#i don't think this was intentionally a tsumugi reference

[aparticularbandit]

WHAT DO YOU MEAN CALL ME PLAIN JUNKO

[ultimateinsomniac]

hopping up on my special interest soap box to say: i think we as a fandom should discuss the satire in danganronpa V3 more.

idk if it is just me but i have always viewed this game as a satire, if only just because of the ending. it exagerrates the formula set up by the previous games to criticize the current state of media and media consumption. i know a lot of people in the fandom don't like V3, and i think that is by design. it is ridiculous, it is over the top, the ending is a punch to the face, but it's all on purpose. you're supposed to be uncomfortable because it is a satire. (of course you don't have to like the game, i just think it is intentionally like that)

the whole theme of fiction vs reality is put in there intentionally to make fun of the fandomization of danganronpa, as well as to poke at game studios and companies that put out media in general. tsumugi, in my interpretation, is representative of danganronpa fans (hence why she's the ultimate cosplayer). she is the mastermind. you aren't supposed to like her. her insistence on the idea that "fiction doesn't affect reality" is a direct criticism of that exact idea in real life fandom. the idea that this is the "53rd" danganronpa is directly making fun of other pieces of media "jumping the shark" because fans insist upon it. this is not to say you can't like tsumugi, i think you absolutely can, i just think her character represents some key ideas relating to the satire of the game.

this is why everything in the game is SO over the top. kirumi being the prime minister, korekiyo both having DID AND being a serial killer in a reference to the first game, EVERYONE'S over the top backstories (gonta and keebo come to mind), it's all acting as an exaggeration of common tropes (albeit highly problematic in several areas, not trying to excuse those aspects by any means).

and then there's kaede. they set her up as a strong female protagonist, only to kill her chapter 1 to be replaced by a male protag. on paper this is very misogynistic, but in the context of satire it is an exaggeration of the danganronpa formula. of course we couldn't have a female protag in a main line game, of course it would have to be a man. shuichi having a secret ahoge only adds to this; it's making fun of the trope. the best part is that i truly do love both of these characters, and their role in the satire doesn't diminish the excellent writing that went into them and the story.

this entirely shapes how i view this game. it manages to tell an incredibly compelling story with very complex characters while making fun of itself at the same time (as a good satire should). i know a lot of people have said they feel like the writers of v3 must have hated danganronpa, and while i see exactly what they mean i don't think that's necessarily true. i think it was an intentional choice as a work of satire.

i can see an intense love behind the writing of this game. the characters are rich and the story is compelling. the ending just serves to send home the point they wanted to make. i think it adds a really beautiful perspective to the danganronpa series as a whole.

[oumakokichi]

not the same anon but, this is a follow up to their question about tsumugi's ""love interest"" i personally don't know a lot about the game myself, but im aware that tsumugi and angie have had a few interactions in the game, as well as a fan service scene together? i can completely be wrong, but didn't tsumugi also join angie's student council thing? my apologies if this is out of line considering im not very well informed.

There are a few interactions between them, but nothing thatI would say really constitutes as “baiting” between them!

The “fanservice scene” is actually an optional sceneinvolving Angie, Tsumugi, Tenko, and Himiko (as the four girls in Angie’s “ReligiousStudent Council”) getting changed into swimsuits to meet at the pool for a “friendshipmeeting.” There’s admittedly a tiny bit of baiting there, but it’s along thesame lines as most pool/onsen fanservice scenes in other anime, and it’s not ascene specifically dedicated to just Angie and Tsumugi or anything.

Tsumugi does join Angie’s “Religious Student Council,”supposedly because the god that Angie tells her about is one with “red eyes andblack hair” (which definitely seems like a Kamukura reference, knowing Tsumugi’slove of DR, but it could be several other red-eyed black-haired characters inthe DR franchise; the joke is just that Kamukura is literally a demigod at thispoint). But in hindsight I think the real reason Tsumugi joined was likely tokeep an eye on the situation and monitor things herself.

Considering her role as a passive bystander and someone whoseems slightly eccentric but quick to get roped into others’ schemes, it makessense that it would be “in-character” for her to join, too. Intentionallyplaying the kind of character who just goes along with what others want fromher makes it easier to slip under the radar, and much harder for other peopleto believe her capable of playing a brilliant ringleader or master manipulatorbehind the scenes.

There’s a scene of Angie holding Tsumugi and welcoming herinto her “Religious Student Council” by describing the image of her god to her,but the CG for that scene is identical to every other CG we get of Angiewelcoming in a new member. She does the same kind of maternalistic hug withboth Himiko and Gonta as well, cradling their heads and describing their godsto them. So it’s hard to say that it’s supposed to be taken in a shippy waywith Tsumugi when the same exact CG happens with two other characters as well.

Other than those things, there’s not really a lot ofone-on-one interaction between Tsumugi and Angie, partially because Angie’scharacter arc is much more dedicated to the conflict between her, Tenko, andHimiko, and partially because Tsumugi is very clever about not actuallyinteracting much with any of the others. There’s a tiny bit of fanservicebaiting between them for the locker room CG, but other than that nothing toreally indicate that Angie was intended as a specific love interest for Tsumugi.

Also, you don’t have anything to apologize for anon! I’malways happy to try clearing up questions on this blog, so it’s perfectly fineto ask these sorts of things. Thank you for stopping by, and I hope I couldhelp!