PERSONA 5 ‘THE ANIMATION’ EPISODE 1 REVIEW

A year ago, Persona 5 released in America and created a “Phandom” worldwide. It served as both a gateway into the Persona series as well as a masterful title that redefined the JRPG genre. With success comes spin-offs, and with a 100+ hour story, there’s plenty of material for a long running anime adaptation.

Yesterday, on April 7, 2018, Crunchyroll and Hulu released an English subtitle version of Persona 5 ‘The Animation’ Episode 1, “I am thou, thou art I”. Find out if the Persona anime is worth a watch, and how it compares to the game’s introduction.

Story

For those who haven’t played the game, the anime does a great job of mirroring the story and hooking you in.

Starting with the bright lights of the late game Casino palace, the anime shows a beautiful clip of a seemingly successful heist. A young man with a mysterious cloak, signature mask, and wicked smile attempts to escape as his team member shoots the glass. After leaping through the glass and hearing words of encouragement from his friends, the boy is about to get away.

Until he gets captured.

Lying in pain in the interrogation room, the mysterious masked figure is revealed to be a high school student. He has been drugged, beaten, and waterboarded for a confession. The man interrogating him is the director of law enforcement, and has no remorse in his interviewing techniques. He mentions that he has several felonies against him, including murder.

A woman with gray hair, a black suit, and purple eyeshadow steps in, demanding to question the boy to get some answers. She disagrees with her bosses harsh and illegal interrogation, and longs to seek the truth.

Then, the boy hears a voice and sees the butterfly notifying him of his second chance, the bonds of those around him saving him.

At this point, the anime sets the stage for the story to come.

Although much of the text in the game was omitted due to the time constraints of a 20 minute episode, it never felt too rushed from this point and until the end. Those who haven’t played may want more details, but those will definitely come as the anime moves along.

Viewers now see the boy on a subway to Shibuya. Before this, there are some minor flashbacks to his past and why he is arriving. To keep it short, he’s considered a delinquent.

During the subway scene, viewers may recognize the Persona 4 easter eggs, including the mention of Naoto Shirogane and the Rise Kujikawa billboard. It’s a really nice addition to have a homage to one of the predecessors of the series.

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source:https://www.nerdmuch.com/tv/156078/persona-5-the-animation-episode-1-review/