Continuing from my previous post!
There was even a corridor where sprites were lined up in a style reminiscent of Panic Talk Action.
The very first one that caught my attention was this Rantaro:
Did he ever make that kind of expression? The way his eyes are drawn is incredible, and I absolutely love it!
I am also fascinated by how his jawline extends slightly farther than usual!
Some people might think it is simply shading, but personally I feel it is a line Komatsuzaki added to give a sense of force or momentum.
Around Hajime’s left ear (the right side from the viewer’s perspective), the sideburn area looks almost confused, as if the skin tone and hair color are blending together. Was it actually like this in the in game sprite? I thought I had observed his sprites quite carefully before, but I had never noticed it.
Looking at this Nagito sprite, I realized for the first time that vein lines appear to be visible on the back of his hands:
His eyes are fantastic here, aren't they? The expression is so well drawn:
I find it fascinating how Komatsuzaki reflects emotional instability even in the outline of the iris and the eyelashes.
When Ibuki looks sharp and determined, even her eyelashes seem to become pointed 😆
Here is Mikan, whose face is slightly cut off because she happens to be positioned at the edge of a display board 😅 But I really like how the outline of her tears is tinted red (pink?).
I was surprised at how beautifully Sonia’s ribbon brooch was rendered, even when viewed from extremely close range:
I still think this Leon sprite is truly outstanding:
In interviews it has been mentioned that Leon was the first male character whose design was finalized. Looking at this sprite, I almost feel that it determined the overall artistic direction, as it contains so many elements that connect directly to Komatsuzaki’s later style.
I truly love how Komatsuzaki uses every possible element of a character to convey emotion. Taka’s distorted irises and the many creases drawn into his tightly pressed lips are great.
To be honest, when I first played Danganronpa and saw these unique expressions, I didn't immediately think they were amazing. Especially since Danganronpa was released after Ace Attorney, I assumed it was just imitating the brilliance of Ace Attorney's character expressions. It wasn't until later that I realized its brilliance. In many modern expressions, the portrayal often feels highly symbolic. In contrast, Komatsuzaki seems to have thought through from the ground up how to depict an expression of agony, how to depict an expression of anger. It's only recently that I've come to feel this approach is incredibly valuable.
When Mondo gets angry, not only do the whites of his eyes become bloodshot, but crack like lines are even added to the irises 😆
It is not realistic for lines like that to appear in the iris, but I believe that using even elements that would normally remain unchanged is exactly how Komatsuzaki expresses emotion.
There were many other characters I wanted to see up close, but I didn't have enough time.
The last area where photography was permitted was the exhibition on climax reasoning.
That concludes the photos of the exhibition itself.
I purchased quite a bit of merchandise as well, so I will share that next!
