Persona 5 playthroughs

[zen_monk]

I finished my second play through of P5, choosing to end on a bad ending for my ENG file and starting over with full personality stats. Finishing it the second time around lets me see the story looking for all the foreshadowing leading to late game plot, and also seeing if some of the things that occur during the early story plot holds up for how the late game structures its conflict resolution.

Here’s some non-spoiler observations:

Not that it isn’t more evident in the JPN version, but Goro Akechi sounds more obviously patronizing in English, and especially so to Sae who is supposed to be his superior. I guess the mild-mannered personality doesn’t stop him from throwing jabs at authority through being condescending to at least two female characters (both Sae and Makoto). 

Also, Sae is a really good example of someone who goes through the risks of both the glass ceiling and a glass cliff, and it’s kind of irritating to see someone who suffers through this being used as implied motivation for her initial position as an antagonistic character. 

Having replayed through Persona 4 to completion recently, I can honestly say that Ryuji is actually less sexist and annoyingly horny than other male characters sharing those characteristics in this franchise. Eikichi and late-game Junpei (especially through FeMC in P3P’s route) are actually the best ones. I think it’s cuz Ryuji’s other flaws as a glory hound are more forefront, but compared to Persona 4 and in instances of 3, the fan service moments that Ryuji partakes in does actually move the plot foreword and at least doesn’t go through creepy, nonconsensual forms of fan service that Yosuke makes in the slice-of-life portions of P4. In hindsight, P4 really did not age well in that aspect, since I recall those specific shenanigans as being fairly normalized in that era of anime. 

Comments

[sarasa_cat]

I still haven’t had time to finish P5 (in mid October). The foreshadowing is very very strong in the game but in a good way. The foreshadowing smiles at you rather than whams you in the head with a hammer. It makes me want to see how things happen rather than feeling like I have seen everything before it even starts (DAI for instance).

Not at a point where I am ready to make a comment about Sae.

But about female antagonists, my tastes tend more to psychological realism. I have seen enough women reach high positions while navigating glass ceilings and cliffs, and the horror show of sexism demands far far more of professional women — unfairly and unjustly — and those demands unfortunately push some women into becoming bad people. The injustice and abuse professional women face doesn’t justify or excuse them from poor behavior. I guess this is why I find well written and well rounded/well motivated female antogonists compelling and important.

For as for Sae, no comment until I get through the rest of her story (and palace — because no doubt the foreshadowing strongly suggests she is the next “target” for a change of heart).

Ahhhh. Ryuji— he is realistic in his bad taste and lack of impulse control but just at the right side of the likable line rather than into the yuuuuck category.

I still need to play p3 and p4 too.

Sigh.

I love this series.

[lassarina]

You know, I loathe Junpei and Yosuke and I adored Ryuji (don't you dare speak to my idiot son it is MY JOB to tell him he fucked up!!!) and i agree, it's because he's much less gross than the other two IMO.

[zen_monk]

Whoops, hopefully didn’t spoil anything big for ya. Yeah, I really love Sae’s character and her whole arc and placement in the story were really good. I can even get behind her motivations as an antagonist since it’s not as though it never happens or that it hardled poorly. Her arc and portrayal in the game seems to constantly have her bearing the full brunt of a sexist and misogynist workplace (including Akechi, which irritated me more in my second play through) so it felt pretty exhausting after a while. There didn’t really feel like a cathartic payout in this salmon run of the competitive, sexist world she inhabits in the game, so it felt that sexism was used as a symptom and tool of other systemic oppressive tools, and not like, its own bad category of scrutiny, i guess? I mean, it was a huge focus in Kamoshida’s palace but I dunno.

Ah Ryuji, the “good punk” bro of Persona who has the right mix of good friend and responsible young man vibes with the facile baseness of unrestrained teenage boy vices. I just wish the game didn’t gloss over the fact that the kid was like, violently assaulted by Kamoshida as part of his backstory and the loss of his own glory seems to be the origin of his tasteless attitude and behavior. He’s like a really dumb and crass Lupin III.

[zen_monk]

Junpei grew on me after his relationship with Chidori (since, mindful of spoilers, he actually seemed dedicated to bettering himself and having the story’s impact really mean something to him enough to improve his school grades enough to get to average, which I took as a subtle sign) but especially so as an actual social link for FeMC. I just wish it wasn’t Vic Mignogna voicing him, now got his own #KickVic hashtag making the rounds to finally air out the dirty laundry.

Man, I used to actually like Yosuke when I first played P4 and when I replayed P4 Golden I was like holy shit he was so bad. Like even more homophobic and sexist than vanilla P4, which is voice acted very well with Yuri Lowenthal to get that mix of put-upon mindful teen with a touch of banal teen prejudices and sexism. The Michael Scott of Persona 4...

But Ryuji is just *chef’s kiss* the best rapscallion of the cast. Actual good heart boy with other glaring flaws that impact the story and he realized his flaws.

[lassarina]

Yeah, Junpei with Chidori is definitely better than Junpei without, but. Yeah. Ugh, Vic.

Yosuke just grated on me in vanilla P4; I haven't done Golden yet but I was just like, I wish you weren't good at wind, I need to not have you in my party.