It doesn’t take an expert to discern the sheer impact that Persona 5 had upon launch. During a time when people considered JRPGs to be nigh-obsolete, Persona 5 crashed through the industry with its dazzling art style and wowed fans all over the world with a robust combat system and some truly brilliant storytelling. Of course, one can’t talk about the positives of Persona 5 without mentioning its rich cast of characters that have become legendary in their own right.
As is the case with the other Persona games, an animated series was announced for the game, which fans were more than hyped for. After all, the English dub of Persona 4: The Animation was an excellent trackback through the game, giving the protagonist way more character and proving to be a refreshing change of pace.
Persona 5: The Animation shares none of this goodwill. The anime is considered by many to be forgettable and a shallow way to experience the goodness of Persona 5. If you’re on the fence about watching this show, there here are ten points that should make you steer as far away of this anime as possible.
10 Sub-Par Animation
One of the major gripes that people have with the show is that the animation is dull, stiff, and an absolute pain to look at in certain instances. The way this anime absolutely butchered the All-Out Attack is a great example of this.
The fact that a game that has such a distinctive and brilliant art style is adapted into such a bland anime adaptation has definitely rubbed fans the wrong way.
9 The Fighting Scenes Are A Pain To Watch
The fights against Shadows in Persona 5 are truly exhilarating, with the gameplay loop of exploiting enemy weaknesses and hitting them for All-Out Attacks never getting old.
However, replicating turn-based battles in an animated format can be quite challenging, and A-1 Pictures definitely failed in this regard. The fights in the anime are completely static and unengaging to boot.
8 The Plot Moves At A Breakneck Pace
Condensing a 90+ hour video game into an anime season of 26 episodes is definitely a massive challenge, and some corners need to be cut to ensure that the runtime isn’t wastefully extended.
Unfortunately, the manner in which Persona 5: The Animation goes about this is quite amateurish, with the plot moving so fast that it can be somewhat hard to keep track of at times.
7 There’s Little To No Breathing Room Between Scenes
A story-heavy show or movie requires a fair bit of breathing room between its scenes for the audience to digest what has happened and understand their ramifications in the context of the plot.
Unfortunately, this requires time — a luxury that Persona 5: The Animation doesn’t have. So, instead, what we have is a breakneck show that throws exposition from the very first scene and doesn’t give the audience any time to figure out what is even happening.
6 The Dialogue Has Been Changed From The Game… With Mixed Results
In a bid to force some contrived character development through its short runtime, Persona 5: The Animation took a bold move and changed some of the scenes and dialogue from the main game. The end result is painfully subpar.
A good example of this is when Ryuji cries after Ren tells him about his story, which is just completely out of character for a goofball like Ryuji who always tries to look at things from a positive angle.
5 The Side Characters Don’t Really Get That Much Time To Shine
The main characters might’ve been done dirty, but at least they have some substantial screen time. The same can’t be said for the side characters, who are almost completely forgotten in the grand scheme of things.
While we do get some memorable scenes featuring these characters, they are mostly forgotten for the rest of the anime’s runtime. It’s clear that their inclusion was solely for fanservice purposes — otherwise, they don’t really serve the needs of the main overarching plot in any manner.
4 None Of The Characters Unlock Their Ultimate Persona
The issue of runtime pops up here too. Each character has an Ultimate Persona that they unlock after maxing out their Confidant, a moment that’s completely missing in the anime.
While it’s understandable that this would’ve eaten into the runtime, it’s still an omission that just adds into the sheer number of complaints that people have about the anime.
3 Ren Amamiya is One Of The Most Boring Protagonists In This Anime
Persona 4: The Animation might’ve had its problems, but for the most part, people consider it to be a great addition to Persona 4’s legacy. One major reason for this is the fact that Yu Narukami feels like a fleshed-out character with his own personality, as opposed to the blank slate that the Persona games tend to push onto the player.
Persona 5: The Animation has learned nothing from the success of its predecessor, turning Ren Amamiya into one of the most boring one-note characters in the entire series and falling far short of doing justice to the character’s potential.
2 The English Dub Will Apparently Cost A Whopping $300
At this point, people are better off avoiding the subbed version of the anime and waiting for an official dub to come out. After all, the excellent dub was a major reason why Persona 4: The Animation is so beloved, so it stands that Persona 5’s anime variant will also receive the same treatment, right?
Well, if a fan really wants to watch the dubbed version of Persona 5: The Animation, then they’ll have to shell out a whopping $300! The possibility of enjoying a bog-standard anime is not worth the price of admission in this particular situation.
1 Why Watch The Show When You Can Just Play The Game?
This is the biggest gripe that people have with the anime — why does it even exist? It’s completely impossible for anyone who hasn’t played the game to understand the anime, and the people who’ve already played the game have no reason whatsoever to waste their time watching this diluted adaptation.
Only the most hardcore of hardcore fans will squeeze even a droplet of enjoyment out of this animation, which is just not worth it.
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