Rise and Shine, Ursine! Yeah, I know this is late, but life, y'know? Thankfully, we've got the longest chapter yet to make up for it, right? Right? Special Note: I'm actually playing through the first game now, instead of binging LPs of the series, and I'm chronicling them via my DeviantArt account, so check that out if your interested. My handle is "SoulfulGinger17". And without any further ado, lets give it everything we've got! Iiiiit's Sinning Time!

Everything Wrong With "Boy's Life of Despair- Class Trial"

(spoilers)

(duh)

(from the ticker) ""The bizarre class trial begins again. Why was Chihiro murdered? Is the killer hiding within the group?" "No, they're secretly part of a mysterious enigmatic group that have not so much as been hinted at throughout the game." *1 sin*

"Is there any help to be found in this series of murders...?" "I know this is meant to be a reference to the Genocide Jack killings, but outside of content, this cones off as super vauge and weird." *1 sin*

"Also, only 16 Truth Bullets vs the previous case's 18? How the Hell do I have less evidence going in than in the first case?" *1 sin*

(Monokuma goes over the Class Trial rules) "Why do you need to do this? The characters already know this and I already know as well, so what's the point? I'll sin not only for this, but every other case in this game, just to avoid repetition- unlike some bears. *5 sins*

(Discussing the murder weapon) "Really, a Non-stop Debate for something as easy as this? This could easily have been a "Choose the evidence" moment, but no, we totally needed to waste time to waste a Truth Bullet." *1 sin*

"Taka: "What kind of "blunt instrument" could it have been!?" Hiro: "I bet it was an iron pipe!"" "You didn't notice the blood-covered dumbbell right next to the body!?" *1 sin*

"Also, see my earlier point about wasting a debate on something so simple. It's one thing if it's the tutorial, but after that and it's just lazy." *1 sin*

"Hina: "You...looked at her head wound?" Hifumi: Kyaah! That's so creepy." "No, it's actually trying to look for information. Don't label her just because it's something that you wouldn't personally do. Especially you, Hifumi." *2 sins*

"Also, I forgot to mention this in the previous part, but honestly, take a look at the dumbbell, particularly it's weight, then take a look at the group. Now, judging by this alone we'd be able to narrow it down to a small handful of people by simply thinking "There's no way X would be able to lift this, it's too heavy, but maybe Y or Z could." But no, then we wouldn't have a plot." *1 sin*

"Byakuya: "Chihiro's killer is the fiendish serial killer, Genocide Jack!" "I forgot this came up so early in the trial. I assumed there'd be a bit more putzing around before Byakuya spoke up." *No sin, just observation*

"White noise. It exists. It really shouldn't." *5 sins*

"Hifumi: "Hey, so, speaking of Genocide Jack... I don't know who that is!"" "I know I say this a lot, but just shut up, Hifumi. You freaking dumbass." *1 sin*

"Byakuya: "The first is that a bloody message is found written at the scene of every murder." Hifumi: "Oh, that's right! "Booblust"!"" "What did I *just* say?" *1 sin*

"Mondo: "Never made public...? What the Hell is it?" Byakuya: "Why don't you tell them, Makoto?" ""Tell them, Naegi" cliche." *1 sin*

"Though I will say I like how in this part of the trial, Makoto is deliberately helping out Byakuya just so that he can reveal him as the killer later, which was in turn all part of Byakuya's plan. Convoluted as all get out, but pretty clever at the same time." "Minus 1 sin*

"Makoto: "Apparently, in every Genocide Jack case, the killer suspends the body in a certain way."" "Real talk, why can't they just up and say that he was crucified? Like, they have no problems with the whole "teenagers killing each other" thing, but the localization team draws the line at saying that crucification was involved in something? As someone raised Catholic, let me tell you, you get desensitized to hearing that quickly." *1 sin*

"That being said, we can stop flashing back to the shot of Chihiro's corpse any time now." *1 sin*

(The Hangman's Gambit) "The is a pretty infamous moment, but for good reason. Schizophrenia is not the same thing as Multiple/Dissociative Identity Disorder. Schizophrenia means that one hears/sees things that aren't there, MPD referred to well, multiple egos inside the psyche. A better choice for this should have been "Split" which gets the point across the same way, but more accurately." *1 sin*

"Also, here's a thought, guys- Don't have any letters in the word already spelt out, especially when there's only six to begin with." *2 sins*

"Makoto: "They thought that the suspect might have...what did they call it? "Dissociative identity disorder."" "They even say the actual name of the disorder, making the choice of words for the HG make even less sense!" *2 sins*

"Byakuya: "What she's trying to say isn't, "How can you know all this?" No, what she wants to know is, "How could you tell them?""" "I feel bad for you, Toko, but what did you think he was going to do when you spilled that on him? I might've told too, honestly." *1 sin*

"Toko: "Nggh...I hate you..."" "Unfortunately, this scene of Toko realizing that Byakuya is a backstabbing asshole does not lead into anything interesting because she goes right back to being his bitch after this. Because Kodaka really needs that "lol, stalking" joke quota." *5 sins*

"Byakuya: "Well, the opening act is nearly finished. All that's left is to hear from the person in question directly."" "You heard him right, people. Byakuya is deliberately triggering Toko into switching personalities to prove his point. That is just so disgusting I literally punched my couch when I first saw it. And he doesn't even get so much as a "What the fuck is wrong with you!?" for it! And remember, we're supposed to be *happy* that he joins the party later on." *1 sin*

"Also, I know it's part of his plan to incriminate BYakuya and he doesn't want any attention on himself that could risk that, but Makoto shows no sign of sympathy or anger about Toko being outed. Even a quick internal "I'm really really sorry, Toko, but I have to let this happen." would've been fine." *1 sin*

" I'm the Ultimate Murderous Fiend, Genocide Jack! Or better yet, let's go with Genocide Jill!" "I love how Jill not only gives herself an Ultimate title, but even gives a more gender-specific name for her to go by. It's a hilarious introduction to be sure." *Minus 1 sin*

"Monokuma: "How dare you try to link me to that creepazoid!?" "Y'know, what does it say about you that even *Junko Enoshima* thinks you're fucked up?" *1 sin*

"Jill: " Imagine you go to a fancy Italian restaurant. They're very picky about the noodles, the sauce, everything. But what happened to Chihiro... It'd be like if that same Italian restaurant started using Ragu or Chef Boyardee!"" "These pasta references happen more than once." *1 sin*

"Jill: "Like I said, I'm a professional. So naturally I'm very picky about the tools I use!"" "And these OCD tendencies are supposed to exonerate you... how?" *1 sin*

"Jill: "... it'll be plain as death why I couldn't have possibly killed that little loli girl!"" "I didn't know people actually called others stuff like "loli". How about I start calling random dudes "bishonen"? Yeah, sounds stupid, doesn't it?" *1 sin*

"Jill: "I'm just a full-throttle boy-on-boy fangirl! "" "And yet she does very little about how Makoto and Byakuya look like they're about to go at it every scene they share." *1 sin*

(Jill shuts up Byakuya) "God, I love this character." *Minus 1 sin*

(Jill reveals her scissors) "When and how did she get the time and equipment to create scissors from? Did Toko have them on her the whole time? I don't think Junko and Mukuro are that irresponsible or stupid- y'know what, I'm thinking too hard about this when I can easily just sin." *1 sin*

(Class Trial: The Sun plays) My favorite song from the trials. Why did I not point this out last time?" *Minus 5 sins*

"The Truth Flashback mechanic is the most pointless thing ever. Even the Hangman's Gambit makes some kind of sense. This, I genuinely forget exists with how little you use it and how unimportant it is." *3 sins*

"Mondo: "Hell yes that's what happened! So that's it, right? Byakuya's the killer!"" "Okay, this- along with a couple other things further into the trial- really doesn't sit right with me. Mondo really doesn't care if he's caught or not right? He feels plenty guilty for killing Chihiro but doesn't want to speak up to prevent his (Chihiro's) gender from being found out. Then, why is *he* pushing for Byakuya being the killer? It makes him come off worse than he should and makes him look like an idiot for speaking up unnecessarily, which screwed over Leon last time." *1 sin*

(About switching the crime scene) "It's fascinating to me that Byakuya never once thought about the crime scene being switched, nor that nobody else thought so. It's a bit of a stretch I'll admit, but not even a line from say, Kyoko (who had plenty of time to check out both locker rooms) to verify Makoto's theory." *1 sin*

"Still, I'm really digging how forward Makoto's being in this trial. He's presenting valid arguments complete with proof, deduces things pretty quickly and with the proper evidence and and it doesn't feel all that forced. A much needed step-up from 1-1." *Minus 1 sin*

"Kyoko: "...Hold on a second. I agree with you, though. I think you're on the right track."" "Kyoko ex machina." *1 sin*

"And why did she wait a few minutes to reveal this instead of right when the subject of Chihiro's handbook came up? Did she really want to wait for the most dramatically high moment so it'd grab more attention?" *1 sin*

"Makoto (internal): "So before I even knew what was happening, the class trial had been put on hold... We headed off, with Kyoko in the lead. And where she took us was..."" "Narration." *1 sin*

"Also, not sure to sin or not re: this scene being fully voice acted. I get it's integral to the story and it's technically part of the trial, but this series is always picky about what and what not to VA." *Does neither*

"Hina: "B-But you're a girl. You shouldn't have to touch a dead body. Just let one of the boys do it..."" "That's sexist." *1 sin*

"Jill: "What is this, some kind of secret girl-on-girl action!? Is that what you two are about!? Hina: That's not it at all! Stop screwin' around!"" "Aoi Asahina would be great at CinemaSins." *1 sin*

(Chihiro's gender reveal) "This isn't bad as far as gender twists go (Hell, it's one of the few really good ones, I'd say), but on principle, I have to sin. *1 sin, sorry Chi*

"Everyone's reactions to this are kinda rubbing me the wrong way. Like, I'm no SJW, and if it turned out a good friend of mine was secretly another gender, I'd be a bit surprised too, but there's no need to be so over-the-top about this. Plus, because plot we miss out on a potential scene of Mondo reacting to the others' reactions. Would've been nice to see him threaten Jill when she says she wished she killed Chihiro after she found out about the crossdressing or something like that." *1 sin*

"I know it was for the greater good, and I think her silence when Monokuma deduces it is supposed to mean something, but Kyoko doesn't seem all that bothered about outing Chihiro. Makes her worse than she's intended to be." *1 sin*

"In general, between Makoto and Byakuya outing Toko and Kyoko outing Chihiro, as well as some other moments throughout the case, I wonder if there's supposed to be some sort of commentary over the ends justifying the means in this chapter? Either way, I don't feel it's very fleshed out here. *3 sins*

"Byakuya: "Well...I must admit, I did find it rather odd... I knew he felt a little...off."" "Oh bullshit, quit trying to save face." *1 sin*

"Makoto: "Well, without a doubt Byakuya's the one that made Chihiro's death look like Genocide Jack did it. But...but I... I think he might not actually be the killer after all."" "Boo. Boo! I boo at this turn of events!" *5 sins*

"Byakuya: "So that's your thinking, huh? Well, it bothers me that you don't have more concrete reasons, but..."" "He's trying to save you, asswipe. The least you could do is be grateful." *1 sin*

"Byakuya: "He's right. I am not the culprit."" "Don't think you can so much as *pierce* the esteemed plot armor of Byakuya Togami!" *1 sin*

"Byakuya: "I just happened to come across the corpse in the girls locker room, and decided to alter it." *10 sins*

"Hiro: "Damn straight! Count me in!" Taka: "Do you not have a mind of your own!?"" "Kiyotaka Ishimaru would be great at CinemaSins." *1 sin*

"Hiro: "I'm sure if someone saw the killer, they woulda said something by now..." "Yasuhiro Hagakure would be great at CinemaSins." *1 sin*

(About the jacket and bag) "Like I said last time, why does nobody just ask who was in charge of the trash room at the time of the murder? Just ask Hifumi who he gave the key to and you'd get Mondo right then and there." *1 sin*

"No, instead Kyoko decides to talk about the jacket because then we wouldn't have a plot. Ultimate Detective, everybody." *1 sin*

"In general, between this and the first half of the case dealing with Byakuya's shenanigans, this trial feels pretty bloated. Like, it feels as if Kodaka really didn't want the second trial to be super short, but couldn't find a way to end it without just having Mondo confess. For all my bitching about the first trial, at least everything there felt pretty well-paced and wasn't bogged down by too much (by comparison) bullcrap." *1 sin, because this is far from the worst example in the series, this game included*

(The slip-of-the-tongue gambit) "This would've been so much better if they didn't have Kyoko all but spell it out for the hint at the end of the debate. Because Godforbid Makoto get too smart, right Kodaka? Way to make my compliments earlier look stupid." *3 sins*

"Also, slip-of-the-tongue gambits in general." *3 sins*

"Also also, why does Mondo say Chihiro's track suit was blue anyway other than "lol, plot"? Why is he even bothering to keep up the charade now that Chihiro's secret is out of the bag? He clearly feels bad about it, and was fully prepared to die, so what gives? Why did Mondo have to be a killer anyway, Kodaka!? He was one of my favorites!" *3 more sins*

"Celeste: "The only one I told about any of this way you."" "And Kyoko too, apparently. Because how else could she have sensed that Mondo knew what color it was?" *1 sin, no I'm not salty, where are you getting this from?*

"Celeste: "Ah, now I understand. It was all one big bluff, wasn't it?"" "No, game, acknowledging it doesn't make it any less stupid." *1 sin*

(Playing as Kyoko for the questionnaire) "There's no reason for this. Just reword the questions and you could easily do this as Makoto. I guess then we wouldn't get to see how all-knowing Kyoko is- except for how the entire second half of the trial has shown exactly that. I say this as someone who *loves* Kyoko, by the way." *5 sins*

"Because I hate him." "Hahahahaha..." *Minus 1 sin*

"Kyoko: "Maybe you didn't notice it, Mondo, but you tend to refer to men and women differently. You only call guys "dude." For girls, it's "chick". And after he was killed, you happened to refer to him as "dude."" "I'm not sure if this is the case for the Japanese version, but I'm calling so much bullshit on this. Mondo has done something like this a grand total of like, twice. And I know plenty of people, myself included, that use "dude" to refer to women. For example, "Kyoko, dude, for the Ultimate Detective, you're pretty stupid."" *1 sin*

"Kyoko: "It's true, my reasoning on that is pretty shaky." Makoto: "Th-That was fast..."" "Makoto Naegi would be great at CinemaSins." *1 sin*

(About Chihiro's e-Handbook) "Oh hey, Makoto's allowed to do something again. Y'know, when the game lets him, Makoto honestly isn't that bad of a lawyer/detective. It's just that the game really doesn't want him to be too smart because Heaven forbid we pass a chance to make Kyoko a Goddess at the trials. It's sorta like Apollo in AJ:AA, but arguably not as bad (I still have four more chapters of this to prove me wrong, after all). With this and stuff like 11037, it's no wonder Kotes gets a shit rep. This game does him dirty in ways not even Kyoko does." *3 sins*

"Monokuma: "The temperature in the sauna can reach over 200 degrees. Strange how you don't get burnt, huh!? It's because as your sweat evaporates, it creates a cooling layer of air around your skin! If the hot air of the sauna were somehow punched directly onto your skin, you'd definitely get fried! That layer of air would get blown away. That's why you may feel a burning when you move around. So when you're in a sauna, make sure to keep nice and still!"" "Random science lesson is random." *1 sin*

"Hifumi: "That is a mere trifling speck of knowledge!"" "And you're a trifling asshole, Hifumi, what's your point?" *1 sin*

"Taka: "Gh...! Nrgh!"" "Oh, don;t you do this, game... Not Taka..." *No sin, too busy weeping because I know this is going to end*

(Showing the proof to Taka re: Mondo's e-Handbook) "If only Rebuttal Showdowns were a thing in the first game. Because all these Nonstop Debates feel like even more padding." *1 sin*

(Taka's insistence on Mondo's innocence) "I know Taka's FTE clear this up by explaining why he bonded with Mondo so quickly, but a) I should not need supplementary material to understand something in the main series (like say, Final Fantasy 13); b) In all honestly, Mondo and Taka's bromance has only been a thing for two days in-universe, and hasn't really been focused on. If there'd been more time to develop it, I'd accept this better, but it hasn't been. So I can't.; and c) Penis." *3 sins*

"That being said, Sean Chiplock's acting *really* helps this out, because I can feel just how heartbroken and desperate Taka's feeling right now." *Minus 1 sin*

"Byakuya looks so scary in the Closing Argument's Thoth-esque artstyle. Just saying." *1 sin*

"And so does Mondo." *1 more sin*

"Monokuma: "In case you're wondering, the vote was NOT unanimous. Kiyotaka chose the wrooong answer!"" "I know that there's a reason for the almost-always unanimous votes, but I wish we had more cases where there's split decisions, or maybe consequences for voting wrong like in the stage play." *1 sin*

"I like the reveal of Chihiro's and Mondo's backstories, but it is kind of an infodump. Still, to sin or not to sin...?" *Does neither*

"Chihiro's backstory really drives home how gender roles are the worst and we need to disabuse it from the youth whenever possible. That being said, how did dressing up like a girl improve anything? Wouldn't he still get shit if the kids in his schools were really that awful?" *1 sin*

"Monokuma: "On the contrary, he tried to hide and buried himself further and further into that weakness to take on the fragile form of a petite young girl. He had chosen that as his way out."" "No, it's obviously because he was really just a girl trapped in a boy's body, or that he actually liked to dress up as a girl. That obviously makes more sense than what you're saying." *No sin because this isn't on the game, but Jesus H. Christ, it's been eight years since the game came out, and people are still missing the point of Chihiro's arc, even when it's spelled out eight in front of them.*

"Monokuma: "Annoyingly, he used the threat of discovery to motivate himself to become stronger!"" "Junko, you've known him for two years, you should've seen this coming." *1 sin*

"Chihiro: "Now's my chance... I'm going to get stronger...and accept who I am... Strong enough so that when someone says "even though you're a boy" I'll be okay. I'll get better!"" *Minus 1 sin*

"Monokuma: "So he went and asked Mondo to help him become strong!"" "Dammit, Mondo... He trusted you with his deepest secret, something that has been eating at him for years! And you... you..." *5 sins*

'Kyoko: "So, he tried to protect Chihiro's secret by putting him in the girls locker room and stealing his handbook."" "Yeah, that's pretty cool of him, but y'know what else would've been cool- confessing to the crime as soon as that ship sailed. So, I can only retract one sin here." *Minus 1 sin*

(The story of the Diamond Brothers) "I'm not gonna cry, I'm not gonna cry..." *Minus 1 sin, like for real, I actually am fighting back tears*

"So Daiya literally died to save you, and you're response was to let his name go through the gutter?" *1 sin*

"Mondo: "I was...jealous. I was jealous of Chihiro's strength."" "Let me get this straight, you killed somebody who risked his most valuable secret, completely betraying his trust... out of jealousy and blind anger. You. Are. Pathetic." *10 sins*

"Chihiro: "I-I'm not making fun of you. You really are strong, Mondo..."" "This is the worst part; Chihiro did *nothing* wrong. Sayaka might have been driven insane, but she still planned to kill somebody and frame another for it. Chihiro? He accidentally triggered Mondo at a bad time. *sniffs*" "No sin, still sniffing*

"I will admit, I like how Mondo is being handled here much better than Sayaka and Leon were. We learned his point-of-view from the whole thing and got to see his reasoning, but Kodaka made sure to emphasize where and where not to feel sorry for Mondo. His situation sucked, he certainly didn't mean to kill Chihiro and Daiya, he went out of his way to hide the little guy's secret for Chihiro's sake, he tried keeping the CDs together in Daiya's honor and ultimately accepted that he fucked up on every end. But he still betrayed and murdered someone who admired him to the point of revealing his true gender (which was not easy to go through with internally, I imagine) for a very stupid reason, his actions led to his brother's death and he ultimately got his whole reputation- complete with Ultimate title- on a lie that spat on the face of Daiya's memory. Unlike some *other* killers/would-be killers, he isn't made out to be a martyr, just a human who really screwed up when it counted." *Minus 2 sins*

"Monokuma: "Ahh-hahaha! Look at him! You see? You're all just like him! For a secret from the past, for a memory... For that, he killed another living human in cold blood!"" "This. Fucking. Guy." *5 sins*

(Taka's breakdown) *Minus 1 sin while sobbing*

"Mondo: "... Sorry, man... I couldn't keep the promise we made... from one man to another..."" "I wonder who he was talking about her? Daiya, Chihiro, Taka, all of them? Either way, it's a great last few words for one of my favorite characters." *No sin*

"Of course Monokuma's wearing a pompadour during this. Why wouldn't he?" *1 sin*

"Seriously, all of Mondo vanished, even his clothes?" *1 sin*

(About the butter) "Fun (for want of a better word) fact: This kind of death can actually happen, though Mondo would've probably suffocated under the motorcycle's g-forces before the electrocution and the outcome would be more like a chunky salsa. Still, though, what the fuck, Kodaka!?" *1 sin*

"And was the pancake scene really necessary?! That's just overkill!" *1 sin*

"Byakuya: "What a disappointment. This is the end of the game?"" "This. Fucking. Guy." *10 sins*

"Byakuya: "Isn't it obvious? Because it made things more interesting."" "So, I went through all that bullshit with Toko, defended your ass when the heat was on you, and almost died because everyone else was willing to vote for you if not for Kyoko's intervention... JUST BECAUSE YOU GOT OFF ON IT!?" *15 sins*

"Byakuya: "Well obviously I would have revealed the truth before it reached that point."" "And you honestly think anybody would have believed you!? After admitting you screwed with the crime scene- desecrated the body of the most innocent person in the game, backstabbed the one person who gave a damn about you and openly triggered her personality shift for the lulz on top of it... Then again, I guess that's what Makoto was for; an alibi. But still, you are a fucking moron." *5 sins*

"Makoto (internally) "Byakuya turned and looked me in the eye. I could feel his sharp eyes piercing into me..." Byakuya: "... And I was able to perform an interesting experiment. Once I do decide to become blackened, I now know who I'll have to watch out for."" "I know this is speaking from hindsight, but this would have been a great use of foreshadowing Byakuya murdering and Makoto catching him, and a good lead-in to a game-long rivalry... *but* nothing comes from this, so his low-key threat is just there to scare us into think Byakuya might do something other than talk trash." *3 sins, I'm actually disappointed right now*

"Byakuya: "Let me just say this... After I have achieved complete victory...you're up next."" "if this is your attempt to make me like Byakuya after he just admitted to screwing the crime scene up for kicks, then start re-thinking." * 1 sin*

(Monokuma talking with the spy) "Actually interesting and well-done foreshadowing, especially the "three sizes" bit, well done." *Minus 1 sin*

Sin Total: 154

Punishment: The Cage of Death

And that (finally) wraps up 1-2! Not my favorite case in the game (we'll get to that soon), but it's still fucking outstanding. The mystery is pretty well-written, the choice in victim and culprit make sense and are fairly well-developed, Byakuya's tampering the crime scene while mainly just there for filler, added a layer of intrigue, it introduces Genocide Jill, what more could I want? It does have some issues (the slip-of-the-tongue gambit, Kyoko's general OPness in the second half, Byakuya turns up the Cunt-O-Meter to 11,000 and suffers no repercussions for it and the padding is really annoying), but it's definitely a step-up from 1-1. Now, onward to... 1...3. *sighs and grabs a bottle of whiskey)

So as always, tell me what you liked/didn't like and don't forget to fav and follow!

Until next time, ja ne! Have a beauuuuutiful day!

- Brian