Thursday, August 8, 2013
by: Maria Annabel Perez
A twisted anime about a sadistic bear and a handful of high school students armed with their wits and killing intents -- Dangan Ronpa could easily rival the dark, mysterious themes of Persona. It circles around the mishaps inside a certain abandoned institution called Hope's Peak Academy. Ironically, only the Academy's tenants know of the possible horrors that occur within the four walls of the school. After their lives are sent down in desperate spirals by a mastermind named Monobear, they are all forced to play a game of do-or-die. In this game, they must kill a fellow student and leave behind a corpse (possibly without any supporting evidence). After that, a trial will be held in which all of them are allowed to guess who the culprit is. If they guess correctly, the accused will be executed in the most morbid of manners. If not, they all die, leaving only the culprit to graduate and escape the academy in peace.
Apparently, the anime is not only gruesome as it also contains themes that are psychological, meaning there's bound to be a character whose way of thinking is out of the line.
If you're into mysteries and murders, this one's for you.
Rating: R-13 for violence, gore and language.
Genre: Horror, Murder Mystery, Psychological
Status (August, 2013): Currently Airing/In Progress
