Unknown Soldier
Banned
Persona 4: The Animation
Type: TV Animation
Premiere Date: October 6, 2011 (see below for streaming information)
Director: Seiji Kishi
Art Director: Shigenori Soejima
Character Design: Kazuaki Morita
Music: Shouji Meguro
Production Studio: AIC A.S.T.A.
Episodes: 25
How to Watch:
Persona 4: The Animation will be streaming for free on The Anime Network starting Thursday, October 6th at 3 PM Eastern. It will also be made available on Hulu the following day. It will have Japanese voice acting and English subtitles. Sentai Filmworks has picked the show up for North American distribution and DVD/Blu-ray discs will be released in 2012. The possibility of English dubbing being done for the shiny round disc releases is currently unknown.
Story:
Persona 4 takes place in a rural town named Inaba where mysterious murders occur whenever there is fog after heavy rain. The town has a television channel that airs only at midnight called Mayonaka TV, during which it is said that one can see their "other half" while staring at the screen. After hearing about a recent unsolved murder, several students at Yasogami High School realize that they saw the murder victim while watching Mayonaka TV.
Yu Narukami discovers that during midnight when the channel is on, his body can phase into his television set, using the set as a gateway to another world infested with Shadows. Mayonaka TV and the town murders seem so connected that it's possible that the victims may in fact be victims of Mayonaka TV itself. The students decide to solve the mysterious murders by exploring the hidden world of Mayonaka TV.
Characters:
Yu Narukami: The main character, and your Silent Protagonist from the game. He is named Souji Seta in the manga. He arrives in Inaba to stay with his uncle Ryotaro Dojima for a year while his parents are abroad. He attends Yasogami High School and is in the same class with Chie, Yukiko, and Yousuke. His Persona is Izanagi of the Fool Arcana.
Trivia: The name given to Yu Narukami for the anime is a pun. Like all the Silent Protagonists of the Megami Tensei franchise, you assign his name when you start a new game of Persona 4. His Persona's name is a reference to Izanagi and Izanami of the Japanese creation myth.
Yousuke Hanamura: Yu's friend works at the local Junes department store, where his father is the manager. He rides a bike to school and is never seen without his headphones. His persona is Jiraiya of the Magician Arcana.
Trivia: Yousuke's headphones are modeled after Audio-Technica headphones, similar to the Silent Protagonist's headphones in Persona 3.
Yukiko Amagi: Chie's best friend and the daughter of the owners of the local hot spring inn. She will inherit the inn when her parents retire. Her Persona is Konohana-Sakuya of the Priestess Arcana.
Trivia: Yukiko's character design, specifically her long hair and hair band, was used as the basis for Yuri's design in Angel Beats! by character designer Jun Maeda. Yuri's hair was shortened and her ribbon added after the fact, making her resemble Haruhi Suzumiya, but the hair band remains a part of that character's design. Coincidentally, Seiji Kishi was also the director of Angel Beats!.
Chie Satonaka: An energetic girl who is obsessed with kung-fu movies. She has been best friends with Yukiko since they were both very young. Her personality is somewhat similar to that of Lisa Silverman from Persona 2. Her Persona is Tomoe of the Chariot Arcana.
Trivia: Chie's Persona Tomoe is yellow because it is meant to resemble the famous yellow track suit worn by Bruce Lee.
Kanji Tatsumi: The local delinquent, he has a reputation for getting in fights and is one year below Yu. He hides a softer side behind a tough image. His Persona is Take-Mikazuchi of the Emperor Arcana.
Trivia: Kanji's mother owns a textile shop. Because of this, he has known how to sew and knit since he was a small child.
Naoto Shirogane: Nicknamed "The Detective Prince" by the media for his prowess at solving difficult criminal cases at a young age, he comes to Inaba to help the local police investigate the mysterious murders which have been occurring. He is one year below Yu. His Persona is Sukuna Hikona of the Fortune Arcana.
Trivia: Naoto's design resembles that of Raidou Kuzunoha, from the PS2 Devil Summoner games.
Rise Kujikawa: An idol on hiatus from her career. She moves back to Inaba to live with her grandmother while on break from performing. She is one year below Yu. Her Persona is Himiko of the Lovers Arcana.
Trivia: Rise's name resembles that of her voice actor, Rie Kugimiya. Rise is not the first fictional idol that Rie Kugimiya has voiced, as she is also the voice of Iori Minase from THE IDOLM@STER.
Kuma: Called "Teddie" in the English version of the game. Yu and his friends meet this mysterious stuffed bear-like being on the other side of the TV. His Persona is Kintoki Douji of the Star Arcana.
Trivia: The original Japanese voice work for Kuma frequently has him ending his sentences with "-kuma!" The English localization replaces this with puns which use the word 'bear'.
Ryotaro Dojima: Yu's uncle, and Nanako's father. A senior detective with the local police department. He agrees to take Yu in for a year while Yu's parents are out of the country.
Nanako Dojima: Yu's younger cousin. She likes shopping at the Junes department store and frequently buys food there and does the laundry as Ryotaro is absent from home for long stretches due to his police work.
Igor: The mysterious gentleman who inhabits the Velvet Room. He provides advice and guidance for Yu throughout his journey.
Margaret: Igor's partner in the Velvet Room.
Tohru Adachi: Ryotaro's junior detective partner.
Social Link Characters:
These are all characters Yu may befriend during his journey.
Kou Ichijo & Daisuke Nagase
Ai Ebihara
Naoki Konishi
Yumi Ozawa & Ayane Matsunaga
Hisano Kuroda
Shu Nakajima
Eri Minami
Sayoko Uehara
Funky Fox
Previews:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ts_RJSDmNo (PV9)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_18978&v=v3v-QP6MCAA (PV11/Features the OP "sky's the limit")
http://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_941223&v=jOhkqf5qulE (PV14/Final PV)
Game:
The official GAF thread for the Persona 4 game can be found here.
Credits:
Modified game story description taken from Amazon.com.
Useful Links:
Wikipedia
MegaTen Wiki
MyAnimeList Entry
Official Site (Japanese)
