Danganronpa - Episode 5

A second grisly (or should that be grizzly, given that a bear is the ringleader of this whole affair?) murder has been committed, but who is the culprit?  It's trial time again as the remaining students try to puzzle out who could do such a thing.

At first glance, it seems like the answer to this question couldn't be easier to those in the know, as both Naegi and Togami are aware that there's a serial killer whose modus operandi matches that of Fujisaki's death.  The question of who this serial killer might be is also quickly revealed.  So, game over and the killer has been appropriately outed, right?

Nope - even though the split personality of "Genocider Syo" has appeared and made themselves known, this serial killer is adamant that they weren't responsible, and inconsistencies with the way this individual would normally go about their nefarious business are soon revealed.  So who did do it?  Well, Togami certainly knows more than enough to frame Genocider for Fujisaki's death, but a few twists and turns later and the finger of accusation is pointing in a far more surprising direction...

To be honest (and I've probably said this before), I'm a sucker for murder-mystery shows and it's something that anime rarely seems to tackle in a traditional sense these days, so Danganronpa's dedication to an episode of murder followed by one of resolution is immensely satisfying for me personally.  In the case of this particular murder arc, the series manages to walk the tightrope between providing clues and trains of thought that the viewer can follow with some bolts of the blue, meaning that you can legitimately feel like you're on the right track but be hard-pressed to figure out everything in advance and thus spoil the surprises.  Couple that with its zany visuals (which might not be for everyone) and great soundtrack, and I'm having more and more fun with this series by the week.