Doubt is a beautiful Dangan Ronpa fanbook by denpasei, formerly known on tumblr as moriar-tea. This comic contains many spoilers for Danganronpa 2, so I’m going to put it under a readmore here for people who haven’t played the sequel yet.
Denpasei’s work originally came to my attention thanks to a comic she had posted online referred to as the “twin AU” where Hinata Hajime and Kamukura Izuru were separate people. Of course, as the AU title implies, they were twins. The concept was fascinating, featuring a world where Komaeda and Kamukura had begun dating, and Hinata was left over puzzling over what his feelings were about the situation.
The Twin AU has been taken offline at this point and left unfinished, but you can read all about it here. The most striking thing to me about it was the reflection of a deep and complicated relationship that was over-enthusiastic to include Izuru into the equation.
I dig Hinata/Komaeda, but I live and breathe for Komaeda/Izuru. When I read the Twin AU it resonated against the nerve just for beloved stories and characters. Denpasei understands. Denpasei ships correctly.
Doubt is a 76-page doujin containing a handful of stories which (misleading from the cover) are about Komaeda and Kamukura. Doubt is completely separate from the Twin AU, so Hinata is inextricable from the equation.
The book opens with despair connoisseur, where Komaeda wakes up in a hospital bed post-game (presumably in a world where the digital upload didn’t happen) reflecting on the events that led to that point. Denpasei pulls no punches in this, depicting the actions of the High School Students of Despair, Koizumi wielding a baseball bat and Souda beating someone with a wrench. It’s a bit of a relief to me to see something that the text only left to our imagination.
The second story, DOUBT, takes place in the computer program after Komaeda’s death where he reunites and speaks to Kamukura. Why Kamukura is there isn’t clear, but I accept that he’s probably been placed there like a save file when Hinata entered the game and left him behind.
These first two stories which make up most of the book both have a very crucial theme. In both, Komaeda rejects Hinata in favour of Kamukura.
regret, is a tiny 3-page story where Kamukura confesses to Komaeda, who also rejects that in favor of simplicity rather than accepting romanticism.
Liar is the final story in the collection, from Kamukura’s point of view, as she (they’re girls, for no reason other than maybe for fun) allows Komaeda to participate in her life and tries to understand why when her motives are called into question. It ends with Komaeda being very excited when Kamukura strangles her.
doubt has been one of my favourite English-language doujinshi that I’ve read so far because of Denpasei’s spot-on characterization and fluid talent for comics. The stories are messy feelings romps which are my favourite kind of fanfiction, but somehow convey a sense that this is the author’s preferred medium of storytelling. The art feels rushed, messy and scattered, but perfect in a way that makes the whole story come across as effortless. Her writing is extremely strong in this format. She may have some troubles writing longer stories (as far as I know) but doubt, as a doujinshi, is a perfect gem of fan-made content. The whole book comes off so elegantly that I wonder if she would have so much grace telling stories in a different medium. I don’t mean that as an insult in any way, I’m just charmed thinking that it is comics that are her weapon as a storyteller, just like some would rather write books or create games. I envy that.
The rushed sense of the comic too is perpetuated by the fact that there is almost no filler pages in the printing. Each story is opened with white text on a black page explaining the terms and conditions of each AU and what is different or the same. There are no art pages, there are no pages wasted on where to find the creator online, which I find to be a little disappointing. It took me a while to remember who created this in spite of her username being on the back of the book. I’d love a little more personalization.
After this glowing review I hate to say that I believe Doubt is out of print, and potentially sold out. If you’d like a copy, keep an eye on when her storenvy opens seasonally, and you can also check her con appearances. Maybe you can get a copy there. Either way I believe that this book is probably a reflection of her work as a whole, and if she makes something for a thing you like, you should buy it.