Dandandangan Ronpa!
Welcome to Super Dangan Ronpa 2! The options on the main menu are helpfully in English, so I don't even have to translate them! START GAME!
Message
If you possess save data from the previous game, you can receive a humble present by loading it. Do you want to load saved data?
Hey, I just recently finished the first game! Also, presents are always fun.
(The present is 100 Monobear coins, by the way)
...And here's the second main menu. That's a lot of question marks. The first option says "From the beginning", and the last "Options". There are no interesting options to show, so let's choose the former.
Much like the first game, we can select difficulty levels for both logic and action. Unlike the first game, choosing a higher difficulty actually makes the game challenging, even if you're not trying to get a good score. Nevertheless, I'm doing this the hardcore way again.
Music fades out, sound of waves splashing.
Hey...
Can you hear me...?
Hey, are you alright?
...You sure look exhausted.
I am too, you know. We all are.
I mean... With all the crazy stuff that happened...
............
...Hey, are you listening?
….........
...What...
...I don't... understand...
Why am I here...?
What happened?
OK... Don’t panic. First thing’s first. I have to remember...
Keep calm, work my brain, and unravel my tangled memories.
Stop worrying and think! Think, think, think, think, think, think.
There are shards of memory everywhere... but I think I can piece together what happened.
...Yes...
...Come on...
That's right. I'm...
I... am...
Super Dangan Ronpa 2: Goodbye Despair Academy (Youtube via Polsy)
Beautiful Days [Piano Arrange]
That day wasn’t just another regular day for me.
No, it was much more significant than that.
As I approached the day I had anticipated for so long, my heart began to swell with a pride I still can’t put into words.
I was about to join a community I had revered ever since I was a child.
My dreams were about to become reality, and my reality felt like a dream.
"Hope's Peak Private Academy"...
This is no ordinary school. Nothing about this place is “ordinary”. Not least its importance to me.
You know how a young baseball or soccer fan thinks about their favorite team?
It goes beyond mere support... it borders on worship. Like a religion.
Well, ever since I was young, I’ve held that same kind of reverence for Hope's Peak Academy.
Hope's Peak Academy is located on a prime piece of real estate, and has special approval and rights from the government.
The school gathers together high school students from around the country who are top in their respective fields, and prepares them to lead the world into the future - to bear the hopes of all humanity.
When people talk about Hope's Peak Academy, one particular phrase always comes up:
"Graduating from this school leads to certain success in life"...
I can say with confidence that this is not a joke or an exaggeration.
Many of the top players in every kind of field and profession are graduates of Hope's Peak.
Because of this reputation, people have come to refer to it as “The Academy of Hope”.
There are two requirements for becoming a Hope's Peak student...
"One must be a high-school student"
"One must be top in their respective field"
Hope's Peak Academy doesn't hold entrance exams, or even accept applications.
You don’t go to them - they come to you. Enrollment is by invitation only.
Then, in accordance with their particular skills...
...Every Hope's Peak student ends up being called a "Super High-school Level" something or other.
And, at long last, I, too, am able to attend this wonderful school. My heart’s wish had been granted.
To tell you the truth, the circumstances in my case are slightly unusual.
...But that's a story for another time.
Honestly, I don't think it's such a big deal. You'll find out for yourselves soon enough.
More importantly, let me introduce myself.
Honestly, I’m not so special to warrant a formal introduction, and whenever I'm asked to give one I get terribly embarrassed...
But since it's customary, I thought I'd let you hear it.
My name is Hajime Hinata.
Our protagonist, Hajime Hinata (日向創 ) is voiced by Minami Takayama. Takayama is best known for playing the young version of Conan Edogawa in Detective Conan/Case Closed (this makes both of the Conan Edogawa voices have roles in the DR universe). She was also Kiki in Studio Ghibli’s Kiki’s Delivery Service, and has played many, many other roles in her 20+ year career.
I have one and only one reason for coming to Hope's Peak Academy. I revere this school.
It represents everything I have ever aspired to become.
Yes, I pretty much worship it.
My lifelong dream has always been to attend Hope’s Peak Academy, so I, too, could stand proud...
That has always been my one and only ambition...
That has always been my one and only ambition...
Always always always always always alwaysalwaysalwaysalwaysalwaysalwa
Music stops.
ysalwaysalwaysMeMyselfconsciousNonIndividualityembarrassinguniformityjustwhatHopeI
talent▲individualitybrokenPprobably■finallyIalways○DdomyBestmydreamcomestrue~+i*
H...Huh...?
...What's going on?
...It's a door.
There's a door here.
...But, more importantly, I’d better hurry.
I mean, I should go into this classroom.
..."Should"?
Why? When did I decide...
No! There’s no time for this! If I don’t hurry...
Huh.
Beautiful Ruin
............
...Huh?
............
...Who are you?
...Eh?
Um... are you quite alright? Your face appears most pale...
I... I’m...
Hey, maybe... Did you also just enroll here?
...Ah! Are you all...?
Yep! That’s what it looks like. We're the new students here.
So these are... my classmates?
Then... I’m inside Hope’s Peak Academy? But that’s...
They’re probably gathering all the new students in this classroom.
We're being... gathered?
...Oy. How about you at least come into the room?
Eh? Oh, excuse me!
...Why am I suddenly speaking politely?
They may all be "Super High-school Level", but they're also my classmates...
That's right... First impressions are essential! I must act dignified!
And so, as I tried my best to hide my nervous state behind a blank expression...
...I closed the door behind me, and took an empty seat in the classroom's back row.
............
My dignity aside, though... what the hell just happened?
Before I knew what was happening, there was a classroom door in front of me...
It was as if I’d been drawn there by something...
But... how did I come to be outside this classroom?
I can't remember...
Something... is strange.
Um, can I ask a question...?
...What is it?
Why did you all gather here in this classroom?
I don't remember being told to gather here... Are we having the opening ceremony or something in here?
I was just thinking about discussing that matter with everyone.
...You were?
You don't mind, do you? It seems we are all here, so we might as well talk about it.
Eh?! This is everyone?! How d’you figure that, huh?!
There are sixteen desks in this classroom. Now that he's here, there are sixteen of us.
It doesn't take a genius to figure it out.
So, what should we talk about?
Does anyone know why we've all been gathered in this classroom?
There's one thing I want to ask first.
Does anyone here recall actually coming to this classroom?
Eh?!
We all looked at each other's faces.
Each one wore a startled expression. Not one person raised their hand.
Before I knew what was happening, I found myself here... It seems everyone here is the same.
This is not natural. Your stupid faces tell me that you agree.
That’s... that’s strange, you're right. If no one here can say how they came to this classroom...
...wait, what do you mean, "stupid faces"?!
As soon as I entered the school I was inexplicably struck dizzy, and then inexplicably found myself outside this classroom.
That was my experience. Was everyone's the same?
I...It was just like that for me too...
Eh?! It wasn’t just me?
Everyone getting dizzy at the same time... that’s kinda suspicious!
I...It's very unlikely to be a coincidence, isn't it...?
Which means it isn't one.
...Eh?
In other words, this strange phenomenon had some kind of a purpose behind it.
What he’s saying makes sense, but...
What purpose is being served by this? And for who?
I don’t like this...
Ku...! We’re skipping ahead here. The dizziness isn’t the only issue.
What else is there?
I mean we should tackle the details before we look at the big picture.
Before we try to figure out why we've been gathered here, we need to figure out why we can't leave.
Huh? Whadd’ya mean we can't leave?!
Eh?! N...No way!
He ran up to the door in panic, and pulled on the doorknob with all his strength.
* rattle rattle rattle *
I...It won' open! Why won' it open?!
...Eh?! What's going on?!
Right after we came here, I felt an urge and figured I’d go use the crapper...
But that door wouldn't budge an inch!
The hell’s goin’ on?!
If I couldn't open it with all my strength, you guys don't stand a chance.
Ehhhh? Why won't it open? Everything's gone weird!
S...She's right! Everything's weird!
I mean, when I came in here the door opened easily... It didn't feel like it locked behind me when I closed it...!
I don’t know the details...
But for now, it seems we need to accept that we're locked in.
...Locked in?
Re: Despair Syndrome
W...What's happening...?
I felt my body becoming heavy.
Severe anxiety began pushing down on both my shoulders.
I don’t like this. At all. Somethin’ shady’s goin’ on...
Or maybe... Maybe this is some kind of an "entrance exam"?
An entrance exam? At Hope's Peak Academy?
But... I had thought Hope's Peak Academy beyond such...
Maybe that's just what they say publicly, and there’s actually a special secret exam once the students enroll...
Music halts
Ah! That's not it! This isn't an entwance exam!
...What was that, just now?
Hey, Fatso... Don't go making baby voices...
I don't feel like arguing about my body weight right now, but that voice wasn't coming from me.
...Huh? So, who was it?
Um, it was meee!
WHO IS IT? WHERE ARE YOUUUUUUU?!
...Isn't it coming from behind that podium?
Behind... the podium...?
Bingo! It seems everyone’s here, so wet's begin!
Click for video! (Youtube via Polsy)