So, I currently have a pretty bad cold (a little better now, though >_>), and I wanted to relax and enjoy myself while resting. Good thing, too, I saw that P4GA was on Crunchyroll! As a premium member on there, it made my day as I sat back on my chair and watched it with my brother. Here's a breakdown of my impressions for the important parts.
Velvet Room stuff, EXPOSITION GALORE, yada yada. That was expected. Hate Igor's Seiyu, though... really do, he overdoes it. Margaret was fine, though.
Then, the opening. OMG the opening, got me so HYPED, Persona style and character intros were seamless and just pleasing to the eye. And the cameos of SLs were nice, mixed with Yu's trip to Yasoinaba. Shadow World is always a good song to use. What surprised me was that they didn't use an original or reincarnated song to go with the anime, much like its predecessor.
(Also, Adachi! I didn't know you were Ai's little bish before I came over to kick your ass LOLOLOLOLOLOL jk xD)
First scene with the cherry blossoms and the Yu/Marie CANON encounter (back off, Naoya >_>), it was SOOOOOO well animated, both characters were impeccable, and everything was framed right; the music, the shots, the paper, etc etc
Now, is it just me or is Yu far friendlier and outgoing in this interpretation? He shakes hands with everyone (shit, if he didn't shake hands with Izanami NONE of this would have happened, SHE DIDN'T EVEN OFFER HER OWN HAND UNLIKE THE GAME LOL), and he's a total smartass. EXCELLENT WORK, GG
Dojima doesn't mention himself as uncle, though, which I thought was weird. It almost seemed like they were strangers...
Nanako and Yu singing the Junes jingle OMG <3 that was so cute, I need to teach that to my little sister now U_U
School day, Yu backsasses Morooka, which was cool, but then he suddenly gets all homey with the Big Three, without setup. Ummm, ok, here was where I started to wonder how far this anime would stray from the source material and its predecessor.
THEN MIDNIGHT CHANNEL, WHERE WAS TRIAL OF THE DRAGON OR THE JUNES STEAK TRIP?! :T_T:
Chie literally mentions it in passing all like "Oh, by the way, guys..." and we're all like "ok wait, isn't that like one of the most fundamental parts of the entire plot?". >_>
Yu's like, "oh, I can stick my hand in the TV, btw, let's go into the TV world!"
I thought the integration of Marie to find the eerie bedroom was a nice touch, though. Then they meet Teddie (btw, I also dislike his Seiyu, the voice grates <_<), which was parallel to the story... very good.
Shadow chase scene and persona summoning.
OK, WTF, I KNOW I'M BADASS AND ALL BUT PLEASE TELL ME HOW IN THE HELL YU KILLS ALL THOSE DAMN SHADOWS WITH WHAT LOOKS LIKE ENDGAME LEVEL SKILLS, LIKE, WHAT KIND OF EXPECTATIONS ARE WE SUPPOSED TO HAVE FOR THE REST OF THE SHOW?!
Marie and Yu at the end was nice, though it felt shoehorned it without any real explanation.
Overall, as an initial foray into P4GA, I'm giving the premiere a 7/10. It's good, but too many things were left to be desired, especially for us hardcore fans.
+ Yu Narukami as a REAL Protagonist
+ Animation quality and style
+ A fresh interpretation that makes it somewhat unique and less predictable.
+ Instantly recognizable and hummable soundtrack
+ Marie <3
- Too much focus on the Protagonist without any real introductions to the rest of the cast
- Fans will wonder how far this anime strays from the source material; almost worrying.
- Rushed story aspects
- Asspulls (yeah, not buying Izanagi wrecking shit like that, no matter how cool it was. First episode, too, like WTF)
- No notable OST yet
I SWEAR IF THE NEXT EPISODE IS A FILLER OR NON CANON EPISODE I'M DROPPING THIS SHOW UNTIL IT'S DONE
(lol jk, but that preview seemed... interesting)
I read some of the discussions you guys were having, all valid points. I think you're all right, too... I had an inkling feeling that it MIGHT be something like that.
But this anime reminds me how cool a Mayonaka Anime would be U_U
