Alternative TitlesEnglish: Persona 4 The Animation Synonyms: P4A Japanese: ペルソナ4アニメーション
Information
Type: TV
Episodes: 25
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Oct 7, 2011 to Mar 30, 2012
Duration:
25 min. per episode Rating:
PG-13 - Teens 13 or older
L represents licensing company
StatisticsScore: 7.871 (scored by 23223 users)
Ranked: #6272
Popularity: #285
Members: 51,414
Favorites: 777 1 indicates a weighted score
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SynopsisPersona 4 takes place in a rural town named Inaba. There have been mysterious murders occurring whenever there was fog after heavy rain. There were also rumors about a channel on television airing only at midnight called Mayonaka TV, during which it is said that one can see his/her "other half" when staring at the TV screen.
After hearing about a recent unsolved murder which occurred during the fog, the characters—Narukami, Chie, and Yosuke—discuss how each of them had attempted to watch the mysterious TV channel and witnessed the murder victim. The protagonist later realizes that during midnight when the channel is on, his body can phase into his television set as a gateway to enter another world infested with shadows.
After discovering this, they all decide to explore. When first completely entering the world, dazed and confused, Narukami meets Teddie. Mayonaka TV and the town murders seem to have a connection. The murder victims may be merely victims of Mayonaka TV. Everyone decides that they will together try to solve the mysterious murders by exploring the hidden world of Mayonaka TV. |
Related AnimeAdaptation: Persona 4
Alternative setting: Persona: Trinity Soul, Persona 3 the Movie
Sequel: Persona 4 The Animation: No One is Alone
Summary: Persona 4 The Animation: The Factor of Hope
Characters & Voice Actors
Staff
Reviews
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iamdanedane
11 of 17 people found this review helpful
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25 episodes
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| Overall |
8 |
| Story |
10 |
| Animation |
5 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Character |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
There may be some spoilers here. Sorry.
Persona 4: The Animation begins as Yu Narukami moves to Inaba for the reason that his parents have work abroad. He met his uncle, Ryotaro Dojima, and his little cousin, Nanako Dojima, as he got there. When they stopped at a nearby gas station, Yu gets a strange feeling, one thing he didn’t know would cause him and the people around him in trouble.
One night, he hears someone talking and he senses that strange feeling again. He tells it to his new friends, Yosuke Hanamura, Chie Satonaka, and Yukiko Amagi. As they try to investigate at Junes’, they went inside the television world. They met Teddie (Kuma) and gave them glasses so they can see in the fog. When they were attacked by the ‘shadows’, Yu’s Persona emerges and fights them off.
When they figured out that the people shown on The Midnight Channel was sent there before they died (whenever there was also fog after a heavy rain), they explore more about it.
Story: (10/10)
Confusing? No, it actually isn’t. At first, you’ll get confused with what’s happening. But as the story continues, you’ll find out about almost everything that goes on. That’s what made it amazing. There’s this mystery that will keep you guessing up until the end. As each episode passes, the story gets better and better.
When I found out that Kubo wasn’t the person who killed Ms. Yamano and Konishi, I immediately presumed it was really someone close to them. Someone who isn’t suspicious. Then it got to me: It was Adachi. My very first guess was it’s really Adachi. Then they all found out that it was Namatame, I was still unconvinced, especially the part where he said “saved”. In the end, I was right.
During the mid-story, you’ll have a break from the mysteries and action you have seen earlier. One way to keep the audience watching, with all the humorous events that took place with it. It also serves as a ‘break’ for your brain, as it gets ‘overused’ when you’re trying to solve whodunit.
By the near end of the story, almost all the truths get revealed. (I said ‘almost’ because the Director’s Cut and the True Ending reveals the rest of it).
Art: (5/10)
I didn’t really like the animation. I mean, it’s okay once you get used to it. I’m a fan of P.A. Works, you see. I love to watch animes with an animation that is very detailed. Something that looks realistic, but at the same time still has that anime-ic feel.
They all looked weird. The characters’ eyes were not very pleasant. It looked somewhat strange, unlike the eyes from some other animes. You couldn’t also see very clearly the looks of everybody’s Personas. Yosuke’s and Naoto’s Personas somehow looked the same to me. And most colors were dull, but just a little.
With the fight scenes, you’ll feel that they are actually ‘fighting’. Fighting animation’s good, but it just wasn’t enough for me. The animation just didn’t click for me.
Sound: (8/10)
Sounds were amazing. I’m a fan of jazzy and soul tunes, and rock music, and Persona 4’s opening and ending theme will give you that. Thumbs up for Shoji Meguro.
Rie Kugimiya, the person who plays Rise Kujikawa, has an amazing voice. It made True Story worth listening to. Shihoko Hirata and Lotus Juice are also remarkable. Most instrumentals of songs, like Beauty of Destiny and Alone in this World, sounds even better. Koisuru Meitantei sounds cute, too.
My favourite would be Key Plus Words. It’s just amazing, nuffsaid.
With Persona 4’s soundtrack, plus a few from the actual game, really made Persona 4’s ‘ear experience’ enjoyable.
Character: (9/10)
Yu Narukami. I thought he was gonna’ be some sort of a heroic character that you usually see from a Sci-Fi anime. Yes, he is, but there’s more to him. He’s strange, he’s awkward, he’s very forward. What you’ll love about him is that he’s oblivious to almost everything and shows ignorance on some little things, which makes him funny. He was indifferent, yet it makes him stand out from the rest.
Nanako Dojima, Yu Narukami’s little cousin, is also very adorable. I was devastated when she died. I mean, how could a little person, so cute and so nice, die like that? It was injustice.
Chie Satonaka was also really funny. Especially when she comes up with a ‘punchline.’
Minor characters also played their parts well. They are given the right exposure, which made them not forgettable. Even characters from the past were mentioned throughout the story.
For me, my most favourite character would be Naoto Shirogane and Tatsumi Kanji. I also ship them. read more
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tazillo
90 of 168 people found this review helpful
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25 of 25 episodes seen
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| Overall |
8 |
| Story |
8 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Character |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
"Bonds of people is the true power"
Persona 4 is one of the best video games that I have had the chance to play. Despite being highly acclaimed by critics both in Japan and in the West, Persona 4 remains somewhat of a niche title and this more or less transfers to the anime adaptation too. As a result, those who have played the game are the ones best-placed to be able to fully appreciate the anime series, but new fans will also find a very good anime thanks to Aniplex doing a commendable job with the existing game material.
The opening episodes set the story up quite well with mysterious deaths, the TV world, shadows and personas. The main character, along with another high school student, get involved through various circumstances and then strive to solve the murder cases, meanwhile gaining new friends and abilities. However, it does take a while before huge plot developments start to occur, and these are spread out unevenly over the course of the series. As a result, the pacing is off throughout certain episodes and some important revelations are only lightly touched upon. Social links are a crucial feature in Persona 4; these are several side stories which detail the interactions and bonds that form between the main character and supporting characters. Certain social links are arguably more enjoyable to watch in the anime rather than play in the game, as there's original material which fleshes them out better. Others, however, feel rather rushed.
The game features several short anime-styled cut scenes, and the anime series is similar in terms of artwork and animation. Character designs, which have been copied from the game, are simple and sharp. This means it's decent, but compared to certain other anime it's probably not as visually striking. In some episodes the animation is quite inconsistent; for example, facial expressions are usually good but sometimes become lifeless. Nevertheless, the battle scenes featuring personas and shadows are mostly excellent and full of action, appropriate BGM and variation. It's also amusing that the anime retains the look and feel of a video game; the main character's stats appearing halfway through each episode, as well as the calendar being displayed when each day passes are just a couple of examples.
The sound, in my opinion, is the best aspect of this anime. Poor music alone can't make-or-break a series, but that is irrelevant anyway when it comes to Persona 4 The Animation. The background music is composed by Shoji Meguro, who also composed the music for the game, and it doesn't disappoint, especially during battle scenes. A lot of the music has been recycled from the game and rightly so; why change something that's already superb? The OP and ED themes are new, but they're done in the same style as the OP: sung in English but still sounding incredible. The Japanese VAs have done a good job (which is expected as they also voiced the characters in the game, and therefore have previous experience), and more often than not they suit the roles well.
There are several characters in P4, and most seem to have made the transition from game to anime. The main character, Yu Narukami, was previously a silent protagonist but now has a voice and his own personality. The latter is initially quite bland but develops as his stats and social links develop; after a few episodes he becomes central to a fair few hilarious quips and situations. The rest of the main cast are a varied but likeable bunch, and each viewer will probably have their own favourites. This anime series has an interesting method of introducing the main characters and molding their personalities, by which I mean that it's incorporated into the Midnight Channel, one of the major plot points. Aside from Yu Narukami, some members of the main cast start out as plain high school students, but their backgrounds and insecurities are revealed as the anime progresses. As mentioned, the battles are entertaining but rather than just having persona-users as mere spectators, they feel pain when their personas are attacked, which raises the stakes and makes them more involved. Finally, the appearance of two mysterious characters (Igor and Margaret) at the beginning of each episode help to summarize which social links or bonds of friendship were developed by Yu in the previous episode.
Now, I'll assume that the majority of Persona 4 veterans will agree that it was a brilliant, or at the very least good, game for the Playstation 2. Therefore, it has two important challenges: to satisfy those who've played the game, and to appeal to those who haven't but are looking to watch a good anime series. The anime is a faithful adaptation, so anyone who liked the game can now enjoy watching it as a TV series. It's vastly entertaining and contains mystery, action and adventure in a high school/small town setting. Admittedly, the story does take a while to get going for those unfamiliar to P4, due to questionable pacing and an initial monster-of-the-week feeling to episodes. However, get past this and you'll find a decent series that's slightly different to others in its genre.
If the quality found in P4 The Animation becomes the usual standard for anime adapted from games, I'd definitely watch more of them. It complements the game adequately and while it remains quite faithful the anime also includes a lot of new stuff, as well as a heavier use of comedy. These changes allow Persona 4 The Animation to be watched as a standalone series, but at the end of the day existing P4 fans should enjoy the anime more because seeing how it handles the familiar characters and story from the game is great fun; newcomers will probably score the series a bit lower. Video gamers can look forward to more of Persona 4 in future: an updated port of the original game on Playstation Vita, and a spin-off fighting game on PS3/Xbox360.
Note: An unaired episode that adapts the video game's True Ending is scheduled to be released in August 2012. read more
Recommendations
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Both are adaptions of Shin Megami Tensei games that revolve around demon summoning and an awesome protagonist.
Okay, so, we have all these really normal high school kids, right? What if gigantic amounts of bad shit went down, culminating in them obtaining super demon-summoning powers? Sounds silly, yes? Take it up with Atlus, that's the basic premise of both these shows. There's a good amount of mystery going on here, and the general atmosphere is pretty dark and eerie. (Although Persona 4 is most certainly the cheerier of the two.)
Both series are adaptations of a Shin Megami Tensei Game by Atlus. Also, Seiji Kishi is the director of both anime adaptation series.
Students dealing with deaths that can be predicted through some kind of mechanism. These kids can also summon beings used for fighting.
Not only are both the series from the Shin Megami Tensei franchise but they also share that feeling of supernatural mystery. These mysteries surrounds the origins of the series as well as the characters.
In fact, the characters' cast from both series are small but contain big mysteries. Among other things, there's the usage of beasts/avatars produced by summoning of their owners. These summoned beasts fights on the behalf of their owners from both series to gain dominance; super power backgrounds.
Both series' characters also have similar age ranges and features similar artwork.
They also contain action and are directed by Seiji Kishi.
Both are anime adaptatiosn of Shin Megami Tensei games, which means they both have a similar "dark" vibe to them with a dark storyline.
A lot of demons will be the same in both games since they're part of the same franchise, for example: Pixie.
Both games ARE EXCELLENT and Persona 4 animation was good.
Both anime are videogame adaptation of two of Atlus' awesome game. Persona 4's from the Persona series (obviously) while Devil Survivor sorta follows Shin Megami Tensei. And for those who are unaware, SMT follows the strict "chosen one fights demons WITH demons to save the world" formula.
This means that both series have ties to demons (or technically, mythological creatures).
P4's more concerned about bonds, while DS2 is a little darker and edgier.
Persona 4 adapted the game right, now we'll see if DS2 can do it too :D
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There exists a personification of your innermost feelings and thought processes. In Chaos Head it exists as a "delusion", something brought into reality, while in Persona 4 it exists as a "persona". If you aren't careful, you can be killed.
Both have another world-kind of feeling and they have plot and characters that resemble each other. I think they are really related why? Because they both origin from japanese role-playing video game.
Similar plot, starts with murder, then the murdering is stopped and the main characters have to find out more like why or how. There is like a fantasy world and the real world and they are mixed together in a really great and original way, I really love both anime
In both these series, the true potential of the protagonist are kept a secret. They eventually come to realize how strong and powerful they are.
Also, there are random series of murder which start making sense towards the end.
Both anime contain viable amounts of mystery and action and are worth watching!
Both series features strange phenomenon that happens over a city that is shrouded by mystery.
Both series contains elements of both supernatural and science fiction themes featuring some action later on as well.
Both series' main protagonist has "delusions" that are occur in various episodes.
Both series also include plots featuring a murder that has many questions that needs answers.
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Opening Theme#1: "Pursuing My True Self" by Shihoko Hirata (ep 1)
#2: "sky's the limit" by Shihoko Hirata (eps 2-8, 10-12)
#3: "True Story" by Rise Kujikawa (Rie Kugimiya) (ep 9)
#4: "key plus words" by by Shihoko Hirata feat. Yumi Kawamura (eps 13, 14, 16-23)
#5: "Burn My Dread" by Yumi Kawamura (ep 15)
more
Ending Theme#1: "sky's the limit" by Shihoko Hirata (ep 1)
#2: "Beauty of Destiny" by Shihoko Hirata feat. Lotus Juice (eps 2-12)
#3: "Koisuru Meitantei (恋する名探偵)" by Loveline (Yui Horie) (ep 13)
#4: "The way of Memories -Kizuna no Chikara- (The way of Memories - キズナノチカラ-)" by Shihoko Hirata (eps 14-17, 19-24)
#5: "Honto no Kimochi (ほんとのきもち)" by Shihoko Hirata (ep 18)
#6: "Never More" by Shihoko Hirata (ep 25)
more
Fansubbing Groups
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Related ClubsThe Awesome Club, h, Mutirão Brasil - Ver. Summer Season 2012, Kanae Itou Fanclub, Daisuke Ono Fan Club!, Yosuke Hanamura Fanclub, TOP_RANKS ANIME AND GAME DC (AG&DC), Overrated or Underrated Animes and Mangas, On Goings Club, Kappei Yamaguchi at All, Supernatural & Magical Highschool Role-Playing (RP) Club, Anime Video Game Club, Persona 4 Fanclub, Anime & Manga: JRPGs, Nanako Dojima ~Persona 4~ Fanclub, Mara Fanclub!, Shiroku✰Highschool, Shin Megami Tensei, Adachy~Baby Club, Tomb Raider ForumsRisetteers! ~The Rise Kujikawa Club~, English Dub Fanclub, Souji/Yosuke Fanclub, Persona Fan Group, Anime Power Rankings, Rikugou.org, The Kanji Tatsumi Fanclub, Which Character Has My Birthday, Police, Demon Lovers!, Armitage's Dimension Radio, Daisuke Namikawa Fan Club!, VOMIC (MAY SOM CARDS R UP 4 GRABS!!!), Shin Megami Tensei united, Tomokazu Sugita Fanclub, Role Players Unite! see all
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