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Persona 4: The Animation

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Persona 4: The Animation
Promotional artwork for the first Persona 4: The Animation television series featuring Yu Narukami (foreground), Yosuke Hanamura (left), Chie Satonaka (right), and Yukiko Amagi (background).
GenreFantasy, mystery, supernatural[1]
Created byAtlus
Anime television series
Directed bySeiji Kishi
Written byYūko Kakihara
Mitsutaka Hirota
Jun Kumagai
Music byShoji Meguro
StudioAIC A.S.T.A.
Licensed by
Original networkMBS, TBS, CBC, Animax
English network
Original run October 7, 2011 (2011-10-07) – March 30, 2012 (2012-03-30)
Episodes25 + 1 OVA (List of episodes)
Anime film
Persona 4: The Animation
-The Factor of Hope-
Directed bySeiji Kishi
Written byYūko Kakihara
Mitsutaka Hirota
Jun Kumagai
Music byShoji Meguro
StudioAIC A.S.T.A.
ReleasedJune 9, 2012 (2012-06-09)
Runtime86 minutes
Anime television series
Persona 4: The Golden Animation
Directed bySeiji Kishi
Tomohisa Taguchi
Written byJun Kumagai
Music byTetsuya Kobayashi
Shoji Meguro
StudioA-1 Pictures
Licensed by
Original networkMBS, TBS, CBC, BS-TBS
Original run July 11, 2014 (2014-07-11) – September 25, 2014 (2014-09-25)
Episodes12 + 1 OVA (List of episodes)

Persona 4: The Animation is an anime television series based on Atlus' PlayStation 2 video game, Persona 4.[2] The story revolves around Yu Narukami, a young teenager who moves to the town of Inaba, where a mysterious string of murders is taking place. Upon discovering a distorted TV World and acquiring a mysterious power known as "Persona", Yu and his friends decide to investigate the murders and save others from being killed.

The first series, produced by AIC ASTA and directed by Seiji Kishi, aired in Japan between October 2011 and March 2012 on MBS, TBS, CBC, and Animax, with an original video animation episode released in August 2012. A condensed film adaptation, Persona 4: The Animation -The Factor of Hope-, was released in Japanese theaters in June 2012. The series was licensed by Sentai Filmworks in North America and by Kazé and Manga Entertainment in the United Kingdom. Critical reception to the anime series has been generally positive as it has been considered a faithful adaptation of the video game despite criticism to the pacing and animation issues. A second adaptation based on the game's PlayStation Vita port, titled Persona 4: The Golden Animation, aired in Japan between July and September 2014. Unlike the first series, this adaptation was produced by A-1 Pictures and is licensed in North America by Aniplex of America.

Plot

See also: Story of Persona 4 and List of Persona 4 characters

The story follows Yu Narukami, a quiet teenager who moves to Inaba to live with his uncle and cousin for a year due to his parents working abroad. After looking into a rumor about a mysterious 'Midnight Channel' that appears on televisions during rainy days, Yu and his new friends, Yosuke Hanamura and Chie Satonaka, discover a strange world hidden inside the television, inhabited by strange monsters known as Shadows and a curious bear-like creature named Teddie. It is here that Yu awakens a mysterious power known as 'Persona', which allows him to fight against the Shadows. Yu and his friends soon discover that this TV World is related to a mysterious string of murders, in which dead bodies appear during foggy days. With the Midnight Channel warning them of potential victims, Yu and his friends, along with Teddie, form an investigation team dedicated to rescuing people who are thrown into the TV before they fall prey to the Shadows and finding the culprit behind the incidents. As the story progresses, the team rescue various people who become their new allies after overcoming their own Shadows and gaining Personas of their own, including Chie's best friend, Yukiko Amagi, delinquent Kanji Tatsumi, idol Rise Kujikawa, and young detective Naoto Shirogane. Together, Yu and his companions face up against the threat of the Shadows whilst also making the best of their youthful school life.

Persona 4: The Golden Animation expands on the series with additional scenarios adapted from the Golden version of the game, in which Yu encounters Marie, a girl from the mysterious Velvet Room who is seeking to regain her memory.

Production and release

See also: List of Persona 4: The Animation episodes and List of Persona 4: The Golden Animation episodes
Promotional artwork for 2014's Persona 4: The Golden Animation with Yu Narukami and the new character Marie.

In the initial Persona 4 game, the main character is known simply as the Protagonist. However, the anime adaptation gives him the name Yu Narukami.[3] During an interview, game director Katsura Hashino drew attention to the way in which the Protagonist remains silent and emotionless throughout the game. This leaves the player to discern what emotions the character should have shown at any particular point. Hashino elaborated on this particular character trait creating an obstacle for Persona 4: The Animation's director Seiji Kishi since the character would undoubtedly have to speak and show some level of emotion. In the same interview, Kishi admitted the difficulty of the silent Protagonist's transition into the anime without destroying what Hashino had already established.[3]

The anime television adaptation of the game, produced by AIC ASTA and directed by Seiji Kishi, aired for 25 episodes on MBS between October 6, 2011 and March 29, 2012.[4] The series features most of the returning cast from the video game, whilst voice recordings for Igor were taken from the game as his actor, Isamu Tanonaka, died in January 2010.[4][5] Aniplex released the series on DVD and Blu-ray Disc between November 23, 2011 and August 22, 2012, with the first volume containing a director's cut of the first episode and a bonus CD single.[6] An additional 26th episode, featuring the story's true ending, was included in the 10th BD/DVD volume released on August 22, 2012.[7] Sentai Filmworks licensed the series in North America, simulcasting it on Anime Network as it aired and releasing the series on DVD and Blu-ray in two collective volumes on September 18, 2012 and January 15, 2013 respectively.[8][9][10] Like the Japanese version, the English dub retains many of the original voice actors from the English version of the game.[11] Kazé and Manga Entertainment released the series in the United Kingdom in three BD/DVD combi boxsets released between December 24, 2012 and July 22, 2013. Due to licensing issues, the North American BD releases omit the Japanese audio track, though it is still present on DVD releases, as well as all UK releases.[12] A film recap of the series, titled Persona 4: The Animation -The Factor of Hope-, was released in Japanese theaters on June 9, 2012, featuring a condensed version of the story and new scenes of animation.[13] Sentai re-released the series on September 29, 2015 in a Blu-ray/DVD Combo Collector's Edition boxset. The Blu-rays include both Japanese and English audio tracks.[14]

On May 1, 2014, Atlus announced that a second anime television adaptation titled Persona 4: The Golden Animation, is being produced by A-1 Pictures. The series aired on MBS' Animeism programming block between July 10, 2014 and September 25, 2014.[15][16] Based on the PlayStation Vita port of the game, Persona 4 Golden, the series focuses on new scenarios not featured in the previous series, largely revolving around Yu's encounter with the game's new character, Marie. The series is directed by Tomohisa Taguchi with Kishi serving as chief director, and features the returning cast from the previous games and anime.[17] The fourth BD/DVD volume, released on December 10, 2014, includes an OVA episode depicting an alternate ending.[18] Aniplex of America has licensed the series in North America, simulcasting the series on Crunchyroll, Hulu, and Daisuki, as well as their own Aniplex Channel, as it aired.[19] The series was released on two subtitled Blu-ray Disc volumes on July 21, 2015 and September 29, 2015 respectively.[20]

Music

The series' songs and music were composed by Shoji Meguro, who had previously worked on the original game. Additionally, Tetsuya Kobayashi primarily wrote the soundtrack for The Golden Animation.

The first series, Persona 4: The Animation, used several pieces of theme music; five opening themes and five ending themes. The two main opening themes are "sky's the limit" by Shihoko Hirata, used for the first twelve episodes, and "key plus words" by Hirata and Yumi Kawamura, used for episodes thirteen onwards. The original broadcast version of the first episode uses "Pursuing My True Self" by Hirata, originally recorded as the opening theme for the video game. The opening themes for episodes 9 and 15 respectively are "True Story" by Rise Kujikawa (Rie Kugimiya) and "Burn My Dread", the opening theme of Persona 3, by Kawamura. The two main ending themes are "Beauty of Destiny" by Hirata featuring Lotus Juice, used for the first twelve episodes, and "The Way of Memories (Kizuna no Chikara)" (The Way of Memories -キズナノチカラ-, "The Way of Memories (The Power of Bonds)") by Hirata, used between episodes 14 and 23. The ending themes for episodes 14 and 18 respectively are "Koisuru Meitantei" (恋する名探偵, "The Love Detective") by Loveline (Yui Horie) and "Honto no Kimochi" (ほんとのきもち, "True Feelings") by Hirata. The ending theme for episode 25, the "True End" OVA, and the film is "Never More", the ending theme of Persona 4, by Hirata.

For Persona 4: The Golden Animation, the main opening and ending themes respectively are "Next Chance to Move On" and "Dazzling Smile", both performed by Hirata. The opening theme for the first episode is "Shadow World" by Hirata, originally recorded for the video game. In episode 11, Marie (Kana Hanazawa) performs the song "Dazzling Smile" for the ending theme. Returning themes include "key plus words", used as the opening theme for episode 8, and "Never More", used as the ending theme of episode 12.

Soundtrack CDs

All music is composed by Shoji Meguro

Volume 1 bonus CD: First opening & ending theme songs "sky's the limit/Beauty of Destiny"
No.TitleLyricsVocalistLength
1."sky's the limit"Lotus JuiceShihoko Hirata4:11
2."Beauty of Destiny"Lotus JuiceShihoko Hirata feat. Lotus Juice3:55
3."sky's the limit -instrumental ver.-" Shihoko Hirata4:11
4."Beauty of Destiny -instrumental ver.-" Shihoko Hirata feat. Lotus Juice3:55
5."sky's the limit -TV size ver.-"Lotus JuiceShihoko Hirata1:30
6."Beauty of Destiny -TV size ver.-"Lotus JuiceShihoko Hirata feat. Lotus Juice1:29
Total length:19:11
Volume 2 bonus CD: Original soundtrack volume 1
No.TitleLyricsVocalistLength
1."P4A Main theme"  1:40
2."Peaceful Message"  1:36
3."The strange world"  2:00
4."out of mere play"  1:06
5."Cheerful"  1:24
6."Alone in this World -piano ver.-"  2:14
7."Falling into Right Places"Lotus JuiceShihoko Hirata1:38
8."Sono Na o Kizame" (その名を刻め, "This Name is Carved")  1:58
9."Recollections"  2:07
10."Gyakunan Daisakusen!" (逆ナン大作戦!, "Ladies Picking Up Men Tactics!")  1:30
11."Truth or Lies"  1:33
12."Lost Control"  1:49
13."Alone in this World"Lotus JuiceShihoko Hirata2:15
14."Determination"  1:44
Total length:24:34
Volume 3 bonus CD: Drama CD volume 1 "A Day of the May Fool"
No.TitleLength
1."Velvet room"1:31
2."Peaceful Days"7:27
3."The Prince of JUNES?"5:43
4."Let's Do Some intensive Training"6:15
5."Troubled Hero"7:02
6."Strategy Meeting"7:39
7."A Premonition"2:44
8."We're involved with this too!"6:38
9."May Fool"5:05
Total length:49:56
Volumes 1-3 bonus CD: Special soundtrack
No.TitleLyricsVocalistLength
1."P4A Menu"  0:54
2."sky's the limit -special mix-"Lotus JuiceShihoko Hirata4:21
3."Falling into Right Places -inst ver.-" Shihoko Hirata1:39
4."Ain't Nobody Can Hold Me Down -inst ver.-" Shihoko Hirata1:01
5."Time for True Revelation -inst ver.-" Yumi Kawamura2:14
6."Alone in this World -inst ver.-" Shihoko Hirata2:16
7."Beauty of Destiny -special mix-"Lotus JuiceShihoko Hirata feat. Lotus Juice4:17
Total length:16:39
Volume 4 bonus CD: Episode 9 opening theme "True Story"
No.TitleLyricsVocalistLength
1."True Story"Yuichiro TanakaRise Kujikawa (Rie Kugimiya)3:15
2."True Story -instrumental ver.-"  3:15
3."True Story -TV size ver.-"Yuichiro TanakaRise Kujikawa (Rie Kugimiya)1:32
4."Your Future"  1:45
5."I wish"  2:04
Total length:11:51
Volume 5 bonus CD: Original soundtrack volume 2
No.TitleLyricsVocalistLength
1."Ain't Nobody Can Hold Me Down"Lotus JuiceShihoko Hirata1:00
2."Freedom overflows"  1:25
3."A hero appears behind time"  1:33
4."Honey's valley"  1:13
5."Guy!"  0:34
6."A・I・K・A"  1:16
7."Tsuioku no Kakera" (追憶の欠片, "Fragment of Reminiscence")  1:20
8."Birth"  1:38
9."tears of eternity"  1:57
10."Truth is hidden into fog"  1:34
11."Crazy Shadow"  1:45
12."Time for True Revelation"Lotus JuiceYumi Kawamura2:12
13."FALLING DOWN"  3:03
Total length:20:30
Volume 6 bonus CD: Second opening & ending theme songs "key plus words/The Way of Memories -キズナノチカラ-"
No.TitleLyricsVocalistLength
1."key plus words"Lotus JuiceShihoko Hirata feat. Yumi Kawamura4:24
2."The Way of Memories -Kizuna no Chikara-" (The Way of Memories -キズナノチカラ-, "The Way of Memories (The Power of Bonds)")Shigeo KomoriShihoko Hirata5:01
3."key plus words -instrumental ver.-" Shihoko Hirata feat. Yumi Kawamura4:24
4."The Way of Memories -Kizuna no Chikara- -instrumental ver.-" Shihoko Hirata5:01
5."key plus words -TV size ver.-"Lotus JuiceShihoko Hirata feat. Yumi Kawamura1:32
6."The Way of Memories -Kizuna no Chikara- -TV size ver.-"Shigeo KomoriShihoko Hirata1:33
Total length:21:55
Volume 7 bonus CD: Episode 13 & 18 ending theme songs "恋する名探偵/ほんとのきもち"
No.TitleLyricsVocalistLength
1."Koisuru Meitantei" (恋する名探偵, "The Love Detective")meg rockLoveline (Yui Horie)1:33
2."Honto no Kimochi" (ほんとのきもち, "True Feelings")Shigeo KomoriShihoko Hirata4:50
3."Koisuru Meitantei -inst. ver.-"  1:33
4."Honto no Kimochi -inst. ver.-"  4:50
5."Memory"  2:08
6."finale"  2:06
Total length:17:00
Volume 8 bonus CD: Drama CD volume 2 "Perfect Delivery"
No.TitleLength
1."Velvet room"4:39
2."Packing Lunch"6:27
3."Picnic at the SAMEGAWA river"6:30
4."AIYA's Helper"3:31
5."Delivery girl"7:26
6."Down with JUNES!!"4:21
7."Her Identity"4:50
8."Was it lost?"2:23
9."Pinch hitter"4:17
10."INABA Runners"8:23
11."Perfect delivery"1:34
Volume 9 bonus CD: Original soundtrack volume 3
No.TitleLyricsVocalistLength
1."P4A Fanfare"  1:18
2."Healing"  1:34
3."Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet"  1:13
4."car chase"  1:56
5."Eternal"  1:39
6."unmask a person"  1:49
7."Empty words"  2:19
8."confused smog"  1:39
9."We Are One and All"Lotus JuiceShihoko Hirata3:51
10."Subete no Hito no Tamashi no Kizuna" (全ての人の魂の絆, "The Bond of Everyone's Souls")  5:13
Persona Music Live 2012 -Mayonaka TV in Tokyo International Forum- bonus CD
No.TitleLyricsVocalistLength
1."PLIVE2012 Reach Out To The Truth"Reiko TanakaShihoko Hirata5:01
2."PLIVE2012 key plus words"Lotus JuiceShihoko Hirata feat. Yumi Kawamura4:27
3."PLIVE2012 Beauty of Destiny"Lotus JuiceShihoko Hirata feat. Lotus Juice4:18
4."PLIVE2012 We Are One and All"Lotus JuiceShihoko Hirata3:50
5."PLIVE2012 The Way of Memories -Kizuna no Chikara-"Shigeo KomoriShihoko Hirata5:03

Reception

The anime series has generally received positive critical response by publications for anime, manga and other media. Blu-ray's Jeffrey Kauffman was initially skeptical about the plot until the revelation of the supernatural and wondered how appealing would be the case's outcome.[21] A reviewer from T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews noted that while the pacing and the animation often had issues "Persona 4: The Animation is about as good an adaptation of the video game as you could hope for".[22] Consistent praise was given to the characterization of the silent protagonist from the video game which involved being a deadpan snarker as well as his development across the series that made him a more fleshed character.[22][23][24]

Critical reaction to the second anime series has been mixed with critics finding it would appeal only to fans of the original series. They have also agreed Marie lacks the appeal of the other major recurring characters who are more popular within the fandom.[25][26]

References

General
  • "Story" (in Japanese). P4A. Retrieved November 29, 2011.
Specific
  1. ^ "Persona 4: The Animation - Sentai Filmworks". Sentai Filmworks. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
  2. ^ "Staff & Cast" (in Japanese). P4a.jp. Retrieved 2011-09-29.
  3. ^ a b "原作ゲーム「ペルソナ４」橋野 桂ディレクター、ＴＶアニメ「ペルソナ４」岸 誠二監督 [第２回] [Special Interview - Original game "Persona 4" Katsura Hashino director, TV anime "Persona 4" director Seiji Kishi [2nd" (in Japanese). Index Corporation. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
  4. ^ a b "Anime Persona 4 began broadcasting in October 2011". Famitsu. May 18, 2011. Retrieved July 21, 2011.
  5. ^ "News: Persona 4 RPG Gets TV Anime by AIC ASTA". Anime News Network. April 11, 2011. Retrieved July 21, 2011.
  6. ^ "Blu-ray & DVD" (in Japanese). P4a. Retrieved 2011-09-29.
  7. ^ "日本語タイトル: ペルソナ4 10 [完全限定生産] [Blu-ray]/ アニメ (Persona 4 10 [Limited Release] [Blu-ray] )". CD Japan. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
  8. ^ "Anime Network Details "Persona 4" Simulcast Plans". Crunchyroll. 2011-09-29. Retrieved 2013-09-10.
  9. ^ "Sentai Filmworks Licenses Persona 4: The Animation". Anime News Network. 2011-09-27. Retrieved 2011-09-29.
  10. ^ "Section23 Film Announces September Slate". Inside AX. Archived from the original on July 7, 2012. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
  11. ^ "Sentai Filmworks Adds Kids on the Slope, Mysterious Girlfriend X". April 7, 2012. Retrieved April 8, 2012.
  12. ^ "Sentai Filmworks' Persona 4 BD Release Will Omit Japanese Audio Track - News". Anime News Network. 2012-07-31. Retrieved 2014-06-05.
  13. ^ "Persona 4 Anime Compiled Into 90-Minute Film with New Cuts - News". Anime News Network. 2012-05-27. Retrieved 2014-06-05.
  14. ^ "Hamatora Anime Gets English Dub". Anime News Network. 2015-05-19. Retrieved 2015-05-20.
  15. ^ "Persona 4: The Golden Animation's Promo Video, Story Unveiled - News". Anime News Network. 2014-05-02. Retrieved 2014-06-05.
  16. ^ Luster, Joseph (May 2, 2014). ""Persona 4 Golden" Anime to Air in Japan This July". Crunchyroll. Retrieved May 3, 2014.
  17. ^ "Persona 4 Golden Gets TV Anime by A-1 Pictures in July". Anime News Network. May 2, 2014. Retrieved May 3, 2014.
  18. ^ "4th Persona 4 the Golden Animation Blu-ray/DVD Comes with New Episode". 10 August 2023.
  19. ^ "Aniplex USA To Stream Aldnoah.Zero, Persona 4: The Golden Animation". Anime News Network. 2014-06-25.
  20. ^ "Aniplex USA Offers English-Subtitled Persona 4 the Golden Blu-rays". 10 August 2023.
  21. ^ Kaufmann, Jeffrey (September 15, 2012). "Persona 4 the Animation: Collection 1 Blu-ray". Blu-Ray.com. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
  22. ^ a b Jones, Tim. "Persona 4: The Animation". T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
  23. ^ Lawrence, Briana (September 17, 2012). "Persona 4 the Animation Part One Blu-ray Anime Review". The Fandom Post. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
  24. ^ Eisenbeis, Richard (April 12, 2012). "I Watched the Persona 4 Anime Without Ever Playing The Game". Kotaku. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
  25. ^ "Persona 4 the Golden Animation Episodes 1-7". Anime News Network. Retrieved August 30, 2014.
  26. ^ "ANIME REVIEW: Persona 4 the Golden Animation - Eps. 1-3". UK Anime Network. Retrieved August 30, 2014.
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