First, I would like to open with the fact that I've never played Persona 4, so my views are not in any way coloured by the video game.
Story:
Persona 4's story is fantastically written and acted out by its characters. It perfectly blends the themes of mystery and mysticism with the broader main theme of camaraderie, which is an overarching point in the anime and is easily its strongest point. The way the anime details the various struggles the characters go through, their increasing faith and trust in one another, and the foes their pitted against is extremely fleshed out, bringing the tale to life in
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a manner I've never quite seen replicated. The story holds your attention completely, never failing to entertain at any point, even during a couple of what could be seen as filler episodes, which in themselves serve less as filler and are exceptionally aimed at the characterisation of the characters and their friendship. The anime deploys heavy use of humour, but never seems excessive in any way and never fails to make you laugh at least three times per episode. Even when deployed in the serious scenes, the humour doesn't take away from the feel of the scenario, rather it serves to show the characters trying to make each other feel better about their situation than destroy the atmosphere. The serious scenes in themselves take on completely different angles, but always manage to get their point and atmosphere across to the viewer. Persona 4: The Animation is beautifully written, bringing across a variety of emotions in the viewer and telling an exceptional tale with completely unforeseeable plot twists, turns and character issues which keep you hooked from episode one until the end, and always leave you wanting more after the final episode.
Art:
Persona 4's artwork is very well done, but can leave a little to be desired. I've noticed that each character's way of drying tears when crying seems to be identical, and characters seem to go a very long time without moving or blinking in a few scenes, but otherwise the artwork is very well done. The characters aren't drawn like American teenagers from most anime, and do look Japanese, which adds to the authenticity of the location. (A rural town outside Tokyo.) The character design is noticeably original without being too extravagant, and I believe that the small animations that play at points around character's heads (Sudden burst of flowers, sweat drops) are a constant reference to features that play during those scenes in the video games, which will serve as a point of enjoyment for those who've played the game. The fight scenes and particle effects are beautifully animated, and serve as a great boon to the anime's immersion and action, and the effects between characters facial expressions and their general attitude adds a huge amount of character to them in each of their scenes.
Sound:
Persona 4's soundtrack is absolutely sublime. While I didn't particularly enjoy the first opening theme, I didn't inherently dislike it, and the other ED's and OP were exceptional. The score of the anime itself were also superb, adding exceptional weight to scenes that were otherwise already powerful. This anime wouldn't be anywhere near as good as it is without its score, and the fact that most of the songs are sung in English doesn't detract from their sheer coolness whatsoever. The two themes that play during combat, one a fairly rock-pop song and the other a piano piece that also plays slowly during the emotional scenes, are without a doubt the best pieces of the soundtrack, and I encourage listening to them even if you don't watch the anime.
Characters:
Without a doubt, the Persona 4 characters are probably my favorite as an entire cast. They genuinely feel like people, with their own insecurities and issues, but also their own lively, profound personalities, and it is their interactions with one another that is probably my favorite part of the anime. Each character is noticeably distinct in and of themselves, but also function exceptionally well as a cast. Even supporting characters feel like mainstays, and no character feels left out of the series at any point. Even supporting characters that appear literally three seconds are somehow included later on in the show, and it's a wonderful job of making sure no one is unnecessary. My only, and extremely small issue, is the lack of characterisation for Yukiko. She does get some characterisation, but not enough to make her feel all that interesting.
Enjoyment:
I loved watching this anime. I laughed, I got excited, I got intrigued, I shared in the character's moments of pain, I shared in their moments of elation, and not once was I ever left unentertained. There were several points when I was watching when I was struck by how much I was thoroughly enjoying the anime and how much I loved the characters. If the soon to be aired Persona 4 The Golden is anywhere near as good as this was, I will be watching it just as avidly.
Overall:
I thoroughly enjoyed this anime and all of its aspects, and would firmly recommend it to anyone with the time to watch it.
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Jul 10, 2014
Persona 4 the Animation
(Anime)
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First, I would like to open with the fact that I've never played Persona 4, so my views are not in any way coloured by the video game.
Story: Persona 4's story is fantastically written and acted out by its characters. It perfectly blends the themes of mystery and mysticism with the broader main theme of camaraderie, which is an overarching point in the anime and is easily its strongest point. The way the anime details the various struggles the characters go through, their increasing faith and trust in one another, and the foes their pitted against is extremely fleshed out, bringing the tale to life in ... |
