BOOK 20
Persona 5 volume 4, by Hisato Murasaki, from the video game by Atlus.
So, here we are with the fourth volume of the Persona 5 manga adaptation. This manga marks the end of the Madarame Palace arc, and the beginning of the Kaneshiro Palace arc. But how would it go?
The confrontation between the Phantom Thieves and Madarame is hard-won, but they prevail, ensuring that Madarame confesses his crimes. But now, even as the Phantom Thieves celebrate their victory, other forces have taken notice. Driven and ruthless prosecutor Sae Nijima of the SIU believes there to be a link between the Phantom Thieves and the Mental Shutdowns affecting Japanese citizens. Meanwhile, her boss has coerced the oleaginous Principal Kobayakawa into investigating who the Phantom Thieves may be, something Kobyakawa delegates to Sae’s own sister, Makoto. With the offer of a university recommendation at stake, Makoto must decide between her ambitions and her conscience…
After the Madarame battle, this volume pretty much adapts a transitional stage between story arcs from the game. For that reason, once that battle is over, it’s more about the fallout. In addition, this is the part where Ryuji begins to get increasingly irritating as a character, and it shows.
Still, this stuff is still adapted fairly well. Madarame’s fight has some interesting moments in the adaptation, and Makoto is portrayed significantly more sympathetically from the get-go. And we have the proper debut of Goro Akechi, a pivotal character in the story.
Overall, this was a good adaptation of an excellent game. I’m looking forward to more…
****
Persona 5 volume 4, by Hisato Murasaki, from the video game by Atlus.
So, here we are with the fourth volume of the Persona 5 manga adaptation. This manga marks the end of the Madarame Palace arc, and the beginning of the Kaneshiro Palace arc. But how would it go?
The confrontation between the Phantom Thieves and Madarame is hard-won, but they prevail, ensuring that Madarame confesses his crimes. But now, even as the Phantom Thieves celebrate their victory, other forces have taken notice. Driven and ruthless prosecutor Sae Nijima of the SIU believes there to be a link between the Phantom Thieves and the Mental Shutdowns affecting Japanese citizens. Meanwhile, her boss has coerced the oleaginous Principal Kobayakawa into investigating who the Phantom Thieves may be, something Kobyakawa delegates to Sae’s own sister, Makoto. With the offer of a university recommendation at stake, Makoto must decide between her ambitions and her conscience…
After the Madarame battle, this volume pretty much adapts a transitional stage between story arcs from the game. For that reason, once that battle is over, it’s more about the fallout. In addition, this is the part where Ryuji begins to get increasingly irritating as a character, and it shows.
Still, this stuff is still adapted fairly well. Madarame’s fight has some interesting moments in the adaptation, and Makoto is portrayed significantly more sympathetically from the get-go. And we have the proper debut of Goro Akechi, a pivotal character in the story.
Overall, this was a good adaptation of an excellent game. I’m looking forward to more…
****