×
  • remind me tomorrow
  • remind me next week
  • never remind me
Subscribe to the ANN Newsletter • Wake up every Sunday to a curated list of ANN's most interesting posts of the week. read more

Forum - View topic
REVIEW: PERSONA5 the Animation Blu-Ray


Goto page Previous  1, 2, 3  Next

Note: this is the discussion thread for this article

Anime News Network Forum Index -> Site-related -> Talkback
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
El Hermano



Joined: 24 Feb 2019
Posts: 450
Location: Texas
PostPosted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 8:49 pm Reply with quote
ThatGuyWhoLikesThings wrote:
I think another thing I don't like about Ann is how her feelings of being sexualized aren't even consistent. When she's got a swimsuit on and Ryuji very blatantly ogles her and makes groping motions, Ann laughs it off pretty naturally and doesn't seem to mind? But in almost every other instance she's objects to it or is otherwise uncomfortable with that kind of attention. So like, which is it lol


I have to disagree since I don't find Ann's feelings are inconsistant. Ryuji is her peer and friend, and he oogled her when she wore a bikini at the beach. Why would she have an issue with that? Ann is a model. She obviously has no issue with looking good or showing off her body when she wants, and she chose a bikini specifically to show off at the beach. That's not comparable to her situation with Kamoshida, a creepy adult teacher who was blackmailing her into a sexual situation against her will. The fireworks and desert scenes are very minor comedic bits played for laughs. She was talking and noticed the guys just got distracted by her legs/cleavage so she gets annoyed at them in typical fanservice comedy fashion. They're not serious scenes. She wasn't genuinely offended or upset during those two instances or felt violated. There's also a scene at Le Blanc where she's laying on a couch and Ryuji tries to look up her skirt casually and she just waves him away before going back to resting. She really doesn't seem to mind guys checking her out as long as it's not a creepy adult teacher forcing her against her will.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
MFrontier



Joined: 13 Apr 2014
Posts: 10960
PostPosted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 9:32 pm Reply with quote
all-tsun-and-no-dere wrote:
I love Ann as a character, but everything about her story arc screamed, "Sexy girl written by men," to me. Besides, the butt/boob shots are purely male-oriented fan service and objectification, which has absolutely nothing to do with "taking back her sexuality for herself" and everything about being looked at.

To me it felt more like they were writing her as the next Lovers Arcana and they're traditionally the most feminine of the party, and how that is applied to a modern teenage high school girl and their problems.

Of course the visuals tend to emphasize the female form a lot (I think every Phantom Thief girl except Haru gets a butt shot in the anime) but that's what the rebellion her outfit is supposed to represent is and why it's a skintight leather catsuit. It's basically evoking Catwoman who wears her costumes and acts the way she does for similar reasons.
El Hermano wrote:
I have to disagree since I don't find Ann's feelings are inconsistant. Ryuji is her peer and friend, and he oogled her when she wore a bikini at the beach. Why would she have an issue with that? Ann is a model. She obviously has no issue with looking good or showing off her body when she wants, and she chose a bikini specifically to show off at the beach. That's not comparable to her situation with Kamoshida, a creepy adult teacher who was blackmailing her into a sexual situation against her will. The fireworks and desert scenes are very minor comedic bits played for laughs. She was talking and noticed the guys just got distracted by her legs/cleavage so she gets annoyed at them in typical fanservice comedy fashion. They're not serious scenes. She wasn't genuinely offended or upset during those two instances or felt violated. There's also a scene at Le Blanc where she's laying on a couch and Ryuji tries to look up her skirt casually and she just waves him away before going back to resting. She really doesn't seem to mind guys checking her out as long as it's not a creepy adult teacher forcing her against her will.

Yeah, she's a fashion model so to some degree she's used to people looking at her, so she doesn't mind it so much when it's something she does deliberately like when she's wearing a bikini or at a fashion shoot but not so much when guys are staring at her see-through-shirt when she's sweating.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Munchmunch





PostPosted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 9:41 pm Reply with quote
all-tsun-and-no-dere wrote:

I think Katsura Hashino, the director of Persona 3, 4, and 5, has a viewpoint that's very limited by his privilege as a straight man of the majority race, and that comes through in how he handles a lot of the game's themes.


That seems like a bit of a harsh rush to judgement about a person who is (relatively) reclusive and whose past experiences and adversities aren't publicly known, but to each their own I suppose.
Back to top
all-tsun-and-no-dere
ANN Reviewer


Joined: 06 Jul 2015
Posts: 604
PostPosted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 9:43 pm Reply with quote
Munchmunch wrote:
all-tsun-and-no-dere wrote:

I think Katsura Hashino, the director of Persona 3, 4, and 5, has a viewpoint that's very limited by his privilege as a straight man of the majority race, and that comes through in how he handles a lot of the game's themes.


That seems like a bit of a harsh rush to judgement about a person who is (relatively) reclusive and whose past experiences and adversities aren't publicly known, but to each their own I suppose.


Personal struggle doesn't negate societal privilege.

Also: I do not care about men's opinions about whether or not Ann is realistic. Y'all have proven over and over you don't know what you're talking about.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Munchmunch





PostPosted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 9:56 pm Reply with quote
all-tsun-and-no-dere wrote:
Munchmunch wrote:
all-tsun-and-no-dere wrote:

I think Katsura Hashino, the director of Persona 3, 4, and 5, has a viewpoint that's very limited by his privilege as a straight man of the majority race, and that comes through in how he handles a lot of the game's themes.


That seems like a bit of a harsh rush to judgement about a person who is (relatively) reclusive and whose past experiences and adversities aren't publicly known, but to each their own I suppose.


Personal struggle doesn't negate societal privilege.

Also: I do not care about men's opinions about whether or not Ann is realistic. Y'all have proven over and over you don't know what you're talking about.

Uhhh I'm a chick lol.

And if any guys still wanna share your opinions about Ann or whatever, I'll still hear you out. Wink
Back to top
MFrontier



Joined: 13 Apr 2014
Posts: 10960
PostPosted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 9:58 pm Reply with quote
all-tsun-and-no-dere wrote:
Also: I do not care about men's opinions about whether or not Ann is realistic. Y'all have proven over and over you don't know what you're talking about.

I mean, I am a guy, so I admit to having some bias and privilege, but Ann's down-to-Earth personality and confidence is what I found appealing about her (well, that and Erika Harlacher and Nana Mizuki's performance).


Last edited by MFrontier on Sun Jan 10, 2021 9:59 pm; edited 1 time in total
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
all-tsun-and-no-dere
ANN Reviewer


Joined: 06 Jul 2015
Posts: 604
PostPosted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 9:59 pm Reply with quote
Munchmunch wrote:
all-tsun-and-no-dere wrote:
Munchmunch wrote:
all-tsun-and-no-dere wrote:

I think Katsura Hashino, the director of Persona 3, 4, and 5, has a viewpoint that's very limited by his privilege as a straight man of the majority race, and that comes through in how he handles a lot of the game's themes.


That seems like a bit of a harsh rush to judgement about a person who is (relatively) reclusive and whose past experiences and adversities aren't publicly known, but to each their own I suppose.


Personal struggle doesn't negate societal privilege.

Also: I do not care about men's opinions about whether or not Ann is realistic. Y'all have proven over and over you don't know what you're talking about.

Uhhh I'm a chick lol.


You also didn't offer your opinion on Ann! That was an aside, not a direct response to you.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Munchmunch





PostPosted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 10:02 pm Reply with quote
all-tsun-and-no-dere wrote:
Munchmunch wrote:
all-tsun-and-no-dere wrote:

Personal struggle doesn't negate societal privilege.

Also: I do not care about men's opinions about whether or not Ann is realistic. Y'all have proven over and over you don't know what you're talking about.

Uhhh I'm a chick lol.


You also didn't offer your opinion on Ann! That was an aside, not a direct response to you.

Ah sorry, my misunderstanding!

A bit more on topic, it's really a shame that Aniplex hasn't included the two OVAs or the original P5 special in this set. It makes it even harder for me to justify paying the $300 price tag when it's not even complete.
Back to top
bleachj0j



Joined: 22 Nov 2008
Posts: 923
PostPosted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 11:21 pm Reply with quote
[quote="cookiemanstah"
Apart from Futaba and arguably Akechi, most of the criticism I see directed towards the game is Ann, Morgana, Haru, Ryuji (especially), Makoto, and Kasumi (yes that name is used here for a reason I know) aren't very compelling or unified compared to P4's leads. That they're more memorable for memes or shallow reasons.[/quote]

Funny, I thought Kasumi was one of the best characters in the game. That whole third semester did a lot for me in regards to P5's story. I'd say the Morgana runs away portion is the worst part of the story. I also never got the "not unified" complaints. I felt that way more towards the S.E.E.S group.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
MFrontier



Joined: 13 Apr 2014
Posts: 10960
PostPosted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 11:50 pm Reply with quote
Munchmunch wrote:
Ah sorry, my misunderstanding!

A bit more on topic, it's really a shame that Aniplex hasn't included the two OVAs or the original P5 special in this set. It makes it even harder for me to justify paying the $300 price tag when it's not even complete.

Yeah, for how much they're charging, it really doesn't make sense that they wouldn't include the OVA's just to have ever part of the Persona 5 anime available.
bleachj0j wrote:
Funny, I thought Kasumi was one of the best characters in the game. That whole third semester did a lot for me in regards to P5's story. I'd say the Morgana runs away portion is the worst part of the story. I also never got the "not unified" complaints. I felt that way more towards the S.E.E.S group.

I think the Mona runs away plot is almost universally seen as the weakest part of the games story.

I feel the P5 cast get criticized for seemingly hanging out less compared to the P4 cast which they actively seem to be trying to rectify with Royal and Strikers (although I felt like they had amazing cast chemistry even in the original P5 game).
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
LightningComet



Joined: 10 Jan 2021
Posts: 48
PostPosted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 11:51 pm Reply with quote
The timing of this article is uncanny to me because I've been working on an opinion piece comparing what I think of Persona 5 to "Persona 5: The Animation" to Catherine. I never played the Persona games because I'm not a fan of turn-based random-encounter combat, so I turned to the anime adaptation. This review just about hit everything right on the head, but I am curious about the hating Akechi part; there wasn't really any reason given, so I'm left a little confused. I thought he was a bit overused, but added a nice bit of rivalry and personal stake for Joker, who was otherwise too bland.

He's no Vincent Brooks, I can tell you that much. I hope Atlus puts out a more adult game like Catherine again. One can hope!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
all-tsun-and-no-dere
ANN Reviewer


Joined: 06 Jul 2015
Posts: 604
PostPosted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 11:57 pm Reply with quote
LightningComet wrote:
The timing of this article is uncanny to me because I've been working on an opinion piece comparing what I think of Persona 5 to "Persona 5: The Animation" to Catherine. I never played the Persona games because I'm not a fan of turn-based random-encounter combat, so I turned to the anime adaptation. This review just about hit everything right on the head, but I am curious about the hating Akechi part; there wasn't really any reason given, so I'm left a little confused. I thought he was a bit overused, but added a nice bit of rivalry and personal stake for Joker, who was otherwise too bland.

He's no Vincent Brooks, I can tell you that much. I hope Atlus puts out a more adult game like Catherine again. One can hope!


I don't have a good reason for hating Akechi. I just do, and did from the moment his slimy fake ass first appeared.

spoiler[Although I actually kind of love feral Akechi from the third semester in Royal.]
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Ming Yi



Joined: 20 Dec 2005
Posts: 207
PostPosted: Mon Jan 11, 2021 12:13 am Reply with quote
LightningComet wrote:
I am curious about the hating Akechi part; there wasn't really any reason given, so I'm left a little confused. I thought he was a bit overused, but added a nice bit of rivalry and personal stake for Joker, who was otherwise too bland.


Akechi didn't get a lot of backstory in the game, and in the original P5, his Confidant was not interactive and just maxed as you progressed throughout the game. However, he was incredibly popular, being one of the most popular characters in official polls next to Joker. There's an interview with ANN and the anime directors where they said they put in more scenes with Akechi.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
blahmoomoo



Joined: 27 Jan 2020
Posts: 457
PostPosted: Mon Jan 11, 2021 1:31 am Reply with quote
Ming Yi wrote:
LightningComet wrote:
I am curious about the hating Akechi part; there wasn't really any reason given, so I'm left a little confused. I thought he was a bit overused, but added a nice bit of rivalry and personal stake for Joker, who was otherwise too bland.


Akechi didn't get a lot of backstory in the game, and in the original P5, his Confidant was not interactive and just maxed as you progressed throughout the game. However, he was incredibly popular, being one of the most popular characters in official polls next to Joker. There's an interview with ANN and the anime directors where they said they put in more scenes with Akechi.


Indeed, episode 13 of the anime is mostly original content; Akechi never invited Ren to help with an investigation in either the original game or (later) Royal. I recall that episode being the best thing about the anime, since it was the one thing the anime did that was new and good, while the rest was a shallow retelling of the game. At least, that's what I recall my impression was when I watched the anime as it was released.

Now that I've been reminded that this anime exists, I wonder if they're going to do an anime adaptation of Royal, like they did for Persona 4 Golden. Not that I really want it. P4GA was fun (as long as you watch P4A or play P4G first, since P4GA is more of a companion piece), but mainly because they could show more fun stuff. The third semester in Royal is much more substantial than the addition of Marie in Golden, so a 12 episode anime adaptation that works like P4GA (showing off new events, skipping the vanilla story content, and getting to the new story content at the end of the game) couldn't really work out. It probably would be even more awkward than P4GA, since the new characters in Royal are more involved in events leading up to the third semester than Marie was in Golden.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Thatguy3331



Joined: 18 Feb 2012
Posts: 1790
PostPosted: Mon Jan 11, 2021 2:43 am Reply with quote
This was definitely something that I felt was dead on arrival since I always thought the narrative of P5 was the weakest part of the experience (not straight up bad or the worst thing ever or anything, just that it was no where near as strong as it's start, or as strong in various areas as it could or should have been, there is a VERY big difference between thinking something fell short in areas, thinking something is middling or something is bad.) and trying to fit it all into a measly 26 episodes was basically impossible.

I was at least hoping they'd make the show visually interesting or snappy but alas that hope died when episode 1 ended, which even then I personally didn't think was amazing or anything just "huh maybe this won't be so bad." rip.

I quit shortly after the Kamoshida battle and basically ignored it for the rest of it's run time while eventually being baffled that they had the balls to sell the whole series as some fancy set for 300 dollars. The show left such a bad taste in my mouth that even my artbook hungry butt was hesitant in getting the one for the P5 anime, I STILL haven't decided if it's a worthwhile investment and it's only like 30 bucks or so.

Since we all seem to have a semi off topic comment to make; I never really understood people who go all "Man I wish the P5 cast were more like the P4 cast, those guys really felt like FRIENDS!!" when I not only don't really like the P4 cast as a group that bounces off of each other (individually they're characters make up for it and I like their personal arcs) and even in the base game, I understood that, while rough around the edges and not at all perfect the P5 guys definitely had each other's best interest at heart when it mattered, which gets reinforced slightly more in royal and is one of the reasons that, issues here and there aside, that I really like the main cast and was totally down to spend more time with them in whatever supplemental martial they'd pop up in... provided it was, y'know, good.

which this adaptation, is not.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
Reply to topic    Anime News Network Forum Index -> Site-related -> Talkback All times are GMT - 5 Hours
Goto page Previous  1, 2, 3  Next
Page 2 of 3

 


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group