Danganronpa 3: The End of Kibougamine Gakuen - Zetsubou-hen

Hope's Peak Academy's unconventional class 77-B is about to have an even more eccentric addition: Chisa Yukizome, an alumna with the title of Super High School-Level Housekeeper—and their new homeroom teacher. Cheerful, passionate, and capable, Chisa immediately sets about correcting the students' problematic behavior and strengthening their relationships. It may not be easy dealing with diverse pupils ranging from princesses and nurses to yakuza and impossibly lucky students, but anything is possible with the power of hope.

Meanwhile, Hajime Hinata, an unremarkable boy from the school's Reserve Course, longs for a talent. One day, he has an unexpected meeting with class 77-B's Super High School-Level Gamer Chiaki Nanami, who presents to him a new, hope-filled outlook on life. However, unbeknownst to him, the school's upper echelon is about to execute a sinister project centered around Hajime that will bring Hope's Peak—and the rest of the world—to its knees.

Zetsubou-hen chronicles the daily lives carried out at the talent-cultivating academy, and the darkness that lurks beneath. As despair slowly infects hope, plans are put into motion to start the Biggest, Most Awful, Most Tragic Event in Human History, and the end begins.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Komaeda, Nagito Main

Ogata, Megumi Japanese

Nanami, Chiaki Main

Hanazawa, Kana Japanese

Enoshima, Junko Main

Toyoguchi, Megumi Japanese

Hinata, Hajime Main

Takayama, Minami Japanese

Kamukura, Izuru Main

Takayama, Minami Japanese

Ikusaba, Mukuro Main

Toyoguchi, Megumi Japanese

Yukizome, Chisa Main

Nakahara, Mai Japanese

Kirigiri, Kyouko Supporting

Monokuma Supporting

Ludenberg, Celestia Supporting

Cook, Justin Producer

Ueda, Yasuyuki Producer

Higa, Yuuji Producer

Okamura, Takema Producer

Reviews

Sep 30, 2016

Dream95

Recommended

First things first. You need the play the two DR games (DR 1, SDR2) to fully understand and enjoy the two DR3 anime. If you were a fan of the first installment of the Danganronpa anime, you'll love the games, so please, if you haven't so already, turn around and play those two games (or watch a walkthrough) for the best viewing possible. DR: Another Episode is also mandatory especially for Future arc. Also be sure to watch both Future and Despair arc in broadcast order (i.e. watch future arc ep 1 then watch despair arc ep 1, and so on). There are parts where ... the story and characters might overlap, so be sure to watch it like that for better understanding.

DR3: Despair arc is essentially a prologue to the DR story. It centers around the 77th class of the Hope's Peak acadmey, who btw are the main cast of the 2nd game: SDR2. The setting, once so happy and carefree, turns into one of the darkest points in their history: a prologue to the Biggest, Most Awful, Most Tragic event in human history. As the title and premise says, don't expect a happy ending to this. Although it starts off like your typical slice of life school anime, there is a brooding tone that constantly evolves as the episodes contiunously progress, awaiting to become a monster that destroys the students daily lives with despair. This tone starts as lighthearted then transitions into a darker mood, eventually becoming something outright disturbing. Suddenly, the happy, slice of life school setting is no more, instead it becomes violent, bloody and despair-inducing.
One thing I liked is that they didn't linger or focus too much into the events the game already touched to an extent, like the Twilight Syndrome case. Just showing things in Hajime's point of view, and that was the better thing to do for the series.
One thing I would've liked was to see the 78th class just a bit more than a cameo, like their original interactions with Junko, but with the anime being just 1 cour, it's understandable that they had to leave that out.
A disappointing isssue was that he pacing is a noticeably off. I feel like 11 episodes for the 77th class wasn't enough in the end. If it could have gotten a little bit more time, and cut a little bit more of the fanservice, I think the whole tragedy and the aftermaths could have been done better.
(SPOILERS: For example, the scene of "her" death and the 77 class turning into despair could have used an in-between scene. Maybe one that goes more in-depth of how the class fully submitted to Junko. The skip between the death scene and the finale was too sudden, considering the two were a couple months apart.)

The animation of the characters are really fun to watch as a fan. Just seeing all those characters I loved so much from the 2nd game animated is just so exciting. I felt that one good touch was that as episodes progress and tends to get darker, the art itself progresses to a more darker mood along with the story. Even the opening changes during the middle, to a much more darker color. It was a very nice touch to have, considering what was coming.

The OP/ED is pretty good, and the soundtracks were decent, although it could've been better. One thing I did like is how they used some game soundtracks for good nostalgia. The voice acting is fantastic as usual though, just like the games. The voices fit so well with the characters, which always helps the experience.

The most important part of the despair arc (and the rest of the danganronpa series in general) are without a doubt the characters. If I didn't care for the characters, I would never have felt anything for them and thus I probably wouldn't have cared what happened to them. Now, since the most of the cast were fleshed out pretty well in SDR2, it wasn't that hard to make me like them from the get go. However, one thing I would've liked to see is just making the cast even stronger. I know that Chiaki, Hinata, and Nagito are indeed the important characters, but I also would've liked those without too much game time from SDR2 to get a bit more exposure and development, like Teruteru and Mahiru to an extent. What I'm glad though, is the screen time the Ultimate Imposter got. Anyways, even if some characters are not getting the desirable screen time, they are still enjoyable to watch. This is also an important reason to play the games before watching this. You just get to know the characters better and smile as they are finally interacting cheerfully without being forced to kill each other. And of course, feel a lot more sadness when they are forced to go through "that process". However, one thing that I am really glad Despair arc managed was Mukuro and Junko getting a bit more depth, as well as Mitarai.
One thing I didn't really like though, was how it put focus on the future arc characters for a couple of episodes, halting potential DR0 scenes and even halting the depth of the characters and their downfall. It's a shame that the despair process did not go as I imagined thanks to this, as I would've preferred the "despairification" process to be on a more personal level. Having more than 11 episodes would have helped.

As a huge fan of the danganronpa series, I feel both love and disappointment with the DR 3. On one hand, I loved seeing the characters I loved so much animated, interacting with each other. Even the first two episodes which were basically fan service was enjoyable to watch. Although honestly, they could have made the slice-of-life moments shorter just so we could've had more plot development earlier on. And on the other hand there were pacing issues, like I've mentioned. Also, the despair arc is also a big 'what could have been'. What if they would have personalized the despairification process? I think that would have been a better way to showcase and further the depth of both the characters and how they became "despair". Nonetheless, I had this huge smile while watching the first couple of episodes, only for it to turn to sadness and eventually into complete anxiousness as I knew what would eventually happen to the cast. It could have been much better, in fact, after rewatchign the series a couple of times, I just feel disappointed in how the revelation of how the 77th class turned into despair. It's still a fine watch.
Give the entire series (games + anime) a try! It's definitely worth your time.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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Sep 27, 2016

AoiHonoo

Mixed Feelings

Danganronpa 3 Despair has become divisive among the fanbase. From expectations not being fulfilled to false advertising, a good portion of fans we're not satisfied with how the anime was handled. On the other side of the spectrum, others believe it to be a great work that holds the franchise well. Lastly, there are those in the middle that still enjoyed it but recognize it's flaws. I'm also in the middle. While I did enjoy this series, I also had many issues with it.

First off, knowledge of both DR: Trigger Happy Havoc and Super DR2: Goodbye Island of Despair ... are necessary. Even going into this prequel, spoilers are abound right off the bat due to revelations as early as episode 1 spoil critical mysteries you won't find answers to until near the end of the game. Also, Despair arc runs alongside Future arc, and episode order is one Future arc episode then Despair arc, watching both series simultaneously. This issue should be brought up as soon as possible, as all the criticism of the anime stems from this format.

The false advertising I mentioned earlier is that while Despair arc's premise is about the 77th class of Hope's Peak Academy. The POV starts and gives plenty of focus on a character from the Future arc, Chisa Yukizome. While she first appears to bring the class together and bonding with them, the story shifts to her investigation about the hidden secrets of the school to the point it takes away time from the 77th class. That's not all. Other characters from the Future arc appear later, and get an amount of focus in relation to what's going on in the Future arc at the time. The fact that no characters from Future arc were even hinted before in promotion materials to be in Despair arc led to the accusations of false advertisement and how Despair arc was used to provide more characterization to the characters from the Future arc that itself couldn't provide. Two one cour series with each having many characters to focus on rarely gives consistent and equal characterization, and a good number of them will get be sidelined. And while the attempt is creative, was it worth all the cutting corners in the narrative to fit these plotlines together.

In the end, the main characters, the 77th class, get relegated to being side characters in what was supposed to be their own story and get treated more as a collective than individuals. Some exceptions are Hajime, Chiaki, Nagito and the Super High School Level Imposter, though very slightly, and for specific plot reasons. Hajime has a adequate amount of characterization because a good deal of focus is on him in the beginning, but it only lasts a few episodes. Those who played the game know the inevitable change that will befall him, and how he will be erased to make another character take his place for the rest of the series Izuru Kamukura. This had fans hyped because of who this character was and that we would finally see him in action, but then grew dissatisfied as episodes passed and he rarely did anything. Hajime who was an interesting character is replaced by Izuru who fans were hyped about, hoping he would play a big role, yet he merely serves as a walking plot device with no character.

Chiaki plays a key role that ultimately leads to one of the most divisive episodes of the anime. The premise of the show is about the 77th class, and how they would later become a group Super High School Level Despair that destroy the world. There were expectations built up from the second game on how the main antagonist Junko Enoshima managed to turn these beacons of hope into envoys of despair. The way it was executed left much to be desired, and it's in part due to the existence of another character from the Future arc, Ryota Mitarai. This one character is so deeply entrenched in both storylines that many of the decisions for DR3 as a whole was based around him, making him a divisive character. Chiaki was meant to play the role of the hope of the 77th class, and in order to turn the rest of the 77th class to despair, she was doomed to die. Ryota was to provide the means to help the transformation, a brainwashing anime. The characterization of the Super High School Level Imposter is also mainly dependent on this character as well, forming a give and take relationship with him that later becomes friendship.

77th class as a whole already got relegated to being side characters in their own series that their characters as individuals were already diminished, but now the way they're converted, what's supposed to be the focal point of the series, is the same lazy way as a group like some kind of hive mind. Those who played the games know they aren't just a class of students. We know they have their own backstories, characteristics (not just the ones used for comedy), and ambitions that made them each who they are. To have that all tossed aside and have them be treated as a single entity is disappointing.

Again, the format is a huge factor, but also, the way it was executed and how it fits in the narrative have problems. I mentioned before that viewers need to know the storylines of both games before watching. That could not be anymore true. You could not hope to understand even half of what goes on in this series without that knowledge, and even then you have to stretch your imagination on how things progress and how it connects to the games.

Important events are also condensed to one episode, incidents with enough material that could have been made each into their own series. One example is one of the most brutal events in the series, the first killing game. If the purpose was to freak the audience out, it succeeded. However, once you calm down and start evaluating what happened, you realize that what happened didn't make any sense. The 16 students weren't captured; they were summoned. Even when threatened that if they didn't play they would die, the threat diminishes when the ones doing the threatening leave the room. Junko gives them all sorts of weapons, and only one of the students suggest using them against their coercers, and he promptly gets killed soon after by another of his fellow classmates. After that, mostly everyone just degrades and start becoming sadistic killers for no reason other than to hammer in the nightmare fuel. They weren't locked in, had options outside of killing each other, and were left with means that could have just as easily been used to defend themselves and escape rather than turn on each other, but because this must end in tragedy and in such a short time span, the characters have to move the story along no matter what. In the same vein, afterwards, the school just covers it up, because the board of directors are generic one-dimensional scumbags and Junko can't be caught yet.

The same line of thought goes into Junko's motivations. Why did she particular choose the 77th class to begin with? You never get an answer other then her just being fickle about it. How did she notice Ryota provided the means for her agenda? She just had a feeling. You always get a half-baked answer or no answer at all. Being a prequel means the main plot points are all foregone conclusions. However, this point is taken to nauseously exploitative handling.

For example, Mikan goes missing after being captured by Mukuro and has been brainwashed. The other classmates split up and go search for her even with riots going on outside. Nagito and Chiaki find the secret room Junko had Ryota held up in by Nagito using his luck, in which has them meeting Izuru and Junko as well, Ryota escaping and running into Chisa, Nagito getting injured and Chisa intervening. Mukuro was being kept occupied by Peko who Nagito requested she distract her. How he knows about Mukuro or anything that's been going on with Junko is left unanswered. Chisa volunteers to stay behind for no good reason, and that leads to Chiaki to carry Nagito back to their classroom where everyone else is, excluding Peko.

Next, Chiaki comes up with the brilliant idea of everyone going together to save Chisa to which they all inevitably agree. During which Mikan who was missing suddenly returns with Peko who got injured. You expect since she was the reason everyone was searching for initially, they would ask where she's been and why she's been absent. No, they don't inquire anything about that. They head towards Chisa who has now been captured and brainwashed.

On the way, they encounter rioters just outside the gate that is now open for some reason, and there is no security around. It takes a very special kind of lazy to have this, because in previous scenes, the gates were closed, guards were struggling keeping them out, and you get atleast two scenes of that. Now, no one is there except the rioters and not only that, they immediately resort to cold-blooded murder. They were angry before, but here, they are calm, quiet and slowly walk up to Chiaki and everyone. Nekomaru and Gundham stay behind to deal with them. Chiaki takes them to the secret passageway, where Mikan manages to separate her from everyone else through convenient trap doors and when the others wonder why she's missing, they accept Mikan's excuse that she's wasn't "feeling well and rested in a room they previously passed". Nevermind, she was well just a moment ago, also how that contrasted with her determination shown earlier, and you know, the fact this is enemy territory! Nekomaru and Gundham catch up at this time, getting the location from Mikan. Chiaki wakes up to find Chisa who lies that Izuru helped her escape, and they decide to meet up with the rest of the class. From then on, well, it goes as well as you'd expect...

Chiaki's death made me sad but it wasn't as tearjerking as it could have been. All of her exploits of keeping the class together were just told to us and mostly off screen. The build up to her execution was poor by having everyone passing around the idiot ball to have plot happen. Also throughout it all, I couldn't hold back my disbelief on how Junko managed to configure all those traps and build the trial room all in the span of at least days, and none of the authoritative figures in the school or the board of directors noticed, either because they will either ignore it anyway or are grossly incompetent.

I mean I liked all the continuity nods and fanservice provided, but that's not enough to hold the story together. When it came to the Despair arc, the fanservice and establishing ties to the Future arc were more important than telling a coherent story.

What I also liked was the portrayal of Junko and the resulting disillusionment for a good portion of the fanbase. Another aspect I believe this series intended to do was really hammer home how Junko is a irredeemable character. Mukuro was also disillusioned to many.

Despair arc has fanservice and hit-or-miss humor going for it. Many things happen because they need to and not if it makes any sense. The format really limited the series as there was simply not enough time to expand on all the plot points, resulting in too much going on at once and not enough focus on the main characters, the ones the story should mainly be about.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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Sep 22, 2016

Keirik

Not Recommended

(Spoilers for the Danganronpa games) As half of the Danganronpa 3 anime experience, Side Despair's purpose is to provide backstory for Side Future as well as fill in Super Danganronpa 2's blanks. Neither should should be watched without playing the first two games in the series, but with Despair's final episode over with I can in good conscience say that they shouldn't be watched at all.

Side Despair's problem is that it's boring, safe, predictable, and pointless. As a companion piece to Side Future it does its job fairly well, but in every other regard it's an absolute failure. Danganronpa and Super Danganronpa 2 left several ... questions unanswered, mysteries left up to one's interpretation. DR3 Side Despair aims to solve these riddles and provide answers to what exactly happened to Class 77 before SDR2's events.

This was a terrible idea.

Class 77's backstory is largely shoved to the background in favour of crossovers with Side Future and an insider's view of series antagonist Junko Enoshima's infernal machinations. When the time finally comes for their big defining moment, none of them have had the development to warrant it. Instead, aside from outliers Nagito Komaeda, Chiaki Nanami, Ryota Mitarai and the Ultimate Impostor, all of them are mushed into one entity. Class 77 is no longer a cast of different characters, but one singular plot device the series has been chained to. Most of the Class 77 segments is spent building up to the demise of the one student missing in SDR2, and when it finally hits it's neither impactful nor entertaining.

Junko Enoshima herself has also lost all of her charm. In the games, she appeared only at the very end of DR1 and SDR2. Now she's a main character in Side Despair, and it really hammers home the point that she's best used sparingly. In short, she's just not a very interesting character when you get down to it. She's evil because she's evil, and every single one of her evil plans always goes off without a hitch. What she ends up doing to plunge the world into despair is also incredibly stupid and hokey. The charismatic supervillain who capped off both games on their victory laps is now an omnipresent, transparently evil mwahahaer with little to do or say except ensure that all of SDR2's major backstory beats are hit. The one shining beacon of hope is one of the new anime-original guys, Juzo Sakakura, an excellently written character with a compelling and tragic arc. However, most of his big moments happen in Side Future, though vital setup occurs in Side Despair. Juzo is one of the best additions to the series yet, and his presence alone saves the show from being scored even lower.

In the end, I liked SDR2 better when I didn't actually know what happened before it. Every answer we get in Side Despair is far lamer than what I'd envisioned, and just about every character is cheapened by the Persona 4-esque herd treatment. Just about the only character who escaped mostly unscathed was Komaeda, and even he, who was THE defining driving force of SDR2, ended up underutilised and mostly there to provide context for Side Future's events. This show not only fails on its own, but it serves to also make SDR2 a much weaker story once you know just how uninteresting its backstory is.

Side Despair is woefully written and dreadfully directed. The animation is also clearly low budget, with the excellent music and voice work, as usual for the franchise, being its only saving graces. You probably already watched this if you're a hardcore fan of the series, but I recommend everyone else give this a skip. Side Future is undoubtedly the stronger show of the two, though even then it'd hard to recommend that one either.

Reviewer’s Rating: 1

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