Before I begin, I’d like to thank Youtuber star6wars1 for recommending this anime. I really appreciate it! J Now, let’s move onto the review.
You know, there are actually a ton of anime that are adapted from video games or visual novels, which is kind of the Japanese equivalent to a video game that plays out like a story, and the player’s decisions make up the plot. If you’re confused in any way:
From what I can tell, Persona 4 is kind of a combination of the two, but don’t quote me on that because I’m not much of a gamer. Anyway, some other examples of anime that were based off of games are Dangan Ropa – The Animation, Devil Survivor 2 – The Animation, 11Eyes, Clannad, Kanon (both versions), Air, School Days, Fortune Arterial, Photo Kano, Diabolik Lovers, Fate/Stay Night, Utawarerumono, the list goes on. Even though I haven’t seen all of the anime listed (only Dangan Ropa, 11Eyes, Clannad, Kanon 2006, some of Fate/Stay Night and one episode of the monstrosity that is Diabolik Lovers), I’ve noticed that visual novel adaptations are…average. Sure, there may be one or two that stand out, but other than that they can range from mediocre to downright terrible. So, with all of this in mind, I went into Persona 4 with a lot of caution. So, how did it hold up? Sit back, relax, and read on as I review Persona 4 – The Animation.
From what I can tell, Persona 4 is kind of a combination of the two, but don’t quote me on that because I’m not much of a gamer. Anyway, some other examples of anime that were based off of games are Dangan Ropa – The Animation, Devil Survivor 2 – The Animation, 11Eyes, Clannad, Kanon (both versions), Air, School Days, Fortune Arterial, Photo Kano, Diabolik Lovers, Fate/Stay Night, Utawarerumono, the list goes on. Even though I haven’t seen all of the anime listed (only Dangan Ropa, 11Eyes, Clannad, Kanon 2006, some of Fate/Stay Night and one episode of the monstrosity that is Diabolik Lovers), I’ve noticed that visual novel adaptations are…average. Sure, there may be one or two that stand out, but other than that they can range from mediocre to downright terrible. So, with all of this in mind, I went into Persona 4 with a lot of caution. So, how did it hold up? Sit back, relax, and read on as I review Persona 4 – The Animation.
The Setup:
Set in the Japanese countryside, the anime begins with our main protagonist named…the Protagonist. Wait, wait, wait…the anime gave him the name of Yu Narukami, my bad. So, Yu is moving from Tokyo to the Japanese countryside to live with this uncle Ryotaro Dojima and cousin Nanako for a year because his parents were working abroad. While getting adjusted to the new country life, he meets some of his classmates in his new school, namely Yosuke Hanamura and Chie Satonaka, along with Chie’s friend Yukiko but she’s not really an important character yet, so she barely gets an introduction. Anyway, Yu has also noticed some strange disturbances concerning the Midnight Channel, a television “program” that plays only at midnight on rainy days. The strange disturbances are the fact that those whose faces are shown on the channel end up dead within a few days. On top of that, Yu tries to touch the TV screen and notices that his hand can go through it. He tells Yosuke and Chie, so they head over to the nearest department store to see if Yu’s telling the truth. As a result of this, as Yu is testing out his ability to go into the TV, Chie and Yosuke begin arguing, and accidentally makes all three of them fall into the TV. There, they meet a creature known as Teddie (because he’s a bear) and they’re attacked by these monsters that Teddie calls “shadows”. Then, Yu discovers a new power of his; the ability to summon a “persona”, defeating the shadows and getting everyone else out safely. Thus, the story begins. So, as you can see, Persona 4 has a very eventful first episode, and if you’re somehow not the slightest bit interested by it, then I’m not sure of what will interest you.
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| In Persona 4, the characters each gain the ability to control a "Persona", of which is stored in a card |
The Characters:
The characters of Persona 4, while not the best characters in existence, are pretty memorable. One of my favorite aspects of the anime in general is how the characters obtain their Personas; they have to battle their “true selves”. In other words, the battle for the Persona is also a battle against a part of you that you would rather not let people see, which I found rather fascinating and it developed each of the side characters rather nicely. Now, let’s move onto the characters themselves. When I first saw Yu I thought he would be the definition of a generic main character. He had little to no personality, his dialogue was bland, he didn’t strike me as interesting, and his character design made him look like a generic main character. When I finished the anime, however, he became my favorite character in the entire show because his character development was absolutely fantastic. He literally went from a blank slate to an emotional, relatable, and incredibly well-written main character, to the point of which I would say that he’s one of my favorite anime main characters period. Now that I think about it, I get the feeling that the anime was trying to make him as blank as possible originally, so that when you see him form bonds with people it would affect him emotionally. Granted, we don’t really see his life before his move, but I still think that my point remains. As for the other characters, they were okay, but not nearly as memorable as Yu. Yosuke is fine as the best-friend character, Chie is the perfect example of how to do a tsundere correctly, Yukiko is quiet but has some pretty good character development, Teddie makes some BEARY BAD BEAR PUNS (but you’ll get used to them), and three more characters named Kanji, Rise, and Naoto join them later on. Kanji tries to act like a tough guy but has a softer side, Rise is a former idol that is on hiatus, and Naoto is a child detective. The main villain (of whom you find out much later in the story) is also really well-done, and who it is will most likely surprise you. So, the characters are pretty good, how does the story hold up? Well, not as well.
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| (These designs are from the game) From left to right: Teddie, Rise, Yosuke, Naoto, Kanji, Yu, Chie, Yukiko |
The Story:
While the main story of Persona 4 was definitely intriguing and kept my interest, it’s also where my two main problems with this series lie. Firstly, the filler episodes just bug me. I don’t care if they were part of the game, I don’t care about your definition of a filler episode, I think that a good portion of the episodes in this anime are just flat-out filler. I’m normally pretty lenient when it comes to filler episodes in anime, because if I can see some worth within the episode whether it be character development or development of the setting then I don't consider it to be a filler episode, but Persona 4 doesn’t meet up to any of the requirements of not having filler episodes. For example, there’s an episode where the kids go on a school camping trip. Sure, there’s comedy to be found there, but I don’t remember there being any important character development or development of any sort. Secondly, I don’t like its constant usage of deus ex machina. For those who don’t know, a deus ex machina is a plot device that is used to get a character out of a nearly impossible situation by giving them a power that literally comes out of nowhere. An example would be the entire climax of Sword Art Online’s second half. Now, in Persona 4 it isn’t nearly as bad because they do offer up some explanations as to why a certain power is given to Yu, but they don’t technically show it to us, so the climax at the end of episode 13 for example just felt anti-climatic. The explanation given is that every time he forms a new bond, he gains a new Persona. Sure, okay, I’ll buy that, but howmany bonds did he make in order to gain so many new Personas? I think that this is due to the fact that Persona 4 is based off of a video game, because in a video game, you can gain any power you want in order to defeat the game. In an anime, however, it makes no sense to see a character with powers that the audience hasn’t seen beforehand without some sort of explanation or have the audience see how exactly the character gained that specific power. It will probably make more sense as you watch it, but I think I got my point across.
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| The story is pretty good, but has way too much filler |
Animation and Sound:
The animation of Persona 4 is okay. The movements are a little clunky, but it’s made up for by its creative character designs, colors, and atmosphere. As for the soundtrack, it’s really good. It’s very memorable and is very stylish, setting the moods perfectly. None of the opening or ending songs stood out to me. As for English or Japanese, go with the English dub. It’s well-acted, and Johnny Young Bosh does a fantastic job as both Yu and another character named Adachi. Can’t go wrong with that!
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| Animation is okay, but its colors, stylish music, and great English dub make up for it |
Final Judgment:
Persona 4 is a pretty good anime. If you can get past the filler episodes, it has some great characters, music, and a unique design. I give Persona 4 a 3 out of 5, and a recommendation to give it a watch. But, like always, it is up to you to decide your own opinion.
ScoreCard:
ScoreCard:
Watch Persona 4 (Sub): http://www.hulu.com/persona-4
Watch Persona 4 (Dub): http://www.englishanimes.com/watch/persona-4-the-animation-dub-online/
Further Recommendations:
Sword Art Online (Episodes 1-14)
While nowhere near the best anime on the planet, SAO is a fun and enjoyable show as long as your brain is turned off and you don’t mind deus ex machina. If you just want to watch a show for the enjoyment factor, look no further than SAO.
Blue Exorcist
One of my favorite shonens, Blue Exorcist also has a fantastic main character and a story that, while it does have some filler, it is enjoyable and will keep you guessing. If you want a darker shonen that is similar to Persona 4 (in some ways), this is a great option.
One of my favorite shonens, Blue Exorcist also has a fantastic main character and a story that, while it does have some filler, it is enjoyable and will keep you guessing. If you want a darker shonen that is similar to Persona 4 (in some ways), this is a great option.
There will be a book review next week, but I'm not sure of which book I'll be reviewing. Keep an eye out for future updates.
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