History YMMV / ZapDramatic

** Ted. No matter what acts he commits (including attempted terrorism and multiple escapes from jail), we're supposed to believe he's an innocent victim being dragged through the dirt by his "evil" wife. There are two episodes that cement him as this
*** In Episode 3. For what we're shown as of that episode, he reacted to his wife and kids disappearing and (fake) blood being on the walls by taking dynamite and a detonator to a company office that Bridget, as far as we know, has absolutely nothing to do with, threatening to blow them all up. He then jumps out the window, and after surviving the fall through sheer luck (or, given that he prays to be saved during the fall, divine intervention) takes another couple hostage with said dynamite to force them to look for his wife. After this he's arrested, and you give him a psychological profile, during which he repeatedly proves he's [[VideoGame/Left4Dead nuttier than candy-bar shit]]. There are even failure screens in which he ''beats you to death'' for little reason. [[spoiler:''You are supposed to say he is perfectly sane. Which somehow means he's '''not''' responsible for any of the above.'']]

*** Additionally, the mouse's role in ''Sir Basil Pike Public School'' contradicts a valid (if incredibly obvious) piece of advice given to the player character in ''The Negotiator''. In ''The Negotiator'', the mouse's advice is meant to be ignored because, as the game tells us, [[CaptainObvious mice don't talk]]. However, in ''Sir Basil Pike Public School'', the mouse is the primary dispenser of advice for the player character.

** Most of the kids of ''Sir Basil Public School'', with the exceptions of the two Crabtrees,Max and possibly Julia. The most reviled of them are Tony and Janina, for various reasons.

* CreatorsPet: Ted. No matter what acts he commits (including attempted terrorism and multiple escapes from jail), we're supposed to believe he's an innocent victim being dragged through the dirt by his "evil" wife.
** Cemented in Episode 10. If you choose to [[spoiler: frame Ted]] instead of [[spoiler: Yale]], then [[spoiler: Duke]] will drive you to [[spoiler: Yale]]'s house so that you can tell him that [[spoiler: Rolf]] thinks it would be best for everyone if [[spoiler: Ted]] takes the fall. It is here that the game actually goes out of its way to shame you for it. ''Twice''. First, [[spoiler: Ted]] inexplicably appears in the car beside you (even though [[spoiler: he got caught not ten minutes earlier]]) and expresses his disappointment in you for "selling [him] out." Next, when you actually get to [[spoiler: Yale]]'s house and tell him the plan, he also expresses his disappointment in you and swears to have you disbarred. Then you turn around, and [[spoiler: Duke]] kills you. Game over.
*** It's cemented earlier than that, in Episode 3. For what we're shown as of that episode, he reacted to his wife and kids disappearing and (fake) blood being on the walls by taking dynamite and a detonator to a company office that Bridget, as far as we know, has absolutely nothing to do with, threatening to blow them all up. He then jumps out the window, and after surviving the fall through sheer luck (or, given that he prays to be saved during the fall, divine intervention) takes another couple hostage with said dynamite to force them to look for his wife. After this he's arrested, and you give him a psychological profile, during which he repeatedly proves he's [[VideoGame/Left4Dead nuttier than candy-bar shit]]. There are even failure screens in which he ''beats you to death'' for little reason. [[spoiler:''You are supposed to say he is perfectly sane. Which somehow means he's '''not''' responsible for any of the above.'']]
**** It's justified a little bit in that at the time Ted was drugged which made him lose it for a while. But that only counts for that one scene above. He's still supposed to be the victim when he routinely and coldly threatens people around him to do what he says or he'll attack them.

* UnfortunateImplications: The [[{{Squick}} unsettlingly sultry]] way Bridget talked to her (seemingly naked) sons in the ending of Episode 2 may lead to this.
--> '''Bridget:''' Now come on. If you're both gonna get ''big'' and ''strong''...\\
'''slowbeef:''' ''Eeeeaaaauugh!''
** The misogynistic subtext with Bridget and Helen (the occasional patronizing comments against them by the male characters) and the racist subtext with Yale (Bridget constantly referring to him as "the black dude" and the rampant suspicion put against him) can qualify.
** The frighteningly lax way that the story treats adultery and cheating.

** ''Sir Basil Pike Public School'' has some slightly misandristic undertones in the male route. Specifically, that boys are only able to act on impulse and recommending the girls route if you decide to not chase down and physically assault a boy you believe to have stolen your bike.

*** It's cemented earlier than that, in Episode 3. For what we're shown as of that episode, he reacted to his wife and kids disappearing and (fake) blood being on the walls by taking dynamite and a detonator to a company office that Bridget, as far as we know, has absolutely nothing to do with, threatening to blow them all up. He then jumps out the window, and after surviving the fall through sheer luck (or, given that he prays to be saved during the fall, divine intervention) takes another couple hostage with said dynamite to force them to look for his wife. After this he's arrested, and you give him a psychological profile, during which he repeatedly proves he's [[VideoGame/Left4Dead nuttier than candy-bar shit]]. There are even failure screens in which he ''beats you to death'' for little reason. [[spoiler:''You are supposed to say he is perfectly sane.'']]

"I hear Mr. Hartrup's class really blows."\\

-->"I hear Mr. Hartrup's class really blows."
-->"Really? I've heard it's a blast!"
-->"He does have a rather short fuse."
-->"All his lesson plans tend to go out the window."

* SuspiciouslySimilarSong: Janina's song is patterned after "Animal I Have Become" by Three Days Grace, though it also sounds much like "Enter Sandman" by Metallica in the beginning.

* HilariousInHindsight: This game featured [[spoiler: a woman's ghost helping a lawyer solve her murder]] years before ''AceAttorney''.

* NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity: The fact [[{{Retsupurae}} Retsutalk]] has confirmed Michael Gibson is still working on the series right after the series' ColbertBump shows that Gibson is likely relying on this.

* NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity: The fact [[WebVideo/Retsupurae Retsutalk]] has confirmed Michael Gibson is still working on the series right after the series' ColbertBump shows that Gibson is likely relying on this.

* DarknessInducedAudienceApathy: Almost all of the characters are assholes at best, incompetent fools at worst. The player character and Duke Crabtree are the only characters who aren't idiotic caricatures and nothing the player does has any real impact. And if that wasn't enough [[spoiler: Duke, one of the few likable characters, turns out to be a villain]]. To top it all off, the OrphanedSeries status of ''Ambition'' means that the series ends at [[DownerEnding it's most depressing point]].

* DarknessInducedAudienceApathy: Almost all of the characters are assholes at best, incompetent fools at worst. The player character and Duke Crabtree are the only characters who aren't idiotic caricatures and nothing the player does has any real impact. And if that wasn't enough [[spoiler: Duke, one of the few likable characters, turns out to be a villain]]. To top it all off, the OrphanedFic status of ''Ambition'' means that the series ends at [[DonwerEnding it's most depressing point]].

* SoBadItsGood: The games are pretty hard to take seriously, between the jarring ArtStyleDissonance, the limited animation, and the amateur voice acting, but many would say the resulting copious amounts of {{Narm}} makes playing them worth it.

* SoBadItsGood

*** Additionally, "because [I'm/he's/she's/it's] a [[spoiler:terrorist]]" seems to be becoming the Retsupurae fanbase's answer to AWizardDidIt. This one is arguably the biggest meme the games have produced so far, to the point that some people began to see it as an OverusedRunningGag within about a week or two.

** In ''Sir Basil Pike Public School'', Janina becomes a rather blatant example of this trope in the last episode. For most of the story she's a side character who none of the other kids particularly seem to like, though that doesn't stop the first episode devoting several minutes to her musical number. Throughout the game Janina is used to point out exactly where the player went wrong, without ever addressing all the spying Janina must be doing to know so much. Then in the last episode, despite having had minimal interaction with the other characters she suddenly helps resolve a massive argument that had threatened to tear the player character's friendship group apart, after which the storyline completely drops all the other characters and becomes entirely about her for its last third or so as it again makes the player feel stupid for worrying about Janina going missing after getting picked up by a mystery man. Unsurprising, as she is rumored to be based off of Gibson's daughter and is voiced by some relation of his.