Score: 8.5
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Version: Subbed
Episodes: 13
Where I watched it: Funimation
Synopsis: Danganronpa: The Animation is based off the game Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc. Makoto Naegi was accepted to a prestigious high school, Hope’s Peak Private Academy. It is a school who only accepts Super-High-Level students in all fields. Naegi was selected out of a lottery of “normal†students, meaning he is the Super-High-Level-Lucky student. But as soon as he takes his first step onto the school grounds he passes out and awakens inside. He finds that all the windows are covered with iron plates and a huge vault-like door blocking the way outside. He meets up with 14 other students who know just about as much as he does.
They are greeted by their witty, maniacal, and teddy bear-like principal Monokuma. He informs them that the only way to graduate and leave the school is to secretly murder the fellow students. After a murder there is then a class trial and if the murder is discovered and found guilty then they are executed but if the murderer gets away with it and the wrong person is accused then everyone but the murderer is executed.
My Thoughts (spoilers): I’ve’ve been looking for a good murder mystery anime for a while now. I know there’s Case Closed (Detective Conan is you prefer) but I wanted something else. Don’t get me wrong I like Case Closed; I’ve seen quite a few episodes. Anyway this was what I was looking for and I enjoyed it.
Going into it wasn’t sure I was going to like it but after episode 3, which is after the first murder and first trial I knew I was going to like it. I liked that fact that one episode was dedicated to story then the murder happens and the next episode is the trial. What I did not like was the little time dedicated to them investigating the murder and collecting clues and evidence. After the first murder and trial it there was only 20-30 of investigation then boom trial. So the audience never got the chance to come up with our own hypothesis about the murderer’s identity. Well I guess you have to play the game to really experience that.
I really liked the murderer execution scenes. That sounds creepy, I know, but the art style was pretty cool. It goes into this flat paper like art style. And each execution was suited the one getting executed. For example the Super-High-Level-Baseballer was pelted with baseballs from a pitching machine.  Also the blood in this show wasn’t red; it was like a hot pink. I guess to get lower TV rating or maybe it was hot pink in the game too, I don’t know.
The ending didn’t make much sense to me. Well not the ending but how remaining students deduced who the mastermind was. Their explanation on how Naegi figured it was kind of weak and seemed like a bit of a leap. And how the mastermind became the mastermind made no sense whatsoever and they says it two or three times.
This anime wasn’t too short and it wasn’t too long it was right where it needed to be. Now that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t like to see more, because I would. Having never playing or even seen the games I’m going to assume that Danganronpa 2 is a new cast of characters minus Monokuma which is what I would like to see. There was a bit of a teaser after the credits of the last episode of a female Monokuma poking her head out and saying “I would love to meet you†kind of thing. I give this anime a 8.5.
