Danganronpa: The Animation
Plot:
Sixteen high school students are trapped in a school (well, you never actually see the sixteenth till like the last 3 episodes so sixteen technically but well, take that for what its worth). The school is an elite academy called Hope’s Peak Academy though none of the students are quite sure how they got there as the story unfolds. The school is run by a sadistic bear named Monokuma who is a robot controlled by the mastermind behind the operation. Monokuma gives the students some basic rules:
They cannot leave the school.
To graduate they must successfully commit a murder that their peers cannot decipher who is the murderer at a school trial.
Should the murderer not be found, all other students will be killed.
As the murders ensue the students work to find out who is behind Monokuma and why they are there, along with what the real secrets of the school are.
Source:
Danganronpa: The Animation is based off a PSP game of the same title. While I have never played the PSP game I can tell the anime is very truthful to its source. There are moments in the show where the effects used are almost identical to what you’d expect to find in a game.
Animation:
The overall animation is average. However, during a “punishment” or execution after a class trial there is a change in animation which I felt really pulled the viewer out of the show. I believe these cutaways are reminiscent, if not identical, to the game but for someone who has not played the game they might add more than takeaway.
Review:
Danganronpa, rightfully, gets right into the action and people are dying right away. It sounds exciting but the formula, combined with the game elements that cheapened the drama. It was also difficult to relate to the over-the-top cast. While their antics were interesting they were so crazy that it was difficult to find a grounding with almost any character.
The story progresses up to a climax that ends up coming out of nowhere. One of the frustrating things is the inability to play ‘who done it’ along with the characters. The ending is much the same, it’s so crazy at a point that it cheapens everything overall.
[starrater]