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..

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