Monday, August 20, 2012

Persona Month: Persona 4 the Animation

It's sometimes known that a movie or TV show based on a game sucks. Some may avert that, but that's sometimes the general rule. Maybe it's the director behind it (Resident Evil) or it loses it's originality halfway through. You know, if something was once a drama, it becomes a comedy instead. However, there are exceptions to the rule where the adaptation becomes almost exactly like the original source material that it's herald as a great one. Thus is the case for today's subject.

Welcome back to Persona Month. The more you read about this, the closer you are to the truth.



Today I'll be tackling on Persona 4 the Animation. Now I know what you are thinking, "They made an anime of it?" Yeah, they did, and it's pretty good. It stays very well to the source material and expands upon it. It has it's own sense of style and flair that other adaptations seem to lack (Umineko). Plus the characters don't feel flat, disproportionate in design and just feel natural. I can simply say that Persona 4 the Animation is exactly like the original game, minus the level grinding. You don't have to be familiar with the game to enjoy this because it takes the game of 100+ hours (200+ if you are me) and condenses it into 26 bite sized chunks palatable for everyone. P4Animation was animated by AIC ASTA and music was done by Shoji Meguro (obviously)

If you lost track of what this story is about, check out the summary here. Or else I'll condense it.

Pretty much the story of P4A plays exactly like it's predecessor. Yu Narukami (his official canon name) goes to live with his uncle and cousin, he goes to high school, he hears about the Midnight Channel, goes inside the TV, meets Teddie, gets attacked by Shadows and unleashes a Persona. Izanagi of the Fool to be exact. There's a murder in the town, Yu and the others form the Investigation Team to find out the mystery behind the murder and the Midnight Channel. Rinse, repeat, enjoy the show.

P4Animation is entertainment in it's finite form. The characters are lively, and the show throws them into comedic moments, all hilarious, action packed and mysterious. I'm sure you've seen this done by every simple slice of life ever made since whenever the first slice of life was made, but Persona 4 does it with style thanks to the incredibly varied cast of characters. There is no doubt that the one that steals the show is Yu Narukami, the main protagonist, or in some cases "proswagonist". You can name him anything you want within 10 letters, but Yu (his in canon name) takes the role of the character the player plays in the game, so it might seem kinda risky to adapt him into an anime while keeping the flavor of the game intact. Thankfully Yu turns out quite tremendously as the sharp, witty and stoic male lead with just about enough personality to be capable and memorable but enough to be ambiguous to not let fans see him in their own way like they did in the game.
They did this All-Out Attack, just to take down a stalker.

By making Yu a somewhat blank slate, the writers keep that blank slate and give Yu his own unique personality. His facial expression never changes and seems rather comically serious most of the time. It's during the more funny moments when he shines the most as the timing of the jokes couldn't have fallen into better hands than Yu. You have your setup, punchline, and payoff (correct me if I'm wrong). It's in the more dramatic moments where Yu becomes more emotional, especially when he struggles with more serious moments.

Teddie, you're creeping me out more than usual.
It's not just Yu that comes to life, but also the other members of the Investigation team. Everyone has their own personality that makes them likable and memorable. There's Yosuke, a bumbling teenager working at a mall like place, Junes and your "partner"; Chie, a spunky tomboy who likes kung fu movies and meat; Yukiko, a beautiful black haired girl who works at her family inn and friend of Chie; Kanji, a rebel like person with some insecurities about himself and his hobbies; Teddie (Kuma) a mascot Teddie bear from the Shadow World; Rise, an idol on hiatus with inner struggles to show her real self; and Naoto, a detective looking into cases and working with the police. Everyone here is diverse and the first half of the show is focused on each of them gaining a Persona based on their inner selves with the help of Yu. It follows the game exceptionally well in that aspect and shows more about the character.

Uh, Yosuke. You might want to fix that catmouth of yours.

The second half, after some superior filler (but still relevant) Social Link episodes brings in the rest of the mystery and then a sudden change to drama when someone dear to Yu is brought into harm with the Midnight Channel. It is then the finale comes in as the main antagonist appears to reveal the reasons behind the murder. Although bringing the other Social Links into Yu's life is important, they aren't as fleshed out as they were in the game. Maybe it was to alott for time, but there was just so much potential to see them in a better light. What we have however is filler done right with the slice of life aspect. You have a 2 part summer piece that focuses on Nanako as she tries to reveal why Yu has been going outside alot, and the other in Yu's point of view; the School Trip which I highly recommend, the maxed Justice and Hierophant social links; and the culture festival (hint hint: "Miss Yasogami High contest")

"She's hot. I'd totally do her." That's a Dude. *15 minutes of vomiting later*  "Can I still hit that?"


The audio is where the humor gets rather weird. It's full of Easter eggs that fans might recognize. They reuse most of the music from the game along with a few other songs from Persona 3. That may seem lazy, but it actually works. And then there's a nod to this. However if you listen closely, the music tends to abruptly halt killing all emotion of the scene, but another time you hear the music slowing down. It's the equivalent to a record scratch, and it works for the sake of humor.

I'd do her, do her, wouldn't do her, ugh who hasn't done her, do her, lose the pigtails we'll talk, do her, do her...

Focusing on the characters instead of the plot brings the characters in a newer light makes P4Animation accessible to new people and fans of the game. I spent the whole summer this year playing P4 because I was curious. Sure I may have wasted 100+ hours only to lose to the final boss because of a dick move (Power Charge + Galgalim Eyes + Nebula Oculous = Rage Quit) and a corrupt save file, but it was worth it to experience such a gem (twice). Because the characters are seen more than the story, you have a very well executed slice of like factor in that they are more playful in their own environment. Especially during that time.



See, this works as both serious and funny. You have the shout out to Persona 3 with Mass Destruction, you have Yu in a more comically serious tone which cranks up the humor, and the payoff which results in this. The punchline is that what they were drinking gave them what's called a placebo effect. Yu isn't drunk, he's just playing. That's why it's hilarious and considered one of the funnier moments of the show.

It's good to be the King.

When the plot does start kicking in again it, everyone gets serious. No spoilers here, but when someone precious to Yu and the others gets in harm's way, they start to lose their personality and feel rather pensive. It's a direct contrast between the cheerful side and the somewhat sad moment of the show. The ending was decent enough that it followed the game, but condensing another few hours leaves a bit desired as the main villain seems the same instead of being fleshed out.

Acting works for what it does. The writers certainly had their fun with the script as it's funny and dramatic moments really do feel realistic. Because Yu can talk, Yosuke is not the expository guy to explain to the audience. Though Naoto can be kind of a killjoy telling what we already know. As of this writing the dub is not out yet, but Sentai has procured the original actors from Persona 4 Arena and not the original. So instead of Dave Wittenberg as the lovable Teddie and whoever voiced Chie we have as a coincidence, Sam Riegel and Erin Fitzgerald who voiced Allegretto and Polka from Eternal Sonata. Though my initial shock was that Erin voiced Nazz from Ed, Edd, n Eddy. Other than that, I'm sure they'll keep the flavor of the game's dialogue intact. Heck, Troy Baker might be ecstatic to do Kanji's Shadow again. Who knows, too bad the blu ray is dub and not sub.

P4Animation feels a bit rushed running at 26 episodes, but those 26 episodes are a bundle of fun. It retains the flavor and spirit of the original game and expands on it with style, flair, and a memorable cast that always feels fresh and new. It's characters are lovable, the humor is exquisite, and has plethora of callbacks and plenty of shout outs to other Atlus titles. P4Animation is available to stream at The Anime Network , and Hulu And for the dub purists, it's got the original cast (from P4Arena anyway). P4Animation part 1 comes out on DVD and bluray on September 18th. Pre order or pick up a copy soon. But wait, there is a true ending to this right? And it's out? Not yet, but soon.

That should keep you psyched when P4Golden comes out in the fall. This has been pretty P4outstanding, however I kinda feel that each of the characters has a bit of something that I couldn't write about here. So I'll be doing just that next as Persona Month continues..

Bonus: 

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Persona Month: Persona 4 Arena


Welcome to the Velvet Room. Kinda feels cool saying that... wait, this is Underground. Hang on.

Welcome back to Persona Month. There is no doubt about it. Persona 4 is the greatest RPG ever made. If you other fanbases disagree (Kingdom Hearts fans) you can take this. Not only did it surpass expectations with it's diverse and incredibly rewarding experience, but gained a following of fans who I can actually back up. Now P4 as it will be called from then on has gained the honor of not just being the first in a long running series to branch out of the normal RPG formula, but has the honor of dipping it's hands in the fighting game genre in this current gen.

"But Rare", you may ask. "How can you make P4 into a fighter and does it work?" To you I say, it actually makes sense. A bit convoluted mind you, but over all it does work.

Though I am not one to say much about the fighting genre because it's not my thing. There are many fighters that people eat up immediately due to lineage, fanbase, and people using it in tournaments. Normally I don't play fighters because A) I'm not that great with them, and B) People put too much effort in something like that. However, in this case, I'm willing to make an exception.

P4Arena was developed by Arc System Works and published by a incredibly respectable company Atlus. Atlus is one of those companies that knows how to cater to their customers. They churn out games that become successful hits, sleeper titles, and then there's Catherine. More on that later. Atlus is also notorious for having some of the most difficult, brutal, insanely unfair and downright sadistic games ever made. And yet, we can't get enough of this pain. What is it called that someone inflicts pain that becomes pleasure? That's what Atlus is famous for, and we love them for it. Arc System works is famous for developing Blazblue as well as a few other titles including Guilty Gear, Sengoku Basara X, Arcana Heart 3 (Never got it), and believe it or not Battletoads (Genesis port) and Moonwalker (Sega Master system).

P4A takes place 3 months after the events of the first P4. Yu Narukami (see? His name is canon) is on his way back to Inaba when suddenly he receives a message from the investigation team about the Midnight Channel. This time, Teddie is acting strange... stranger than usual as he announces the P1-Grand Prix where people from around the world can duke it out inside the TV to see who the strongest Persona user in the world. Simply put, an excuse to kick ass and take names. Makes sense to me.

For a game like P4A in this day and age it's surpingsly deep like it's predecessor. It consists of many modes to offer. Story mode is basically Arcade mode in a more visual novel esque look. For many fans of the game, hearing Yu talk for the first time may shock you (it did for me) as he has actual dialogue when he usually is silent... except for that one time. Somehow I find that the story mode is a bit lacking and the choices you are given really don't deter from the main plot as it's just something thrown in as to think a choice is important. I will admit I do have a long way to go to unravel the mystery of, no spoilers, Labrys and her Shadow. What? Both of them are available in arcade mode so it's not that much of a surprise.

This time around, the fighting system is simple, yet complex. There are 13 characters to choose from with different Personas. Each of them using different abilities based on each Persona. Yu can use Zio as well as slashing combos, Yosuke uses wind based, Chie can kick and deal some deadly physical attacks, Yukiko can use Agi and recover her stamina bar and so forth. Included are some status effects that will effects the player if inflicted such as poison, confusion, silence, and parylyze. On the bottom left there is what is called an SP gauge. The more you use Persona based attacks, the more SP you gain. If you have at least 50 SP, you can unleash a special attack. However, when you get to a certain point you will gain the ability to use an Instant Kill attack if you gain 100 SP. Those attacks can only be used after the first round. Think of it as a Limit Break. The Instant Kill attacks are spectacular and you feel a sense of accomplishment executing a fist pump with yourself.

In addition to the Stamina bar, you also have a limited supply of Persona cards. However, if your Persona gets hit while it's exposed, a card will shatter. Shatter all 4 and you can't use Persona based attacks until it recovers. That gives the opponent a great advantage because you can't use 50SP for specials or use your instant kill in the second round.

Kanji, you can brofist with me anytime. (no homo)

Story Mode is the main seller of P4A. It gives you an enriching enhanced story on top of a fighter game that actually makes sense. Each character that you choose has this silly nickname that goes along with the setting. The title sequence that everyone has is funny because it not only goes with the character, but against it as well. For example, "The Sister Complex Kingpin of Steel". Yu doesn't have a sister complex, even if it is his precious Nanako, that's his cousin. Then there's the "Carnivore that Discard Womanhood, Chie Satonaka". Well... she does like her meat, but the "discarding womanhood"? Uh... Oh, what about the "Bloodcurdling Beefcake Emporer, Kanji... Beefcake? The "Two Fisted Protein Junkie, Akihiko Sanada"? Well hey! You get to fight as Elizabeth as well! Anyway, the former member of SEES and the Investigation Team get together to not only find the Anti-Shadow Weapon and sister of Aigis, Labrys, but also find out the main entity behind the whole P-1 Grand Prix. Better to take a look at this.



The music is pretty much the same as always, and that is not a bad thing at all. However this time around, there are a few new additions to it including a remix of a few killer themes including Reach out for the Truth and Heartful Cry (my favorites) plus some new ones for Akihiko, Mitsuru and others, and some old familiar ones for Elizabeth and a return of some songs from Persona 3. So there is a plethora to choose from, and it doesn't deter at all from the overall experience.






                                          Ok this isn't officially in Arena, but it's just catchy as hell!

The graphics are excellent hand drawn sprites on top of a 2.5D backdrop inside the TV. Remember these things? Those are called Stands. For fighter buffs not like myself the Personas immedeately remind you of that. However, the difference is the Personas are a part of the user, while stands are more guardians of the user. And for a little fanservice some may recognize the spirite work to be palette swaps of other characters. I won't go into detail who looks like who, except Yu reminds me a bit of Ragna the Bloodedge and Kanji is like Iron Tager, but that's it.

Even as an announcer, Rise is hot!


Voice acting is pretty good for the most part. Some maybe shocked to hear Yu talk for the first time in Story Mode (it did for me). All the others are fine and fit their roles pretty well...except for a minor adjustment. See, Chie and Teddie's original voice actors are not present in this and are replaced by Erin Fitzgerald who I was shocked to find out she played Nazz and Marie from Ed, Edd, n Eddy (my reaction was "NAZZ!!?") and Polka from Eternal Sonata; While Sam Riegel who played as Shiro Emiya from Fate Stay Night and... holy shit! Allegretto! plays the role of the lovable scamp Teddie. Yes, yes it might take some getting used to, but both Erin and Sam do their roles pretty well. Then there's Labrys. If you notice, Labrys speaks in some kind of accent which immediately reminds me of Harley Quinn from Batman the Animated Series. To others, it sounds like a stereotypical New York accent or somewhere in the East. "Help me find Mistuh J, or else muy Shadow will get to him first." Sounds pretty out of the norm, but give it some time.

You're good. Want to come back to my gym for some more training?

Including in the entire package are a "Myriad" of modes that you can play. One of them is Story Mode which plays like a visual novel the main story in which P4A takes place. I won't go further into who might be the main bad guy, but it isn't Labry's Shadow, also I haven't finished it yet. There's also your standard arcade mode which unlocks little easter eggs that change the announcer of the fights amongst other things. A Score Attack mode which I immediately turn off because Yosuke has a speed boost and I'm going, "Screw this"! Network mode lets you go online to challenge other people... if you can find an open room. Over there you can create a profile which will give you some silly name like "Heaven's Dragon Blast" or anything you can think of. You also have an online ranking system which tallies up your matches and gives you a rank based on how many matches you win or lose. Obviously I'm F-, but I just got started damn it! And my fingers aren't used to fighting. Theatre and Gallery Modes will allow you to see all the unlockables you have gained through the story mode or arcade mode and watch the matches you participated with. There is some day one DLC which is mostly glasses and other things, but not only are thos cosmetic you can unlock them the more you play. At least Atlus gives you day one dlc instead of announcing it months later. There were talks about how the 360 version's online has lag issues, but Atlus got the patch out immediately. Now that's how you treat your customers!

Those who preordered the game get a CD soundtrack of "original arranged" tracks. There's only 6. That's ok. This is probably the only time I actually pre ordered a game like this... except for those other times, but they didn't have paltry yet palletable extras like this one.

Persona 4 Arena offers alot of style, verv and flair that the original RPG had, but also a robust yet simple 2D fighter that far exceeds everyone's expectations. Persona 4 the Ultimate in Mayonaka Arena (That's the full title) is out now where games are sold.

Bonus: Just wanted to show this because both the soundtrack and this will become rare items eventually. I just happen to have found it. I am a Rare Game Hunter after all.

Say, did you know that there is an animated series of it as well? What did I think of it? Find out, as Persona Month continues!

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Persona Month: Persona 4


Are they gone? Did it stop? I can start now? Cool!

I am thou...thou art I...

Thou hast established a new bond...

It brings thee closer to the truth...

Thou shalt be bless when creating this entry of the World Arcana...

There comes a time once every blue moon eclipse that I find a game that not only sucks me in and keeps me going until the end, but also lets me feel something that nothing else has given me. Kind of like a second coming, or in my case, the rekindling of a flame that almost dies out. Persona 4 is that game. So to celebrate the upcoming Persona 4 Arena, I thought I go for a Persona 4 month.



Persona 4 is the fourth, or fifth entry in a series of spinoffs from the Shin Megami Tensei series. I haven't played a Persona game since... man, 2000 with Eternal Punishment. It was just sitting there in a library one day waiting for it's inevitable rise to raredom. I stop playing Eternal Punishment because A) It was about due time I return it, and B) I lost to Joker Noriko. So I made a childhood promise to myself that I would not play any future installments until I beat all the games chronologically released. That included Innocent Sin and Eternal Punishment and the slew of Shin Megami Tensei games in between. Some promises can't be kept I guess.

Fast forward to recent times. While watching a video on Sexual Diversity thanks to the fine folks at Extra Credits, I stumbled upon the fights with the character's Shadows including Shadow Kanji on youtube thanks to users Blitzmage and Omegaevolution. Thanks guys. After Fanime I decided to buy the game to see what the fuss was about. Boy, what a culture shock. Oh, and the SpoonyOne talked about it. So there was a lot of influence to try the game, and it was affordable. Go figure.

The story goes like this. In the rural town of Inaba, there have been a string of strange murders that have left the police baffled to find a killer. You play as Yu Narukami, or for Manga reading folk, Souji Seta, or customize your own name like Kenpachi Ramasama for the hell of it. No idea why you would have that silly of a name, but hey, it's all on you. He transfers to Inaba from the city to live there for a year with his uncle Ryotaro and his daughter Nanako. While he's attending Yasogami High School, he hears a rumor about something called the Midnight Channel. Rumor has it that at exactly midnight on a foggy night, the TV turns on and reveals your secret lover. However, he soon finds out there's more to Inaba than what he bargained for. He forms the Investigation Team with Yosuke, and Chie as they solve the mystery behind both the Midnight Channel and the murders occurring in the sleepy rural town of Inaba.

In regards to the game play, it's massive helping has a lot to offer. It's a JRPG (Hey! Get back here!) with dating sim elements (Come back here, damn it!) and the battle system borrows a bit from Pokemon. In previous installments of Persona, you summon creatures of Lore by forming contracts by talking, praising, or doing silly things to get their attention. In Persona 3, you summon them by a gun like object called an Evoker that you aim at yourself (An emo's wet dream). This time around Personas come in the form of Tarot cards. Outside of battle you have to balance out Yu's life in Inaba by going to high school, taking part time jobs and doing various tasks while unraveling the mystery behind the Midnight Channel. However, unlike 3 where you only control one character in battle, in 4 or even Persona 3 FES and Portable, you can give direct commands to everyone. This gives the player more freedom to choose what strategy will work. Quite an magnificent improvement to a minor gameplay flaw.


Guess what? It's part of the Tower Arcana
The Social Link system makes a return from Persona 3, but it's much more streamlined and easy to manage. Each character you meet (that's relevant to the story) is represented by a card of the Arcana. Yu for example is of the Fool card, Yosuke is the Magician, Nanako is the Justice card and so forth. The more you interact with your social links, you can gain various bonuses in the form of EXP when you fuse Personas. Let's say you combine Slime of the Chariot and Cu Sith of the Sun. You get Valkyrie of Strength. If your social link is maxed out with strength, Valkyrie gets 10 levels worth of an exp boost and abilities you can swipe out. As you progress on you can fuse up to 6 personas at once. Some of them are really cool, like Hell Biker of the Hanged Man (it's Ghost Rider without the copyright), while others are... well... creative , and then there's this.


Y'know in the bathroom
Speaking of character's social links, everyone in the town of Inaba is very friendly and important to the story. They are very like able and somehow feels like someone you might have in real life. Yes, even a tomboyish kung fu chick, a rebel with a secret hobby of sewing and a cross dressing detective with... issues to say the least. However, the most important aspect of each party member is their persona which before converting is a Shadow of themselves. Each person both here and real life have faults that they don't want to admit. They are their Shadows taken human form, repressed emotions representing their darker side. If one denies these Shadows, they take form of the reverse, or perverse side of themselves, and a dungeon that relates to said Shadow. I won't go into detail here, but as much as the dungeons are long, they feel rather short in the grand scheme.

The music in Persona 4 is absolutely fantastic and I can honestly say that it ranks up there amongst the best of the best. Each theme gives you a sense of feeling and tells you about the setting. Some of them I might disagree with, but overall it just sounds natural. The dungeons in general each have their own theme that partakes in the dungeon that Yu traverses through. Special mention to one dungeon that feels scifi-ish, but innocent-like; Like a child in a person's body. I won't tell who, but it's pretty fascinating. Except the one dungeon, feels out of place. Special mention goes out to Pursue My True Self (shown below) and Reach Out for The Truth.



The graphics are great for being a late gen PS2 game. The character models take some getting used to, and some of the areas you explore are very creative. It does however give me this sense of a washed out look every time I explore places like the Samagawa Flood Plains. If you go to the left of the screen, you see the graphics have this blurry look. It's a bit awkward since there is no frame rate drop or pop in, except when it comes to loading the NPCs. Plus, personal opinion, the opening is great and catchy. Persona 4 just has alot of style and flair and it shows.



The voice acting is phenomenal with an all star cast in the mix. Each performance is filled with personality and it feels like each of the characters are a part of your life. Sure you may cringe on Teddie's bear puns, or his pathetic attempts to "score with the ladies", but he doesn't mean harm, he's just a horny bear. Also worth mentioning the usual cast of Yuri Lowenthal as our favorite disco ninja Persona wielding and bumbling bro Yosuke, Troy Baker as the rebel with a conflicting side Kanji, and Johnny Yong Bosch as our silent/bumbling idiot cop. I did notice that Dave Wittenberg's role as Teddie sometimes in battle sounds a bit like Keith Ferguson when he played as Bloo (I hate Bloo). Also, Chie just doesn't sound like a regular kung fu teenager chick, but that's just me.

The dungeons this time around are more linear than in the previous installment. In Persona 3, the dungeons are randomized and have certain limitations such as team split. This time around each dungeon is based on a character's Shadow. For example, Yukiko has a castle because she thinks she's a princess, Kanji has a sauna for reasons left to the imagination, and Rise has a strip joint...she is an idol I guess. Each has their own style and though it may seem repetitive to hear the same theme of each dungeon over and over, it doesn't deteriorate from the over all experience. There are mini events such as mini bosses to mix things up, but that's it.

I'll be completely honest and say that this game will take you a long time to complete. Roughly at over 90 hours, or 200+ if you took your sweet time with it like I did, most of it consists of 3 parts: Your social aspect where you progress in relationships with each character, doing menial tasks that will give you boosts in your character traits such as courage, knowledge, and understanding which you need to unlock more social links, and the last is dungeon crawling. Most of the time if you aren't knee deep in trying to getting a girlfriend with many of the available girls in Inaba, you are level grinding up to a good level. The difficulty is tough, not going to lie. First it seems like a good time just working your way through the dungeon and then this boss just kicks your balls through your nose or you win by the skin of your teeth. For the former it's probably because of a certain Shadow near the beginning of the game lurches ahead in brutal unmitigated torturous difficulty (You know who I'm talking about (Shadow Yukiko). For the latter, there is nothing more of a satisfying feel of winning something at the brink of losing hours upon hours of level grinding. You will need a bit of strategy to fight against these Shadows.

Speaking of strategy, this game is the kind that you will need a guide for (almost most of the SMT games require it). Some may believe that playing with a guide on the first playthrough is cheating, but for a game this complex and the lexicon confusing for newcomers, it's definitely essential. For example, I cast Agi against someone who is a Bufu user, but weak against an Agi type. Probably a few of you are going "wtf" just now. Agi is fire and Bufu is ice, but the good thing is there is a mini description to each of the Persona's abilities, plus either Rise or Teddie will give you a small guide to what strengths and weaknesses each Shadow you fight has. The guide will most likely be for the Social Links.

For a game this complex and deep, it's definitely a roller coaster ride with like able characters, a simple yet difficult battle system, and a soundtrack that you can listen to over and over, it's definitely worth a spot in your PS2 library and considered the last best PS2 game I ever spent $20 on. You heard me right, if you go on Amazon, you too can get this game easily for $20. It's well worth the value and there's plenty of meat to go around. It gets Rare's Seal of Approval.

That however is just the tip of the iceberg. Next up, I'll be tackling on a recent fighting game spin off of Persona 4. Persona 4 Arena. How will it stack up against it's predecessor?

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Rare's Soapbox: Sinful Food for the Price of Sin


I am thou... thou art I... hold on, hold on... back up *record scratch* that comes after ok?

For the past few weeks I've been ignoring the recent controversy involving Chick-Fil-A and the company revealing it's fangs as an advocate for anti gay marriage. Now, it seems to be filling the Internet with both for and against Chick Fil A because of this subject.

To those who won't honestly pay attention to this (I had an excuse, Persona 4), COO of Chick-Fil-A Dan Cathy came out and revealed that he and his company have been donating some funds to oppose same-sex marriage. This has caused a lot of people in a tizzy starting up boycotts to Chick Fil A and telling people not to eat there.

Now, let me get this out of the way: Not only is same-sex marriage a touchy subject, but this is not the right time to do so. Besides, they violated Rule of Honor #216; First rule of mixing business with religious politics, DO NOT mix business with religious politics! I am not one of marriage in general. I'm not ready. Marriage shouldn't just be limited to just one of opposite sex, but also to choose who your own partner in life is. Denying that privilege to everyone to choose their own mate is dishonorable.

I admit I grew up in semi strict catholic views, which led me to escape from Sunday School when they got too preachy to the point that it started to scare me. Think about it from my perspective. If you live in a lifestyle of seeing things black, white, and narrow, you aren't seeing the whole picture. Since then I've considered myself half catholic because I didn't finish. What would my life been like if I continued on their path? I would have been a soulless, bigoted robot who would have been spoon fed everything that isn't part of their world. The ultimate fate of that path, would be me ending up like the poor people of Jonestown; soulless; following one false belief, with no character development, and becoming a Shadow of who I am now. I know that makes no sense, but pretty much I would have ended up as those people who are against same sex marriage.

What do I think of this? This isn't about marriage, it's about gender equality and gender segregation. Just because some one's marriage and love goes against what your values are doesn't mean you should oust them. And as a business, Dan Cathy, if you are reading this, should be treating customers equally regardless of orientation. I'm straight as an arrow, but if I acted the opposite, would you deny me service?

And those following the bandwagon for and against, have you thought about this? Chick Fil A is a business, an entity that serves great fast food. What a business believes in and does shouldn't reflect what you believe in. Besides, In n Out is pretty much a Christian corporation and they stayed out of this shit. Hell, there are bible verses on the bottom of your sodas! Didn't you notice?

Any case, you guys should give this a rest. Everyone wants to get married to prolong humanity and keep it from declining. To start a family and raise their own children is the whole point of marrying someone. Would you deny this to everyone regardless of who they are? Or are you that dense in your own belief that you label someone a demon just because some one's partner is the same gender? Heck I was labeled a demon and a sinner by christian protesters just because I was a gamer. What the hell is that about? There is a thing called bromance where two friends punch each other for kicks. Just ask Yosuke Hanamura. And there is a thing called Yaoi where women go nuts of a feminine male romance blossoming. Need I mention that men like to see Yuri or lilies?

Take off those narrow value glasses for once and see the big picture. And Chick Fil A, stop this anti gay marriage thing and just keep serving food to everybody, regardless of difference. You're no different than what Disney. Judge not lest ye be judged... or was it Cast in the name of God ye not guilty? Wait, that was Big O. my bad.