Persona 4 the Golden Animation

What began as a triumphant success, both critically and commercially, in the gaming culture, even outside the JRPG community, has now devolved into whoring itself out. That is not a negative connotation, as the spin-off games and the Vita port are excellent in their own right. However, the event that started the whole milking process began with announcing an entire adaptation of Persona 4 in anime form back in 2011. It would be of no surprise to anyone that it was a thing that, in the end, would be looked at as a project that could not be called anything but unnecessary.

Speaking as someone whose ... favorite game is Persona 4 and will cherish it till the day I die, I’ve also adored its Vita port, Persona 4 Golden. Its different mechanics and new fantastic scenes also brought a new character, which breathed all new life into it. After much popular demand by absolutely no one, Aniplex thought to themselves, “Remember that Persona 4 anime we made a couple of years ago? Why don’t we make another one for the port to cash in on the hype for Persona?” Atlus probably had a hand in the decision too. Still, Persona 4 the Golden Animation is nothing more than just decent fan service for fans to see, even with the inevitable cringe-worthy attempts to adapt it fully.

For those who aren’t aware of the concept of Persona 4 Golden, it is another version of the original game with a different side character that we get to know throughout her own story. The anime wants to solely focus on the new one, named Marie, and find out the mystery of who she is and why she is there. These do not bode well in how they handle the pacing and development. At one point, there are several parts where they skip over significant growth to fit 13 episodes in with Marie’s and animate the extra scenes; this includes the beach fanservice, the band practice, motorcycle licenses, etc.

Ironically, this problem of fitting too much content into one season was the same problem with the 1st season. The creators wanted to include as much content as possible to make it feel like an authentic Persona game in full anime spectacle. While it is admirable of them to at least try to accomplish this, it fails considerably. There are many instances where the pacing felt too quick for us to understand and feel for our characters. If they were to make this into a bonafide hit, a more prolonged episode count would’ve sufficed a bit more for one. But in this day and age where shows more extended than 24 episodes all come and go, I don’t think Aniplex has that kind of budget to have had that accomplished.

Art and animation have their moments of eerie distinctiveness, where the characters are drawn quite an on point to how Atlus usually draws their Shin Megami Tensei characters. However, there are moments where the art quickly goes down south at a draw distance where the characters look very deformed. The animation can be guilty of this, too, with rigid motions at specific frames and cutting corners here and there. When the battle scenes occur, the art and animation are pretty stellar to see, so you can tell where Aniplex put most of their budget towards.

Despite this not being an excellent adaptation, should this be outright slandered by Persona fans? Not entirely. What is still intact from the source is the humor, which can still serve to be a delight on multiple occasions. Seeing them in the animated form helps make it more memorable in this light. Not only that, but there are a few exciting bonuses they added to the story, despite its flawed presentation. Adachi’s past is given a lot of in-depth analysis, which has him seen in a more sympathetic light in how he became a police officer.

Many will ask the obvious question: Should I play the games or watch the anime? Or should I watch/play Persona 3 first before 4? Depending on your preference, they will prove to be more fruitful in experiencing a truly brilliant story. Golden only proves to have more of the same systematic problems from the previous iteration. Even without mentioning it in regards to how it compares to the game, it isn’t anything that noticeably special. Fanservice shows are of no small quantity these days, so your best bet is to leave the fanservice for the fanatics to dive into.

Grade: C-

Watch Episodes 6 & 7, Persona fans! As for the rest, well, my (first) review.

The Golden Animation, simply put, is all the scenes from the updated rerelease from the game, animated and stretched out a bit.

As opposed to the strange combination of social life, school days, and vigilante-Shadow-fighting-crime-solving that was Persona 4, Golden, when taken at face value, comes off as a typical Slice-of-Life with a mystery sub-plot that isn't even explained well. Which is admittedly understandable, though it doesn't improve the series.

Our returning characters have their previously established relationships hinted at, as with their slightly more complex personalities, but they're mostly shoved to the ... side to make room for the amateur poet amnesiac with enough tsundere to give Ms Rin Tohsaka a run for money, Marie(a.k.a. canon love-interest). The series has no direct focus, but Marie's story in context of this expansion, translating to giving the girl some memories that might jog her old ones.

Cue the beach.

As a fan of Persona 4, I can admit that I found it enjoyable to watch, though that might have been somewhat mitigated by the conscious knowledge that I was supporting the ludicrous overmilking of Persona 4 that still continues with its yet to be released PS3 port and Rhythm Game spinoff. Even if the new artstyle took a moment to get used to, they were the guys who did the cutscenes for the game and they weren't too shabby here, either. Props, Madhouse.

I say watch the aforementioned episodes because they have direct relevance to the original Mystery/Reach Out For The Truth story by offering a look from the killer's eyes through the whole story; from before the murders to his inevitable defeat by the heroes.

Aside from that, though, I can only recommend this to someone who has already seen or played the original story and wants the canon equivalent of a fanfiction added on. I have no malice for this series, no anger with it that motivates me to give it a low score. But it just doesn't do anything noteworthy aside from the moment in its midpoint where it briefly returns to its source material to do what one might have wished at least half of the episodes had done. Perhaps it's for the best, though. Golden did have a happy & satisfying alternate ending, though.

Live long and prosper! :)

Persona 4 Golden seems a bit intimidating to watch at first. Based off of a highly popular game for Playstation Vita, there may be high expectations when it comes to adaptation. And why shouldn’t there be? The franchise is already popular and the concept of Persona itself should be enough to hit a few chords. The only catch is that Persona 4 Golden isn’t necessarily a sequel or spinoff. Instead, it’s a remake of the original series with the addition of a new character. Rebounding back with the story of the original series, Persona 4 Golden is far from a golden egg.

Even when coming into ... the show as an anime only viewer, it’s easy to say that the foundation of the show is built on knowledge of the Persona world. In other words, the producers assumes you’ve at least know some aspects of the show. If you’re coming into the series completely point blank fresh, then confusion might be a factor to endure. The first episode begins with doses of mysterious concepts as we meet protagonist Yu. He comes into contact with a strange avatar dubbed as the Persona and fights even more mysterious monsters. However, what’s really strange to me is the way the first half of the adaptation that came following the pilot episode. There’s little to no explanation regarding the events of what has happened. Instead, the show transits into slice-of-life formulation with the introduction of a variety of characters. The most prominent of them is Marie, the new girl in town that we meet in this remake. And to be honest, I’m not that impressed.

For a show that has both a smart and intriguing premise, the first half of the series leaves me with a bit of disappointment. It feels bleak and the slice of life aspect builds on repetitive teenage-esque drama rather than supernatural phenomena. When you hear of the word “persona”, what you may think would be something along the line of “just what is that”? Sadly, patience would have to play a key role if you want to find out. The questionable decision to adapt the show this way leaves me wondering what the slice of life purpose really is. Furthermore, some of these questionable episodes feels rushed and leaves moments that are easily forgettable. These may include beach episodes, shopping sessions, and even forming a band. It takes roughly half the series to once again focus on the concept of Persona again. That’s just a whimsy shift and inadequate decision.

As being foretold as an alternate continuation, the series still takes place in the town of Inaba. A major difference is the introduction of Marie, whom Yu befriends early on in the show. The two aren’t very compatible when it comes to their personalities. Their strange relationship can’t be depicted as romantic either since Yu doesn’t seem to show feelings for her or vice versa. To say the least, I could describe them as more of acquaintances. Portions of the story focus that is expanded in this adaptation seems to be focused Marie. As we find out, she has a case of amnesia so this show begins to unravel more secrets about her character. In essence, it creates a modern-life journey for her to recover those memories. Her relationship with other characters is mostly minor except for Yu whom she interacts with the most. As such, we only see most of her true colors during their times together. But for such a key character in this series, there’s not much appeals with Marie. She is reserved but not always shy to speak out her thoughts. Her lack of common sense on occasions is played out as a joke along with her tsundere-like tendencies. The plus side is that she isn’t a girl that causes trouble but just doesn’t seem to be able to catch a viewer’s interest despite the focus on her character.

Speaking of characters, most of the original cast returns in this show ranging from cheerful Rise, the elegant Yukiko Amagi, tomboy Chie Satonaka, or clumsy Yosuke. Even Kuma makes his return that reminds us the show still appeals to peculiarity. Despite their lack of characterization, all of them get some moments to shine and a chance to interact with Yuu and Marie. The drawback is that there’s less prestige focused on their roles in the story. The plus side is their diverse personalities that leads to certain events that can be entertaining. But even taking this for granted, their performance is underwhelming filled with lackluster and stereotypical clichés that makes it all look bad on paper.

If you lasted over half the show, then the patience might pay you off. Despite the overwhelmingly saturated amounts of clichés in the first half, the latter part of the show becomes more plot oriented. Characters such as Adachi and Teddie get more highlight with their roles. The former stands out as a testament of suspicious deeds after it’s clear that Adachi is more than who he claims to be. The climax of his battle against Yu serves as a solid example of Persona should be. The endgame is that the show had weak buildup leading to such a powerful climax. Thus it created less anticipation but more so on resolution. On the other hand, Marie’s side of the story also becomes centralized regarding her amnesia. Although relatively short, it’s clear that there is a bonding relationship between Marie and Yu that is emphasized in the final few episodes. Challenging himself to his limits, Yu struggles to bring back memories of Marie and the girl he once knew. It also creates moments of revelations as we find out more about Marie’s identity, her role, and ultimately what she wants to do. Perhaps the two most noteworthy moments of this subplot are Yu’s search for Marie (especially in a snowstorm) and their reunion. Although relatively short, it captured a profound image of their relationship. On the other hand, other characters are seemingly left out in the dark with minimal roles while I have to wonder why they get involved in the first place. Ultimately, it creates the result of a rushed adaptation.

Creativity deserves some attention for Persona Golden namely with the action. Although CGI can be a bit distracting, it does pay off with the way it’s utilized. I give some credit for the way Personas are designed and the fluid action they are involved in particular with episode 11. Then, there’s the humor that is a mixed bag. While most of it feels forced or cheesy, there are some charming moments when the show delivers what it’s trying to do. And while the jokes are stale, the character interactions are genuine that defines what friendship is all about. However, the mechanics of the game remains stale. You’d expect some exposition but in the end, you’ll be left out stranded if you have no knowledge of the Persona world if you don’t pay attention.

A-1 Pictures pulls their strings and as the company involved with the anime production, I could only say that the visuals are moderately adapted. Taking a good look at the characters, their models look weird and unrealistic. The only decent character design I can take my hat off to would be Marie for her unorthodox way of dressing up. Backgrounds are also fairly blend except for the battlefields in the otherworldly arenas. It’s there that creativity deserves some props. But if you want to talk about praise, then most of it should be focused on the Personas. Indeed, they are designed with great peculiarity but also distinctive marks of intelligence. It’s hard to recall exactly a word to describe them but the Personas stole the show when it comes to visual dynamics. When combined with effective camera angles, Persona 4 Golden actually shines more than meets the eye only for that element.

Soundtrack has some influence but isn’t exactly a powerhouse. The OP song may be different (except for one episode that used the second opening song from the original season) but it still maintains the same tone. Its repetitiveness has no bounds either when it comes to its quirky OST. On the plus side, action scenes again takes control with its choreography; a sharp contrast to its easily forgettable SOL background music. For the character casting, most of them retains the same way of their mannerisms. I think I already mentioned Marie before but her tsundere-like voice can be borderline annoying and childish. However, Yu seems to have matured a bit with his much more confident voice as result of his max stats retained from the original show.

So, what’s the best way to enjoy Persona 4 Golden? I’d probably say patience. If you’re bored by the end of the first episode, then take heed and drop this show. The first half has that slice of life feeling where each episode almost seems like a different show. But once you get through that, it might pay off with the focus on Marie and the main story. Rewards worth reaping would be the action oriented scenes with solid coordination and tolerable soundtrack. And while the comedy in most aspects is dull, there are occasional moments where you’ll find yourself burst out laughing. Ultimately, Persona 4 Golden is short of achieving stardom when it comes to its end product. Rather, it’s more like one of those shows that tries to work on its own terms but didn’t achieve its end game.

If you haven't played Persona 4 Golden, this really isn't for you. Even if you have played it, don't expect a full adaptation like the Persona 4 Animation. Think of it more as a compilation of the cutscenes and events from the game.

Overall I give this a 10/10. This isn't because of its merit as a stand-alone series. In that regard it's actually terrible and you would have no idea what's going on if you watched it in a vacuum. I give it a 10/10 because of how well it adapts key scenes from the game- which is probably the goal rather ... than making an adaptation of the entire narrative.


Not only do you get memorable events in full animation, but they retroactively add in Marie for events she wasn't actually present in. Normally, this alone with a few minor plot changes would put me off, but they did a really good job of fitting the narrative together in a way that wasn't at all confusing...if you already played the game. It's almost like an alternative universe in which Marie had an even larger role. If anything, it's refreshing, since watching the exact same scenes happen in the exact same way would get pretty boring.

If you think of this as DLC for people who completed the game instead of an actual show, I think you can get a lot of enjoyment out of this. Especially when you go looking for easter eggs that show that this is a New Game+ run with max character stats.

First of all, I got to say as a Persona fans, I'm quite disappointed with this series. For you guys out there who haven't watch or play the game (at least Persona 4), don't watch this series yet. This series only emphasize on Marie, the new character from the golden version.

Story 3/10
The series is a bit messed up with characters after characters appear out of nowhere at the beginning of the episode without explaining how they got to meet the protagonist in the first place. The original story is pretty much non-existent here. I do understand they want to emphasize on Marie but at ... least they need to explain how the other characters get to know each other since this series is more of a remake / alternative version. Each episode from the first half of the series feels like a brand new story rather than a continuation from the previous episode especially with a new character coming out from nowhere.

Art/Sound: 6/10
The art doesn't change much honestly. But hey, the original ones is acceptable so I still give it a 6 (Yos****sune still looks badass) and for the sound, I still enjoy the battle theme from the game so I give it a 7 (Meh, quite biased right?)

Alright Character, 5/10
Well, honestly, I haven't played the golden version so I find the new character to be quite interesting and probably the only reason I watched this series to the end. It brings a new spark to the old gang which is quite enjoyable. The problem lies with the rest of the gang. The main character is quite similar with the one from the original series (and the game, but this one talks!) but a bit livelier than before. The problem lies with the secondary characters (the rest of the gang), it feels like they are just... bland. Since they didn't explain how they got there in the first place, there's no progression or whatsoever from them.

Enjoyment and Overall 5/10
Overall, this series is quite a disappointment. I got a mixed feelings about this but I do like the new character and the comedy bits in this series is quite entertaining. It's really a shame that this is only a 12 episodes and the rest of the crews did not get properly introduced. For Persona fans out there who haven't watched this series, this series might be quite a disappointment to you Especially if you are looking forward to the actions and battle (which is pretty much non-existent). However, if you don't have time to play the game and want to know what happens in the Golden version, you might want to check this series out (even though I'm not sure how close this series to the game version). And again, Do Not watch this one before finishing either the original series or the game first!!

This is my first review so please be nice to me guys :)

Golden is about the story of Marie and her journey to find her memories, a great slice of life anime with a little bit of that persona video game action. Not an all-rounder but it'll make you feel good inside especially the last episode.

I wouldn't say you should avoid watching this if you have not played the game or watched Persona 4: The Animation, It's a different story on its own but it does have some spoilers but its not blatantly obvious.

What really got me was that the animation is top-notch; it was like it was from those cut scenes from the game itself. The ... story does get stale after so many iterations coupled with such rushed pacing but somehow it always compels me to watch it again and again. Recommended if you want something beautiful to admire or just to have something new to watch.

tl;dr: supplement, not a replacement

I don't understand half the hate this gets. From the intro you can tell this is meant to emulate a new game+ for the main character, with his stats maxed out, lending to the main character's more lively personality. If you actually played a new game+ run of P4G, this is how your save would look, easily skipping over character introductions and dungeons, while absorbing all the new content of the game. The important part of this version is the GOLDEN, but negative reviewers mostly lament the fact they didn't re-animate the events of the original Persona 4 animation. What did ... Atlus add to the Golden version of the game? Marie and Adachi s. link, Winter trip, and a new boss, and therefore new ending. What P4GA didn't cover was what the base game already had and what was already animated, but what it did animate was everything NEW to the series. This is a supplement to the main story and not a retelling, please watch it with that in mind.

This is a insult to the original history of Persona 4, this thing doesn't have a history, it's directly the content added on Persona 4 Golden, this insn't a group of friends trying to solve a serie of murders like they say in the sypnosis, this is just a comedy from extracts from the history, the animation quality is mediocre, the OST is exelent, characters are only cartoons of any stereotyped character in this thing, the energetic one, the thinking one, the dumb one, etc. The anime isn't funny, dones't have a real plot, have a basic humor and if you fuse those with the ... bad characters, we got some really bad quality anime. If you want to watch Persona 4, i recommend you to play the PS2 or PSVita Game, but if you don't have any of them, watch Persona 4 the Animation, don't watch this trash.

So I am going to be wading against the tide of masses here, but I really enjoyed this anime and probably for a lot of the reasons others did not.

That being said, if you have any chance of enjoying this, then I recommend you;

1. play persona 4 and if you have a vita, the golden version.

2. watch the original anime (http://myanimelist.net/anime/10588/Persona_4_The_Animation)

I love the characters in Persona 4 and overall I think they did a solid job on both animes. Unlike a majority of the P4 fans, I feel like this anime did honor to the game's story. So I'll try and keep this ... as simple as I can. Why did I like this anime and the original that its based off of?

1. I feel in love with the characters and world of P4 and the shows did justice in bringing so much of what I liked about the characters back from the game and even stepping it up a notch. If you are new to P4, then welcome to a well rounded crew of characters that mixes anime mystery and slice of life with Scobby Doo adventure and antics, no I'm not kidding.

2. Since the games main character Yu is a Silent Protagonist, its great to see his character be given so much life in the animes. Everything that made him badass based off the players choices, are personified (hehe) in the show. Scenes like the P3 nightclub are made that much greater or in the case of this anime, the Christmas and beach events.

3. This is where most people will disagree with me and why I encourage you to watch the original anime first. Yes the main story is almost completely lacking in this anime, and I'm Glad it is! Why? Well while I understand not everyone fits in this group, its overkill for me. I played the original game to completion, I also 100% the golden version. I also watched the original anime before this one. While I love the story, I also am tired of it as well. I played through the game again and that was fine, but the last thing I want to do is rewatch all of it AGAIN just to see some of the "extra new stuff". This anime gives you Marie's story and all of the awesome extras that the golden game added without you having to rewatch the same stuff again.

The creators made this anime catering to the fans who watched the original already. A similar thing is done in Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood. They rush through the things that sync up with the original anime and when it branches away, they start to give the anime a slower, more depth paced feel, (even if it was a roller coaster ride). The anime producers do this to prevent the original work they did from becoming obsolete while still appealing to the fans of that original work.

So all of that being said, watch this either after or alongside the original anime and you will find yourself in for an enjoyable time.

Anime Series Review No.4 This going to be my shortest review of the series because their is nothing much to talk about. I will discuss my viewpoint in the series.

Story 5/10
The story is the weakest part of the Persona Golden unlike the first Persona 4 which the story is top notch for it told the event in the night more and some day events. The story in the golden is majorly in the day and will focus more the slice of life and normal friendship bonding and less action. Even the premise is just a retelling version of the events they still made the ... story not dull and still enjoyable and inspiring but not as much good as the first version.


Art 8/10
The art is no different from the last P4 but still I like the colors and the presentation of the battle scene and the Persona's. OP art style is funky and groovy still give the persona 4 aura.

Sound 6/10
I still like the way they reuse the song of the former version of P4 but not use in the most epic way in the last former. Just gives the nostalgia feels.

Characters 8/10
Since it's a 12 episode series and a retelling remake that only way to make the show enjoyable is to flesh out the characters as much as possible made them unique and likable and more importantly don't make them dull and annoying which is the strong point of persona 4 golden and that's all to that.

Enjoyment 8/10
I didn't raise my expectation in the P4 golden for it's just short so I won't expecting I will enjoy the plot but the characters made an alternative solution for me to enjoy because the characters of P4 is still enjoyable to watch and still laugh at the simple humor.

That's all I can say I am Persona 4 fan but I didn't raise my expectation by doing that I still have enjoy the show fairly and without disappointment.

Villians are not one-dimensional characters like typical children cartoons show them as. Villians can be saved or just defeated, it's up to the protagonist or someone else to choose. Remember, villians aren't unsympathetic nor are they unempathetic, because they are as much of characters as the main cast, if not even more. Villians represent what we may become, one of the possibilities, that's why you can't just take out everything with a big fat laser. You have to understand the villian, and understand him/her/it well. How did the villian become a villian? Did someone do this? Was it society as we know it? A ... cultural flaw? Imo, Adachi was one of those unlucky unfortunates that got the short straw in life. Yes, he did kill, but that doesn't cover up his own suffering. Understand the villian, know the villian, take out the villian if you want but don't treat the villian character one-dimensionally, even if he/her/it hates you for trying to understand the situation. Pity the villian? That sometimes may be fine. But the best solution as shown in Persona 4 The Golden Animation, is to SAVE THE VILLIAN.

(like many people who end up not talking to their "friends" past graduation because they were never that close).

I loved The Golden Animation even more than the first anime. Why? It went into greater depth for character development for one of the most pivotal characters, Adachi. The original series depicted little of Adachi, and left little to pity about him, as he was depicted mainly from the Investigation team's view, and felt one sided as a villian, not explaining much about himself and forcing the audience to analyze deeper into him without many clues.
The Golden Animation elaborates on Adachi's self more, how he became like that etc. Adachi was originally a bit of a "good student" kind of person, as seen in ep7, this doesn't mean that every good student who studies hard and as a result doesnt further his/her social relationships like Adachi will become a killer or anything like that.
It's just a possibility that may happen, if let be by either the subject and/or others.

EPISODE 6 AND 7! These are the high rewatch value episodes for 10/10 character development! I can relate, empathize with Adachi about the shittyness of the world, cuz I'm a anti-social existential crisis myself. Adachi's life before discovering the Midnight Television as depicted in episode 6 and further elaborated in ep7 resembles the sort of cruelly realistic life that many people lead, one that is boring and uneventful, a situation that ends up making one view the bad sides of the world. Adachi was nearly improving tho, when he met the Dojimas. He hated the life in the country, and life and people in general.
Of course, as shown in Golden's Adachi arc, when someone else came in (Yu), he started to spiral downward again, so it seemed like Yu's fault here (watch the episodes for more info).

I actually cried, no I actually cry everytime I rewatch episode 7. And when I rewatch episode 6 my heart cringes and I feel myself in Adachi's shoes, because I've had similar experiences and feelings. Some folks might go all insensitive and "JUSTICE" and say one-dimensional things like "Adachi is such an ass" or "so annoying Adachi, go to jail already". Those sort of insensitive things you see on the internet often. But that's called being stuck in the one dimension. Villians are not one-dimensional, not in real life and not in Persona.

The KEY to solving Adachi's suffering was bonds, as Yu reveals Adachi had with Dojima all along, and that Adachi wasn't replaced. Or perhaps that was just an illusion cup? No, play Arena Ultimate and know that this is not true, Adachi DOES have a bond, and he is saved by it by YU who saves Adachi by showing him the bond and understanding Adachi's woes recognizing his own existence as one that may make Adachi's suffering.
That's something you don't get in many anime. The Golden is a masterpiece, tho short. Prepare to cry when you finally do feel Adachi's woes and anger. And when you see him saved, you'll find yourself likely thinking that he's the best villain in Persona 4 you ever faced.

Marie ruins everything.

There were some enjoyable moments in the anime for hardcore Persona fans. And maybe for some casual fans as well as the fans in-between. However, none of these enjoyable moments involved Marie and moments that did not involve Marie were very rare when watching. I expected Marie to be a heavy focal point walking into this as she was one of the more significant additions to the Golden game but I did not expect to walk away from it with a new hatred for the character.

Golden is also littered with moments of shoddy animation throughout. It was kind of like the double Chie ... situation from the original animation. In addition to these instances of questionable quality featuring twice the Chie, there are a thousand Maries this time around.

The first animation was by no means the pinnacle of video game adaptations but I remember it for being a fun, fanservice-y run through that endeared me even more to the characters I spent those hours of game time with as well as giving a likable personality to the hero. The overall experience is what made me look over some of the technical/quality issues it had. Most importantly, it was enjoyable to me as a Persona fan. I will remember the Golden animation for Marie. And not fondly.

This is the worst thing I've ever watched.

I'm not gonna lie I never played P4G, so I never got the hate surrounding Marie. For the first three episodes, I actually kind of liked her. This did not continue.

For reasons that I can understand, P4GA only adds the added stuff from the updated rerelease. As such, it is best watched after playing both P4/G and watching the original anime series.

One of the things that the original Persona 4 Animation failed to deliver on was animation and action scenes. The writing was fine, but the series still suffered greatly. One thing that I thought that the Golden ... Animation would at least impimprove upon was the art, but there is even more QUALITY than there was in the original.

The Adachi fanservice was fun, but it was interrupted with copious amounts of Marie. By the way, Marie has more spoken lines in P4GA than any of the other characters (besides maybe Yu) do in both Persona 4: The Animation and Persona 4: The Golden Animation combined.

So, to summarize:
Bad art
Bad animation
Bad writing
Bad everything.

Music was right out of the original soundtrack so that doesn't really count, does it?

It's New Game+ for Yu

Persona 4 the Golden Animation is in the simplest ways, a retelling of the original Persona 4: The Animation but with a new character and Yu essentially being in New Game+ mode, add in one new Social Link and slice of life events not told in the original and we have Golden.

Now the slice of life events takes roughly the first half of the anime as we get integrated with our newest character in the anime, Marie voiced by Kana Hanazawa in her tsundere vocals and who she really is, as you guessed it, we have an amnesiac plot interlaced in ... all this.

The slice of life events is mostly fillery but also trying to get to know more of Marie throughout the anime, it works but Marie's brash tsundere personality doesn't help in some cases (mostly when got serious for LA). The slice of life events mostly compromises of beach to hot springs to the more zany "Yu's cramped schedule day with EVERYONE" event, it for all accounts counterbalances the more serious events the original had with it's serial murders and Persona's business.

Now Marie as a character for LA was a bit hard for LA to like with her tsundere personality and LA LOVES tsundere's but she kinda was borderline unlikable at times. LA knows her entire deal is of a person who has no idea who she is and also when she finds out who she is she doesn't want to know, Kana Hanazawa helps...a bit but when it starts focusing on her "arc" her motivation for what she did was for the Investigation Team but LA was still torn by those revelations and what she did to make it rather tedious to "get her back".

On speaking of "get her back", because Persona 4 Golden essentially being a retelling of the original game that means the "original series villain" of the series who LA won't name even in this review is back and mood-whiplashes you from the slice of life moments to the outrageously serious in taking down the villain in question and guess what Marie is nowhere to be seen (LA knows her disappearance has relevance but still coupled with the moodwhiplash doesn't help it as the major villain hijacks the plot for his development before jankily turning back to Marie).

The animation done this time by A1-Pictures, keeps the favour and art style of AIC A.S.T.A's animation pretty well form character designs the original had, LA really don't have that much to say about A1-Pictures animation besides that it has a few derpy facial animation at times but other than that, A1-Pictures' animation is decent enough.

The voice cast is back just adding the aforementioned Kana Hanazawa and a portion of the anime is dedicated to Marie so Kana Hanazawa has ALOT of screentime compared to the rest of the cast, LA will give Kana Hanazawa MVP by default but LA will put Yui Horie who voiced Chie as second merely because Chie gets screentime in the slice of life events and was LA's favourite character.

Persona 4 Golden: The Animation though does have elements of the anime missing from the original to pretty much abridging the original series to fit it's narrative but Golden still has it's upsides to all this, from new and old storylines from both Golden and the original series being finished along with trying to give character development to the newest character is a difficult feat Golden had done...just with some loose execution in it's part.

Some of the new and old storylines Golden did answer at the very least is who Marie really is in detail, how Yu got his Persona powers in the first place (and these two plot points are linked) as well as giving a proper epilogue of all the characters so that Persona 4 finishes completely with no loose ends.

If anything, Golden is an companion piece to the original anime series and sure LA will say both animes can compress a 200 hour or so game into 36 episodes and expect it to fill in ALL the details like what anime to game adaptation CAN do something like that?, but for what Golden did in 12 episodes from introducing, developing Marie and her presences in the plot, explaining everything it could AND bringing in Persona 4's more mundane slice of life events into focus all into one, LA will commend Persona 4 Golden: The Animation for that.

Persona 4 Golden: The Animation should at least be watched for diehard Persona fans or people who watched the original series and just want more of Persona 4, be it serious or not this time with all the loose ends tied. LA liked Golden but just not as much the original series, but as LA said Golden is more of a companion piece to the original anime series than a stand alone anime in it's right by the end of it.

Golden ain't terrible or anything but it needed some polish was all...

I liked it.
 
10/10 even, based on personal enjoyment.
 
That said, objectively it was terrible. I can see why someone who's never played the game that jumped onto The Golden Animation as their first exposure to the franchise would be thoroughly confused (and indeed turned off).

Let me try to explain this in a way that people who have never played Persona 4 might understand.

Persona 4 is a unique game in that it has elements of your classic RPG, a slice of life anime, and a dating sim, all neatly packaged into one. The game's main motif is "Power of Bonds", that is to say, ... your connections are your source of power. So in-between saving the world and killing monsters, you still have to attend school every day and have a social life. That said, the RPG-element is still the primary plot of the game, everything else is only secondary.

What The Golden Animation does is essentially ignore the RPG-element of the game and focuses entirely on the secondary aspect, specifically the social link (what bonds are called) of Marie.

Now this is bad. The series is already assuming you have some knowledge of the overarching plot and therefore doesn't go into detail about events that are directly tied to the RPG-element, which is why the series makes no coherent sense. New characters are introduced every episode with no development, the calendar transitions jump back and forth between months with no explanation, and the first episode gives false impressions that it's an action genre when in reality it's a slice of life.
 
It was understandably done this way because the studio's goal wasn't to retell the original plot or rehash the original anime. Its goal was to fill in the gaps the game left with the introduction of Marie and flesh out her character. See, Marie wasn't in the original game, she's actually a new Golden-exclusive character, and the problem is that in terms of plot significance she's actually quite an important character, and that's what this series tries to highlight.

In that regards, this anime did an excellent job. To be honest (and I speak as a Persona 4 fan), Marie felt shoehorned into the game. Because the original plot (without Marie) was so nicely wrapped up, fitting Marie into it ended up feeling jarring at times because her social link makes it seem like she's super tight with the main group, but then she's not mentioned anywhere else.
 
This series suffers from the unfortunate drawback of only appealing to a very select audience. It's not enough to have played the original Persona 4 or have watched the original anime, you NEED to have played Golden. As a whole, and rated objectively, I have to give it a low score. If this was part of an OVA package, it'd be another story, but this is marketed as its own independent series which just doesn't work due to how much they cut out.
 
That said, I love that it brought some of the most memorable scenes from the game to life. Kanji's beach scene was fucking hilarious and makes me love the characters and the series even more. I thought it was hilariously well done in-game, to see it animated made it that much better! Chie fan-service? Who needs that junk when you got Kanji the man in all his glory? I also thought Adachi was very well written in The Golden Animation. The game does scratch the surface of what they were trying to make Adachi to be, but this series really highlights how Adachi is Yu's foil.

Remember in my Psycho Pass Movie review about the movement of Michaelbayanism? Well, in a few words, Persona 4 the Golden Animation belongs in that movement. You could literally rename it to Persona 4 the Cashgrab Animation or Baysona 4 the Michael Bay Animation. In short, it is not good and a disgrace.

When I saw how Golden in comparison to the Original, its score was almost 1 mark lower than the former. I did not think it will be bad until I watched it and...yeah it was poorly done. Despite that fact, there were very few moments when I had fun one being the ... final episode, the second half. The rest is cliched disjointed and a clusterfuck of nonsense.

There was close to zero saving graces for this masterpiece of a series, and the only thing I found good was actually the sound. But that was also poorly used during the series. The op is ok but it grew on me. The ed is the only track I actually liked and the animation in the ending was good. Shoji Meguro is one of my favorite music composers and his passion is shown in the song. It just feels wasted on this Michaelbayan ingenuity of an adaptation.

Who knew that when you see the label A-1 Pictures in a show you should already know what to expect most oftenly: animation and art becomes gradually worse later on, the soundtrack is standard to good and story and characters are not given a shit.

My biggest complaint with this adaptation is that instead of making it a complete series, they just took the opening episode of the original and after that they just put the scenes from P4G. The end result is a mess of a story that has little to no continuity and A-1 shines again with its notorious use of timeskips *cough* SAO S1 *cough*. Characters are bland and a paper-thin imitation of the original. Marie who is the only new character is annoying and typical as hell and the fact that half the series is about her made me rage. She is your typical, annoying, tsundere, amnesiac girl who has a secret that will cause a plot-twist to occur. She is even more annoying than Teddie in this anime who is innately annoying.

This is exactly how not to do a game adaptation and how to do a Michaelbayan chef-d'oeuvre (more like poop-d'oeuvre). A-1 Pictures can do so much better if they handle the story and characters better like in Shinsekai Yori. But clearly, most of the time, their shows end up following the Cashgrab formula.

Stange.... maybe it just me but I think these P4GA got hate more than they deserved but yeah... This is just my opinion so nobody need to believe it.

First This is not stand alone series or sequel or spin off
It is an addition story of the first P4A to milk more money from P4G.
what you will notice when you watch this anime is
1. What's already told on P4A will be skip
2. MC are max Social stat

so if you are for rich story, emotional moment ,and character development
you won't get that much(except for the new character)
...
Second so what's good about P4GA ?
If you minus all of that and then what is left?

eerrrr.... then why the heck is P4G got 9.3/10 on IGN
It is the same reason THE ADDITIONAL PART.

If you understand what it is and able to guess what you'll get from it then you'll enjoy it ...it is DLC of the P4 animation with some tweak and change
It is now the New Game+ additional story of the P4G

in the opening you'll see social stat of the Yu Narukami and that open the whole new possibility for the main character.

now he have courage to take different route from what original done.
he have a cool calm understanding and can express it freely in this anime.
which sometime make him failed more miserable.

to sum it up : It is an enjoyable additional story for people who don't mind seeing things different from what they see on the P4G.

It is an enjoyable for people who want to know what happen in Golden version of the game but they don't own PSVITA.

It is enjoyable for people who want to see more Persona 4 Character but don't mind the main focus to the new character of the show.

FMAB also did this. while there's first FMA anime adaption.
They rush and tweak some of the early plot story and go right into when the juicy stuff happen.

That's it for the story part
Music : you know it is Persona Music.
Character : Main focus on Marie + new event for all the character.
Art : Colorful
Enjoyment : yes
Meaningful : no
Overall : If you looking for something No.. / If you're bored and want more P4 ....YES

The review will be split into 3 categories so pick which ones correspond to you.

For those that have never seen Persona 4 The Animation or played either Persona 4 or Persona 4 Golden:
Don't bother with this anime cause it requires knowledge from the previous season or the games.

For those that have seen the Persona 4 anime or played the 1st Persona 4 game:
This adaptation will give you all you need to know about what happens in Persona 4 Golden. With the addition of Marie and the backstory of the main antagonist. And it won't bother with showing you stuff you have already seen ... or played before with the exception of the 1st episode but with awesome action since the animators treated it like you imported your old save to start new game+, so you already have max stats and an Izanagi with Maziodyne. However it's focus is mainly on the characters and slice of life mode except until the later parts where the action picks up again.

For those that have played Persona 4 Golden:
This adaptation will show you all the added content in the game and more. It will show scenes that were never in the game especially with Marie and later for a couple of episodes with Adachi. The focus is on Marie's development as a character and on the slice of life comedic antics of the group with some really hilarious twist that I wish was also in the game, especially the Christmas Eve episode which was Golden!

It's a great adaptation assuming you already know Persona 4 beforehand. I myself had beaten Persona 4 Golden just so I could purchase my Persona 5 "Take Your Heart" Edition the day after. Then binge watch every Persona anime from Trinity Soul, Persona 3 Movies, All Persona 4 series & OVA's and the Persona 5 Day Breakers.

So give it a go and delve deeper into the Persona Universe.

Say what you will about anime adapted from video games, but the Persona 4 Golden anime is genuinely amazing. It does Marie so much justice that she doesn't get in the game, even in her social link. Before watching the anime, my thoughts on Marie were "Eh, she's alright. At least she has a cool design." After the anime, she is probably my favorite female character from Persona 4. Even her tsundere-ness is more charming in the anime, while in the game it's the main thing I disliked about her. In addition to all that it does for Marie, the visuals are also gorgeous. Probably ... my favorite visuals in any anime. It's so colorful, bright, and shiny, and it just brings so much life to the characters.

The story is presented very oddly, skimming over the main plot points of Persona 4 to focus on the new Marie segments present only in the Golden version of the game, but I got used to it after a few episodes and I find it a unique and oddly charming way of telling the story. Because of this, it's not a good anime to watch on its own: you should have at the VERY least watched the original P4 anime first if not played the game, otherwise you'll likely be confused by new characters suddenly popping up out of nowhere.

How can I possibly start this review without saying how much of a loss of time this anime was like? Because it is.
But let's start with something more simple. This anime is the adaptation of the remasted version of Persona 4, Persona 4 Golden, so I was expecting the plot of Persona 4 (maybe without many details, since it's a lot to put in 12 episodes) plus the story added in the Golden. I was really wrong.
This anime is completely a filler season. It's literally the Social link story of Marie, the character added in Golden that is really important for the story. For those ... who don't know what a Social Link is, it's the Friendships with the other characters in the game, that you have to level up meeting and chatting with them while you play to know them better. And it's okay when you have the entire game, but when you have ONLY the Social Link of a character, it feels pretty useless to make an entire anime about it. Also this isn't exactly stated in the plot, so at first I wanted to watch only this series without the vanilla one (and I didn't play the game). Luckily I changed idea, though I still wanted to watch them together, so I was alternating episodes and I got really big spoilers from the second episode already even if I was already past half the vanilla season. Yes because this series doesn't even care in giving you prompt of the story, already in the second episode you have the full cast together, without any explanation, when you should actually know them one by one. It was pretty rushed too, since the episodes are mostly one shot, and aren't pretty much plot-related if not for few chatting about the major plot point of the story.
At the end of the story, how could I enjoyan anime that was almost like watching a series only of "beach episode"? Only the last episodes are really plot-related, but this doesn't justify or help that much since I was really bored when I got there.
Also, I have the opinion that every media should be watched by itself, but in this case you should play the game of watch the vanilla season (and this is not a sequel, let's be careful with that) or else you wouldn't understand anything about it.