Chapter Text
Everything Wrong With "Welcome to Despair".
(spoilers)
(duh)
"The beginning of the series." *minus 1 sin*
"The subtitle of the English release is odd. Yeah, "Trigger Happy Havoc" goes with the gun motif and the series literally translates to "Bullet Refutation", but at first glance it seems dumb." *1 sin*
"We technically don't know it's him yet, but Jin Kirigiri." *3 sins*
"The opening scene is a good hook, especially since I hate Jin and his death is honestly one of the better ones, but why is Monokuma there other than to hide the Mastermind's identity? The Despair Sisters have no reason to hide themselves and Jin's blindfolded, so it's not like he could see then anyway." *1 sin*
"The rocket should not have even got off the ground considering how shoddy it looks. Even if we're running on the theory that Kazuichi's the one who designed the DR1 executions, this seems pretty crappily made." *1 sin*
"The sun and moon look really creepy in the DR artstyle, especially the faces. Which I guess is the intention, but..." *1 sin*
"While my knowledge of atmospheric re-entry is limited, I'm pretty sure that bones would not be intact, especially considering how Jin had no protective gear on." *1 sin*
"I love Masafumi Takada's score, but the tonal whiplash from Jin dying horribly to hearing the cheerful "Beautiful Days" is jarring." *1 sin*
"The massive high school towers over all the other buildings in this bustling urban area. It's like the school stands at the center of the entire world." "Narration." *1 sin*
"Supposedly, Hope's Peak scouts talented students from across the globe. Yet, we only see a grand total of one non-Japanese characters in the Hope's Peak Saga." *1 sin*
"Makoto Naegi." *Minus 1 sin*
"Bryce Papenbrook's voice for Makoto." *2 sins*
"Also, Bryce Papenbrook playing the generic MC. Not a knock against him moreso against typecasting." *1 sin*
"While Makoto's DR1 design is one of my personal favorites (the muted colors, messy hair and plain face really sell his Average Joe schtick), I don't get what his reasoning was for wearing those clothes. Like, a hoodie and sneaks are fine, but why the school uniform on top of it? Like, did he lose a bet?" *1 sin*
"Dude, I get it, you're average. You don't need to keep saying it." *1 sin*
"Why do we see promo pictures for Sayaka, Leon, Junko and Mondo? They're not bad, just a weird decision." *No sin, just an observation*
"The "Ultimate Lucky Student" lottery is so weird, not just because of the backhandedness of the title. Kinda defeats the whole purpose of the "School for the Gifted Elite" thing if some schmuck can get in through a raffle. Sounds like something Jin's dumb ass came up with, honestly." *1 sin*
"Makoto's description of him passing out sounds a lot more like his tripping pretty badly. Not helped by the screen swirling around." *1 sin*
"And adding on to my drug joke, Makoto's waking up animation makes him look like a junkie. You're not helping your case, man." *1 sin*
"The neon lighting in the hallways does make for an interesting stylistic choice, but it looks really ugly." *1 sin*
"The first floor of the school is the shortest in the building and there's not a whole lot of places to go. So if everyone did wake up into separate rooms, why is Makoto the last to wake up and arrive?" *1 sin*
"The hell? Now's not the time for friggin introductions!" "Mondo Owada would be great at CinemaSins. *1 sin*
"Funny moment it is, but Taka getting angry at Makoto's tardiness, which was about two minutes at most, is pretty ridiculous considering the circumstances." *1 sin*
"And on that note, Kiyotaka Ishimaru." *Minus 5 sins*
"One of the weirdest things to be with this localisation is giving certain characters nicknames. Taka doesn't seem like the type to have one, Hina's first name is use for Truth Bullets and stuff, Hiro's kinda makes sense and Celeste already goes by an alias (But that didn't stop the Japanese release from giving her one, either). It's just weird." *4 sins*
"Pre-Character Development Toko Fukawa." *3 sins*
"Also, that statement implies that something good came from Ultra Despair Girls, which makes me ill. *5 sins*
"Taka just cockblocked Makoto. Love you and all, bro, but not cool." *1 sin*
"Leon confiding in his dream to Makoto within seconds of meeting is weird. I think it's supposed to be foreshadowing the amnesia twist, but I'm not 100% sure. *1 sin*
"Hifumi Yamada." *3 sins* "Name's Mondo Owada. Nice to fuckin' meetcha."
""Having the delinquent character swear like a sailor cliche"". *1 sin*
"Having the leader of Japan's most feared biker gang attending your school is risky business. Like, how do you know he won't try and fuck things up around the school?" *1 sin*
"Kyoko Kirigiri." *Minus 5 sins*
"I get it's supposed to hint her not remembering her talent, by Kyoko doesn't need to be a bitch about not telling." *1 sin*
"... Huh? Maybe it's my imagination talking, but... have we met before?" Obvious foreshadowing is obvious. *1 sin*
"Makoto's conversation with Chihiro is so awkward in hindsight that the abridged series actually made a funny joke about it." *1 sin*
"Aoi Asahina." *Minus 3 sins*
"Sakura Ogami." *Minus 5 sins*
*Byakuya Togami." *10 sins*
"That's the most half-assed introduction I've ever heard..." "Makoto Naegi would be excellent at CinemaSins. *1 sin*
"Celeste's accent." *1 sin*
*Makoto's conversation with Celeste* "Y'know, just because she's Japanese doesn't mean she couldn't be from another country, Makoto. Kind of a dick thing to imply." *2 sins*
"Also, I'm sure all of those hints about Celeste being dangerous won't amount to anything." *1 sin*
"I know them summing up what's happened makes sense in-universe, but for me, it's just pointlessly repeating information I already know. Since I don't want to point this out every time it happens- because we'll be here all day if I do- let's give 10 sins upfront. *10 sins*
"Everyone immediately goes along with Hiro's theory that it's just a prank. That would be my very last guess." *1 sin*
"I better make my way to the gym. I need to find out what's going on..." Railroading. *1 sin*
"Monokuma's theme song." *Minus 1 sin*
*Hifumi's"SAY WHAAAA-?" clip* "Whoever thought this was a good idea should be put through a Killing Game." *3 sins*
"Monokuma, the robotic bear, has a red-faced sprite." *1 sin*
"Ah, but don't make me say stuff that might destroy NASA's dreams. I just couldn't BEAR that!" "Giving me Teddie flashbacks." *4 sins*
"He has abandoned the gag." Hahahahahahaha... *Minus 1 sin*
"Credit to Brian Beacock, he's really good at knowing when to play up Monokuma's silly jokes and when to make him as serious and punchable as possible, something I feel most Monokumas don't do that well. He's probably the best performance of the game." *Minus 1 sin*
"Hiro still believes that this is all a joke. At least be *somewhat* suspicious." *1 sin*
"Having two separate animations for Mondo grabbing Monokuma and then throwing him separated by a small switch back to the sprites. Why bother?" *1 sin*
"Mondo is surprised that threatening his kidnapper almost led to disaster." *1 sin*
"Right now it doesn't really matter if it's real or fake. What matters is... Is there anyone here who's seriously considering all this?" "This quote, along with the shot of everyone all looking at each other suspiciously and the epic tune of "New World Order" all combine to make the moment I really fell in love with this game. It's such a great moment and really makes you wonder just who, if anybody, you can trust and just who will kill whom. *Minus 1 sin*
"That being said, making me compliment Byakuya." *1 sin*
"The opening theme is fucking amazing, but it's marred by having some pretty blatant spoilers in the OP. Kinda conflicted here. *Eventually, no sin."