WolfAngelus

Either watch this alternating between the Arcs like this Ep1-Future, Ep1-Despair, Ep2-Future, Ep2-Despair, etc (The same method as the intended airing pattern) or after viewing the Despair Arc entirely. After both Arcs, view the Hope Episode.

What started off as quite interesting and good went somewhat downhill due to who was killed off when, and the overall concept behind everything. The deaths weren't emphasized or glorious like the punishment time theme from the original.

I found this season and arc to be a bit dissapointing and not nearly as good as the original Danganronpa. It was decent and reasonably entertaining, but the spark and atmosphere that the first season displayed are not present here. The killing game this time just wasn't anywhere as good or mystery focused as the original. The ending result and cause behind it all was the issue for me, it just didn't show the same level of creativity or had the same element of surprise. The other issue that tied into this factor is the characters. They just were no where near as interesting or had personalities that stood out greatly, and one of the greatest features of Danganronpa is its wacky cast. There was also a severe lack of Monokuma time who is the mascot for the series and really enhanced the enjoyment.

The last negative point that stands out and is a mystery in itself is why the animation style isn't like the rest. This arc does not have its signature neon pink blood, instead it is the standard red. The art style and coloring just weren't here, it just lacked the same feeling and was too different. The Despair Arc had the proper color usage so there is no reason to have changed it.

The story in itself would make little sense without watching the Despair Arc before or alongside it. It wasn't as suspense filled or mysterious. The original season built expectations that weren't followed up with the Future Arc. There are some gaps and questions that would be filled by playing the 2nd game, but it isn't too hard to follow and understand the general idea without it, so long as you watch the original and Despair. I thought it was decent overall and had a chunk of the elements there, such as twists, the who concept, and turning on one another. It was just the result and cause of it all that was the problem for me, the concept behind everything just didn't seem anywhere close to logical.

Four characters we know from the original season return, one of which is not really part of it though, along with many others who you won't really know until they are explained in the Despair Arc. This time there is more than 1 "hope", each with a different perspective on how to achieve this and raises the question of if it is really hope, or a form of despair. This theme is what holds everything together and kept it interesting enough to be decent.

Overall this Arc started off great, especially compared to the Despair Arc. However, it went downhill gradually and just didn't quite live up to what the original season had going. The twists were decent and the overall Arc was decent, it just wasn't excellent. The original formula/concept, art style, and characters is what first comes to mind when you think of Danganronpa and this Arc just didn't quite fit into that theme. The lack of the jury system I would say is the greatest loss here.

Review of Original Season ; Scored 9.5
Review of Despair Arc ; Scored 8
Review of Hope Arc ; Scored 3.8