Dramatic Hearts

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

Dramatic Hearts is a Machinima Web Animation of the Affectionate Parody variety, based (very loosely) on the story of Kingdom Hearts II. The series, which started shortly after the game's Japanese release in December of 2005, is essentially composed of edited cutscenes in the original Japanese with different subtitles that tell a story of their own. Most famous as a radical case of Refuge in Audacity / Refuge in Vulgarity, just about any filthy, racy, Not-Suitable-For-Children subject matter you could think of is elaborated on, and frequently.

The new story is centered around a young boy named Luke--wielder of the mighty Dildo Blade--and his friends Ronaldo and Poofy, as they travel about saving the world from Negro Slaves, the Jackson family, and a dastardly and mysterious order of Jewish Bankers, among many other assorted villains and wackos.

The main series itself had three "seasons", with the occasional special episode here and there. A fourth (and "final") season was planned, and would have presumably been made entirely with The Bouncer cutscenes, but it was scrapped for unknown reasons after the first episode was posted online in Summer of 2006. Later on, after the RE: Chain of Memories was released, another series, called Dramatic Hearts XD, was produced. So far there has been no word on whether any plans exist to expand the series further with scenes from 358/2 Days or Birth By Sleep.

Those who want to watch the series should start here, if you dare.

Tropes used in Dramatic Hearts include:
  • Aerith and Bob: Some characters' names are based on the KH character's name, but the rest come from a wide variety of places, which means we have Luke, Andrew, and Joanna in the same world as Mansex, Hardon, Malifacent (sic), and Dickey.
  • Animate Inanimate Object: Sort of. Apparently, Namine Betty is a book who murdered Austin's mother and is wearing her skin. Also, Malifacent is a living door. Yes, really.
  • Anything That Moves: A lot of characters, but especially Olette Onit.

Tom: "So you did...?"
Onit: "Everyone here."

  • Applied Phlebotinum: Brandon's "Originalization" beam.
  • Big Bad: Mansex, leader of the clan of Jewish Bankers.
  • Black Comedy Rape: Poor BHK!Luke, always getting raped and nobody seems to care all that much.
  • Breaking the Fourth Wall: "I can't see the subtitles!"
  • Christmas Special: The two-part special entitled "The Best Kwanzaa Ever", in which the racial humor is taken Up to Eleven.
  • Dead Baby Comedy
  • Depraved Homosexual: Sephiroth, Mansex.
  • Even Evil Has Standards: A variety based on sexual deviancy: In the special "Showdown of Sexiness", when Tifa Titties tells Sephiroth she's done a Cleveland Steamer, Sephiroth calls that (with a completely straight face thanks to game engine graphics) completely disgusting and says that not even he would do that shit.
  • Fandom Nod: Xemnas' Dramatic counterpart being named Mansex is not only a very appropriate anagram given the nature of the series and character, but also a Shout-Out to those who use it as a Fan Nickname for Xemnas. Likewise with the "Luke" of season 1, who is later referred to as BHK for similar reasons.
  • Freudian Excuse: Mansex's reason for wanting to destroy all yuri? His "horrible" mother was a lesbian.
  • Fun with Subtitles: Of course.
  • Gag Sub: The modus operandi of the series.
  • Genre Savvy: Mansex.

"According to the evil villain code book, I'm required to fight you one last time..."

"You must keep quiet. Remember the code word! Waffles."

Luke: (waking up) What happened?
Fuu: Nothing.
Rai: We didn't put you in a dress.

  • Tempting Fate: "If there is a God let him kill me with a rock!" Made all the more hilarious if you played Kingdom Hearts II first and know what happens later in the scene...
  • Title Drop: Frequently from Episode 1x12 on, after it is revealed that Dramatic Hearts is the name of the Yuri channel DIZ and Handsome are determined to create.
  • Unsympathetic Comedy Protagonist
  • Up to Eleven: The already over-the-top nature of the sexual humor is taken to new extremes in the special episodes "Showdown of Sexiness" and "Insert Title Here".
    • The two-part "Best Kwanzaa Ever" episode does the same for the racial humor.