Megami Ibunroku: Persona

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Alternative Titles

Synonyms: Shin Megami Tensei: Persona, Megami Inbun Roku Persona, Persona: Be Your True Mind

Japanese: 女神異聞録～ペルソナ～

Information

Type: Manga

Volumes: 8

Chapters: 45

Status: Finished

Published: Oct 18, 1996 to Feb 18, 2000

Genres: Action, Horror, Supernatural

Demographic: Shounen

Serialization: GFantasy

Authors: Ueda, Shinshu (Story & Art)

Statistics

Score: 7.38¹ (scored by 1,393 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #3926²

² based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #4792

Members: 4,415

Favorites: 101

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7.38

Ranked #3926Popularity #4792Members 4,415

MangaGFantasyUeda, Shinshu (Story & Art)

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Volumes: /8

Chapters: /45

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Synopsis

When Naoya Toudou is goaded into playing a childish fortune-telling game called "Persona," the last thing he expected was to summon a girl pleading for help. The girl's wails overwhelm Naoya's senses, leading him to awaken in a strange place that exists between consciousness and unconsciousness where a mysterious entity resides. Introducing themselves as Philemon, they grant him the ability to wield a "Persona"—a being that exists as an "other self"—before he wakes up in the school's infirmary.

Though Naoya's friends also recall meeting the same entity, they think nothing of it as they head to the hospital to see their sick friend, Maki Sonomura. During their visit, Sonomura disappears in the middle of her surgery and the patients within the hospital suddenly become hostile. Cornered, the group members each call forth their Personas, who fend off the rest of the assailants much to their surprise.

Concerned for their friend, the group sets out to find Sonomura all while gathering more information about the ominous situation they are in.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Background

Megami Ibunroku: Persona is based on Atlus' 1996 Playstation video game of the same title (known as Revelations: Persona in the West).

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Characters

Toudou, Naoya

Main

Sonomura, Maki

Main

Nanjou, Kei

Main

Uesugi, Hidehiko

Main

Kirishima, Eriko

Main

Mayuzumi, Yukino

Main

Kido, Reiji

Main

Inaba, Masao

Main

Ayase, Yuka

Main

Igor

Supporting

Reviews

May 22, 2022

Nyo_Desu

Recommended

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 ...

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Mar 20, 2023

flufferpupper

Recommended

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.

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Jun 4, 2024

Yupl

Recommended

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.

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