, then murder Hifumi while he’s vulnerable, and finally eliminate Taka to claim the quota for herself.

//Things take a turn when Hifumi kills Sakura as instructed, only for Hiro to witness the act. Panicked, Hifumi attempts to kill Hiro to silence him but fails, and Hiro kills Hifumi in self-defense.

//During the subsequent class trial, Celeste’s scheme is revealed, but since she did not actually kill anyone, she is not nailed as the blackened. Instead, Hiro is labeled the blackened for Hifumi’s death, despite his actions being in retaliation.

//What comes about as a result of the scheme means that we almost get a TRIPLE murder in a case, since Taka nearly dies from Celeste's initial injury and is absent throughout this trial, and Celeste actually sticks around for another chapter despite the fact that she's a known attempted murderer; kind of fixing the missed opportunity they could have had with Kiyo in Chapter 3 of V3.

//I feel in general this makes a lot more sense overall. It still retains Hifumi's gullibility, makes the double-murder pretty reasonable since you actually HAVE to go through with it if you want to get out scot-free, and the stars just align to the only possible way in which Hiro is able to commit a murder.

//To be frank as well, Hiro's character is retained because he honestly doesn't have to do that much cover up to hide his tracks, since Celeste and Hifumi do most of the crime anyway.

//If I do say so myself ;)

#mod

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