So I watched the episode again and noticed the next episode preview's text wasn't "next scene" but "next SCENT', oh Teddie. And if this brief look is any indication, I think the shadow scene is going to be great.

Can it be next Thursday already?

Chie is like 8 000 000x better in the anime than in the English version of the game. Overall, I thought the show was really well done, especially the action scene. For someone who hasn't played the game, it's probably confusing as fuck, but I've played the game so I don't really care to be honest :P.

Twelve stars out of eight.

@WatanabeKazuma said:

@damswedon said:

Everyday young life, Junes?

THE FUCK DOES THAT MEAN!!!!

LOL!

Are you not familiar with Persona music? It rarely makes sense, and its all the better for it!

I know.

That was the moment where my brain couldn't fake my ears into hearing the English voice cast. It was like my brain cracked in half.

I really like the placement and selection of the music from the game.

It was awesome hearing "Backside of the TV" as the next episode preview theme!

@mutha3 said:

@Cloudenvy said:

I feel like they hit all the important events from the opening and cut a lot of the fat that wasn't needed.

I dunno, maybe cutting out stuff like Charlie walking through a labyrinth in his nightmare, or them sloooowwllly going though the everyday life of Inaba by clueing us in on Rumor loving students deep insights was a wise decision...after all, unlike the game, immersion isn't nearly as important here.

But lets say you've never played the game-- how the hell are you supposed to know what the room in the beggining is about? Why are the characters so quickly accepting of being chucked into an alternate dimension? What insight into Dojima/ Nanako's characters are you given at this point beyond "yo man this is Yu's uncle/niece and Dojima works for the police in some capacity"? At that point in the game, you'd been introduced to the strained relationship the two have and you'd experienced Nanako's restrained and unnaturally mature personality...in the anime so far, all we've gotten out of her is "EVERY DAY YOUNG LIFE JUNESU".

Of course, a lot of the character stuff not brought up yet could be explored in later episodes, but the entire thing just didn't flow properly at all. Conversations felt half-finished, the story would just skip a day without a proper transition....Nah, I strongly disagree. The pacing was off.

That's all fair, but at the same time, they pretty much had to get to the part where the trio falls into the TV in Junes by the end of the first episode, at the very least. Otherwise there's simply no hook for the rest of the series. Outside of the whole hand getting stuck in the TV bit, what else could have happened before then that would make a clear statement about what the series is about? It's not too surprising that a lot of the other stuff had to be delayed.

They could have done a better job, but either way they had a strict time limit to work with, they had 22 minutes to get to a point in the story that occurs 60 to 90 minutes in the game. As it stands, I still blame the game's slow opening intro for at least part of the show's rushed pace.

@Hailinel said:

@WatanabeKazuma said:

@InfiniteGeass said:

I think Chie's Japanese voice is better than her English one

What?! Where is this coming from? I just saw someone else say that in another thread too.

May I remind you of this little nugget...

Aha, is this our chance?

Unfortunately, they don't give out bonus points for bad line readings.

I prefer the term "deliberate".

I loved it and really think it was awesome!! I just love all the things in it that are true to the game also, such as the "Going into the TV" transition, the stats screen, the thing that shows it's the next day and the music! So awesome!!

Yeah I understand why they would pace it so fast, It would be dull opening episode if all they did in the first episode was talk about the murders or just find out about the midnight channel at the end of the episode.

@WatanabeKazuma said:

@Hailinel said:

@WatanabeKazuma said:

@InfiniteGeass said:

I think Chie's Japanese voice is better than her English one

What?! Where is this coming from? I just saw someone else say that in another thread too.

May I remind you of this little nugget...

Aha, is this our chance?

Unfortunately, they don't give out bonus points for bad line readings.

I prefer the term "deliberate".

I prefer the term "delibearate".

Anyone recommend a certain sub group for the series? I am going with Doki for now.

@punisherkaos said:

Really dug the first episode animation was kick ass and i loved the fight scene It did move a little fast but i think i would rather have it that way than it take 4 episodes to get his persona.

There is a happy balance to be found between "show the game's opening unchanged" and "rush through the game's opening hours skipping important plot points" y'know:P

Think its the first time I've ever watched an Anime and thought it was too fast paced.

@rudeboy217 said:

Anyone recommend a certain sub group for the series? I am going with Doki for now.

Doki is bad. Go with Commie.

This one felt really rushed, wish they would have taken the time to establish the characters more

@mutha3 said:

@punisherkaos said:

Really dug the first episode animation was kick ass and i loved the fight scene It did move a little fast but i think i would rather have it that way than it take 4 episodes to get his persona.

There is a happy balance to be found between "show the game's opening unchanged" and "rush through the game's opening hours skipping important plot points" y'know:P

In the section they took from the game and translated into the anime, what plot points have we missed? We missed a whole lot of exposition and scenes of Charlie, Yukiko, and Chie sitting in class and walking down the street, but I can't think of anything important that was sacrificed here.

@mutha3: Yea i admit they barely mentioned Namatama's affair im thinking they will touch up on that more in the next episode hopefully. I did see Namatames deleivery truck when he was at the gas station looking around the shopping district. It was up the road right after the attendant said are u surprised at how dull it is here. Im also thinking there going to introduce the state of Nanako and Dojimas relationship a little slower over the course of the first episodes

You guys want to eat some Persona 4?

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2011-10-07/persona-4-anime-celebrated-with-25-dishes-desserts

 
 @metalsnakezero said:

You guys want to eat some Persona 4?

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2011-10-07/persona-4-anime-celebrated-with-25-dishes-desserts

You guys want to eat some Persona 4?

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2011-10-07/persona-4-anime-celebrated-with-25-dishes-desserts

The show feels too pandering for my liking so far...it feels like they're just stuffing as many things in there that fans will recognize, but not actually bothering to build them up or give them any depth. The characters in particular haven't had any chance to develop, and I thought the scene with igor at the beginning was unnecessary--this isn't a game, so why is he talking to the camera?

The animation was pretty good though. And I do like Chie's japanese voice more than the english one, as accustomed to it as I've become. She just sounds like more of a tomboy here, and her voice is the proper age.

Heads up Episode 2 is going to be full of QUALITY

Persona 4 animators complain about bullying animation director and that they still haven't gotten paid

http://yaraon.blog109.fc2.com/blog-entry-4457.html

@ashogo said:

The animation was pretty good though. And I do like Chie's japanese voice more than the english one, as accustomed to it as I've become. She just sounds like more of a tomboy here, and her voice is the proper age.

Haha, yeah Chie sounds way too old in the game. Her Japanese VA makes her sound cuter.

With that said, yeah, the first episode was a bit rushed, but as was said there was a lot to cover in that first part of the game.

Overall, I enjoyed it,

Teddie is even more annoying in Japanese.

Just watched it. The only thing going through my mind right now is a video of Jeff and Vinny watching this together.

Make it happen!

After watching the first episode, I don't think I could watch the whole series in japanese. Is there an ETA for an english dub yet? The only anime I've watched is Cowboy Bebop and Afro Samurai, and I don't think I would have ended up watching those without them being in english

@nervesnormal: The series is going to be 25 episodes, so you're looking at around April for it to end it's run in Japan.

If I were to venture a guess, I'd say possibly the late fall/early winter; but don't quote me on that.

@jello44: Hardly this fall or winter. Dubs take a while to get approved/produced, and there might not even be one.

@Bevinsky said:

@jello44: Hardly this fall or winter. Dubs take a while to get approved/produced, and there might not even be one.

There will be a dub. We can pretty much count on that. But that probably won't come until Sentai is able to begin distributing the series on DVD and other formats not dependent on Japanese air dates..

@Bevinsky: Yeah, you're right, my mind is elsewhere atm (baseball game).

From what I heard about Sentai, you might not even get a dub. And if you do, it more than likely won't be the original cast.

@jello44 said:

From what I heard about Sentai, you might not even get a dub. And if you do, it more than likely won't be the original cast.

I think I would actually prefer the japanese version if the english one didn't have the voice actors from the game

Can't wait for the blatant fan-service episode which makes everyone cringe and watch in awkward shame

Just watched the first episode, and I really enjoyed it; agree with @ashogo in regards to it being a little crammed with content from the game, but considering the mess that was P3: Trinity Soul, it's definitely reassuring. Found it hard not to do a little list pump when I saw the day and weather change slide come up, so yeah, whatever. It's entirely possible I have pretty low standards, but I'm not that surprised or disappointed the first episode is a bit of a cram, and if that means they'll be able to breathe a little easier in later episodes, I think it's a fair enough trade.

@Bocam: that sort of thing never bodes well; hope it doesn't go down the drain because of some office tyrants, because that would be a shame. ):

If this anime's for the fans, I'm not sure why they felt the need to make it so by the numbers. Every aspect of the first episode was something we already saw in the game with one exception: Yu actually talking to himself and others. Things might change a bit when the anime reaches the part where Persona 4 opens up with the Social Links and such, but so far it doesn't seem that way and they'll probably stick to the core story the whole way through.

I think they could have taken, or I should say "they should take" some creative liberties that fans would possibly appreciate more than a literal story translation. Maybe some flashbacks of when Nanako's mom was alive and the Dojima household was all fun and games? Maybe some back story on Yosuke's life before he moved to Inaba? Maybe scenes of Chie and Yukiko's childhoods that was a small part in P3P?

I guess I'm talking too soon as we've only just seen the 1st episode out of 25, but I'm worried we'll all just be playing the game again without actually playing it. I kinda want more.

I watched that first episode on Hulu last night, and I'm pretty much in lock step with this thread; the show's first episode is overstuffed, which only accentuates the ridiculous nature of the early game by sticking every ridiculous moment super close to each other. It's sticks extremely close to the source material, but in a way that, indeed, comes across as weirdly pandering, like the show is catering to its video game fanbase rather than adapting the cool ideas of the game into a compelling show. It's the opposite problem as those Harry Potter movies; while those films were so streamlined and compressed to make the film appeal to a super wide audience, Persona 4 Anime Edition feels contained, overly referential (showing the calendar is one thing, but the goddamn stats screen?) and frenetic in a way that would certainly keep nonfans at arms length. I found myself missing the extended length of the game's intro, which allowed me time to process information and ease myself into the world of Inaba.

I'm curious about where the show goes from here, but not because I'm actively enjoying it.

Also, Yu totally sucks. His weird "I've got the power" shtick at the end seems to plague anime shows, and it sucks as much here as it does there.

Guys, I think we have a potential problem here.

Persona 4 The Animation production details:

-Animators aren't getting paid.

-The Animation Directors are bullying the key animators.

-Episode 2 isn't even worth watching, says Jun Arai. He says that he gave up and told them to remove his name from the credit.

-Episode 3 will be even worse. More and more animators are giving up and leaving the project, he said.

http://yaraon.blog109.fc2.com/blog-entry-4457.html

EDIT: Already posted in here, well fuck.

Looks like we're in for a bumpy ass ride for this anime.

Things are looking pretty bad.

Guys, I think we have a potential problem here.

Persona 4 The Animation production details:

-Animators aren't getting paid.

-The Animation Directors are bullying the key animators.

-Episode 2 isn't even worth watching, says Jun Arai. He says that he gave up and told them to remove his name from the credit.

-Episode 3 will be even worse. More and more animators are giving up and leaving the project, he said.

http://yaraon.blog109.fc2.com/blog-entry-4457.html

@FluxWaveZ:

I've only gotten the translation from friends who speak Japanese, I'll see if I can find something more official. Though we also have to consider the possibility that this dude is blowing it way out of proportion.

@Cloudenvy: We'll have to wait and see if it does have an effect on the show. I would hate to see the show drop in quality this early.

I'm crying D:

I've already watched the first episode 3 times. I like it SO MUCH. AUHGHGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Yu is sort of a dick, so it's kind of hard to believe he became friends with the group so quickly.

I can compare episode 1 of this show to the game as I would compare Harry Potter the movies (all but the first one) to the books: it feels rushed and you kind of need to have seen the source material to get the whole story. The weirdest moment was where Yosuke suddenly has to pee. The game spends a bit more time explaining the joke, so if you're just watching the anime you have to be like "wtf does that have to do with anything?"

Mr Morooka was disappointing because I think his English voice actor is infinitely better at sounding the way he looks.

Chie is less like I pictured her from the more tomboyish voice acting in the English release. Her mannerisms are a lot more girly, and her voice is cute. I'm not sure if that's a good or a bad thing, but I do know she's easily my favorite character here and I still freaking love her.

I'm in love with Chie all over again.

Man, they gave Charlie the personality of a friggin stump.

@Soren said:

Man, they gave Charlie the personality of a friggin stump.

Any semblance of a personality Charlie seemed like he had in the ER was imbued apon him by Jeff and Vinny.

What I'm trying to say is P4A Endurance Run.

@Cloudenvy said:

Guys, I think we have a potential problem here.

Persona 4 The Animation production details:

-Animators aren't getting paid.

-The Animation Directors are bullying the key animators.

-Episode 2 isn't even worth watching, says Jun Arai. He says that he gave up and told them to remove his name from the credit.

-Episode 3 will be even worse. More and more animators are giving up and leaving the project, he said.

http://yaraon.blog109.fc2.com/blog-entry-4457.html

EDIT: Already posted in here, well fuck.

Well that is a huge bummer.

@ryanwho said:

@Soren said:

Man, they gave Charlie the personality of a friggin stump.

Any semblance of a personality Charlie seemed like he had in the ER was imbued apon him by Jeff and Vinny.

Yeah, I'm aware. Wouldn't have killed them to take some liberties in that regard though.

@ryanwho said:

P4A Endurance Run.

yessss

@rudeboy217 said:

@Cloudenvy said:

Guys, I think we have a potential problem here.

Persona 4 The Animation production details:

-Animators aren't getting paid.

-The Animation Directors are bullying the key animators.

-Episode 2 isn't even worth watching, says Jun Arai. He says that he gave up and told them to remove his name from the credit.

-Episode 3 will be even worse. More and more animators are giving up and leaving the project, he said.

http://yaraon.blog109.fc2.com/blog-entry-4457.html

EDIT: Already posted in here, well fuck.

Well that is a huge bummer.

Damn.

EDIT: Not that I don't believe it, but I'd like to read the details from a known source. But this is definitely a bad sign. The people behind this project are way too strict, I think, and are accepting as little creative liberties as possible, which is kind of odd when compared to P4U where Atlus is giving a major part of the game for Arc System Works to develop freely.

.Also, Yu totally sucks. His weird "I've got the power" shtick at the end seems to plague anime shows, and it sucks as much here as it does there.

@Hailinel said:

@rudeboy217 said:

@Cloudenvy said:

Guys, I think we have a potential problem here.

Persona 4 The Animation production details:

-Animators aren't getting paid.

-The Animation Directors are bullying the key animators.

-Episode 2 isn't even worth watching, says Jun Arai. He says that he gave up and told them to remove his name from the credit.

-Episode 3 will be even worse. More and more animators are giving up and leaving the project, he said.

http://yaraon.blog109.fc2.com/blog-entry-4457.html

EDIT: Already posted in here, well fuck.

Well that is a huge bummer.

Damn.

This sounds promising... right? "Well fuck" indeed.