Little bit of detail about LA and Persona 3, so LA kinda played the game more specifically Persona 3 FES (worse vers. LA knows) for a while and by a while, LA meaning up to where Persona 3 the Movie 1: Spring of Birth ended at, the biggest problem is, LA doesn't know where LA is afterwards and so LA thought to jog LA's memories of Persona 3 with the series of movies of Persona 3 and for Persona 3 the Movie 1: Spring of Birth, it was kinda a nostalgia trip to say the least and ALREADY wanting for LA to go back to the game.
Persona 3 the Movie looks at one Makoto Yuki voiced by Akira Ishida who gets recruited into the SEES when his Persona awakens to fight the Shadow at the Dark Hour. Persona 3 the Movie 1: Spring of Birth looks at some of the more major plotlines of the game while omitting many of the game's extras elements and for good reasoning for a game that reaches 100 to 200 hours of content, yeah LA can see why they omitted some of the extra elements and stuck to the main plot.
Character-wise, Makoto Yuki as the main protagonist, well like Yukari put it in this movie, well he's kinda a stoic, "take orders" kind of protagonist and he really doesn't have a personality, yes we have some vague backstory and development form him in this movie but him as a character...he's kinda bland BUT LA knows he's gonna get better and he showed it near the end of the movie!. Now the Persona series has *ahem* Waifu Wars and well LA used to like Mitsuru Kijirou voiced by Rie Tanaka, the ojou yet badass student council president but LA changed to Yukari Takeba voiced by Megumi Toyoguchi as not only did Yukari have more screentime but her personality does nicely clash with Makoto and her having some voice of reason which LA liked due to Junpei Iori voiced by Kousuke Toriumi and in a ways Makoto not exactly right of mind in a sense. Akihiko Sanada voiced by Hikaru Midorikawa was pretty cool, being the brawler of the group and the other voice of reason and somewhat being suave about it and lastly, Fuuka Yamagishi voiced by Mamiko Noto had a good character development especially since LA really doesn't like the entire "shy girl opens up to break out of it" scenario and playing it up in a ways. If LA had to choose, LA's favorite character is...Yukari along with Fuuka.
Plot-wise, due to the movie skipping lots of time just to get into the more major events of the game, does feel like it's rushing BUT, where the plot feels great is actually how much time they take on those major events and that helps with it's characters as such, the time skips are kinda annoying but it's the major events where the plot takes it's time and fleshes things out.
Now, LA doesn't really talk soundtracks, but the movie USES the game's OST! and that only helps the adaptation even more especially from such a series like Persona where they have some jamming music and Persona 3 is no different, another words, keeping the OST of the game intact was a brilliant decision. On the voice acting side of things, LA will give some props to Akira Ishida as Makoto but the real MVP's for LA goes to both Megumi Toyoguchi and Mamiko Noto along with Miyuki Sawashiro as the snarky Elizabeth if LA had to stretch it. Voice cast were reprised from the game and LA thanks the movie for it...even if LA played Persona 3 in English Dub but whatever.
In the animation department, done by AIC A.S.T.A, the animation was very atmospheric to say the least especially in it's backgrounding especially when it hits the Dark Hour and of course it feels like the game right down to it's much more polished character designs and the decent battles, yeah the battles might be more on the Personas duking it out or throwing magic at the Shadows but it's still decent nonetheless.
Persona 3 the Movie 1: Spring of Birth does change somethings from the game but LA will also defend this as one, doing things right down to the letter from the game, well LA might as well play the game and get the entire experience that way and two they aren't THAT much of a huge change as by the end of it, the results are the same as the game soooo...LA doesn't see this as something of a major flaw.
Persona 3 the Movie 1: Spring of Birth isn't a horribly bad video game to anime adaptation with the biggest worries of going onto the next movie of Persona 3 being Makoto's personality needs a bit of a tune up which this first movie near the end is already mending and the "rushing" which it isn't due to it taking it's time with the much more serious and major plotlines in better detail and changing some moments doesn't exactly change a whole lot either. LA liked watching Persona 3 the Movie 1: Spring of Birth, not only because it was a sorta nostalgia trip but this movie kinda did it's job in trying to get LA back into Persona 3 and that is more than enough for LA to get LA's approval of this movie, it has it's flaws yes but LA can see past it and the movie experience for LA was enjoyable. As for getting back into the game, well LA kinda want to finish the rest of the Persona 3 movies first.
Spring moves into Midsummer...
