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The Persona series is one of the most well-known properties and JRPG franchises in the media at the moment, courtesy of Atlus. Games like Persona 5, Persona 3 Reload, and the upcoming Persona 4 remake are constantly the topic of conversation among JRPG fans. The popularity of these games is the reason so many animation studios took on the task of adapting their lengthy stories into animated series.
The success of these adaptations is where the most significant problem lies. While some adaptations can handle the 100+ hour stories well, others fall short in this responsibility. Because of this, some Persona anime adaptations shine while others fall flat.
6 Persona 5: The Animation Lacks the Style the Game Has
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Persona 5 tells the story of Joker, also known as Ren Amamiya, a student by day and a Phantom Thief by night, who changes the hearts of corrupt criminals. By his side, he obtains allies who share his belief in justice. However, at the peak of their popularity, Joker is captured and taken into custody, where he endures a harsh interrogation. The interrogation is cut short by the arrival of Sae Niijima, a prosecutor who wants to hear Ren’s whole story. Persona 5 is one of the best modern JRPGs available, boasting stylish designs, a poignant story, and a memorable cast of characters. The animation done by Studio Cloverworks and A-1 Pictures falls flat in almost every area, sadly.
When adapting a stylish game like Persona 5, it’s essential to keep that style at the forefront. However, Persona 5: The Animation looks cheap and bland in every category, especially in the iconic all-out-attack freeze frames. The action scenes are where the series looks the worst, and even the character designs from the games appear strange in some scenes, almost as if they’re out of model. Person 5: The Animation‘s biggest flaw is the lack of character development it provides for its main protagonist, instead choosing to keep him in a relatively blank state. The decision to keep Ren a blank state character holds back the anime from being something excellent. With lame characters, shoddy animation, and lackluster storytelling, this animation earned its 6.44 rating on MyAnimeList.
5 Persona: Trinity Soul is a Spinoff of Persona 3's Story
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Persona: Trinity Soul takes place in the same universe as Persona 3. Set in Ayanagi City, ten years after the events of Persona 3, the Kanzato brothers reunite after a long time apart. At the same time, a series of strange incidents in Ayanagi City begin to disturb the world, causing specific individuals to awaken to their «Persona.» Premiering in 2008, Aniplex and A-1 Pictures produced the original anime, which received middling reviews. MyAnimeList gives the series an average score of 6.48.
Persona fans praise the series for very few things. The first is the fanservice aimed at fans of Persona 3. The anime features callbacks to characters and various plot threads from the game. Persona: Trinity Soul also boasts a great soundtrack and a beautiful art style. While the main cast isn’t up to the standard writing of the original Persona games’ cast, they are enjoyable in their own right. Where the anime falls short for Persona fans is in its lack of exciting Persona battles, a convoluted plot, and the poor designs for the Personas, which don’t fully materialize in the world space. Persona fans also complain about the narrative’s unusual pacing, which makes the series feel like it’s dragging during many episodes. As a whole, Persona: Trinity Soul is a nice experiment for a non—game story, but it falls flat in all the areas that make Persona good.
4 Persona 4: The Golden Animation is A Beautiful Adaptation of Golden's Material
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Persona 4 Golden is the first remake of the Persona 4 storyline, not to be confused with the upcoming Persona 4 Revival. Persona 4 tells the story of Yu Narukami and his friends as they solve a string of murders in the small town of Inaba. Persona 4 Golden introduces a new central character, Marie, adding new content to the story. The animation for Persona 4 adapts Marie’s side content into a whole 12-episode series. Studio A-1 Pictures led the animation and created a stunning-looking series with some great moments.
The most significant issue of the anime is that it adapts the already mediocre Marie storyline into an anime that can’t stand alone. Unlike the other Persona anime, Persona 4: The Golden Animation requires audiences to be already familiar with Persona 4‘s story, as it skips major events, reduces characters to shoddy characterizations, and lacks the tension and character development that are integral to its main character. These flaws gave Persona 4: The Golden Animation an average score of 6.63 on MyAnimeList, with Persona fans only recommending it to the most diehard Persona 4 fans.
3 Persona 5 the Animation: The Day Breakers Is A Fantastic Promotional Anime Short
Streaming on Crunchyroll
Persona 5 the Animation: The Day Breakers carries the same plot as Persona 5′s game, but focuses entirely on one of the side quests. The smaller scope of this animation allows it to add style to short, sharper, and more fluid animation and visuals, as well as better character writing for the main cast and a tighter screenplay, making it a much more enjoyable experience and a great promotional animation for Persona 5. This one episode is far better than the entire actual anime.
Persona 5 the Animation: The Day Breakers acts as great supplementary material for the game, showing how the Phantom Thieves gather information for their Mementos side quests and shows how battles work and function in real time as they take down their targets using the in-game mechanics. Persona 5 the Animation: The Day Breakers has the style that the game oozes, which is why it earned a 7.06 on MyAnimeList.
2 Persona 4: The Animation is What Persona Adaptations Should Be
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Persona 4: The Animation is a straight adaptation of the Persona 4 story. Serial murders plague Inaba, and police struggle to find any leads. The mystery falls into the hands of the «Investigation Team,» a group of Persona users who can stop the murders thanks to their ability to enter the strange TV world. Studio AIC ASTA spearheaded the animation of Persona 4: The Animation, creating a unique style for the 2011 25-episode series. Persona 4 has a devoted fan base, and its animation is leagues above that of some other anime adaptations of the Persona franchise.
What makes this animation so stellar is its straight adaptation of the source material, the lengthy runtime to accommodate the 100+ hours of gameplay, and, more importantly, the characterization of its main lead, Yu Narukami. Persona as a franchise follows the silent protagonist mindset, meaning that its main characters serve as vehicles for players to express themselves. This concept doesn’t work in anime, and the team behind Persona 4: The Animation was aware of this. The team decided to characterize Yu Narukami using in-game decisions and events to create a fully three-dimensional character who helps carry the themes of the original game. Because of Yu’s character, fans of the game and those who never played it have a primary character to latch onto. Persona 4 the Animation earned a 7.51 rating on MyAnimeList, with Persona fans praising it as a proper adaptation of the game’s story and themes.
1 The Persona 3 Films Are Perfect Video Game Adaptations
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Persona 3 tells the story of SEES, an organization developed to combat the Shadows of the «Dark Hour.» The «Dark Hour» is a mysterious extra hour that triggers at midnight. The «Dark Hour» is dangerous because those who find themselves conscious can have a terrible encounter with the creatures known as Shadows. SEES uses their Personas to combat and uncover the mysteries of the «Dark Hour,» and their recruit, transfer student Makoto Yuuki, changes everything. Persona fans know that Persona 3 has the most mature, emotional, and well-written story of the entire Persona series, and the Persona 3 films do a great job of respecting and adapting that story perfectly.
The Persona 3 films divide themselves into four separate entries. Persona 3 the Movie 1: Spring of Birth, Persona 3 the Movie 2: Midsummer Knight’s Dream, Persona 3 the Movie 3: Falling Down, and Persona 3 the Movie 4: Winter of Rebirth. Each film has great animation, a fantastic score, and cinematic choreography in fights and scene composition. Each movie also does a great job of creating a character, Makoto Yuuki, as the protagonist of Persona 3, by giving him a powerful character arc. Studio A-1 Pictures ensured they’d respect Persona 3, and each film has a high rating of over 7.5 on MyAnimeList.
