Director: Seiji Kishi
Starring: Ami Koshimizu, Amanda Winn Lee, Daisuke Namikawa, Johnny Yong Bosch, Showtaro Morikubo, Erin Fitzgerald, Yui Horie, Yuri Lowenthal
Running Time: 207 minutes
Certificate: 12
PERSONA 4: THE ANIMATION sees a bunch of teenagers, each dealing with their own demons, enter a bizarre world inside a television where they must battle the worst parts of themselves. The first half of this box set continues the formulaic route of the last, wherein each episode sees a character disappear from the real world and enter the TV world. They meet the dark reflection of themselves, argue with it, cry and deny they truly have those thoughts inside them. That’s when Yu Narukami and his group of friends appear to save the day.
Like before, these individual cases are very interesting to watch. The characters’ dark thoughts aren’t just things they are scared of becoming, but are actual parts of themselves. Denying these traits actually causes the shadows generated by their insecurities to become stronger. A show telling young people to embrace their faults rather than rejecting them is both brave and great viewing. Even Teddie, a large hollow bear, has to deal with his own crisis of personality when he realises he doesn’t exactly know who or what he is. Giving the comedic sidekick a chance to explore their character is a tell at just how balanced the show is.
On the flipside, perhaps the show is too balanced in terms of characters, especially when there are so many. An overarching cohesive plot finds it difficult to gain any traction among all the soul searching. The main plot of a serial killer on the loose is wrapped up so quickly that it’s clear it will be used as a red herring. In the middle of this collection, the series makes space for some much needed downtime. The two episode arc ‘A Story Of Summer Vacation’ sees Nanako (Yu’s younger sister), start some of her own investigations into what is going on in the world. The childlike innocence is the source of much comedy and fun. In the second episode of this arc we see the same timeframe from Yu’s perspective. It presents Yu as a young man trying to earn some money over the summer vacation. He begins to tutor, but comes into contact with a range of different characters that allow the writers to explore his personality on a more in depth scale.
Comedy is also brought to the forefront in this box set. Teddie enters the real world and creates a human version of himself, his rambunctious behaviour often contrasting with the real world setting, but never wandering into obnoxious irritation. The laughs are placed fairly distant from each other, which makes them the perfect antidote to all the introspective soul searching at the show’s core.
PERSONA 4: THE ANIMATION is certainly a show that retains its high level of animation quality and decent characters, even if the story itself sometimes potters about. With the third and final box set scheduled for later in the year, it will no doubt give some answers and closure to an interesting and thoughtful series.
PERSONA 4: THE ANIMATION Box 2 is released 1st April on Blu-ray and DVD via Manga Entertainment.
