Fantastic!
(Note the colors above is the signature colors of the P4 and P3 respectively)
Now on a previous post, I said that I enjoyed the entirety of the Persona series. My friends and I enjoyed Persona 4: The Animation and I, being a fan of Persona 3, just can't wait for the movie to happen! I hope they nail the final scene of the game rightfully. Not tedious and just straining for violins strings like the end of TS3.
But I digress.
Anyway, want to learn why I am such an ardent shipper of Akihiko Sanada and Minato Arisato/Makoto Yuuki in the first place?
Just to let you know, I am more used to the name Minato so I'm going to use it more. I have no trouble with the new name they gave the protagonist of P3. For god's sake, the protagonist can have any name and he's a blank slate.
Let me repeat this for the sake of my enjoyment and others' of future Persona games, whether it is Ultimax Ultra Suplex Hold or Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth, the protagonists can and will have any name you choose from. Just because Atlus used the anime names for the protagonists (Yu Narukami and Makoto Yuuki for P4 and P3 respectively) doesn't make the names Souji Seta and Minato Arisato any less plausible names for these characters (I myself is used to the manga names before the anime and I don't see myself throw a fit over names. I not yet used to the new names but use your common sense, people! and don't overreact to the smallest of things). As a fan of the series, just play the games first before giving your opinion. Don't judge it based on its design. Even though myself wish there is some P1 or P2 characters in this rather than making a cameo make a full appearance, we have to wait and see if there will be any characters coming in any future games aside from just P4. Just because Minako/Hamuko is not coming doesn't change the fact you can still enjoy the game, no matter how fanservicey it is.
Yes, I went on a huge rant there. Also I never played the Shin Megami Tensei games so I can't really say anything about it because the Persona series surpassed the original games and its spin-offs in popularity. No, I am not going to try and settle that fan debate because I never truly played the games so I have no right to give my opinion yet. However, I have this to say: Give the games more love for those who had play both series.
Persona 5 is coming so shut your yap and just enjoy Atlus is giving us.
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| He looks so cute unlike his usual blase demeanor. I like to think that if he survives (spoilers!), then he would be a singer or a musician of sort. Unlike Shinji Ikari, at least his music player actually has music! |
Now imagine an avid reader of anything that can be read scrolling through searches for good Persona fanfiction. I for one will read anything as long as it's interesting.
Until I found this story whose summary is too good to pass up and entrancing plotline with a romantic subplot: New Game Plus
Summary: Given a chance to start all over again, will Minato be able to make a difference in his future? An exploration of what New Game Plus could really mean.
Review: Very well-written and told like it's an actual open world game instead linear. It's realistic which the author was going for. S/he had yet to rewrite the cheesy ending but it's all good still. It captures the atmosphere of the game while still being an original story.
The romance of Akihiko and Minato is the subplot of the entire story leading to both boys' character development. Both are practically driven by their love for each other (and friendship) so it's safe to say they are a perfect match (attuned to the other's movement, reading each other's mind... they're like a married couple already! ...not as bad as MakoHaru though...). What made this couple special is the lack of social link in canon. Minato wanted to try something new without the guide of divine voices and boy, he's more happier with Akihiko than with any of the other girls he dated in a fling. Akihiko grew differently from his canon self but you could say it is in line with the romance route in the Star Arcana. Due to his love for Minato, his persona leveled up which is just touching like the other thing in canon. The way he reacted to Minato's fate reveals just how devoted and faithful (so, so in love) he really is and visa versa (I have to add this: Akihiko allows himself to be close to someone after all those years since Miki's death and Shinjiro's falling out after Ken's mom's death and when that the love of his life never even told him that he died in the previous cycle and planned to die anyway, it broke him). The reunion in the end is just so sweet with the passionate kiss. The romance is very great written like it was in canon.
I highly doubting the social links would break since the relationships are just too strong. It's a happy ending, not a perfect ending.
Now that Minato lives, can you imagine the impact he would have in Persona 4: Arena or the non-canon Persona ~Trinity Soul~? It's very obvious that the relationship of Akihiko and Minato is so strong I can say they would be living together in an apartment and being lovers for many years by now. Chidori and Junpei, a baseball coach, would be married. Shinjiro would have a happy extended life... I don't know, running a cooking show? Mitsuru, a CEO, and Yukari, an actress and model, would be very happy themselves.
All of them living with more hope and cheer unlike their canon selves. I could say Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep is the counterpart to Persona 3; both series are dark and filled with enough Christian symbolism and ended in tragedy but still have the hope that all of the original friends would be reunited. I'm mushy like that.
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| Those two really do need to meet together. |
For a good P3/P4 crossover fic, I would recommend Reversing Arcana.
Summary: P3,P4. Six months after Souji leaves Inaba, he wakes up to his house on fire. The Investigation Team are the only ones who know he survived. But that's the beginning of their troubles.
Review: Now this story takes a more darker and angstier route. Like how the P3 cast mourns their leader's death, the P4 cast mourns Souji's 'death'.
Now, some of the really, really moronic fans think that the Investigation Team could have some tragedy in their lives with Yu/Souji dying (Even without the rampart Christian Symbolism in P3, a tarot card reading of the Fool speaks of the inevitability of death). There are already tragedy in their lives with Saki's death and their own personal tragedy, confronting their true selves. For all P4 is a light game about murder, it is still a Shin Megami Tensei game...the lightest of all I had ever seen out of the series.
If Souji indeed died (and become part of the Midnight Channel as a result of taking Izanami's place or just died), all his Social Links will reverse itself since like in P3 all the promises you made with them would be broken...You have no idea how many times I wept and cringe seeing the promises being made, knowing the protagonist is going to die anyway...Atlus, you bastards, way to rub in the inevitability! Given how many years had gone by, I would believe they are living their lives for Minato while still believing he could've been a somebody, not an emo boy who passed away of an unnamed illness.
For P4, it may take just as long for the P3 Social Links to get over the death of a beloved friend.
I just love Minato and Souji's confrontation. It's just brilliant.
It provides a good psychological analysis of Souji leading to a really broken shell of a fearless boy with a heart of gold. I loves the theme that he's not perfect like how everyone else sees him as. It blatantly dropped by Adachi who also see him as perfect. However, it soon later become clear that Souji has some problems. I should've known that some of the things his Shadow said had been subtle the entire time with his rocking sanity.
The way how the Investigation team reacts to Souji's true feelings and Souji in general is sweet and brilliant. Of course, they seen him as perfect so to have their pedestal broken is just so good drama.
The P3 cast is a nice touch. All they wanted is to see their precious leader again but was horrified at the extent Elizabeth is going to make sure Minato comes back at the cost of an innocent that everyone even those who don't know Minato, Minato would be horrified.
There are lots of character development on many parts but you have to read it for yourselves. Sure it's more darker and angstier, but wow is it subtle and well-done.
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