Persona 4: Collection 2

Persona 4: Collection 2 – Review

I like how Sentai didn't go with a random promo picture for the series and instead went with something more original. That's what I usually like about their releases. Well, that and the fact that they're incredibly fast with dubbing, much more so than Funimation. 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!
Collection 2 is the great conclusion to an already stellar series of episodes. The anime actually does a nice job of getting the game's story across early on, but I won't go into too much detail in case anyone reading hasn't had the opportunity to play the game or watch the anime yet. Many people were complaining about how Collection 1 was handled in terms of the language track. Sadly, there is just English dub available, not the fault of Sentai though. 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. Oh yes, and what I said about rarely watching stuff dubbed? Yeah; I actually LIKE the anime dub. I really enjoy the new voice actors they got.
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Unfortunately unlike the episodes, there is not much in special features department. It seems at odds with the dramatic tension in the story and mature subject matter it contends with (murder). Whether these are aspects of the game worked in for creep factor or for the anime I cannot say, being unfamiliar with the game, either way, it's intriguing. As a note to parents, Persona 4: The Anime contains some profanity, violence, and adult situations, it's rated TV-14 for violence. I wholeheartedly recommend this anime to anyone who enjoyed the role playing game, even if you haven't played the game, it's well worth seeing. If you enjoy action anime or deep storytelling then "Persona 4: The Animation" is one series that you shouldn't miss out on.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-trd99RpH4
So as we close this chapter on the complete collection, this was a bit of a breath of fresh air for me. Yu Narukami is quite a refreshing character as he doesn't seem to oppose his circumstances. After reviewing the first collection I received alot of email from gamers asking if I could recommend it to them. Although the anime might be enjoyed a bit more after playing the game, I think watching first and playing later is still a good way to go. There are many things that the anime didn't cover, mainly regarding the Social Links. Fans of the video game won't be disappointed with this anime adaptation. The menus are very nice, with full audio and some nice eye candy for the backgrounds. The anime doesn't get much into the terminology though. It doesn't explain very well what the Wild Card is, or how Yu can summon new Personas. Still, the presentation is nice, and it comes recommended.