Megami Ibunroku: Persona

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Well, well, weeellll...I'm back again! Bet you didn't expect me to be doing a Manga review now, did you? Well, anyways. Since I've only seen one review of this Manga and it's from someone who hadn't even finished reading it (at least from what they have marked down on their profile, no offense to them at all), I thought I'd give the best possible review without giving away too much. So...I'll try to keep this one spoiler-free cause you people DESERVE to read this manga. On to the review!:

The Story/Narrative [10/10]

So...this is probably immediately where you're going to tell that I really enjoyed the writing ... for this Manga alone with the story. While Megami Ibunroku: Persona (aka. what I'll be referring to as the 'Persona 1 Manga' or 'P1 Manga' for brevity's sakes) follows its PlayStation game's story in many of its beats, it also takes its creative liberties and combines the two endings or 'routes' (the SEBEC and Snow Queen routes, as they're called) that were once separate in the original game into one route along with adding more characterization (like giving the previously unnamed Protagonist an actual name asides from 'Boy with Earring'), adding an additional character (not naming them, you'll know when you see them cause they kinda stick out in a unique way), along with fleshing out the world, characters, and even the lore of Persona and the Arcanas (which was kinda glossed over in the game.)

The story itself is pretty well-written and well-paced, I think even more so than the original game, which is impressive given how much ground is covered in only 45 chapters. It certainly is quite magical how the writers were able to put everything from the game into the manga (in a lot of cases quite faithfully, at least from what I've seen in comparison to the game's cutscenes and dialogue given that I haven't played the game in any form nor have any desire to due to the...kinda outdated gameplay, look, it's fine for its time, but it's aged and we have to admit it, yes, even the 2009 PSP Remaster) without any of it losing its charm.

Overall, it's an engaging, emotionally gripping, especially dark & gritty, and all-around exciting story that kept me invested throughout. The pacing was nearly perfect, it drags in some small places, but for the most part, it's nicely paced without it ever being boring since the characters are always on the move and trying to get things going as they should be given the tension of the story.

Its liberties don't affect the original story at all and (in my opinion) adds to the story, making it feel like more is going on in it.

A++ stuff. This is certainly one of the better-adapted video-game mangas out there when it comes to faithfulness to the story.

The Art/Visuals [10/10]

Well, given it's a manga, you GOTTA have good illustrations and of course, the Persona 1 Manga delivers! Being done by Shinshu Ueda, who's done A LOT of other Megami Tensei-related Manga work absolutely STUNS the reader with the visuals, especially towards the end to the point I was just getting more and more blown away at what was on the next page, it was THAT exciting.

The character and environmental designs from the game all carry over PERFECTLY into the manga format and look great. The comedy that kinda falls flat in-game because you'd only see small sprites making puffs of smoke and whatnot for the comedy is completely improved here, making the comedy that, while feels a teeny bit forced-in at times, is still excellently shown-off here. Lots of different usages of shades and lightning help give scenes their own vibes (especially when you're like me and had the OST of the game playing in the background for extra immersion) and it all looks great.

The fights, while not frequent, are some of the highlights (again, the end, in particular, is MIND-BOGGLING in some of its visuals) of the manga, since they actually show the cast using their spells and they look exactly how you'd imagine them to look like they did in the game and the enemies and bosses that are shown are ones that you actually see from the game and are given buildup and suspense before you fight them (the game does this too, but the manga does this A LOT better than the game, again, in my opinion.)

Point is, the visuals, especially for a manga made in the late '90s to very early 2000s (from its printing date) are STELLAR and really help in selling this manga, giving more emotion to the characters, and exciting the reader with dark, creepy, but also at times beautiful and lively art.

A++ stuff yet, again, Ueda, for the win.

The Characters/Cast [10/10]

By far the most important and my personal favorite thing about this entire manga for me, the Persona 1 Manga manages to ENTIRELY overhaul these characters and make them MUCH more interesting and better-written than their in-game counterparts.

The Protagonist (known as 'Naoya Toudou' in the Manga) in particular was given an actual personality that better defines him and makes him much more interesting to read about (no doubt also due to the fact that they gave him a proper, great written backstory.) He had some great moments that got me feeling for him, especially towards the end...ooohhh, man...that ending must've been GUTTORAL for him...

The other party members and the rest of the cast are also much better too. Nanjo isn't just the anchorman of the group anymore, he's smart, but even he has his shortcomings, like his intolerance towards others being reckless (like with Inaba, who he still bickers with like he did in the game, although it's much more entertaining here due to the more exciting writing and visual gags), but also has his reasons for being how he is, he gets development and goes from being a grumpy person who puts himself above others to someone who gets genuinely concerned for the safety and wellbeing of everyone else.

I won't talk too much about Maki since she's...kinda important to the story and I would start spoiling things, but she's got a lot more going on than what's initially seen of her outer flowery, sweet exterior. She's a strong-hearted fighter, determined to help everyone in any way she can.

Elly (Eriko Kirishima) goes from being a girl who speaks in a bit of a strange way, always using an emphasis on the words she says when talking (which is actually shown in the text in the manga to clue the reader in on when she's doing so) to being able to talk how she REALLY wants to and also learns about how to use her Persona to save people and how she's more useful than she thinks she is (which also applies to Maki as well, but again, spoilers.)

Inaba starts out thinking he's the king of the world who can force his way to victory in any situation when...he can't and through learning his Persona power, does he realize his limits and is he able to help in ways that HE KNOWS he can and will actually benefit the team in some way (very similar to how Uesugi does in the manga here too, who will get to in a second.) He's also the counter to Nanjo's unflinching strategic intellect like I briefly mentioned earlier, being the common voice of reasoning and questioning things when things seem uncertain. He learns to trust everyone's (especially Nanjo's judgment) and even once goes against him to convince him to save a certain someone's life. He and Nanjo were probably my favorites out of the cast.

Hidehiko Uesugi (or 'Brown' as most people call him for short...you'll learn why he's called that and it's AMAZING...trust me) is the one who starts off the most confident (at least on the outside) but is the seemingly the weakest of the bunch at first until he learns to stop running away, being afraid, and confront things when the time comes, but also not be reckless for the sake of others. He's the rather blatant comedic relief of the group, often bickering and being the voice of questioning when Inaba's too busy fighting with Nanjo or something else.

I could go on, but you get the idea, the characters here are all very well-written and have clear motives as to who and why they are who they are and why they act the ways that they do. Everyone's got some sort of problem that's realistic, not overly weird (minus maybe Brown's story.....lol), and actually feels like it matters (which is something I have a problem with some of the later Persona games past Persona 2 or the 'Neo-Persona' games that isn't an issue here.)

I LOVE this cast. At least here, again, their in-game versions aren't...terrible, but they're a lot less interesting. This Manga really does justice to these characters and their stories. A++++.

The Verdict/Conclusion [10/10]

I...CANNOT recommend this manga enough to everyone. It's an adaptation of a game that, while is alright for what it is, definitely had some room for improvement in its writing (and gameplay, but that's a whole other can of worms we're not getting into here, this an anime & manga site, not GameFAQs) and this manga delivers! It improves A TON of the Story and Writing flaws from the game while adding its own flair that doesn't hinder the experience in any way and actually makes it more interesting, it's literally a direct upgrade if you ask me.

So...if you're wanting to get into the older Persona games (or somehow start this series if you somehow haven't heard of it before at this point...god bless you if you're one of those people) and didn't and or still don't like the gameplay of Persona 1 but still want to experience the game...here's your ticket!

And hey, maybe if you're just someone looking for something different in general and doesn't care about the series period, it's STILL A good read...do those people exist? I wonder.

Also, something completely random I want to mention here before I go into my Post-Review Ramble, there are only 44 chapters...there's no chapter 45, I've looked everywhere for it, but it doesn't exist. I know that's random as heck to mention, but yeah, one less chapter-long than you'd think.

Post-Review Ramble:

Okay, okay. I know, I said I was gonna do NieA_7 next as my next MAL review period, but I've gotten all stacked up with games recently and finished my College semester back earlier this month (and now I've got a summer class starting June 6th and I'm also still working on getting my new rig that's been screwed up since late January fixed...we'll see how THAT goes...) Just finished Dead Rising 1 after putting it down back in February and I'm playing through Persona 5 Strikers and I'm at the 4th Jail in THAT game AND I'm going back to restarting The Silver Case (shoutouts to the SUDA51 fans out there) so that I can refresh my memory of the game and go through it properly along with Flower, Sun, and Rain and The 25th Ward as well.

I'm still gonna do that review next along with...my next manga review: Azumanga Daioh! Yep, since I've got the freedom for it now that I'm done with this, I can get to reading it finally. It'll be nice too since I actually own Azumanga physically...kinda sucks reading a manga online, I prefer having it in my hands. Maybe Atlus could reissue and maybe release P1 in an all-in-one or at least in a bundle of a few volumes in one like the Evangelion and Death Note Mangas have done....who knows, Atlus is unpredictable as hell...sometimes.

Anyways, I'll be working on knocking some more backlog stuff from my Steam library as well as getting ready for Niea_7 and Azumanga Daioh....some of you may have also noticed Blood+ is on my watchlist now...you can thank SUDA for THAT as well due him making the wacky Japanese-only Killer7-looking PS2 licensed game Blood+: One Night Kiss...weird game, for sure, but a cool one. That's not gonna be for a WHILE, though. Probably something I'll watch in chunks over the course of some months.

For now...let's leave it at that. NieA_7 is more than likely gonna be next since that's something I can binge pretty easily and I have a feeling I'll REALLY like it. See ya around!

Persona is deservedly one of the most popular JRPG series of all time, but people often overlook its humble beginnings as a first-person dungeon crawler for the PS1. Megami Ibunroku Persona is an interesting video game with a brilliant atmosphere, but the gameplay has aged somewhat poorly and it is bound to be a frustrating experience for anyone except the most hardcore of JRPG fans. Fortunately, we have this stellar manga adaptation which will undoubtedly please both non-gamers unfamilar with Persona's story and fans of the game alike.

This manga takes a few creative liberties that differ from the game. Certain characters are given more screen ... time and the story of the optional Snow Queen Quest is condensed into the main plot. Most notable of the differences however, is the decision to give the protagonist, Naoya Toudou, his own character and backstory. In the game, Naoya is completely silent and no information is given about his personality and past. This is fine in the game, since he is intended to be a self-insert for the player, but his strong characterization in the manga makes it a unique experience compared to the game. Sometimes Naoya's plot with Kazuya feels "tacked-on" and weirdly unrelated to the main story, but it is still enjoyable on its own. Naoya is overall made to be a charming and cool protagonist who is fun to follow.

Let's talk more about the other characters. Persona has a large cast, but it is good at making its characters feel distinct and memorable, and the manga tries hard to give each character at least a little development. Persona as a series has always been character driven, and the Persona manga is no exception. Even if I forget the somewhat complicated plot of this manga, I will never forget characters like Maki, Nanjo, Brown, Mark, Reiji, and Yukino.

The story here, as I said, is complicated and fast-paced, and it can be difficult to follow at times. I played the game beforehand, so I didn't have too much trouble, but I could easily imagine a new reader feeling lost in the sea of characters, magic system, and plot points. That said, the characters carry the experience and bring an emotional depth to it that makes it all worthwhile.

In terms of art, I feel like this manga isn't talked about enough. I LOVE the art in this manga. It has so much style, and breathes life into the characters that just wasn't there in the game. Things like Brown making a goofy pose, or Maki brightly smiling, feel very in character and are beautifully drawn.

In summary, this manga suffers a little in pacing, but makes up for it with great art and fantastic characters. As a fan of the game, I thought this manga was a worthwhile and fantastic experience, but I think even someone who knows nothing about Persona would enjoy it. I highly recommend it.

From the controversy of the actual Persona 1 game, it can be very difficult to find a reason to even give this manga a chance due to the lack of recommendation from the fanbase, but I will say that this is the ideal way to experience Persona 1 for the first time. Although you will miss out on the soundtrack (highly recommend listening to the PS1 ost while reading) and gameplay aspect, the game does not do this manga justice and this read alone is the sole reason Persona 1 is my 2nd favorite game in the entire Persona series, behind Persona ... 4. Without it, I would likely agree with the mutual stance that Persona 1 is kind of mid, or at least outdated. But why is this even worth reading in the first place?

Persona 1 is a story that splits into 2 separate sides, which luckily both get adapted in this manga. Although neither is technically more "canon" than the other, it starts with the Sebec route which is debatably the more faithful representation of what Persona 1 really is. They are relatively different as well, but both have their different strengths and appeals. So let's start with the Sebec route just for chronological sake.

The Sebec route is a sort of dimension hopping journey where the main plot thread is stopping the main antagonist Kandori, from abusing the power of the deva system on the world. The deva system is a reality altering machine which causes disarray on the main setting of the game, Mikage-cho. When the main cast plays the "Persona" game, they end up all awakening to their power after sharing the same dream involving someone named Philemon. This leads them to visiting their hospitalized friend Maki, who's been lonely due to rarely seeing friends and family for the past year she's been there. While visiting her, the story begins to shift from a relatively peaceful start, to a sort of trippy world hopping journey as they try to figure out what's really going on.

While the story of Persona 1 is very enjoyable and intriguing, I would say that it's themes and characters are what really makes it stand out. Like what was mentioned prior, Persona is a series which embodies psychological themes. Just like the person who coined the term "Persona", the games are built from the foundation of Carl Jung's psychology on the self. Without spoiling the reason why, this side of the story is oddly enough more of a character study on Maki herself more than anything else. There is also arguably symbolic representation of the Id and Superego as well when looking at character such as Aki and Mai.

What makes these underlying themes noteworthy is that is what one would imagine a series named Persona, should focus on
at it's core. Persona 1's manga is rich in character exploration and focusing on different aspects of the self, as a lot of it's events are linked to internal aspects like desire and the subconscious mind. What's different between modern Persona and older Persona is that it's more vague with it's meaning and leaves it up for interpretation more than the modern Persona usually does, as they tend to explain things instead. (Which is not a jab at all, I love when things spell their themes out and I enjoy both vague and clear explanations almost equally) This adds to the fever-dream like feel of Persona 1, and really gives it it's own identity as well as increases it's immersiveness. It is an insightful experience, backed behind a solid, mysterious story which feels sort of surreal at the same time as it becomes difficult to differentiate what is an altered versus true reality.

While on the topic of characters, the Snow Queen route is an almost entirely character focused plot as it consists of the school getting frozen after the power of a cursed school mask freezes over the entire thing. The cast is required to go through different dungeons and collect fragments of a broken mirror in order to stop the Snow Queen herself. The bosses of these dungeons are actually different students from the school, and we get to explore their mind and lives in order to see what made them the way they are now. While Sebec is all over the place in a sense, this is a nice change of pace since it is primarily in one location and just explores different sides of one big story. Personally, I prefer the Sebec route but I still quite love the Snow Queen and would recommend reading it.

The cast of Persona 1 is very lovable and well developed, way more so than they were in the game as well. Getting to see them express more personality and emotion here and not just have the same singular sprite like in the game, adds a lot in how someone would perceive them. My favorite are the protagonist Naoya, as well as Maki, since they share a lot of history together and are essentially the two main characters of the story, which naturally get them the most time in the spotlight. They have a beautiful history together which goes back to their childhood, and their interaction and development which each other shines as one of my favorite stories in all of Persona as a series. Making Naoya go from a silent protag to a very likable and cool person filled with lots of style and personality was such a bonus that I didn't get to witness on my first Persona 1 experience, which was the PSP game. Although I love and won't talk about them all, some other stand outs where Eriko, Nanjou, and especially Philemon. I love the chemistry and personality between the main cast, and they help lighten up the mood in what could've been a rather depressing experience.

I would enjoy going into deeper analysis on why I praise this manga so highly, but this is meant to be a spoiler free review which only scratches the surface on what this manga covers. I understand it is not everyone's thing, and I do think this manga gives me rose colored glasses towards the Persona 1 game, since they are pretty different. If you are someone who experienced the Persona 1 game and got let down or bored, I really do hope this review gives you another perspective on what the game could have been. If a Persona 1 remake ever happens, I truly do hope they base it off this manga since this is one of the best experiences I had while exploring every entry in this series. If you are someone who is on the fence about giving Persona 1 a chance, I do hope you consider this manga after going through this review. Although I had a pretty boastful and high regard for it, it has its flaws just like anything else, but in the end I feel nothing but appreciation for it and it's potential for even greater heights is hard for me to overlook.

This is an iconic experience which sadly gets buried in time and negative stigma, but it is something worthwhile. It is pretty short when compared to the absurdly long 80 to 120 hour experiences that the Persona 3,4 and 5 games bring, so it isn't much of a commitment either. There is a lot more to be mentioned about this manga, but it is probably best to go in as blind as possible. This isn't like the most revolutionary or life changing read ever, but it sticks with you and is unique enough to leave me always wishing it was longer or just gets a completely new adaptation. I guess a 10/10 rating could be a bit of a stretch, but for what it did in it's short duration, this is a great origin of the series which left me wanting to read the other manga of the Persona games out of the belief that there is extra content I may be missing which can elevate my already super high love for the series.