Dangan Ronpa

[Copygoo]

Also known as Dang Rope, Dingle Rompers, Dangle Rocks, Drop, etc. etc.


(sorry about the let's play tacked on to the top there)

Dangan Ronpa, or Dangan Ronpa: Academy of Hope and the High School Students of Despair, is a Japanese-only video game released for the PSP about 15 high school students locked inside a massive high school academy for the most talented students in the nation and given an ultimatum: either live in the academy in peace and solitude for the rest of their lives, or kill a fellow student and avoid getting caught by the others, and be permitted to leave. The 15 kids brought together by the academy all superexcel in their given fields of expertise. There's a Super High School Level Swimmer and a Super High School Level Gambler, among others. The character designs and personalities are all really distinct and top-notch.

Dangan Ronpa (which i will from now on refer to as Dang Rope, as everyone does) has kind of been popular on Tumblr lately and I know for a FACT that ethe reads it so there's at least two fans here including myself. Dang Rope has a really cool and interesting story with really great characters and stuff and you should read it. It's also really depressing and "despair-inducing." It's like Battle Royale sort of.

Since most of us aren't fluent in Japanese, the way 95% of Dang Rope fans get to read it is by reading the Let's Play of the game, which is up on Something Awful here. This thread will also be used for discussion of the second game, Super Dangan Ronpa 2, which is currently being played, translated, and updated in a different thread on Something Awful. It should go without saying that you have to read DR1 first.

DANGAN RONPA!
SUPER DANGAN RONPA 2!

REMEMBER!
Spoilers, at least for the first game, go in spoiler boxes. Also if you read the plot synopsis of the second game on Wikipedia or you otherwise know the full plot of the second game, do not discuss spoilers here whatsoever. Not even in spoiler boxes. Let the ones like me who are reading the Let's Play catch up.

[Copygoo]

I didn't put this in the video game section because even though it's technically a video game, nobody actually plays it, everyone just reads the Let's Play of it.

[Jerichi]

Dang Rope is interesting!

I started to read part of it and I enjoyed it! Maybe I'll finish it.

[kaisap112]

I love both Let's Plays. Linked them to the Japan-thread too, not sure if anyone ever noticed. ^^;

I finished the first Let's Play thread months ago and I'm fully on track with the second game, waiting for the next update.

[Copygoo]

Update #36 spoilers:

Spoiler: show

I was kinda hoping that Teruteru wouldn't end up being the culprit??? Like. I don't know, he' s a total scumbag but I was really hoping that Kuzuryuu would get lynched first or something. I hate Kuzuryuu.

That makes me think of a good starting topic! Who is everyone's favorite character from both games?

I think you can guess mine, but my favorite in DR1 is Kirigiri or Chihiro.

[kaisap112]

You've heard the rumors. But it's true.

DANGAN RONPA 1 IS GETTING AN ANIME THIS YEAR.

And now that I'm done with the fangasm, favorite characters...

DR1: SHSL Gambler Celestia Ludenberg
DR2: SHSL Junko Enoshima

[JustAnotherUser]

Read the first LP before I even knew this thread existed after someone on my dash was talking about it.

I got hooked and stayed up an entire night reading it. Gonna probably start on the second one tomorrow.

Favourite character from DR1... that is a good question and one I don't have an answer for yet. Asahina and Oogami are pretty cool I guess?

EDIT: So after reading all of the DR2 one so far, I have to say I really like Tanaka and Nanami.

[Lady Kuno]

I read dang ropes. Surprising lack of ropes. Not up to Dang Rope II: The redangening yet

[Copygoo]

Talon should read dang rope, I think it'd be right up his alley.

[Talon87]

Originally Posted by Copygoo

Talon should read dang rope, I think it'd be right up his alley.

I would rather play the game or (as rumor has it) watch the anime adaptation. Reading or viewing a Let's Play is usually a last resort for me. Sorry. ^^;

To give you an example from not too long ago ... a few months ago, I decided to look for a non-obnoxious Let's Play of Fatal Frame 4: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse. The game never came to the United States and I never did import a Japanese copy while they were still relatively easy to get. Now they're pretty darn difficult to find. Not to mention that I never did put the Homebrew Channel on my Wii, and I kind of doubt that I could now, what with it having been updated by recent Nintendo firmware updates. Anyway , point is, I've wanted to play this game for years but I finally gave up waiting on Nintendo to localize it and said "Well okay then, let's watch someone else play it." I got through the prologue ... and closed out of YouTube. I was ever so slightly irritated with myself (like a 1 on a 10-point scale) and not at all pleased (like a 0 or a 1 on a 10 point scale). The reason being, I'd kind of ruined (now) my chance at experiencing that prologue the way it is meant to be experienced -- scared, having no clue where to go next, walking ever, ever, ever so cautiously -- because I'd just seen someone else barreling past rooms as though they weren't important ('cause he knew they weren't important. But I didn't know that!), checkpointing past every single ghost and treasure, etc. There was no horror while watching, no excitement. It was a shadow of the experience of playing the game yourself. So I closed out. "If this is what watching someone else play Fatal Frame 4 is going to be like for me, then I'd rather never play it at all than watch someone else beat it and then hate myself if I do one day get a chance to play it for myself."

Dangan Ronpa is by no means a Fatal Frame 4 to me. But the same general principle applies. I don't really want to read someone else's playthrough of a game that is supposedly a) maybe going to be brought to the United States in the near future and b) going to get an anime adaptation later this year. I'd like to be surprised by the anime, and an anime is sure to be a hell of a lot superior an experience than reading some kiddo's playthrough logs.

[Lady Kuno]

I don't like visual novels OR lets plays, but the something awful LP has literally every single line translated, links to music that plays at the appropriate times, as well as translation/cultural notes. It's pretty well done.

[lilboocorsola]

Having recently read the LP, I will vouch for its quality as a direct translation rather than a playthrough commentary. However, I would advise Talon to hold off on reading it for the very reason he gave: Dangan Ronpa is getting an animé adaptation, so why spoil the experience? I kinda wish I hadn't read the LP so I could be surprised and speculate on the mysteries as I watch with him/other first-time viewers, but at the same time I'm selfishly simply curious to see his reactions knowing what's ahead.

I don't necessarily agree that the story is "right up his alley" either (or mine for that matter), but I'd say it's about as enjoyable as 999 was. Both were entertaining enough, I just wish the characters could have been stronger. (Also called some of the plot twists early on.)

[kaisap112]

If people are interested in what the Let's Player/translator himself has to say about Dangan Ronpa and the translation process, here's a podcast where he was interviewed by slowbeef (thread moderator who LOVES Dangan Ronpa). Spoilers ahead for the first game and general non-spoiler discussion about Dangan Ronpa 2.

[JustAnotherUser]

Hey uh, there's an LP further on in than the one on Something Awful for those who didn't know. It also avoids the pay walls problem.

http://kuzuhiko.tumblr.com/masterlist

[Copygoo]

I'm putting this in a spoiler since the latest update only just went up.

Spoiler: show

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

actually i knew this was happening because i was spoiled to her death earlier AND I'm reading the kuzuhiko translation instead of the SA one but still. the scene where hinata discovers her body always gets me

[uhhhhh]

There's a fan-made translation of the game released just a few days ago. So if anyone who wants to play it in English... well now you can.

[Copygoo]

Yo, so, the anime's finally been subbed. Only discuss it here if you have something spoiler-y to say. Otherwise it goes in the thread in the anime section. And absolutely DO NOT POST ANY SPOILERS IN THE ANIME THREAD, not even under spoiler tags. Anything even remotely referencing a spoiler goes in here.

[Copygoo]

Originally Posted by Doppleganger

I'm less interested in the premise and more the execution, as it were.

lmao

[Lady Kuno]

They changed Super High School Level Manga Artist to SHSL Fatty in the english translation.

[kaisap112]

Originally Posted by Copygoo

Yo, so, the anime's finally been subbed. Only discuss it here if you have something spoiler-y to say. Otherwise it goes in the thread in the anime section. And absolutely DO NOT POST ANY SPOILERS IN THE ANIME THREAD, not even under spoiler tags. Anything even remotely referencing a spoiler goes in here.

Okay, I tried to keep my mouth shut but I just can't.

Before you start preaching to us about spoilers, please change your avatar and signature. I really hope you can see how your anti-spoiler posts that include stuff from SDR2 are sending mixed signals.

I don't like spoilers and I absolutely see where you're coming from, but that detail is irking me to no end.

[Copygoo]

It's not a spoiler at all??? It is a character from sdr2. My avatar and sig don't say anything about her besides her name and her title. Which are things that you find out at the very beginning of sdr2. Not spoilers.

A character is not a spoiler, unless it's Mukuro Ikusaba or something. I do not understand where you're coming from. It's not like I'm toting around images of somebody's execution or someone's body discovery scene or something.

[deoxys]

The site updated. 'Fatty' was changed to 'Fanboy'.

[JustAnotherUser]

I kinda want to know why they don't just call Togami "Heir" instead of shit like "Affluent Progeny".

That's literally just the more drawn-out way of saying Heir.

[Talon87]

Originally Posted by JustAnotherUser

I kinda want to know why they don't just call Togami "Heir" instead of shit like "Affluent Progeny".

That's literally just the more drawn-out way of saying Heir.

Not to be pedantic, just to answer your question: you can be an heir without being affluent. Being an heir just means that you're the next in line to head a family and/or that you're the one who inherited the family estate. But if your dad was an alcoholic who squandered the family fortune on booze and women and died penniless, then while you'd still technically be the heir to his estate, you wouldn't be the least bit rich.

So if the original Japanese title for this guy conveyed that he was wealthy, then some of the fan translators may have opted to call him "Affluent Progeny" rather than "Heir".

Looked up his original title just now. Here's what Jim Breen has to say on the matter:

御曹司; 御曹子 【おんぞうし】 (n) son of a distinguished family; son of a noble

Some of the translations opted for smoothness over preserving meaning (and so went for "Heir", nice and short and easy to say). Others of the translations prioritized preserving original intent/meaning over worries about word salad (and so went for "Affluent Progeny" since "Super Duper Son Of A Noble" would've been weird ). I guess they could've neologized 御曹司 into "nobleson", but people tend to frown upon neologisms in translation. ^^; (I know I did when I saw a recent translation of a Japanese slang term, 喪女, as "unpogirl". Yes, you read that right: they abbreviated "unpopular" into "unpo". )

[JustAnotherUser]

Originally Posted by Talon87

Not to be pedantic, just to answer your question: you can be an heir without being affluent. Being an heir just means that you're the next in line to head a family and/or that you're the one who inherited the family estate. But if your dad was an alcoholic who squandered the family fortune on booze and women and died penniless, then while you'd still technically be the heir to his estate, you wouldn't be the least bit rich.

So if the original Japanese title for this guy conveyed that he was wealthy, then some of the fan translators may have opted to call him "Affluent Progeny" rather than "Heir".

That's a valid point, yes, but I still don't feel like it justifies such a detailed title compared to "Pop Star" or "Fanboy" - Heir would have conveyed the intent just fine, in my opinion.

Still, I'm not the translator - it's not my choice to make, and it's a VERY minor thing anyway.