lol is the anime protag on Narukami levels of robotness?

Because then it's worth watching for that.

Narukami in the P4 anime was a blast.

For sure. It got the only good Narukami and watched with the attitude of it being some easy fun it's better than it should be

Joker has easily turned into my fav Persona protagonist, and I am only half way in the game (I assume).

Anyway, beach day in P5 was rather disappointing compared to previous entries. Was a rather "meh" experience.

Though I guess it kinda summarises the whole Futaba arc, which I found to be rather meh overall.

I'll take meh scenes if it avoids cringe and double standard shit like Night at the Amagi In or scenes that become so trope you wonder what the hell Atlus was thinking (LOL WOMEN CAN'T COOK, LOL CHIE HITTING YOSUKE IS FUNNY, GIRLS CAN BE BITCHES AND IT'S FINE) that wasn't funny in the slightest. I prefer the more business approach to relationships in 5 and honestly, I prefer the more grounded hang outs in 5 over the overt he top ones in 4.

And let us not forget the stupid hotsprings bollocks, where all the girls proceeds to molest Naoto or some shit like that.


What I enjoy about Persona 5's cast is that they are generally more laidback, they feel like people to me. That scene where Anne decides to hang out with the boys, and sleep over at their place because her roommate was a nuisance. That was a very bonding moment, and it's unprecedented for a Japanese RPG, that a female character can sleep in the same room as a male character if they are not romantically involved (sometimes even if they are).
I like that they don't become friends the moment they shake hands like with Narukami and Yosuke in P4. I just love the characters in P5 so much more.

Nah, it was all really, really, terrible. And I'm glad there is none of it in Persona 5. There are still social events, and I like how they are integrated in a well-paced session. The characters definitely communicate with each other a lot, though it is through a phone most of the time. But it's a perfect reflection of how we as people socialize with each other today through our digital devices.

We do it here, right now.

Another fun thing in P5 is that you can take the characters out and do whatever, just hang out with them. The bonding feels more or natural and grounded that way I think.

Yes.

In all those ways.

P5 crew was a team. Professional and to the point. I think that worked well for its story.

I just never really was grabbed by them in the same way, tropes and all.

Put it this way. It didn't break my heart to leave these people, it was sad, but not "I can't listen to this ending song anymore without breaking apart" sad.

Could that be terrible taste/shit tier waifu garbage? Probs. All that dumb shit they did in P4 is dumb shit. You are right.

But again.

I didn't love them. They never made me laugh or feel all warm and fuzzy in the same way.

Like Kanji's dumb swim tighties and goofing off whilst studying. Dumb? Yes. But I don't think that's a bad thing all the time.

It's the only thing that felt off to me in P5 even with it being the better game in almost every single way possible.

But because it was such a big thing for me in P4 it was more noticeable in P5.

I think it came down to how every event was taken over by "HEY LET'S CHECK THE PHANSITE!"

And that's fine.

Because that slides in well with the story overall. Again, they were the Phantom Thieves and that meant everything to them and swallowed them up.

Like, that's the whole fuckin' point.

The Investigation Team was a dumb scooby doo gang with a dumb scooby doo villain lol. The whole thing was goofy and I loved it.

So that's what 'meh' meant to me.

Not bad in any structural, narrative, or thematic way.

Meh because I wasn't allowed to enjoy them, just like they weren't allowed to enjoy themselves.

Make no mistake, Persona 3 and 4, are still incredibly intriguing, with intringuing themes, and very human qualities to their respective characters and tone. I didn't write that colossosal blog on Destructoid on P3 for nothing.

But now that Persona 5 exists, I feel they are dwarved by said game in comparison. Each game had their strengths in allowing the player to bond with the characters. Persona 3 had dormitory, which meant that you'd spend every living moment with your friends, because they all live under the same roof, so things get more personal that way. In Persona 4 it's the familiarity, and the celebrations of those high school years that come and go quickly, life moves on and we have to accept that there are people who will come into our lives, and ultimately leave them again.

In Persona 5, it feels a bit more grounded with regards to the world we live in today (obviously ofc given the tech that is presented in the game). But also in how the characters interact, there's the familiarity of Persona 4, and the seriousness of Persona 3. It's a game that has taken everything the previous games have learned and perfected it. Persona 5's theme of rebellion and freedom is grounded in how we are always so nervous about the future (sort of like Catherine) and the expectations that are lain upon us. How are we supposed to behave, and what we are supposed to do, it feels like we aren't really free to choose how to live. I can relate to a lot of those things in the game, feeling like your life isn't going where you wanted it, or it isn't going anywhere at all.
So you break those boundaries and choose instead to live how you want, it might seem simple on the surface, but Persona has its own share of subtlety in how it chooses to deliver its message.

Personally, I wasn't beaten up by Persona 4's conclusion as much as I was with Persona 3. And I wasn't with 5 either because it didn't feel like the game wanted me to feel that way. It was a much more positive feeling of hope for the future instead of the bittersweet stuff of Persona 4 and the downer ending of Persona 3.