Blu-ray Review “Persona 4: The Animation, Collection 2”

Directed by: Seiji Kishi
Distributed by: Sentai Filmworks
Rated: Unrated
Release Date: January 15, 2013
Run Time: 365 minutes

Part 2: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2 out of 5 stars

“Persona 4: The Animation” is based on the “Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4” video game (one of my favorites).  This collection of episodes concludes the 26 episodes developed for this show. The beginning of this animation series introduced the show and got into the heart of the story but these episodes are where the shit just crazy leading up to the intense finale. This is the type of show that I feel that I revisit and and tune in to the Midnight Channel very often. Here is our review of Collection 1.  Thanks to Sentai for not delaying to long and releasing Collection 2 so quickly. Though I have to admit though, I hope that they continue the “Persona” series in anime format since I absolutely love this franchise.

Official Synopsis: The mystery of the murders seems to have been solved, but the riddle of the Velvet Room and the lethal Midnight Channel is an enigma that Yu and the other students who form the Investigation Team still have to crack. And that’s to say nothing of the question of how their powers of Persona work in the first place, and how the fictional Teddie can exist in the real world. As conundrums wrap in conundrums, and the school year burns inexorably towards a blistering summer, the team must prepare for the most deadly challenge yet while still pretending to lead normal high school lives. But that won’t be easy under the evil eye of their new homeroom teacher. And when Detective Shirogane reenters the game with new information about irregularities in the police investigation and clues that may lead to an entirely different conclusion; both team and detective find themselves playing the role of prey once more! The body count is on the rise, the Shadows attack and new Persona are about to ascend as the Midnight Channel launches the ultimate cancellation program in the grand finale of PERSONA4!

The Blu-ray presentation on par with the Collection 1. The animation looks just as vibrant and sharp with  each 1080p transfer on the episodes. The audio track works good as well with its DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and does a good job of delivering the scale of this fantastic finale. Like in Collection 1, there is no original Japanese language track.  There is just English dub available, not the fault of Sentai though. Unfortunately unlike the episodes, there is not much in special features department.  Basically the only extra is the clean opening and closing animation sequences. Still a good feature but not enough to leave you satisfied. Lastly, there are trailers for other recent/upcoming Sentai titles.

Blu-ray Review “Persona 4: The Animation, Collection 1”

Directed by: Seiji Kishi
Distributed by: Sentai Filmworks
Rated: Unrated
Release Date: September 18, 2012
Run Time: 300 minutes

Episodes: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3 out of 5 stars

After spending countless hours playing my PlayStation 2 copy of “Persona 4”. I knew that I was dying for more “Persona”. When I heard there was an Anime of the show being released in the US and dubbed, I was all over that. This show is everything I could have wanted and more it really captures the essence of the franchise. All I can ask is…where is part 2? You got that Sentai?

When Yu Narukami moves to the country town and looking for the peace and quiet change that is not available from being in the big city. When he start’s realizing that his uncle’s job as a police detective begins to spill over into his own life. He is finding that the murders that are occurring across town are somehow linked to Yu’s own experiences. Together with a new group of friends, Yu must plunge into a bizarre alternate reality where he gains unique abilities that will either help him solve the riddle of the mystery killer, or lead him to his doom.

The Blu-ray presentation is top-notch. The animation looks beautiful and crisp with its 1080p transfers. The audio track is also decent even though it is only DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. It still manages to deliver the goods. The main issue with the audio is that there is no original Japanese language track (not the fault of Sentai though), which is sure to upset many fans (not me though).

The special features included on this set are slim but worth checking out for sure. I should first point out that the Japanese edition of this collection included commentaries that are not found on this release. There is an episode 1 director’s cut and on-air versions included. There are also clean opening and closing animation sequences. Lastly, there are trailers for other great Sentai titles.