Persona 4 In Trouble: Leaks and Strifes

by dtshyk
Oct 13, 2011 4:45 AM | 109 Comments

According to the twitter of animator Arai Jun (the key animator of "Star Driver: Kagayaki no Takuto"), episode 2 of Persona 4 The Animation was leaked to video sharing sites with French subtitles before the TV airing in Japan. The OP sequence of the anime was also leaked yesterday prematurely. Arai Jun disclosed that the production studio AIC A.S.T.A. has been swindling the animators and his salary hasn't been paid even after the deadline. Animator Murata Toshiharu (the character designer of "Hellsing") agreed with Arai that there is something wrong with AIC studios. Two anonymous animators (@zouni and @bito) also tweeted that they quit the team of Persona 4 from episode 3 because of AIC's bad management.

Sources: Arai's twitter, Mutara's twitter

20 of 109 Comments Recent Comments

jmal said:

Hoppy said:
C3 didn't even make it, but judging from that Dengeki Bunko figure convention it's probably made to sell figma and ecchi goodies of Fear, I keep seeing exclusive stuff from that series being announced every other week.

While it's still early, it looks like C3 could be the lowest selling show of the season, except maybe Kimi to Boku. It'll be close. Mashiro-iro will be competing for a bottom rank as well. Phi Brain was way way back in last (like, ranked 8,000th) before it suddenly shot way the hell up into the top 100 yesterday. It's down around 276 now.

All that advertising for figma and ecchi stuff must be bad for the show as there is so much of it that the otaku can't resist blowing their money on Fear merchandise.

Oct 30, 2011 11:49 AM by Hoppy

jmal said:

Makross said:
Is there some evidence about how is the production doing in terms of popularity and rating in japan?

Absolutely ludicrously well. To put it in some perspective, there's a site that makes sales estimates based on Amazon Japan DVD/BD rankings. It's generally in the right ballpark, if not super super precise. The top 10 Vol. 1s for Fall 2011 so far:

(*28,786 pt) 2011/11/23 Persona 4
(**9,820 pt) 2011/11/02 Working'!!
(**5,242 pt) 2011/12/22 Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon
(**4,405 pt) 2012/01/13 Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai
(**1,751 pt) 2011/12/21 Shinryaku!? Ikamusume
(**1,714 pt) 2011/12/21 Tamayura ~hitotose~
(**1,448 pt) 2011/11/25 Maji de Watashi no Koi Shinasai!!
(**1,441 pt) 2011/12/22 Maken-ki!
(***,991 pt) 2011/12/22 Shakugan no Shana III
(***,848 pt) 2012/01/25 Guilty Crown

Important disclaimer: Before anyone makes much too nuanced conclusions using his data, note that the rankings are cumulative and are calculated continuously until 7 days after release, so these aren't final, and obviously shows that have been solicited longer have accumulated more points (hence no Fate/Zero, it only got listed yesterday but it'll be a huge huge seller). The above is also BDs only, though the only shows putting up noteworthy DVD numbers so far this season are Persona and Working anyway.

But just looking at their relative estimates makes it pretty clear that Persona is going to blow away everything this season except maybe Fate/Zero. Although Persona's first volume is discounted, so Vol. 2+ won't sell as much. AndPersona is benefiting from a huge game fanbase who are ordering early. It should easily crush most shows though, all that said. It's been remarkably persistent in hanging at the top of the rankings even after a month.

All that to say, it's damn popular.

C3 didn't even make it, but judging from that Dengeki Bunko figure convention it's probably made to sell figma and ecchi goodies of Fear, I keep seeing exclusive stuff from that series being announced every other week.

Oct 30, 2011 11:26 AM by Hoppy

Seeing those Stalker rankings makes me sad, since I thought Shana 3 would sell in the 10k ballpark, like the other two. Looks like it won't even reach 5k at this point.

Oct 30, 2011 8:44 AM by RyanSaotome

Is there some evidence about how is the production doing in terms of popularity and rating in japan?

A bunch of guys complaining in the occidental part of the planet isn't going to change anything. We're not the target of the anime (at least not right now).

Oct 29, 2011 10:55 PM by Makross

It better not be cancelled, we didn't even get Naoto yet.
Grrr.

Oct 22, 2011 5:33 AM by 09890

Give it to KyoAni and all will be well! Heck... PLS DO IT! lol
They're not doing anything anyway except what? K-ON Movie? lol
AIC's doing way too many shows.
I dunno what the structure is there on AIC.
but doing too many might be one of the reasons of "mismanagement".

Oct 22, 2011 5:29 AM by alpha69

After watching episode 3, this animation crisis is total bullshit and is just a couple animators complaining.

The animation is still fine. There's QUALITY moments here and there but its far from being serious problems.

Oct 20, 2011 8:49 PM by Riga92

Considering the level of this crisis, I wouldn't be surprised if the show's cancelled, and even less so at poor quality over how well it could have been produced.

Oct 17, 2011 9:23 AM by Hmmmmmmmmmmm

Episode 2 had no noticeable drop in quality, in fact it was much better than episode 1.

The animation problems sound like bullshit.

Oct 17, 2011 3:30 AM by Riga92

The show must go on! I've been looking forward to the animation since they announced it. :[

Oct 16, 2011 12:15 AM by SeraphicWings

ep 2 was good , stop crying.

Hope they resolve their problems. (pay the fucking animators?)

Oct 15, 2011 6:28 PM by Vanisher

welp looks like my only hope for this season now is guilty crown and ben-to.

Oct 15, 2011 3:19 PM by removed-user

@PointmanW [Since MAL is being a bitch and wouldn't let my post appear if I quote anyone]
Lol dude wtf xD
I was referring to the disturbances within the production company and not the anime series. In fact, I never reprimanded the anime. More honestly, I didn't even intend to! Shit honestly, I love the anime and the way it is so extraordinarily faithful to the VG. There are faults though, like animation is a bit choppy and some characters are overdone but nothing in life is flawless and I'm not complaining.
So darling, you mis-read and mis-interpreted my post and ended up wasting your time in typing back a huge ass argument which is actually completely void. Zilch.
Sucks to be you.
And if there are lovers, there will always be haters so stfu about it already. No one cares about your opinion but you.

<3

Oct 15, 2011 3:13 PM by k0k0

Wow seriously? I waited 4-5 weeks for this show only to have them disappoint me with the first 2 episodes and now this shit happens? Way to fuck up aic.

Oct 15, 2011 3:01 PM by removed-user

oh great.. just great = /

Oct 15, 2011 4:28 AM by enya04

Complain more, doesn't change the fact that this production is good.

Relunx

Oct 15, 2011 1:14 AM by Relunx

PointmanW said:
so what your idea of faithful? you mean it have to have 5 episode to cover all thing happen in the FOUR HOUR LONG beginning of the game without any fighting? sorry, THAT NOT EVEN WORK WELL WITH THE GAME (my friend almost dropped it because of that long beginning), NOT TO MENTION AN ANIME DUMBASS!! this clearly the most faithful anime ever and will ever created
and you know what is the reason behind all those hate comment: because it not SCENE to SCENE like the game, because THEY COMPARE IT TO GAME!!!
don't tell me you hater not intelligent enough to know about the different between an interactive medium (game) with a passive medium (anime), they have to change they way of storytelling because of that, if a anime do extractly like the game, it will become one of the most boring anime created and will only for game fan but not other people, and i even doubt that fan of the game will like that because they not controlling the character.
now i ask you hater, how many of you that claim that the anime not faithful can watch the walkthrough instead of playing the game without getting bored and quit? i bet no one, not to mention a person who never played the game
and those say that this this anime is for those played the game should slap Themselves a hard one becauyse they, who played the game dislike it, but most people from animesuki, the watch page and even some in this site that never played the game said they liked it.
so this anime for THOSE NOT PLAYED THE GAME AND THOSE NOT COMPARE IT TO THE GAME. and NOT for THOSE COMPARE IT TO THE GAME, THOSE SHOULD SHUT UP ABOUT THEIR BASED-ON-SHIT OPINION.
i'm have played persona from 1->4 and i can say that i liked ep1 and loved ep2

Rage more. That doesn't change the fact that production of P4 is totally screwed up and chance of this series being failure is now much higher. That's the point.

Oct 15, 2011 12:36 AM by ringoo4

played the game, liked what the first 2 ep presents so far.

Yes the pacing is a bit quick in ep1, but understandable since they had to end on that note otherwise it won't hook anyone into continue watching the series.
Yes the animation is wonky sometimes, which is a concern, but does that mean it's a horrible adaptation? no. Not to mention they improved in ep2.
I also think it's great that in ep2 Yuu is starting to have some personality of his own instead of being a silent protagonist.

Overall comparing ep1 and 2 shows that there are improvements and will likely to be great if the trend continues

I also see a lot of p4 hate from some p3 fanboys here, could we please stop this idiocy?

Oct 14, 2011 11:15 PM by jeroz

k0k0 said:
What the hell!? I'm off the anime hook and despite that, I waited months just to watch one of my favourite games turn into a faithful anime adaptation and then THEY DO THIS. Bastards.

so what your idea of faithful? you mean it have to have 5 episode to cover all thing happen in the FOUR HOUR LONG beginning of the game without any fighting? sorry, THAT NOT EVEN WORK WELL WITH THE GAME (my friend almost dropped it because of that long beginning), NOT TO MENTION AN ANIME DUMBASS!! this clearly the most faithful anime ever and will ever created

and you know what is the reason behind all those hate comment: because it not SCENE to SCENE like the game, because THEY COMPARE IT TO GAME!!!

don't tell me you hater not intelligent enough to know about the different between an interactive medium (game) with a passive medium (anime), they have to change they way of storytelling because of that, if a anime do extractly like the game, it will become one of the most boring anime created and will only for game fan but not other people, and i even doubt that fan of the game will like that because they not controlling the character.

now i ask you hater, how many of you that claim that the anime not faithful can watch the walkthrough instead of playing the game without getting bored and quit? i bet no one, not to mention a person who never played the game

and those say that this this anime is for those played the game should slap Themselves a hard one becauyse they, who played the game dislike it, but most people from animesuki, the watch page and even some in this site that never played the game said they liked it.

so this anime for THOSE NOT PLAYED THE GAME AND THOSE NOT COMPARE IT TO THE GAME. and NOT for THOSE COMPARE IT TO THE GAME, THOSE SHOULD SHUT UP ABOUT THEIR BASED-ON-SHIT OPINION.

i'm have played persona from 1->4 and i can say that i liked ep1 and loved ep2

Oct 14, 2011 10:41 PM by PointmanW

Shadowlugai00111 said:I find some of these reviews quiet funny, about how much the episode sucked, or how crappy the art style is. Well afew things I have to say is 1.Shigenori Soejima, the original artist of the Persona games is the artist of the anime, so the art style is the EXACT same as the game. 2.I don't see how people feel it doesn't follow the story, when the script is nearly, if not the exact same. Most anime based around games follow the game to a T, and I seriously doubt that Atlus would let some random anime company go haywire and do as they wish with their game.
Other wise, the only thing I have to say was Episode 2 was awesome, the fight scene was very fluid and it was quiet funny. Chie's character and the way she was drawn seems to have approved though.

Oct 14, 2011 9:11 PM by VioLink

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