Why is blood pink in Danganronpa?


In episode two of Danganronpa, two characters die. On both cases the blood
appears in pink, rather than red.

[![Poor Maizono Sayaka, stabbed in the
stomach...](https://i.stack.imgur.com/4ciyxm.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/4ciyx.jpg)[![Enoshima
Junko got trespassed by spears, after messing with
Monokuma!](https://i.stack.imgur.com/O7SRDm.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/O7SRD.jpg)

Why is this?  
Is blood in the Danganronpa universe pink? Or is this supposed to be less
shocking for the viewer or something similar?




According to the [Something Awful playthrough
thread](http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3447397) for
the game:

> Because of the intricacies of the Japanese game rating system, blood in this
> game is colored pink. Rest assured, though, it is human blood you will be
> looking at, and it doesn't mean our characters are secretly aliens or elves.

[TVTropes](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/VisualNovel/DanganRonpa) also
says the same thing:

> Many murder scenes are liberally splattered in Pepto-Bismol, thanks to the
> intricacies of the Japanese game rating system.

So it seems like making the blood realistic would have given the game a higher
age rating, possibly restricting some of their target demographic from being
able to purchase the game. But the pink blood also goes along with the main
artistic style of Dangan Ronpa.

According to
[Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dangan_Ronpa#Development):

> The game uses pop art, a bright and colorful style, as a way to contrast the
> dark subject matter of murder. Scenario writer Kazutaka Kodaka stated he
> desired to "...shake user's heart by showing a devastating accident in not
> devastating ways. But, by some measure, it might be more shocking than
> showing a devastating scene."




According to the [Something Awful playthrough
thread](http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3447397) for
the game:

> Because of the intricacies of the Japanese game rating system, blood in this
> game is colored pink. Rest assured, though, it is human blood you will be
> looking at, and it doesn't mean our characters are secretly aliens or elves.

[TVTropes](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/VisualNovel/DanganRonpa) also
says the same thing:

> Many murder scenes are liberally splattered in Pepto-Bismol, thanks to the
> intricacies of the Japanese game rating system.

So it seems like making the blood realistic would have given the game a higher
age rating, possibly restricting some of their target demographic from being
able to purchase the game. But the pink blood also goes along with the main
artistic style of Dangan Ronpa.

According to
[Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dangan_Ronpa#Development):

> The game uses pop art, a bright and colorful style, as a way to contrast the
> dark subject matter of murder. Scenario writer Kazutaka Kodaka stated he
> desired to "...shake user's heart by showing a devastating accident in not
> devastating ways. But, by some measure, it might be more shocking than
> showing a devastating scene."

