Persona 4: Yasoinaba Case File

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Persona 4:Yasoinaba Case Files is a fairly unnecessary, yet still wonderful supplement to the Persona 4 universe.

Admittedly, we've reached such a point with the Persona series nowadays that ATLUS have always been hell-bent on cashing in on their games in anyway possible. In the times we spent with the Investigation Team, we saw them once, twice, then three and four more times when the dancing and fighting games came out. A lot of the cast, whether main or supporting, has had their time in the spotlight somehow, and this has been the case for years. By now, anyone interested in Persona 4 knows the ... characters almost to a T, and they're massively beloved in the fandom because of it.

This brings this manga's main issue. It is, without a doubt, unnecessary. Each of the chapters choose to either showcase a set of two characters, or exclusively one of them (courtesy of Yu Narukami himself), and while a lot of the chapters may seem like they could delve deeper into their inner struggles and daily lives, they mostly serve to fill as mostly gags and one-off stories.

Some concepts are reused, such as Nanako's Detective dress-up from the anime, and Narukami's surprising amount of female social links fighting one another, as seen in the P4 Golden adaptation, but there is still a level of uniqueness to them. They're plot beats done in new ways to surprise and entertain, and they work well for what they try to accomplish.

It's all harmless in the end. I gave it flack initially, but as I read on, I realised why I loved these characters. They're all unique, fun, and interesting. Adachi's chapter made me feel for him, Yu's chapter made me smile, and Nanako's chapter gave me a warm feeling befitting the precious girl herself. They're all there for something, and the mangaka themself even addresses how they grew up with the P4 series before even drawing the manga.

A lot of the stories in Yasoinaba Case Files come from a place of love, and it does certainly show. It's simply meant to serve as one thing, and one thing only, and that is to be a supplementary manga for fans of Persona 4.

Persona 4: Yasoinaba Case Files is nothing new. It isn't trying to be. It was made for Persona 4 fans, by a Persona 4 fan, and as a result, I can't help but enjoy myself with it. I still get a massive kick out of seeing these characters every time, and even if I gave it flack earlier, I sincerely hope that any other Persona fan besides me can also enjoy this one-off spin-off volume just as well as I did.