Not rly an intro cuz the main info you need to know is in my bio, but here’s my DNI. I’ll block you’re any of these but especially the ones underlined with red.
So I've been playing an indie game that just came out called Mesmalie.
This game caught my eye due to the really cool looking art style.
You play as a guy learning magic from this cute witch which you can totally trust 100%. This game has multiple endings and lots of unique environmental interactions and surprises. (You can burn shit, pretty much.)
The funniest part of this game is that you always have the option to click the top left icon and leave the story.
Doing so will trigger a game over sequence. There are multiple unique game over sequences depended on where you are in the story, seeing them all counts towards 100% and they can be amusing.
Anyway, that's all I will say about this game. I don't want to spoiler anything else as this game has a ton of surprises that you have to see for yourself. It's less than $10 on Steam so pick it up now if you want to play something new. Also the music is very good.
Does Kodaka's book mention anything interesting about the process of character creation + development for his games? That's always one of the most interesting things for me, to see why certain decisions were made, why certain decisions were not made and what could have been, etc.
Yes, there are quite a few remarks of that kind! What I am about to explain is not limited to what appears in his book, but rather a synthesis of various interviews I have read. Kodaka often mentions that he “adjusts things at the end so they line up,” especially when it comes to character creation.
For example, Makoto Naegi is described as being “a little more gung-ho than other people,” but according to Kodaka, this personality trait was actually added after the recording for the final Class Trial scene between Makoto and Junko had already been completed.
(He mentioned this in an interview for the 10th anniversary.)
After listening to the passionate performances by Ogata and Toyoguchi, he decided to emphasize the contrast between hope and despair by adding a line that hinted at Makoto’s potential as the Ultimate Hope. As a result, the line appears in Makoto’s initial self-introduction in the game, but it has no voice.
Kodaka seems to make frequent use of this technique—taking advantage of the fact that not every line in Danganronpa is voiced—and revising dialogue later to suit the story’s needs.
Another example: Junko is described as having “easily bored to an unhealthy and abnormal degree,” but this trait was added while he was writing the final Class Trial. He realized that the explanation had become excessively long, so he introduced the idea that Junko gets bored easily. This allowed him to cut explanations abruptly and shift her tone of voice from one line to the next, which helped keep the player from losing interest.
There is also the well-known point, mentioned in the artbook, that Gonta’s traits—“loving insects” and “aspiring to be a gentleman”—were added later. His initial concept was simply “a boy with a fierce, wild appearance but a gentle nature.” Kodaka added the more specific personality details to make his kindness clearer.
Kodaka does not decide every aspect of a character’s personality from the beginning. He often alters traits to suit the story or a particular trick. He has also stated that he does not give every character a detailed personal background. One type of question he finds the most difficult is “Why did this character become the way they are?” In particular, he has been asked many times why Junko ended up with her personality, but he finds it hard to answer because, in his view, Junko “was simply born that way.” He does not imagine any family or external influence shaping her into who she is.
(Personally, I think this aligns very clearly with what Junko herself says at the end of DR:THH, and Danganronpa Zero also suggests that her actions were already rooted in Ultimate Despair traits from childhood. I can only interpret it that way as well.)
Similarly, he does not assign a precise reason to every line or action. In his conversation with Uchikoshi in Danganronpa Kodaka, he says:
“I include philosophical elements such as hope or despair simply because I think it makes the story better. It’s not that I personally believe that hope always pushes you forward or anything like that. When I’m asked, ‘Why did you choose that development for this scenario?’ I never have a good answer. The truth is simply that I thought it would be more interesting.”
Japanese (original): 希望とか絶望とか、人生哲学的な要素も入れ込みますけど、そうした方が良くなると思っただけで。別に希望は前に進むんだとか僕自身は思ってないし。『今回のシナリオはどうしてああいう展開にしたんですか？』とか聞かれてもロクな答えが出てこなくて。『単純に面白くなると思ったから』っていうただそれだけなんですよね。
Below is my personal opinion.
I think Kodaka is able to work this way precisely because he generates new ideas at an extraordinary speed. Most people, once they think “This is a good idea,” tend to cling to it. Kodaka does not give that impression at all. He seems to have no hesitation about discarding a thought he once explored.
I believe this is also reflected in the way many elements end up differing from their original assumptions. For example, in DR2, there was a stage where Chiaki was intended to be the mastermind and Akane the heroine. The Danganronpa series contains many such cases in which the final product diverged significantly from the initial concept.
Although he writes in a very casual style, he frequently mentions in interviews that he revises his scripts heavily: “People think I can write quickly, but in reality I rewrite a great deal,” and “I’m the type who keeps making adjustments until the very last moment.”
(He said this recently as well, in interviews for The Hundred Line.)
Noxia (@noxiatoxia) once pointed out that some lines differ by a single character between the in-game version and the beta screenshots shown in an article published before the game’s release:
💬 0 🔁 11 ❤️ 31 · I received this comment on my post about how Komaeda uses filler words from @spinecurlingmice (hope you don't mind the @
I believe this is a good example of Kodaka making small adjustments right up to the deadline.
Ordinarily, writers tend to protect their favorite character concepts or keep wording they spent time on. Kodaka does the opposite: if he intuitively feels that something would be better if changed, he changes it immediately. His willingness to revise—whether in character creation or in scenario structure—seems consistent throughout his work. I think this flexibility is one of the reasons his characters and stories reinforce each other so effectively and end up so compelling as a whole.
While only a portion of the quote from Danganronpa Kodaka is included, I hope you find it interesting. Thank you for asking!
[Image ID: A picture of a bee and a wasp, both labeled. Both are colored yellow and black. Facts are listed about each one in their respective columns.
Bee:
Cute and fuzzy, like a friend
Make honey
Come in pretty colors with different occupations (blue orchard bee, carpenter bee)
Pollinators!
Freeloaders who will come build hives in the walls of your house
Communicate with dancing
According to all known laws of aviatin, honey bees can fly up to 15 mph
Like sweet things
Over 20,000 species--not just honeybees!
Wasp:
Cool and sleek, like a motorcycle
Prey on pests
Come in pretty, iridescent colors (ruby tailed wasp)
Will try to mooch off your drinks (so check your cans!)
Pollinators!
Leave you paper nests that you can sell to collectors
Communicate with smells
Like sweet things
Over 30,000 species--not just [kind I hate]
At the very bottom, in smaller text, is the URL bug-maniac.tumblr.com. /End ID]
I love Junpei Yoshino from jjk so much I love him so much he needs more appreciation. So what if he only has four episodes to his name? They're all peak fiction and I love his interactions with both Yuuji and Mahito so so so much he's just a really compelling character imo. He's such an interesting and down to earth arc to throw into the middle of the season about how society turns a blind eye on those struggling, also he's a really direct allegory for school shootings and his and Mahito's relationship can easily be read as grooming. If junpei had no fans I'm dead. Junpei haters count your days. Also now that I'm thinking about it, Yuuji drags nobara and megumi to go watch human earthworm four in the cinema BECAUSE OF JUNPEI. I'm actually not okay about this. He tells junpei that he's not seen a movie in cinema in a while and Junpei offers to go with him but uh... Obviously that plan fell through, but Yuuji goes and watches the movie they were talking about in cinema anyway. Oh my god. Im not even a big jjk fan or anything I just really like junpei. The way he tries to convince himself that he's better than his bullies because he doesn't hate them but then ultimately gives up on it and brings the pet jellyfish equivalent of a gun to school??? I love Junpei Yoshino so much. He's so neglected by every figure of authority in his life that he clings onto the sketchy guy who morbidly disfigured three people right in front of him. My god. The way he paused in shock when mahito says he's really easy to talk to has me sick to my stomach because I bet you that's the first positive thing he's heard in a while. The way he wears his hair to cover the cigarette scars in order to not let his mum in on his problems because he thinks she already has enough on her plate. They could never make me hate you junpei. Junpei's ops are my ops
Look at himmmm he literally only deserves good things until the end of time. I fucking love Junpei Yoshino.
The most sinister part is that if they hadn’t included a picture (yk, like how Amber Alerts don’t?) nobody would be able to find him off that description. Fuck transphobes.
i'm in Ireland and the search for that bastards name is still blocked and hidden... the legnths the british go to defend and protect their instruments of colonialism and violence is beyond belief. no justice for the victims and yet every measure taken to protect David James Cleary and his fellow murderers.
snowghoul
izzy806
prguitarman
amandla
discoholicmusic
