Asaka | she/her | Japan 🇯🇵
ダンガンロンパおよびレインコードの二次創作用(と言ってもほぼロンパ中心)のサブブログです。
メインブログはこっち→ 東方の絵とか: www.tumblr.com/asaka-lucy-touhou
Hi, I'm Asaka. This is my subblog for Danganronpa and RAIN CODE (mainly DR).
My main blog (for Touhou projects) is here: www.tumblr.com/asaka-lucy-touhou
Hi, I'm Asaka! This is my sub blog for Danganronpa and RAIN CODE. Due to Tumblr does not allow us to like and follow from sub blogs, so note they will be done from my main blog (@asaka-lucy-touhou).
各ブログで投稿している内容の一覧はこちら:
Here is a table summarizing what I post on each blog:
⚠️ This blog contains spoilers! Please note that I post spoilers without warning, especially for Danganronpa. (As for RAIN CODE, I usually give a warning).
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■ タグについて / Tags
#my art : 自分で描いた絵の投稿には必ずこのタグをつけています。 I always put this tag on my art.
#reblog : リブログには必ずこのタグをつけています。
I always put this tag to my reblogs.
#呟き : 日記や作業途中の絵に関するメモなどを投稿しています。
I post my diary or notes about drawings I am working on.
#ask : askへのお返事にはこのタグをつけています。
My reply to the asks.
A. 事前に報告してくれさえすればリポスト可です！コメント、ask、DMどれでも良いのでご連絡ください。すぐにお返事すると思うのでお返事するまでリポストはしないでください。
Reposting is allowed as long as you report it to me in advance! Contact me by comment, ask, or DM. I will respond to you as soon as possible, so please wait to repost until I respond.
Q. あなたの絵を私のアイコンに使っても良いですか?
May I use your art for my profile picture?
A. 私がアイコンに使っている絵以外は事前に報告してくれさえすれば使っても大丈夫です！リポストと同様にご連絡ください。お返事するまで使用は待ってください。
Except for the pictures I use for my profile, you can use my art as long as you report it to me in advance! Contact me as well as repost. Please wait to use them until I reply.
Q. ⚪︎⚪︎の絵を描いてくれませんか？
Can you draw XXX for me?
A. 基本的にリクエストは募集していないですが気が向いた場合に 描くことはあります！完全に気まぐれなのでご容赦ください。(描くとしてもダンガンロンパorレインコードのキャラだけです！)
I don't accept requests, but I sometimes draw something when I feel like it! Whether I draw or not depends on how I feel and how much time I have. (Note that even if I have the time, it will only be Danganronpa or RAIN CODE characters!)
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■ About my name (for English speakers)
I go by Asaka, but you can call me Lucy if you prefer. (Asaka is my handle, and Lucy is my IRL nickname. I am a pure Japanese person, but for some reason my friends call me by that nickname 😄).
Sometimes people call me "Asaka-san", but I don't mind without "-san". If you feel more comfortable with it, you can add "-san", but otherwise just call me "Asaka". Calling me "Asaka-chan" is also welcome!
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■ askやコメントについて / About asks or comments
日本語 or 英語どっちで送っていただいても結構です。askもコメントももらうの大好きなので気軽に送ってください！
You can send me your message in either English or Japanese. I love to receive asks or comments, so please feel free to send them to me!
I'm learning English, so feel free to tell me if my English is wrong or inappropriate!
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最後まで読んでいただいてありがとうございます！💖
Thanks for reading through to the end! I hope you enjoy my blog! 🫶
When I posted my Danganronpa Orchestra Concert roundup yesterday, I somehow completely missed the fact that a free video featuring the first five songs had been uploaded to YouTube that very night 😅
BUT!!! This means everyone can finally listen to "Beautiful Lie"!! I seriously want people to hear at least that one, so here's the link:
That said, the audio quality in this YouTube video is definitely quite a bit worse 😭😭 The archived stream on Zaiko sounds soooo much better, so I'd recommend treating the YouTube video more as a way to get a general idea of what the concert was like.
Also, now that this video is out, I came across an English post from someone saying they wished they could watch the full concert. But you actually can buy access to the archived stream from outside Japan too, and the official accounts haven't really been promoting that very actively 😭 That's also part of the reason I keep going on and on about how everyone should watch the orchestra concert stream.
But I wouldn't be this persistent about promoting it if I didn't genuinely think it was absolutely amazing, so seriously!!! WATCH IT!!! You really should!!! 🥺🥹🥹
So, we all know that part of the concept behind Nagito's character is the idea of a Makoto on the wrong path, as per the official setting book (crudely translated):
[Another concept is "a Naegi who took the wrong step". It serves as the catalyst to the idea that "extreme hope becomes despair" which is the main theme of this work. Much like the Mobius strip and how both front and back are connected, Komaeda and Naegi are complete opposites but very similar. In order to clearly convey these kinds of themes, he exists. The reason why the two look similar is the natural conclusion to the thought that those who think similarly would have a similar appearance, too. By the way, as for his purposeful-looking name, it coincidentally turned out an anagram of you-know-who while trying to think of a "cool and suspicious name". (Kodaka)]
Now, I don't normally rummage for things like side interviews and the like so if there's actually more that was dug up on the relationship between Makoto and Nagito, it could be somewhere outside of my scope of research, but this above is essentially all the facts we have on how Nagito was based off of Makoto conceptually. Since we know this to be true, it stands to reason that there will be parts of Nagito reminiscent of Makoto, but which would those be? What does that mean for Nagito?
Well... That's up to us to figure out, since there's no official statement on which exact things were taken from Makoto. This means that whatever I'll be saying here isn't complete fact, and just the result of interpretation of the facts I showed above. However, the reason I believe the sharing of these dastardly headcanons is important lies in trying to reach for Nagito characterization that goes beyond surface level, taking inspiration from what supposedly would be the source: Makoto Naegi and his own insecurities.
Though, one may protest, "Nagito is his own blorbo! Even if based off of Makoto, it shouldn't be mandatory to understand Makoto in the process of researching Nagito!"
And I understand the sentiment. Long ago, I used to think that, before I was forced by circumstance to research Makoto. Still, the difference between Makotoful and Makotoless is night and day to me in terms of how to accept the nuance of Nagito, even it'll end up being based on my utterly devilish headcanons. Nagito is someone who is made mysterious throughout Danganronpa 2 so that figuring out what he's thinking is difficult on a first playthrough, let alone even multiple, especially considering the different things at play happening in real time as you advance. Thus, when it comes to research, it's preferable to have anchoring factors that don't distract one's perception from what's being shown in the source material. Considering it's a central aspect of the themes of the game, I think that even if Makoto isn't Nagito, that looking through Makoto could shorten the steps required to reach conclusions about Nagito and the themes he represents.
As for how that's gonna be done, we first need to talk about Makoto.
1
Makoto Naegi
Makoto is the protagonist of Danganronpa 1, and was designed to be a reflection of the player, someone who we can project ourselves into. I see sometimes people having a big aversion to this notion, but this is a fact that's stated in the same official book:
(Representation of the Player's Self-Insertion)
(In games, protagonist=the player, so at first I was aiming for a "normal high schooler" with a strong lack of individuality so that everyone could insert themselves in him. I think I also put the order for the character designer Komatsuzaki to "just make him normal". But as I wrote him, he kept growing and coupled with Miss Megumi Ogata's acting, he became a much more appealing character than I imagined. It was a very wondrous thing to experience, like life was literally being breathed into him.)
Basically, the initial plan was for a main character from which the player could be inserted into the story, and the more unique aspects came in later. Of course, this does also mean that there's more to Makoto than just a self-insert for the player, but we all already know this. My point is just that the aspect where Makoto was also meant to be a protagonist for the player to feel themselves in can still be observed from the script of Danganronpa 1, from how little we get to know about him to how interactions primarily focus on getting to know and reacting to other characters, etc. Makoto is also angled as the single ordinary person in the middle of extraordinary people, seemingly to become the common sense perspective to look at the events of the game.
However, this supposed everyman origin is also the starting point of Makoto's individuality and nuance as a character. The bits we see of Makoto's perspective on himself reflects on how average he finds himself to be:
As well as what he finds to be his only strong point, the fact that he's more optimistic than average:
Naturally, the breakdown of all aspects of Makoto's personality, in particular how Makoto's optimism reflects on his actions in the game could be worth its entire text wall post, so I'm not going to spam everything that makes up his character. Instead, I'll offer an example of the parallels between Nagito and Makoto from my perception already based on Makoto's introduction and Nagito's experience entering Hope's Peak Academy to ease into our actual main topic:
Bonus:
Both parties feel out-of-place and undeserving to be in Hope's Peak Academy, as both believe themselves to be completely average in comparison to the Ultimates. However, Makoto ends up accepting to go to Hope's Peak because of the promise of guaranteed success, whereas Nagito refuses them at first, leading them to insist based on the contributions research of his talent would have to the school. Essentially, both have the same self-perception, but whereas Makoto saw the potential in the future based off of being able to attend Hope's Peak Academy, Nagito didn't consider that potential and rejected out of principle. This shows that the same basis is reaching different results on a matter of perspective: Makoto had hope for what would become of himself from attending the academy because of his optimistic nature, while Nagito immediately figured he didn't deserve to be there, focusing on how out-of-place he is because of his pessimistic nature. This puts them in a position where indeed they oppose each other and yet are very similar.
There are other similar parallels such as how Makoto's idea that nobody could have been the killer only to pivot to considering that the real killer is the despair caused by the killing game is sincere from his part, while Nagito used the idea that there is no killer and that the real culprit is the mastermind as a way to distract from the fact that he truthfully knows the culprit and if anything sees their agency in killing as an important part of their hope. Makoto refuses to take the deaths of his classmates as meaningless and makes a point never to just get over them, while Nagito makes a point to talk about moving on from the deaths that occur while saying that each ordeal makes them strong because they are overcoming these deaths. I'll run into the iconic image limit by naming each thing that essentially references Makoto out of Nagito's dialogue and what opposes him in turn, so I'm going to skip to juicier parts to make my point.
Namely, the extent of Makoto's inferiority complex. It shows itself in the game proper, particularly in Chapter 1:
Where he's cheered up by Sayaka, who sees him as much more reliable than the rest of her peers. However, I find Makoto at his most exposed and consequently interesting in free time event content, in particular Chihiro's. Chihiro is a very rare instance of someone actually wanting to know more about Makoto personally, mostly because Chihiro is interested in finding reference points to become manlier. In the process, it's asked of Makoto about whether he has an inferiority complex, and he answers the following:
By feeling inferior over the fact that he's average and talentless, Makoto is implying the desire to have been as impressive as his peers in the academy. Rather, this principle is sensible to assume because the context hinges on Chihiro feeling weak and trying to understand how to be strong. The same way Chihiro truthfully wants to be strong, Makoto wants to be special. In expressing himself for himself in the game, he basically admits that he doesn't like how forgettable he is. In other words, he would have wanted to be remembered and appreciated as impressive.
However, he sees this as an unsolvable concern that he has to distract himself from by taking action in life:
So in the end, while he does feel inferior, he brushes that aside in a fittingly optimistic fashion, simply trying to make do with what he has (will now be taking from Byakuya's free time events):
And also feels like if it isn't him achieving things in life, that there's no point:
There's a lot to unpack here, so I'll try to synthesize it before we move on:
Makoto has an inferiority complex where he believes himself insignificant in comparison to the Ultimates who have talent;
Makoto however has accepted that he really is ordinary and decided to make do with his own circumstances;
In so doing, Makoto strives to find happiness within his own means and has the hope that the effort he puts towards this will bring that happiness.
We yet again see the same starting point reaching opposing conclusions altogether. After all, Nagito feels completely differently about his own prospects. However, like I said, the starting point is the exact same: the idea of being worthless and ordinary, unable to make any impressive accomplishments in life compared to the Ultimates.
2
Nagito Komaeda
One thing that's easily noticeable from how Makoto spoke about himself is that he not even once mentioned his own luck. Rather, Makoto doesn't acknowledge that he has luck as a talent to begin with. He believes he has no talent to speak of, and that his enrollment into Hope's Peak Academy was true pure coincidence:
Basically, Makoto does not rely on his luck, and always tries to do things with his own power as he doesn't believe he has a talent like luck to begin with. This is part of the reason why Makoto simply makes do with what he has, instead of lamenting his standing in life.
The same however cannot be said of one Nagito Komaeda and his luck, as well as how he perceives being the lucky student:
Nagito acknowledges luck as his talent to begin with, and while he here talks about how it doesn't make him do anything impressive and can't come from hard work, that's just how it stands compared to the talents of the Ultimates. By barring him from making actual achievements, Nagito perceives it as unremarkable, but it also just so happens to be the central reference point for how Nagito navigates his life:
In other words, to him, even if that thing is unremarkable, it's still the one thing he's good at, to the point looking towards something else doesn't matter. By being the one thing that stands out, it's essentially his identity altogether and the one thing he's good for.
It stands as the complete opposite of what Makoto would think, since he would never leave his life to chance or find that luck would determine his value as he's interested in working for his own achievements. Nagito however seems to see that as the most value he can squeeze out of himself, and relies on outcomes produced by luck for the success of his plans on every instance he's applied any in Danganronpa 2. I feel like to Nagito, the fact that random chance granted him something makes it much more certain that he got it than if he attempted to just get it fully from his own power, because he knows he'll always get good luck at the end. Luck appears to serve as his life line:
Without being able to depend upon the principle that good luck will always come, Nagito would see no reason to live. In other words, he doesn't see hope for what he can do with his own power, only finding eventual luck to be certain. It's the hope he clings to which in the end actually implies a deep despair, and is emblematic of the contradictions that define his character.
(this first line is actually a little shaky by the way)
That's one of the reasons why I think the ending of Island Mode has so much meaning: by saying he found hope in his heart, he is implying he had none to begin with. Instead of making the attempt to make do with his life by his own power, he seeks out hope from the outside, and when he eventually found himself in the island, he thought that would be his resting place. From the beginning, Nagito did not hold hope for himself.
And as we can see, Nagito doesn't care for the hard work of people who aren't worthy.
So, the effort he can make is useless to him. He doesn't believe his accomplishments mean anything even if he attempted. It's very interesting because the speech Nagito has in the beginning of Chapter 2 is technically another case of same starting point:
Because like we addressed before, Makoto truthfully believes the same thing: that he can never become special, because he's not talented and there's absolutely nothing he can do about it. In other words, even without the same words, Makoto's inferiority complex involves inherently believing himself less valuable than those with talent, and that he can never get the same success they do. However, the difference in nuance is as clear as day: where Makoto believed the effort he put in for the life he could have in his own standing was worthwhile, Nagito finds the entire attempt to still be meaningless because the unworthy are unworthy no matter what they do. So, Makoto has an optimistic view about the same premise, while Nagito has a pessimistic view on it.
It serves to contrast with the points made about Makoto before:
Nagito has an inferiority complex in which he feels himself insignificant in comparison to the Ultimates who have talent;
Nagito however clings to his only stand-out trait to find a modicum of meaning to life, since his own efforts are worthless;
In so doing, Nagito takes to searching for a strong hope outside of himself unable to realize that it won't give him the meaning he's searching for, since he remains in despair at himself.
This sheds a lot of light into Nagito's character, in my personal opinion. Discourse about Nagito tends to focus on the tragedy behind his chaotic environment and his self-esteem, and while these are two important things, I find that this inferiority complex, and how Nagito is someone who is essentially in despair at himself is a crucial part to his character in how he acts throughout the games. His hope is a desperate one, because he doesn't think he can do the things he wants to do. He wants the world to feel hopeful around him, and for himself to feel that hope. And more than that...
3
Nagito Komaeda and Being Special
Makoto Naegi is someone who never expected to become special, despite having wanted to feel like that deep down. At the end of game, he becomes the pillar of support for his friends and Kyoko deems him Ultimate Hope. Thus, when Danganronpa 1 ends, Makoto achieves being valued by other people more than what his average standing would have had him believe, and this burden is something that he has to come to terms with in the anime.
In the end, this is something that happened because Makoto was as optimistic as he was. He pushed people forward sincerely, and wanted nothing but to push back on the despair in front of him regardless of what could be waiting for him outside. He could simply believe that he could try his best to live out life even if the outside world was a wasteland, and this makes him suitable as the protagonist of the story in how he resolves the conflict and themes of Danganronpa 1.
The same doesn't happen for Nagito Komaeda. No one ends up warming up to him at all (excluding free time event content because it technically isn't canon to the timeline), especially since he spends most of his time disregarding their feelings for the sake of a greater good that involved making them face despair. By Chapter 4, the information he gains compels him to believe he can erase despair and become Ultimate Hope, but that vision results in his own death. Though his final message accounts for both sides, his actions were tragic in the end regardless, and he wasn't able to see the resolution of the game all the way through. In other words, Nagito wasn't able to be valued in the same way as Makoto despite wanting to.
Of course, these are just the diabolical headcanon words of one arch simp, but it's the reading I have based on the idea that Nagito had the same complex as Makoto: that in the end, Nagito wanted to be special. However, what is to be special? Makoto didn't enjoy being ordinary because it made him forgettable, essentially implying a desire to be remembered. For someone to remember another, they would have to leave an impression, so it's never based off of indifference. It means that following this logic, Makoto would have deep down wanted to have been valued by people, rather than just being a nobody. And this, likely in his view, sounded most achievable through having talent.
From his words in Chapter 5, my thought is that the same applies to Nagito.
This is the note that Nagito ends his final message with, which would intuitively mean to me that it's that important. And that something is to ask for recognition for his contributions to hope. It's a plea to be a target of respect and admiration the same way he felt the Ultimates were, shedding light to the fact that it's what he would have wanted to be if he had the chance, and at the end of Chapter 4, he perceived he had that chance. It stands as the opposite of Makoto, who never acted in the game for the sake of this recognition for the results he got, as in his mind, he was just doing his best to escape the killing game. Nagito, however, had from the start clung to the idea of contributing to hope whenever possible.
People who aren't talented can only serve as stepping stones for talented people to become stronger, and Nagito actively wants to be that stepping stone. He acknowledges Hajime to be "the same stepladder" as him in Chapter 4, but while it's not said explicitly, it certainly would be his understanding that instead of acting as one, Hajime feels that he could be an equal to them, meaning thus that not all people who can be said stepladders necessarily want to be. Nagito, however, wants to become part of the reason why true hope is born, making him trigger the killing game as soon as he got the chance. Nagito says his goals are selfless, but the idea is rooted in the contradiction that he truthfully wants his life to be used meaningfully. The interpretation here is that by being part of something valuable, Nagito can get the closest to having been worth something.
This is why I also personally consider the concept of value to be very important to Nagito. Nagito focuses on value in how he perceives other people and himself, and has concluded that he doesn't have value by default, so he resigns to methods that from the beginning imply no hope for himself. However, just like Makoto, part of his insecurities lie in the idea of being forgotten. The final message has him wanting a statue erected of him, and for his accomplishments to be spoken of so that he can remain in the memories of others. In his final free time event (if we consider any of it true), he laments the fact that no one will "inherit his soul":
It implies the same concept that he doesn't want to be forgotten. He'd want someone to validate his existence, and finds it lonely that there isn't anyone who would care about him specifically. This breaks down the idea of being special to a very primal component: the idea of being loved. Being extraordinary is basically the means to be appreciated by other people. This inferiority complex thus is about having nothing to be appreciated for, and that resulting in a meaningless and lonely life. This is being compensated by the idea of success, that those who succeed at life and do great things would be accompanied by recognition and be valued for their accomplishments.
I don't wanna go into huge detail about the nuances of Nagito's desire to be loved since I feel like that'll be part of another installment of these text walls but the clarification I want to make when it comes to how I interpret it is that just because he says he wants to be recognized in the sense of being famous, doesn't mean that this is his primary goal and what he wanted deep down. To me, the idea is that this type of appreciation is the most he could muster from his standing to have meaning to someone (which to me is the core desire here but that itself is its own journey), and to be remembered. But being remembered doesn't necessarily mean to be famous, so we can have a reading that takes these goals as misguided, that from the perspective of someone who believes his core self is entirely worthless, that appreciation for contribution to something greater would be the most he could imagine out of it. That surely he wouldn't be appreciated for himself.
However, this is a slope from which people can slip in many ways, so while this thesis in particular is already basically in the realm of devious headcanons, I can't in good faith guide people to the idea that there can only be one interpretation to the things laid out here. What I believe is likely is that Nagito does share in Makoto's desire to be remembered, but that Nagito manifested it in a misguided and self-sabotaging way. And this is the main point of this part: the fact that by reading into Makoto's insecurities, we can have more nuance in the discussion of Nagito's own because they seem to have a clear commonality, and lead to understanding that Nagito's actions are probably rooted in how inferior he feels compared to people born with talent, and how that makes him feel like he will never be in someone's mind.
4
Conclusion
Like I said before, there are actually multiple parallels between Nagito and Makoto scattered throughout Danganronpa 2. However, going on a goose hunt about all of them would not only have me run into the image limit and bloat this post, but it would also miss the point I truthfully wanted to make while constructing this. Of course, the more one can know about where Makoto begins and ends, the better, but calling attention to it in this post isn't so much to get the cool trivia parallels but for the sake of further broadening discussion on Nagito based on the feelings of inferiority, which to me are the most interesting about him.
While researching Nagito, I took a long time contemplating concepts like absolute hope, value, and exactly what's packed into his feelings of not wanting to be forgotten. Researching Makoto led me to see Nagito's shadow in where Makoto was acting, and this helped me have a bit of a guiding light on how to potentially view Nagito. Naturally, because there's no clear indication of what is a conscious parallel to Makoto and what isn't, I can't state absolute facts here, but I do believe that there is a clear effort to make Makoto be a way to expand on the nuances of Nagito's character by exploring the duality between hope and despair, where Nagito's extreme faith in hope is also something based off of a deep despair. I believe there are multiple paths you can take these parallels, so the point of this post is to basically show a take. For anyone who has their own take, I would be happy to see it and consolidate.
However, I think I did rest my case in how looking at Makoto can help in trying to understand Nagito. It's not a mandatory endeavor, but seemingly does make the process faster. If it could serve to broaden discussion about Nagito and Makoto, I would be happy. I felt like this was something I needed to post also because I'll eventually have to move on to other posts of a similar hellish headcanon nature where I have to offer my two cents of concepts about Nagito that I derived from research, where this background knowledge would probably help. Thank you again for reading ilyyyyy and while my opinion isn't holy you can ask me anything!!
It's the hope he clings to which in the end actually implies a deep despair, and is emblematic of the contradictions that define his character.
I think that is absolutely true, and it is such a great way of putting it!
I also completely agree that Makoto and Nagito have something in common in that they both want to be someone who remains in other people's memories and to be recognized by others as someone of value.
Nagito's fixation on hope comes from the deep despair he has inside him, and I think the same applies to the way he calls himself a piece of trash. Those words come out precisely because, deep down, he wishes he weren't trash and because he cares about how useless he believes himself to be. Likewise, I think the fact that Makoto repeatedly describes himself as average or ordinary comes from the fact that he has a complex about exactly that. It is really interesting how the things they seek often reveal what they themselves feel they lack.
One Makoto and Nagito similarity that just occurred to me is their attitude toward Kiyotaka. At the end of Makoto's third FTE with him, Makoto thinks, "But I still think he might be a genius." Meanwhile, in Nagito's conversation with Kiyotaka in Ultimate Talent Development Plan, Nagito consistently describes him as someone with talent. That might be another small thing they have in common. 😆
Because both Makoto and Nagito see themselves as ordinary, or in Nagito's case as inferior to everyone with talent, perhaps they naturally arrive at the same conclusion when dealing with someone like Kiyotaka. No matter how much he insists that he hates being called a genius, their response is still essentially, "But you do have talent, don't you?"
In any case, this was a really interesting article to read. I enjoyed how broadly you considered all these different aspects of their characters. 💕
I've finally finished transcribing and translating the main part of the Danganronpa Orchestra Concert into English, so I've put everything together here:
The Setlist
① Opening Announcement by Kokichi (VA: Hiro Shimono)
② Talk Segment with Ogata and Takada Part 1
③ Talk Segment with Ogata and Takada Part 2
④ Talk Segment with Ogata and Takada Part 3
⑤ Closing Remarks and Closing Announcement by Chiaki (VA: Kana Hanazawa)
Once again, the stream will be available until September 11! I've been listening to it again every single day myself, and it's seriously incredible. Personally, out of everything official Danganronpa has done recently, I think this orchestra concert was by far the absolute best thing they've put together. I really, really don't want people to miss it, and I sincerely hope the streaming tickets sell well enough that they'll do another one someday. Please watch it!
Ticket information for DANGANRONPA ORCHESTRA CONCERT live stream. Explore dates, and easily purchase tickets online.
🎵 Danganronpa Orchestra Concert Transcript and English Translation 📝
See the full list of transcripts here.
⑤ Closing Remarks and Closing Announcement by Chiaki (VA: Kana Hanazawa)
Below is the closing segment from approximately 02:11:35–02:12:33 in the video.
Ogata: Thank you very much.
Thank you!
That was Heartbeat Symphony, our orchestra!
Once again, thank you all for listening to... f-for coming to Danganronpa's very first orchestra concert today.
And thank you as well to everyone watching via the stream.
Your hosts were voice actor Megumi Ogata, and...
Takada: Composer Masafumi Takada, and...
Fukuda: Support guitarist Jun Fukuda, and...
Takeuchi: Conductor Kento Takeuchi!
Ogata: Yes!
(The audience applauds loudly.)
Ogata & Takada: Thank you very much!
Ogata: "Until we meet again"… Does that sound good?
Takada: Yes.
Ogata: All right, then. Thank you very much!
(The performers leave the stage.)
---
This segment is from approximately 02:14:13–02:16:49 in the video.
Chiaki: Waaah, the ending's already started.
Thanks for coming to the Danganronpa Orchestra Concert: Melodies of Hope and Despair today.
Looks like we've cleared every stage... I mean, the entire program is over.
...Oh, I haven't introduced myself yet.
I'm Chiaki Nanami. The Ultimate Gamer.
When I heard that weird announcement at the beginning, I thought this event seemed pretty suspicious, but once I started enjoying the performances, the time just flew by.
I don't think I've gotten this absorbed in something since a certain high-speed deduction action game.
Okay, I'll start giving you the instructions for leaving now.
If everyone moves at once, the exits will get totally chaotic, so we'd like everyone to leave one block at a time.
The venue staff will guide you, so until it's your turn, you'll stay seated and wait right where you are...
Right?
Oh, and make sure you check carefully that you haven't left anything behind at your seat.
Apparently, Monokuma says that if you post your thoughts about the concert on X with the hashtag #ダンガンロンパオケコン, two people will be chosen at random and get an SSR item drop...
I mean, a prize.
And it looks like they'll still be selling merchandise after the concert too.
You should definitely check before you leave so you don't miss anything you wanted to buy! ...I think.
Umm... I guess that's all the announcements.
Yaaawn...
Now that the quest is cleared, I'm getting kind of sleepy.
Yeah, so let's go home...
Let's just go home and sleep...
Thanks for coming today, everyooone...
Mmm...
Nnngh...
---
That's all for the transcript and English translation of the main orchestra concert! I hope this helps you enjoy the concert stream!
🎵 Danganronpa Orchestra Concert Transcript and English Translation 📝
See the full list of transcripts here.
④ Talk Segment with Ogata and Takada Part3
Below is a transcript and English translation of the talk segment from approximately 01:47:15–01:48:57 in the video.
(Ogata returns to the stage.)
Ogata: Um, honestly, every single one of these pieces is difficult to perform, but I thought Danganronpa's "DANGANRONPA*" would probably be the hardest one of all to do with an orchestra. S-So... how was it?
* In the English soundtrack release, the track was renamed "Trigger Happy Havoc," but in Japanese, the title of Danganronpa's main theme is "DANGANRONPA."
Takeuchi: They're all difficult.
(The audience laughs.)
Takeuchi: But it's such a great piece, isn't it?
Ogata: Yes, absolutely. It sounded a little more... refreshing somehow, didn't it? Just a little?
(Takeuchi smiles and nods.)
Ogata: Danganronpa's "DANGANRONPA," I mean. Yeah. It almost gave me a little sense of relief. (laughs)
Oh, you don't agree?
(to the audience)
What's with that halfhearted reaction from everyone!?
(The audience responds with applause.)
Ogata: Thank you. (laughs)
(to the orchestra)
Thank you very much.
Well, we've enjoyed all kinds of music so far today. How has it been?
(The audience responds with loud applause.)
Ogata: Right? Even the third floor is completely full today. Thank you so much.
And thank you so much to everyone watching the stream as well.
Up until now, I've basically been watching from the wings just like the rest of the audience.
But since I have the opportunity, I thought I'd ask if I could join the orchestra for just a little bit, or rather, become part of the ensemble for one piece.
So I'll be joining them on scat vocals for one song.
(The audience applauds loudly.)
Ogata: Well, um... yes. (laughs) I'll do my best.
Please listen.
From Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls, "Wonderful Dead 001."
---
01:53:47–02:00:34
Ogata: Thank you very much.
Well, we've done all sorts of things today, but time really does fly, and we're already getting close to the end of the concert.
So I'd like to invite Takada-san back onto the stage once again.
Takada-san!
(Watching the staff setting things up onstage.)
Ah, along with Takada-san, all sorts of other things are coming out too...
Takada: Yes.
Ogata: Please give us just a moment...
All right.
(She turns around.)
Oh, there he is. Sorry! Since the instruments were coming in from this side, I thought you'd be coming in from this side too. (laughs)
My apologies.
Takada: (laughs)
Ogata: Anyway...
Takada: This is amazing.
Ogata: It really is.
Takada: I feel like all I can say is, "This is amazing."
Ogata: Now that you've spent the whole day listening to everything, h-how did it feel?
Takada: Ahhh... Well, I think the first thing that came to mind was, "It's really nice having other people perform your music for you."
Ogata: Well, you normally compose most of your music at home, right?
Takada: That's right.
And when you do a live show, you have to play, don't you?
And if you're going to play, you have to practice.
And then when I start thinking, "Oh, and I have to go out in front of an audience too," I just kind of... sink.
I'm really more the type who likes staying out of the spotlight, making music behind the scenes, and then going, "There, how about that?" when I show it to people.
So I've always felt that going out there and playing in front of everyone isn't really my thing.
Ogata: Really?
Takada: And if you're the one performing at a live show, you don't really get to listen to it yourself, right?
Ogata: Ah, well, yes. That's true.
Takada: So this time, having everyone else play it and being able to listen objectively, I found myself thinking, "Oh... this is actually a pretty good song." (laughs)
Ogata: It really is!
(to the audience)
They were great songs, weren't they?
(The audience responds with loud applause.)
Takada: I feel like I just said something incredibly embarrassing.
Ogata: You did, yes.
But speaking of that, I suppose you've rather given yourself away there, because, Takada-san...
(She gestures toward the newly set up keyboard.)
...something has appeared over here.
Takada: So I really am playing after all. (laughs)
Well, all right. I'll play.
Ogata: Exactly. (laughs)
This time, we'd very much like Takada-san to join us on the performing side.
Although I realize it's a little presumptuous of me to be the one saying that.
Please join us.
Takada: Understood.
Ogata: All right, then, please get ready.
Are we all set?
Okay. Um...
Oh, wait, no! Not yet!
Sorry, there was one more thing we had to do first.
Sorry, Takada-san.
Takada: Oh, it's that thing, right?
Ogata: Right! We had that!
Takada: It says "hiku*," but it's the other kind of "hiku," right?
*Note: In Japanese, both "to play an instrument" and "to draw a lottery ticket" are pronounced hiku, although they are written with different kanji. (play = 弾く / draw = 引く)
Ogata: Right. There was one more thing. Sorry about that.
We have a little bit of entertainment while everything is being set up!
(She looks toward the opposite side of the stage.)
...A little entertainment!
(She looks the other way again.)
A little... entertainment...
Takada: Right, we're supposed to "hiku" something.
Ogata: There's no sign of this entertainment being ready...
Does that mean I'm supposed to play something?
No, no, I'm not playing anything.
(She notices something in the wings.)
Ah, there it is! There it is!
Thank you!
Takada: We're drawing a lottery ticket, right!?
Ogata: That's right! It's a lottery!
Okay, the lottery box has arrived.
This may seem sudden, but now...
(She notices Takada already has his hand inside the box.)
Ah! Wait, wait, wait! I still have to explain it first!
Takada: Oh, not yet? Sorry. All right.
Ogata: I have to explain it first.
Who knows? Maybe hearing the explanation will somehow change your luck.
Takada: Well, that's true.
Ogata: Just in case!
So, an announcement.
One Ultimate Lucky guest here at the venue...
Takada: Just one!?
Ogata: What? I was chosen as one person too, you know. Out of everyone in the whole country.
(The audience laughs.)
Takada: That's true. (laughs)
You're Ultimate Lucky too!
Ogata: Yes. (laughs) I'm Ultimate Lucky.
Through this lottery, one Ultimate Lucky guest will receive a commemorative autograph board signed by Takada-san and me!
Everyone, please check your ticket and your seat number.
Are you ready?
I wonder who's going to be Ultimate Lucky...
You know, at times like this, it gets awkward if the winning seat happens to be empty or something. (laughs)
All right, Takada-san, please draw one.
Takada: What are the odds here?
Ogata: About one in two thousand.
Takada: One in two thousand!?
There are two thousand people here right now!?
Ogata: We're completely sold out, after all.
Thank you very much.
Takada: All right.
(Looking at the ticket he drew.)
Um... first floor...
Ogata: First floor!
Takada: Row three.
Ogata: Row three!?
Takada: That's pretty close.
We can see your face from here.
...Seat 23!
Ogata: Seat 23!
Who is it? Number 23!
Ahhh! Congratulations!!
(The venue erupts in applause.)
Ogata: You are Ultimate Lucky. (laughs)
Congratulations!
Takada: That's a seat right in the middle!
Maybe it was already a lucky seat to begin with?
Ogata: Was this rigged?
Takada: Well, I could kind of see inside just now, so maybe I somehow made sure number 23 would win...
Ogata: As if! (laughs)
Takada: Hahaha. Impossible, impossible! No way.
Ogata: The fact that Takada-san managed to draw it is impressive in itself!
But congratulations!
Takada: Congratulations.
Ogata: Later, when you leave the venue, please show your seat ticket to one of the event staff.
They'll take care of everything there.
And!
For everyone here who didn't win!
For all of you who weren't Ultimate Lucky, there is still a second chance.
(The audience applauds.)
Ogata: Everyone here at the venue, and everyone watching the stream as well, don't worry!
From the end of today's concert until Friday, September 11, which is also the deadline for watching the archived stream, if you post on X using the hashtag #ダンガンロンパオケコン感想...
That's long...
The hashtag is #ダンガンロンパオケコン感想.
And "kansō" is written in kanji, not katakana.
Yes.
Two people who post using that hashtag will be selected at random to receive an autographed board!
(The audience applauds.)
Ogata: Now, those of you who are used to these kinds of giveaways might be thinking, "Maybe I'll have a better chance if I say something really nice," or that you need to flatter us a little.
But you really don't need to do that, okay?
There's no need. (laughs)
If you'd like to participate, we'd love it if you simply posted your genuine thoughts.
For all the other details, please check KADOKAWA's event account on X or the official announcements.
Thank you very much.
All right!
Now that we've finished with this kind of hiku...
(She makes a gesture as though drawing something from a box.)
...I'd like you to move on to the other kind of hiku.
(She makes a piano-playing gesture.)
Takada: Right.
Ogata: Go ahead.
Takada: Same pronunciation, different kanji.
Ogata: Exactly. The one with the different kanji.
Haha.
Please take it away.
And for some reason, something else has appeared over here as well.
(She gestures toward a newly set up guitar.)
From here, we'd also like to invite support guitarist Jun Fukuda-san, who actually performed on the original Danganronpa music, to join us.
Fukuda-san!
Oh, which side is Fukuda-san coming from?
(She turns toward the opposite side.)
This side?
Fukuda-san!
(Jun Fukuda enters, greeted by applause.)
Ogata: Thank you for joining us.
And with this incredible full lineup here onstage, I feel very humbled to say this, but I'd like to sing the theme song from Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair for you.
"Shukkō -departure-."
---
Next: Transcription and English Translation Part 5
I've been working while listening to the archive video of yesterday's orchestra concert in the background, but the orchestral arrangement of "Beautiful Lie" is so good that every time it comes on, I can barely sit still lol
It's seriously SUPER COOL 😭✨
I'll continue working on the transcript after I finish work... Chiaki's closing remarks were so cute, so I really want to transcribe them soon!
🎵 Danganronpa Orchestra Concert Transcript and English Translation 📝
See the full list of transcripts here.
③ Talk Segment with Ogata and Takada Part2
Below is a transcript and English translation of the talk segment from approximately 01:15:00 to 01:21:00 in the video.
(Ogata returns to the stage.)
Ogata: Wow... that was incredible! I mean, honestly, I'm just genuinely amazed!
(to the audience) That was amazing, wasn't it!?
(The audience applauds.)
I mean, of course I've always known how incredible an orchestra can sound, with so many people coming together and each individual instrument contributing to this huge collective sound.
But these days, for example, when I do recording work... Do you know what I mean by the number of tracks? People who work with MIDI probably do.
The number of tracks has gotten enormous.
Back in the day, recording setups only had 48 channels. You could only record 48 separate sounds.
But now it's completely normal for a piece of music to have 100 or even 200 tracks.
And even with all of that, when you hear something like this, where every single sound is being played live... "alive" might not be quite the right word, but each sound is being performed by someone putting their heart into it...
When all of that comes together, the groove and the sheer scale of it become something incredible.
It really reminded me of that all over again.
That was seriously amazing! Thank you so much.
(Takeuchi bows, and the audience applauds.)
Sorry, I might actually be the one enjoying this the most. (laughs)
For all of you too, I imagine hearing the music like this brought back the images and feelings you had while playing the games and made them even stronger.
And everyone watching the stream too! (She waves toward the camera.) Are you having fun?
Anyway, there's no point in me doing all the talking, so I'd like to invite Takada-san back out here again.
Takada-san!
(Takada returns to the stage as the audience applauds.)
Takada: Wow, that was incredible!!
Ogata: This must be a lot of work, isn't it?
Takada: It's amazing!
Ogata: It really is a lot of work!
Takada: Right?
Ogata: I mean, you're saying "It's amazing," but you've been involved in all kinds of things yourself, starting with supervising the whole project.
And when it came to the music, the arrangers were consulting with you quite a lot too, weren't they?
Takada: Yes. We actually had what we called an "arrangement meeting" pretty much every Wednesday.
There was a group of arrangers. About ten... maybe around ten of them?
I met with them almost every week, and we'd go over things in quite a lot of detail, saying, "Let's do this here," or, "Let's change that there."
Ogata: That's genuinely incredible.
There are plenty of other orchestra concerts for games and anime, of course, but I don't think it's that common to work together that closely.
Though I suppose part of the reason you were able to communicate so much and shape the sound in such detail is because you originally came from a classical background yourself, right?
Takada: Yes. It definitely helps that I can speak their language, so to speak.
But even before that, these pieces just aren't naturally easy to turn into orchestral music.
Ogata: Exactly!
Takada: Right. (laughs)
Ogata: If we're being honest.
Takada: So I thought there were probably things that only I could properly explain to them.
Ogata: Well, obviously! (laughs)
Takada: So I had everyone get together every week.
Which means, as long as I'm still alive, we could probably do this kind of thing as many times as you want.
Ogata: Every single week, though...?
Takada: Every week, yes. But it was fun.
Before the orchestra ever got involved, the arrangements would first be sent to me.
I'd look through them and write down every little place where I thought, "Hmm, this part isn't quite right."
Then I'd take screenshots, send notes saying things like, "I'd like this note changed," and prepare for the meeting.
Then during the meeting, I'd explain what my intention was and basically pour out everything I had to say.
Sometimes I'd spend almost an entire hour just talking.
So I imagine it was pretty tough for all the arrangers. (laughs)
Ogata: Seriously?
Takada: Yes. (laughs)
Ogata: Then we really ought to interview the arrangers too.
Takada: Probably.
Ogata: Oh, wait. Are their interviews in the program booklet?
(to the audience) Please buy the program booklet, everyone. Thank you very much. (laughs)
Takada: Hahaha.
Ogata: Anyway, setting that aside...
We've just heard things like the Monokuma music, and then that piece from when a body is discovered...
Takada: Yeah. Something happened.
Ogata: Sorry, I'm terrible at remembering the track titles.
Takada: I don't actually have them all memorized either. (laughs)
Ogata: Why don't you remember them!? (laughs)
Takada: The only names I really remember are the production numbers from when I was composing them, like "M-something."
So while we're talking, I'm thinking, "Was this M-8, maybe?"
But roughly speaking, at this point in the story, an incident has happened and things are starting to get ominous. That's about where we are now.
Ogata: Ahh... ominous.
(to the audience) Are you feeling ominous now?
Hehe. What's with all the looking away and nodding? (laughs)
Well, I'd actually like you to feel even more uneasy than that.
Anyway, we've now made it as far as the investigation section.
There are still all kinds of pieces coming up from here, so what would you say are some of the highlights we should listen for?
Takada: Well, an incident has happened, and by now the investigation has probably finished. We've gathered all kinds of things, and then we moved into some of the mini-games* for a bit.
* Referring to Logic Dive and Outlaw Run.
Ogata: Mini-games. (laughs)
Takada: And next...
Ogata: Some people who didn't play the minigames much might not have recognized those.*
* She probably misunderstood the term “mini-games” to mean games that players aren’t necessarily required to play.
Takada: Right. The mini-games have a pretty different flavor from the rest, after all.
I think the trial was next... I don't know for sure.
But it should be coming up pretty soon, shouldn't it?
Ogata: I wonder...
(She looks at the audience.)
I wonder...
Did you all like the trials?
Why are you laughing!? (laughs)
(The audience responds with applause.)
Ogata: Hehe. Right.
By the way, I was supposed to know the story already, so when I played through the investigation sections, I set the difficulty to the hardest setting.
But there were still plenty of times when I found myself thinking, "Wait, what was it again?" (laughs)
And I'm also bad at aiming those bullets you have to shoot, so I had a hard time making progress.
So I hope you'll remember things like that too as you listen to the music from the trial sections coming up next.
All right.
For the second half, I hope you'll continue immersing yourselves in the music of Danban...
What am I saying!?
I mean, Danganronpa!
(to the orchestra)
All right, please take it away.
Takada: Yes, please.
(Ogata and Takada temporarily leave the stage.)
---
Next: Transcription and English Translation Part 4
🎵 Danganronpa Orchestra Concert Transcript and English Translation 📝
See the full list of transcripts here.
② Talk Segment with Ogata and Takada Part 1
Below is a transcript and English translation of the talk segment from approximately 0:39:43 to 0:47:14 in the video.
After the first five pieces were performed, there was a short narration in Makoto's voice.
Makoto: Woooow! Haha! The ocean! Summer! What beautiful weather... H-Huh? Wait, wasn't there supposed to be a storm today*...?
* A major typhoon was approaching Tokyo on August 11, and the weather was actually quite bad. There was even a real possibility that the concert might be canceled.
That's weird. I mean, who brings a storm on a day with an opportunity this good!? Monokuma!? Enoshima!? Kodaka-san...!? Don't be fooled! Hope keeps moving forward!
(Megumi Ogata enters the stage.)
Ogata: Danganwa* , everyone!
* "Danganwa" was originally a greeting used on Dangan Radio, which Ogata hosted. It combines "Dangan" with the "wa" at the end of the Japanese greeting "konnichiwa" to make it sound like a greeting of its own.
Ah, it fell out. Excuse me.
(She puts her in-ear monitor back in.)
Once again... Ah, sorry. I guess I shouldn't be acting like this, should I? This is an orchestra concert, after all.
Everyone...
Danganwa.
(She says it again very quietly and coolly.)
(A few people in the audience laugh.)
What?
You're not really getting into it! Let's do a proper call and response after all. (laughs)
Everyone, Danganwa!
(The audience calls back, "Danganwa!")
A little more, a little more. Shimono* said this earlier too, right? He told you to be louder. (laughs)
*Shimono is Kokichi's Japanese voice actor.
DANGANWA!!!
(The audience loudly responds, "DANGANWA!!!")
Thank you very much!
Today, welcome to the Danganronpa ORCHESTRA CONCERT: Melodies of Hope and Despair.
I'm Megumi Ogata. I had the pleasure of playing Makoto Naegi, Nagito Komaeda, and... the Servant?
(She tilts her head, then gives a slightly awkward smile.)
It's a pleasure to be here!
(The audience applauds loudly.)
I'll be your host today, but right from the opening... Takeuchi-san... I'm amazed you were able to perform these pieces with an orchestra.
And, um, sorry! I don't mean because of your ability or anything like that, okay?
I just genuinely never imagined that these songs would ever be performed at an orchestra concert.
Takeuchi: Pretty good, aren't they?
Ogata: Yes. I was really surprised.
What do you all think!?
(The audience responds with loud applause.)
Yes. I'd like to ask you more about all of this later, but... Oh, right. Sorry for suddenly putting you on the spot.
First, let me introduce our conductor, Kento Takeuchi-san!
(Takeuchi bows.)
And our orchestra, Heartbeat Symphony!
(Bright lights illuminate the orchestra.)
We look forward to hearing plenty from you all day today! Thank you very much.
And now, I'd like to invite another guest to join us.
Takada-san! Please come on out!
(Masafumi Takada enters the stage.)
Takada: Everyone... Danganwa.
(He says it in a deliberately calm and composed voice.)
(Several people in the audience respond, "Danganwa.")
Ogata: (with an awkward smile) You're very quiet today.
Takada: I'm the composer, Masafumi Takada. Thank you very mu, mu, much for having me!
(He stumbles slightly over his words.)
Ogata: Ahaha. Are you okay? Are you nervous, Takada-san?
Takada: Mmm... just a little! But, well... I think I might be okay.
Ogata: You've got a very "composer" look going on today.
Takada: Yeah, yeah, exactly.
Ogata: I mean, sorry, you're always a composer, obviously.
Takada: (laughs)
Ogata: It's just that I usually only ever see you dressed much more casually, right?
Takada: That's true.
Ogata: Both of us, really.
Takada: Yeah. Basically, I just stay shut away somewhere making music... I don't really appear in public very often.
Ogata: You know, we might look flashy when we actually go out in public, but the work itself is pretty plain.
Takada: Very plain.
Ogata: Voice actors try not to make any noise while we're recording. You don't want clothes rustling against each other and getting picked up by the microphone, so tracksuits are actually perfect.
That's what we're usually wearing in recording studios, so it's unusual for us to see each other dressed like this.
Takada: (laughs) That's true.
Ogata: So anyway, tonight is all about listening to and enjoying the music of Danganronpa performed by an orchestra.
But seriously, I've been doing voice acting for a fair amount of time now, and I've had quite a few opportunities to see works I've been involved with, whether games or anime, have their music performed orchestrally.
But I always thought, "There's no way they'll ever do Danganronpa."
(The audience chuckles.)
Ogata: I genuinely thought that!
Takada: Right? Because when I was composing the music, it was around a time when more and more highly photorealistic games were coming out, and live orchestral recordings were starting to be used in games. More and more game soundtracks were using live instruments.
Ogata: It was late 2010... Wait, 2011? 2010? I think production was in 2009... No, maybe 2010.
Danganronpa was released at the end of 2010, right?
Takada: Yes. This was around the time when it had become possible to use recorded audio more richly in games, and I deliberately went in the opposite direction.
For Danganronpa, I specifically tried to avoid making it sound like a live orchestra.
Ogata: That's true. Games were getting larger in all sorts of ways. Graphics were becoming more elaborate, of course, but music and all kinds of other elements were becoming much richer and heavier too.
And, well, the theme was "psycho-pop," after all.
Takada: Right. Psycho-pop. And I've always liked techno to begin with.
Ogata: Ah, I didn't mean that in a weird way! Sorry, excuse me.
Takada-san can, of course, actually write this kind of music, everyone.
(She turns toward the audience as if defending him.)
You originally came from a classical background, didn't you? Or am I remembering that wrong?
Takada: That's right. When I was a student, I studied orchestral music like this.
So while supervising this concert, I found myself properly reading scores again for the first time in a long while.
Ogata: Full scores?
Takada: Full scores, yes.
Ogata: (to the audience) An orchestral full score has only a few measures on each page, with every instrumental part written out together.
(to Takada) You don't normally look at those very often anymore, do you?
Takada: I don't. And for the first time since I was a student, I found myself reading notes using German note names again.
You know, C, D, E, F, G, A, H, and so on.
Ogata: (to the audience) So, in Japanese terms, that's ド, レ, ミ, ファ, ソ, ラ, シ, ド.
And those become C, B... No, wait, that's wrong. C, D... Um, now I'm getting them mixed up.
Takada: You know, ド, レ, ミ, ファ, ソ, ラ, シ, ド...
Ogata: Right, right. And those become C, D, E, F, G, A, H, C...
Takada: Exactly. So when talking about chords, you'd get things like H, D, Fis... which would basically be B minor.
And then I'd end up mixing systems and saying things like, "シ, レ, Fis."
Ogata: (laughs)
Takada: Oh. I guess that joke doesn't really land unless you went to music school.
Ogata: Sorry! I'm so sorry. That was way too niche, wasn't it? There was absolutely nothing for you to laugh at.
Personally, though, the two of us here...
(She gestures between herself and Takada.)
...found it funny. (laughs)
But yes, we've both been getting back into the classical side of things for the first time in a long while, and we've really been enjoying it.
So today, we hope you'll sit back and listen to plenty of it.
I'd also like to ask Takada-san about all sorts of things later, but from here, we'd like you to enjoy even more of the Danganronpa series' finest tracks, arranged for full orchestra.
Before we get into the finer details later, Takada-san, could you tell us what some of the highlights of today's concert are overall?
Takada: Sure.
At the beginning, we started with "Welcome to Despair," followed by "Beautiful Days," "Beautiful Ruin (Summer Salt)," "Beautiful Lie," and then "Welcome to Dangan Island!"
From here, the setlist follows the progression of the Danganronpa games to a certain extent.
So the setlist is arranged as though... all sorts of things may be about to happen here inside this theater.
So, um, everyone... um... um...
(He checks the script.)
I'm saying "um" a lot, aren't I? (laughs) Sorry.
Um... I hope you'll be able to immerse yourselves in the concert while connecting it with your own experience of playing the games.
Ogata: All right.
Takeuchi-san, everyone in Heartbeat Symphony, please take it away.
(Ogata and Takada temporarily leave the stage.)
---
Next: Transcription and English Translation Part 3
🎵 Danganronpa Orchestra Concert Transcript and English Translation 📝
See the full list of transcripts here.
This transcript and English translation were created to make the concert easier to follow for people watching the video through the online stream.
The stream requires a paid ticket, but it will remain available until Friday, September 11. The concert itself was absolutely amazing, so if you're interested, I definitely recommend getting a streaming ticket while you still can!: https://kadokawa-contents-event.zaiko.io/ja/e/dangan15th-concert
① Opening Announcement by Kokichi (VA: Hiro Shimono)
At 0:16:57 in the video, the concert begins with the "ding-dong" announcement chime.
Below is my English translation of what Kokichi says from 0:17:02 to 0:20:10:
Hiii! Kokichi Oma here!
Thanks for coming to the big gathering of the evil secret organization D.I.C.E. today!!
Ehehe! Man, it's been forever since we had a gathering like this!
Huh? Today's the very first full orchestra concert in the Danganronpa series?
C'mooon! What are you talking about? I'm pretty sure everyone's ticket says this is a big gathering of a secret organization!
...Just kidding!
Y'know, cuz I'm a liar.
Well, the part about me being the supreme leader of an evil secret organization is true, though.
Oh, by the way! Before the Danganronpa ORCHESTRA CONCERT: Melodies of Hope and Despair gets started, there's something I wanna tell eeeeveryone!
First, no taking pictures, recording audio, or filming inside the auditorium!
We worked soooo hard, sweating and slaving away to put this concert together for all of you, so if anybody isn't paying attention to the performance...that would be...so sad...and disappointing... WAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!
Waaahhh! Waaah! Ah! Ah! Aaaaaahhh!
Oh, and make sure you keep an eye on your own stuff, okay? If you lose something, that's got nothing to do with me!
Also, don't use anything that gives off a bright light during the performance. Put your phone and anything else that might make noise on silent, and no phone calls either!
Oh, and no eating, drinking, or chatting with the person next to you!
Follow the rules, play nice with everyone, and let's enjoy the concert as much as we possibly caaan!
And if anybody does anything else I haven't mentioned that disrupts the performance or bothers the people around them...
You'll receive a very special punishment.
(in a very low voice)
Sorry, sorry! That was just a little joke!
Nee-heehee... Though maybe I wasn't lying.
And one last thing! In case of an emergency, the emergency exit signs inside the auditorium will be turned off once the performance begins, so you might wanna check where the nearest emergency exit is while you still can.
They'll light up again in an emergency, so if that happens, make sure you follow my underlings' instructions!
Okaaay! Is everybody ready!?
(The audience doesn't respond.)
...Hey! Are you listening!? Heeey!?
Are you ready!? Where's my "Yeees!"? Ready, set! "Yeees!"
(A few people in the audience answer, "Yeees!")
One more time! Ready, set! "Yeees!"
(The audience answers loudly, "YEEES!")
Mmm, good, good.
The concert's gonna start pretty soon, so you might wanna get back to your seat now.
Okay, then! Be good and wait quietly until the show starts!
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Next: Transcription and English Translation Part 2
hey there, sorry to bother you, but your post about the hundred line event mentioned you getting the Eito novel. Do you think you’ll upload any scans of it? No pressure obv and you don’t need to do it at all if you don’t want to, just that I haven’t seen anything about it expect the summary online yet and am honestly dying to read it lol. Have a nice day!
Yes, I do have it, but I don’t share scans of books or other materials, even when people ask, so unfortunately I can’t fulfill this request. There has already been an official announcement that Eito’s prequel novel may be made available online at a later date, so I think it would be best to wait for that.
By the way, if you want to avoid absolutely any spoilers, including even general impressions, I recommend not reading the rest of this message. But just in case you’re curious, here’s my very brief personal take on it:
I haven’t really looked into what other people think of this novel, so I don’t know what the general reception has been, but personally, my reaction was basically, “Hmm, this doesn’t really match my interpretation of Eito.” So it’s not something that made me feel strongly like, “You absolutely have to read this!” That said, I’m sure there are people who found it very interesting, so I think reactions to it probably vary a lot from person to person.
I hope the official version of the novel gets released soon so you’ll be able to read it yourself!
This is incredibly late, but thank you so much to everyone who celebrated my birthday! Thanks to all of you, I had another wonderful birthday this year.
I’ll put a more detailed explanation of this drawing below.
First of all, I have to apologize for where the macarons came from, because to be completely honest, they came from a misunderstanding. 😅 When I first saw the drawing Koneko (@koneko-chan-hai) made for me, I thought the things Nagito was holding on the plate were macarons. But later, I saw Koneko’s comment explaining that Makoto and Hajime were being given their favorite foods, and I realized, “Wait, are those actually kusamochi?” 😵💫
But I had already thought that it would be cute to draw a macaron tower using the background colors from Gabi(@dr2-hell)’s drawing, so I decided to go with this composition anyway. So at least the colors are connected to this drawing!
With that said, here are explanations for the other elements:
Makoto with the gold streamers tangled around his head → The streamers and the way he is sitting came from Gabi’s drawing. His embarrassed expression was inspired by Koneko’s and Rajaie(@rajaie)’s drawings.
Unfortunately for him, the gold streamers keep getting tangled around his hair as if his ahoge were a magnet, and he’s embarrassed about it.
Kyoko → From Koneko’s drawing. While secretly finding Makoto’s unlucky a little amusing, she’s helping him get the gold streamers out of his hair. I wish I’d expressed how much she was actually enjoying it a little more in her pose...
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Nagito → From Koneko’s drawing. I did wonder whether a butler shoving kusamochi into Hajime’s mouth was really appropriate, but this pose immediately popped into my head, so I just went with it. 😅
Hajime → Inspired by Koneko’s drawing. I made him look embarrassed about Nagito feeding him kusamochi directly.
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femHajime & Chiaki → Inspired by Alcibiade(@elfen-alcibiade)’s drawing. I added the Sylveon cushion because I read the comment about how Hajime might someday evolve into Sylveon after being showered with so much love from Chiaki, and I thought that was incredibly cute!
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The red gift box in the foreground → From the gift box Makoto was holding in Rajaie’s drawing.
The letter → I wrote it with @archsimp's thoughts about Makoto in mind, so I drew something like a Makoto sticker on the seal of the envelope.
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So that’s this year’s illustration! I drew fewer characters than last year, so I thought I’d be able to finish it much faster, but that absolutely did not happen. 😭 If anything, I think it took even longer than last year. Still, I feel like I was able to include everything I wanted to draw.
I hope everyone who sent me such wonderful gifts enjoys it!
I’m working on the thank you illustration for the birthday gifts I received, but it is still nowhere near finished 😬 At least I have already decided what to draw, so now I just need to keep working through the process of cleaning up the sketch. I think I will be able to post it eventually, but the illustration I had already been working on has been put aside for the time being, so I hope I can get back to it soon. 🥺
I had been debating for quite a while whether to post a progress update on that other illustration, but I might as well share it:
I have a lot of things packed into this week, so I hope everything goes smoothly!
Sorry I'm late! I don't check social media very often these days, and I haven't been drawing much lately either. Funny enough, today I had this feeling that I'd forgotten something... and it turned out to be your birthday! (I hope I was not too late~)
I hope you had an amazing birthday and that the year ahead brings you lots of happiness, inspiration, and success. Thank you for all the hard work you put —it always brings a smile to so many people. I truly hope the future has nothing but bright things in store for you!
Sorry again—I think I forgot how to draw after being away from it for so long.
Stay safe, and I hope to see more of your wonderful work in the future~~
Aaaaaah, this is absolutely adorable!!! It's way too cute!! Aaaaaah!! 😭😭💖💖💖💖
Thank you so much for giving me such a wonderful birthday gift again, Rajaie...!! I knew you haven't been checking Tumblr very often lately, so I honestly wasn't expecting to receive anything this year. That made it such a wonderful surprise...! And on top of that, you drew such an adorable Makoto for me!! ( இ﹏இ )♡ He is seriously so unbelievably cute that I completely lost my composure the moment I saw him!!
I also absolutely love the way you shaded the folds of his clothes. It looks incredibly cool! :
I actually happened to draw an illustration with a somewhat similar pose recently, so when I saw yours I thought, "Wow, this is exactly what I should be aiming for!" 🥺✨
Hearing your story about feeling like you had forgotten something, and then realizing it was my birthday, honestly means a lot to me. I'm truly honored that I came to your mind that way. 😭✨ Thank you as well for all the kind words you said about me.
Actually, one of my personal goals has always been to become the kind of person people say, "Oh, you're still around!" about, so I don't think I'll be leaving the DR fandom anytime soon! Still, hearing you say those things really means a great deal to me and gives me a lot of encouragement. 😭
I also know you haven't had many opportunities to draw recently yourself, so I'm genuinely touched that you took the time to make this for my birthday. I imagine you've had a lot to deal with, including your health, and I truly appreciate the effort you put into it. This piece is absolutely wonderful, and I'm always happy whenever I get to see your artwork, so I'm looking forward to whatever you create next as well.
My birthday has already passed, but thanks to this illustration, it truly became an amazing day. I will treasure this drawing for the rest of my life. 😭✨
Please take good care of yourself, Rajaie, and I hope you have a wonderful day as well. I'll do my best so I can draw even more pictures in the future!٩(｡•̀ω•́｡)و
Thank you so much to everyone who sent me birthday wishes! 🎁💖 Thanks to all of you, I had another wonderful birthday this year.
I know that some people send birthday gifts a little later each year, so I just wanted to mention, just in case, that I have already decided on the composition for the thank-you illustration. Because of that, it may be difficult to include anything I receive from this point onward. However, please still feel free to send me a message if there is anything you would like to share. This is always true, not just for my birthday!
I believe the previous thank-you illustration took me about a week to finish, and this one may also take a little while. I am hoping that I will be able to show it to you around August 2!
I hope everyone reading this has a wonderful day! ✧.｡.:*
最近無気力気味で絵を描く時間もなかったので昨日からアサカさんの誕生日に向けて何らかの形で共有出来ればと思っていた最近苗木誠っていいなって思わせるようなシーンについて語ればと思っています好きな場面、セリフなどOKでしたので👉👈Um but I'm not sure if it would make sense if it were a post at least since I don't think it's much so I thought it might be okay if it was an ask...
Personally, I think Chapter 4 of Danganronpa is my favourite in the game (and maybe in the series? that's more debatable) and a big part of it is the role that Aoi Asahina and her grief plays into the story, but I especially like Makoto there because he's on Sakura's side from the beginning, and when he's in the class trial facing Aoi and finds out the truth behind her actions, he doesn't shun or judge Aoi like Monokuma thought would happen, and instead tells her it's over after the truth is uncovered-- or rather, that it should be over, and that he has to put an end to it.
I think it's a really good transition to Makoto's will to settle the case by putting it all together, and to me it comes across like he wants to put an end to Aoi's lie not for his own sake, but for hers because he can acutely feel her pain and grief. So then I feel like the fact that Makoto is empathetic to Aoi throughout the class trial where he even regrets just not having noticed that Aoi would have been the first person to dash to Sakura when she was found is very memorable to me because it also connects well with the way that it wants to show that Makoto understood Aoi's emotions as opposed to Byakuya, and also that Makoto is the character who gets to the heart of the matter when it comes to each chapter in the killing game because despite the weight of Aoi's actions, he doesn't blame her and instead can understand her feelings. I think that's something impressive in conventional standards, and it gives me a very earnest impression of Makoto. I remember a lot of Makoto moments very clearly in my head from Chapter 4 in particular, and I feel like the chapter wouldn't have been the same without him. When I think about him, I think about this chapter very often...
Thank you very much for your contributions to this community and I hope you've been doing well! Or that at least you were able to feel special on your birthday 🥰
After you mentioned that, I listened to the line again, and the way he says it really does make it sound as though Makoto’s own pain is seeping through his words too 😭✨
I also think the acting throughout this trial is especially good in the anime adaptation!
Looking back on Chapter 4, I feel that it is especially significant because, in all the previous chapters, the students who caused the trouble, meaning those who committed murder, were executed, so everyone never had to continue living with them afterward. Chapter 4 is different because Aoi, who deliberately misled everyone, survives and remains one of their companions. It also feels like the story’s biggest turning point, as everyone begins to shift toward the idea that the real enemy is not the student who caused the trouble, but the mastermind behind the killing game who created this situation in the first place.
Something I noticed when I replayed DR recently is that the first game spends the most time showing the final surviving members acting together as a group. Their bond is portrayed with a lot of care.
I love SDR2 as well, and I think it tells a wonderful story, but the surviving members only really begin acting together during the final chapter. For most of that chapter, it feels less like everyone is cooperating as a team and more like each of them is individually confused and struggling with what is happening. They do eventually come together during the final part of the last class trial, but the game does not spend much time showing them acting as a united group. Of course, we can assume that the survivors cooperated after waking up from the NWP.
In DR, however, Makoto clearly declares during the Chapter 4 trial that the mastermind is the only enemy they should be fighting. Byakuya also announces that he is withdrawing from the killing game. Then, by the beginning of Chapter 5, he is already taking charge of everyone in the dining hall first thing in the morning. I really like that the game gives them a meaningful amount of time together after they have decided to unite.
So then I feel like the fact that Makoto is empathetic to Aoi throughout the class trial where he even regrets just not having noticed that Aoi would have been the first person to dash to Sakura when she was found is very memorable to me because it also connects well with the way that it wants to show that Makoto understood Aoi's emotions as opposed to Byakuya
Exactly! I also think this is one of the most brilliantly written parts of the story. 🥺💖 Considering Aoi and Sakura’s relationship, Makoto’s observation that it was strange for Aoi not to immediately rush over to Sakura when they found her makes complete sense. It is also easy to understand why he wonders, “Why didn’t I realize that something was wrong at the time?”
From as early as Chapter 1, Makoto believes that Sayaka would never have attempted murder if she had not been placed in such an extreme situation. He consistently views the murders as something caused by the circumstances they have all been forced into. However, Chapter 4 is especially memorable because he explains that Sakura’s death made everyone realize that they were companions who should be working together. Makoto is addressing the other characters, but as a player, I also feel completely persuaded by what he says!
To me, Makoto is genuinely such a cool character. He certainly has plenty of cute qualities too, but there are so many moments when his words make me think, “The fact that he can state something like this so firmly at a moment like this is exactly what makes him so cool.”
Compared with Hajime, who has more human and relatable weaknesses, Makoto can seem almost too emotionally mature for a protagonist, which some people find makes him more difficult to identify with. Personally, though, I feel that Makoto embodies the kind of person I would want to become. When I read his words, I feel as though he is guiding me forward in the same way that he guides the other survivors. Ahhh, he really is such an exceptionally special and beloved character to me. 😭💖
Thank you as well for your kind words to me! Receiving such a wonderful ask made this feel like an especially memorable day. (⁎˃ᴗ˂)
You mentioned that you have been feeling somewhat unmotivated lately, so I sincerely hope that you regain the energy to do all the things you want to do! 本当にありがとうございました！💖
