Update 76
: Today’s one of the last days we’ll actually get to play the game. It’s all cutscene from here on out.
: Trust me when I say the school festival is fucking TORMENT. I recorded it last night and it made an hour feel like three weeks. It’s also the exact point when the game goes to shit.
: The "Student Sharing Special’ is truly the worst part of it. I was having flashbacks to YIIK the entire time.
: “The absurdity of it all… ‘Who exactly are the Phantom Thieves?’ That’s what we want to know. We really have no clue what method they’re using… killing someone without directly interacting with them is like magic.”
: Or, you know, a drone strike.
: “Speaking of magic, did you know that there’s magic in math too? A magic square! It’s a square in which adding up the numbers in any row, column, or diagonal gives you the same total. Kurusu-san. Please look at this.”
: There’s something I realized last update that I didn’t mention, but Kawakami is the only teacher who calls Joker “Kurusu-kun”. You’d think people would realize something is up there.
: “That’s correct. It’s easy once you know which numbers fit in the squares.”
: “In a 5x5 square, there are more than 200 million. Can you believe that? If you had to choose, would you try to find the Phantom Thieves or solve 200 million magic squares? I’d choose the magic squares, hands down.”
: “They might both be magic, but magic squares can be calculated. And math doesn’t kill anyone.”
: You know, apart from ballistics. Or artillery strikes, which use triangulation. Or guided missiles.
: “Having everyone out there looking for the culprit is getting me down…”
: “You don’t need to keep mentioning it. We’re doing this to keep suspicions off of us, remember?”
: “Goro Akechi… this one too. Akechi.”
: “They’re mostly the same over here as well.”
: “Everyone’s so eloquent when they can be anonymous. It’s like they never accepted us to begin with.”
: “It would be nice if you did some work too, Ryuji-kun. You came to help us count these, right? Come on Leader, can you tell him too?”
: “We’re gatherin’ information too. Y’know, like, online and stuff.”
: “I guess that’s one way of saying it..”
: “Whoa, look here… this ain’t good.”
: “Criminal profiling? The acts of thievery committed by the Phantom Thieves are mere fakes. And their true goal is… murder!? Every heart they changed before Okumura was just a warm-up!?”
: It’s like the writers forgot the whole “Mental shutdowns were happening for over a year” thing.
: sigh “So now they’re accusing us of being a bunch of killers…”
: “This is so effin’ stupid! Dammit!”
: “We have the results. First place is Goro Akechi.”
: I like to think of this part of the game as the part where the writers realized “Oh shit, we really don’t have a plot yet, do we?” and rushed to cobble something together.
: “What!? Akechi!?”
: “What’re you so surprised for? We’ve been mentioning him this whole time.”
: “Seriously? Not some singer or an idol?”
: “It’s because of us that his popularity has skyrocketed.”
: “I knew people would vote for him, but this is way more votes than I was expecting.”
: “It would be best for us to avoid inviting such a clear danger upon ourselves… I’d like a little more time to think about who to ask…”
: “That reminds me… how is Futaba-chan doing? She seemed like she was looking into something on her own… has she told you anything?”
: “It’s not that I don’t trust her, but…”
: “Even one clue would work wonders for us. We should let her continue with her own investigation. I hope she finds something…”
: “Even though my opinion has been met with criticism, I’ve held fast that the Phantom Thieves are not just. However.. I believe the recent series of suspicious deaths is unrelated to their actions.”
: “This doesn’t change the fact that they are indeed a dangerous group. That said, I would like to express that immediately linking them to this case is far too hasty. There are many questions to be answered here… it feels as though there is more to this.”
: “I wonder why the sudden change.”
: “What’re you staring at your phone like that for? Oh… are you going through a breakup?”
: “Don’t let things get complicated, okay? Having to keep dealing with that stuff later on is a pain… by the way, you haven’t been causing any trouble, have you? I heard the police showed up at your school…”
: "As long as you’re not getting involved… "
: We’re going to spend the next two nights with Ohya because we need to unlock her Mementos request.
: “Thanks to my quota… and that shithead chief. But I made some progress on my personal investigation. I did some research on the Phantom Thieves. I’m starting to get the impression they might actually be the real deal.”
: “No signs of an internal power struggle, no dirty money changing hands… it almost seems like all this recent negative press was fabricated. There’s no actual proof to support the claims. And I mean, you’re still a fan, right?”
: “Honestly, the more I get know about the Phantom Thieves, the better I understand them… I can relate to their sincerity. They remind me of how I used to be.”
: “I already know firsthand that fighting the evils of society is a never-ending, thankless job… but I still do it nonetheless. I bet the Phantom Thieves share that same type of passion.”
: “Maybe… I mean, he is a pretty big fan of theirs, so…”
: “Yes, this is Ohya. That’s right… what? You found Kayo…!? What do you mean, you can’t tell me!? Why the hell not!? Hey! What’s going on!? Wait!”
: Could it be that this is a gigantic ripoff of Persona 2?
: “That was one of my journalist friends. He thinks he found Kayo. He followed up on a string of pretty far-fetched rumors for me, but now he’s saying he doesn’t want to get involved.”
: “…Dammit! Why the hell won’t he tell me what’s going on!? I can’t just give up now!”
: “Wait… you’re the one who pressured my contact to keep quiet?”
: “What!? Are you trying to kill me!?”
: “Don’t talk about Kayo like that… don’t you dare! If you even think about talking shit on Kayo again, I won’t hesitate to beat the living crap out of you!”
: “Shit…! This had to happen just as I got a new lead on Kayo… What should I do? Should I go knock him out!?”
: They absolutely should’ve put in a scene here where Ohya solves her own problem by kicking the shit out of her boss. Fucking cowards.
: “Hmph. I know I’d be playing right into his hands if I let him get to me, but… god dammit! No. I need to stay calm. I can’t give him any more reason to fire me.”
: “Just stay calm and think.. arghhh! This sucks! An even greater quota is gonna be a problem.. but I can’t give up now! I promise, I won’t stop fighting! I’ll prove it to you with another great article!”
: “Exclusive: The Phantom Thieves, Stealing Hearts and Changing Lives! sigh Sorry. I really will try and calm down now…”
: That headline is two words away from being Jill Stingray’s catch phrase from VA-11 Hall-A, and honestly her and Gay Joker would be a pretty sick crossover.
: “…I’m still frustrated though. All that bullshit he said is really getting to me. I wish I was better at controlling my emotions. Like you are.”
: “I’ll just work twice as hard! I should be fine as long as I keep getting good info from my favorite source here. Oh, that reminds me! Lemme hear all about today’s scoop.”
: “You’re really the only reason I’m still surviving through my crazy quota. And… it honestly helped that you were there with me earlier.”
: “If you hadn’t been there, I would’ve just gone full blast on the chief, and that would’ve been it… but I finally got a lead on Kayo. I’ll do whatever it takes to find her…!”
: “Right! I’m not gonna let this crap get me down! I’m made of tough stuff! Watch me, Chief Shithead! You’re gonna be crying at my feet!”
: “Still, I do have my limits. I gotta do something about this insane quota… well, I’ll come up with something. You just focus on getting me new info, okay?”
: “Okay, see you soon. Niiight…”
: I believe this is the first time we see Makoto’s winter casual outfit.
: “Regardless, I thought over the matter of who we’re going to invite for our school festival… I’m considering asking Akechi-kun.”
: “For real!? Weren’t you talkin’ about how you didn’t wanna draw danger to us or whatever?”
: It’s because she’s THE SMART GIRL. I mean, she’s only fucked up two plans already, how much worse could it possibly get?
: Also, I found this screenshot of what I think is the dancing game which kind of exemplifies how I see Makoto.
: I just imagine her making this fucking expression every time she does the whole SMART GIRL thing.
: "I understand this is dangerous. But without a powerful source of intel, we won’t be able to win against the police network. And I can no longer rely on my sister for information…’
: “Bold move. I’m surprised to hear that suggestion coming from you, Makoto.”
: Let me show you exactly what I mean.
: “Did you see his press conference yesterday? One of his comments defending the Phantom Thieves stood out to me. ‘There is more to this.’ I think he said that knowing for certain that the Phantom Thieves would be watching.”
: “Still, there will be so many other students at the school festival… what are the odds of success?”
: “It’s a gamble. And the odds are less than favorable… but we can no longer afford to hesitate.”
: “What are your thoughts? Should we invite Akechi-kun?”
: We can’t even fucking disagree with her.
: “I’m not… but, we have to do this. Is everyone okay with that?”
: “I’m good… whatever he says has gotta be more reliable than what I’ve been able to come up with.”
: “It would be reassuring to gain him as an ally, rather than simply a source of information.”
: “Hold on, how’re we even gonna get in touch with him? It’s not like we got his contact info…”
: “For real!?”
: “Could you send that my way, please? I’ll contact him right away.”
: “I gotta say, I’m really not big on this Akechi deal.”
: You know what would have ruled? If Atlus had done something so that people who played the base game didn’t have to sit through this shit a second time. This is easily the worst part of the game.
: “Now’s no time to be petty.”
: “Just think of him as a source of intel, nothing more.”
: "I have a response already. He says, ‘Let me think about it.’ "
: “Wait a sec. Didn’t he say he wasn’t gonna do any more stuff for the media?”
: “That’s likely why he’s so hesitant.”
: “What’re we gonna do if he turns us down?”
: “I’ll keep trying. It may be frustrating, but he’s all we have at the moment. We need him to do it, no matter what.”
: “We’re counting on you, Makoto.”
: Tonight, we have to see Mishima again.
: “Huh!? W-Well, actually… I was just gonna say the same thing. I mean, going after him wouldn’t even help you guys get famous. It’d practically be pointless.”
: “Oh… I get it. Of course a thief who steals hearts would see what’s going on in the depths of my psyche.. you know, I first started the Phan-Site so I could spread your message of justice to the world..”
: No you didn’t! You did it to get laid!
: “But before I knew it, the only reason I wanted to help you guys was so I could get famous myself. Though maybe that’s always been the real reason…”
: “I don’t know… I thought I was doing it out of respect for you guys… yet deep down, I think I really just wanted to show the world that I’m more than some stupid zero.”
: They should’ve made Mishima a party member, and had his awakening happen right here. “I am thou, thou art I.. thou art also horny and kind of a dipshit, but I am not.”
: His Persona is the faceless guy from hentai. You know the one.
: “I don’t deserve to work alongside the valiant Phantom Thieves. …Well, thanks for everything! Bye!”
: “I’m such an idiot… hahaha… I can’t even run away right… sigh Working alongside the Phantom Thieves has made me feel like I myself can change the world… but it’s only ever been you guys. I’m still just as powerless as always.”
: “That’s the truth… hahaha.. I wonder if there’s really any way a pathetic guy like me can help you…”
: “That’s it…! My special power lies in running the Phan-Site! I don’t want it to be about public relations anymore though. First and foremost, that site needs to be a safe haven for people in serious trouble.”
: “After all that happened to me with Kamoshida, I know how hard it can be to speak out against injustice… so… as long as there are voices crying out to the Phantom Thieves, I’m gonna help them be heard.”
: At this point, the only thing EXP is doing for us is reducing the amount of money we have to pay to fuse Lucifer.
: “At any rate, we should just forget about going after Akiyama-kun, okay? I’m still worried about some of the rumors I’ve heard about him, but I’ll do some more research.”
: “By the way, he’s not as bad a guy as he pretends to be. Apparently he’s super sweet to his girlfriend. Can you imagine that? They’ve been talking about getting married even since back in middle school… I’m honestly kinda jealous.”
: Joker: “What’s weird about that? Yusuke and I are getting married as soon as all this dumbass Phantom Thief bullshit is over.”
: “…That thing I mentioned about Akiyama turned out to be true. It wasn’t just some rumor. I found a post on the Phan-Site by a girl who I assume is Akiyama-kun’s girlfriend.”
: “It says she’s worried because her boyfriend’s been hanging out with some sketchy guys. Acting strange, too. It seems like enough evidence to make him a target, but I’m gonna look into this a little further, just to be safe.”
: I picked this because I like to think Joker is telling Mishima it’s his turn to die. I haven’t played that and probably won’t because I hated Danganronpa with a passion.
: “Yeah, leave it to me! We can’t ignore any cry for help on the Phan-Site! Haha… even I didn’t realize the Phan-Site meant this much to me. Thanks, Kurusu. For helping me get here.”
: Well, here we are. Today’s the last day before the part where the game goes to shit.
: “…Senpai, have you been sleeping well? You look kind of tired… it might not be my place to ask, but… are you okay?”
: “Um.. never mind, it’s nothing. That reminds me! Tomorrow is the school festival, isn’t it? Is your class all finished with preparations? It feels kind of nice, working with everyone to put all the things together…”
: “I hope we all have a fun time tomorrow. Well, I’m going to do some training today, so please excuse me!”
: There’s one of those “walking to class” bits where it’s just students talking about how much they love Akechi. I’m skipping it.
: “Some of those old stories sounded too crazy to be true, now that we’ve got so many years behind us. Sometimes, people have a hard time remembering what’s real and what’s exaggerated.”
: “This kind of stuff happens to you guys too, right? But there’s a reason for this. This phenomenon has a name too.”
: “All right, Kusuru-kun. From a psychological standpoint, what’s a key reason our memories can differ from reality?”
: “That’s right! Impressive. It’s a type of cognitive bias that can impair or even alter your memories. Specifically, the name of the phenomenon in question is called ‘false memory’. Like the name implies, it’s a case where our brain may generate memories that simply aren’t true.”
: I’m pretty sure all those memories of me liking this game were those.
: “The difference between inaccurate memories and the facts can lead to a lot of confusion. Still, if your subconscious desire manifests as a memory, I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing.”
: “False memories, huh… but it’s totally real to the person, right? What a strange concept.”
: There’s a dumbass plot reason this is in. You might be able to guess why.
: “That’s amazing! Everyone’s gonna have their eyes on you now!”
: No cat, that was Final Fantasy 8. I swear I’ve made that joke already.
: The icing on this trash pile is yet another pointless Akechi event. This was, of course, one of his confidant events in the base game.
: “Why, you ask? I just came to enjoy some delicious coffee. How has business been for you lately?”
: He came here just to piss me off.
: “Take a look around. …Is the Niijima lady doing well?”
: “Unfortunately, we haven’t seen each other lately. We had a… difference of opinion.”
: Oh look, it’s Hideki Kamiya.
: “And because they’ve targeted only prominent figures, our government leaders have been hesitant to act. I apologize for any concern they may have caused and will henceforth search for an apt countermeasure.”
: Oh, right. I should mention that Shido is voiced by the same guy that does Char in the Gundam anime - in both English and Japanese.
: “This is an important undertaking, and one I intend to confront with every asset available to me. The selfish criminals enacting this ‘social reform’ are in fact the ones most deserving of reformation.”
: “Answering to the interest of the people as hastily as possible is my natural duty as a politician.”
: “Rampant political scandals, thieves on the loose… as sad as it is, this is the state of our nation. We must resolve this problem, and I assure the people of this noble country that I will do just that.”
: There’s a shot here I missed where it does a black and white flashback to when we saw Shido in the hotel after the Kamoshida arc.
: If you’re wondering why Joker’s memory is so bad, it’s a plot point. A very bad, very dumb plot point that we’ll see for the first time on the 26th.
: “I’m not worried or anything. You’re just blocking the store entrance.”
: “Sorry, wasn’t listening.”
: " ‘Criminals,’ hm? Well, that must be how he sees it. However, that is ignorant of their true nature."
: “If these people attack others with no remorse, why would they make a teacher and an artist apologize? Could a murder truly have been enacted by the same group?”
: “If this Okumura incident was not the Phantom Thieves… if they only change the hearts of criminals… then even though they can’t be considered ‘innocent’… perhaps my goals are not so different from theirs…”
: “Hahaha. I knew there was something special about you, ever since the first time we met. I feel as though I could tell you anything during our conversations.”
: “Ah, that reminds me. I’ve been invited to a panel at Shujin Academy, and… oh wait, I’m sure you know that already. Considering it’s such a good opportunity, I’ve decided to accept the offer.”
: “Thank you for the coffee. It was delicious.”
: “Glad you liked it.”
: “I’m happy I could see you. I’ll be going now.”
: This is directly about one of the most hamfisted Maruki cutscenes in the game. The thing is, I have a feeling I know exactly why they did this, and it’s because of something we’ll run into in the next update.
: I mean, obviously it’s there to set up the plot for Royal, but there’s a reason that goes beyond that.
: We can also talk to Sojiro to get a reward for coming in first on exams.
: “I guess you can’t judge a book by its cover. Then maybe you didn’t need this… oh well. Take it.”
: The Leblanc charm nulls sleep.
: “I made it myself. It’s got my finest coffee beans in it. I wanted to give it to you before the exams… but well, you still have more tests. Don’t let up on the finals.”
: Finally, it’s time to get Ohya’s Mementos request. We only have two left to go: Futaba’s and Shinya’s, both of which we’ll pick up early next month. At that point, I believe we’ll have finished every Mementos request we actually need to do to 100% the game.
: “All my connections who knew where Kayo was are gone, thanks to the chief and my publisher… well, say something.”
: “You can tell? Well, I guess it is pretty obvious. sigh Pulling these consecutive all-nighters is really wearing me down.”
: “Of course! They’ll fire me if I show any signs of weakness. The chief really wants me to mess up, but I’m not going to give him the satisfaction. Haha…”
: “Tell me about it. It’s a race to see whether I can find Kayo before he crushes me…”
: “There’s nothing I can do about a guy like that. He’s rotten to the core. And despite how he acts, the higher-ups like him. I have no one to go to. It’s over.”
: “Ughhh, I’m gonna die…”
: “Why? You gonna try to find his weakness? His name is Shinpei Honjo. I heard that he’s a good husband, and he used to cover economic foreign policy…”
: It’s strange to me that
: “Don’t go trying anything heroic.”
: “I wonder where Kayo is… sorry, but I don’t feel like getting any info from you today… thanks for coming all the way out here though. I’ll see you around…”
: And that’ll do it for this update. Next update will be called “Where The Game Goes to Shit” which should tell you everything you need to know about that.
: We’ll also maybe see a new More Like Yusu-Gay. It depends on Salty Vanilla’s schedule, because I honestly completely forgot about the festival date being a thing. It’ll be out eventually.