Well this episode had some good laughs and set things up for the next rescue. I liked the focus given to Nanako and her connection to Yuu. Could see how broken up the girl was that the trip was cancelled, but she got the trip to Junes anywhere. What a devious organization making young children love them with jingles XD. But really it was good to see Nanako getting cheered up and how the group just accepted her instantly. Not a surprise since she’s a cute kid who is pretty strong to brush off a conversation that brought up her deceased mother. Had to be tough before Yuu showed up with her father being busy in the police (though not as busy before the murders) and not having a mother around. At least the series brought up exactly why it was a single-parent household.

I worry about Yuu’s fashion sense. Those trunks were a bit….well I guess everyone is different. Nice of Nanako’s father to pick Yuu up a gift for Children’s Day as well. Maybe expected since he’s currently Yuu’s guardian, but still a good move. Feel for him as well since he didn’t want to just dump the trip with Nanako, but he’s a vet in the police force and if someone goes down he’s got to step up. Sadly responsible for a lot of things and sadly times like this he won’t be able to do it all.

That was quite the little scene with Margaret as well at the start. Just a conversation, but it was a start to getting to know one of the people that are in the velvet room. A pretty mysterious place at the current stage.

It’s good that the group was working on figuring out the case. Sadly in the same episode as the female theory was inserted it was also busted. Though they can’t cut the connection to Yamano either. That scarf that was custom made for Yamano was in the shop so there’s at least some kind of connection. Either way they have to make rescuing Kanji their top priority. Sadly for Kanji I’m not sure how eager anyone is going to be to save him after seeing the Midnight Television. There were some hints that something was up with the blushing when talking to that person, but damn….Well to be fair we know that Yukiko wasn’t truly after scoring with a bunch of guys so we’ll have to see what the truth about Kanji is.

A nice little scene though with Yukiko and Yuu. The girl clearly is not used to guys, but that’s probably not all it was. Don’t want to jump in on anything too early, but that was some blushing she was doing. It wouldn’t be surprising if she did have some early feelings considering the whole rescuing thing. Either way this allows Yuu to pick up yet another arcana which is good since it gives him even more flexibility going into this Kanji rescue. While I doubt we will see all the new arcana’s he picked up it was still good going. Will say that Yuu was smoother at getting the phone number than Yosuke was.

On that note I found Yosuke and Chie to be great comedy this episode. The silly spy thing they had going with the phones was great and that just lead into the chase scene too. They should build up a pretty entertaining friendship to say the least if things continue on like this.

I just found the scene with the group in class hilarious. The game music was used perfectly and just watching Yosuke and Chie doing so poorly in class was a ton of fun. I worry about those two and their tests…Narukami is putting in solid effort and actually seemed to be doing alright even though his knowledge isn’t anything special.

Wow that’s one excellent delivery service. Aiya’s delivery deserves top marks I think for putting in such an effort to deliver a meal. Makes me wish some pizza places had the same level of determination as this. While I think they took the comedy a bit too far it was worth a chuckle to have the delivery showing up while they were running for their lives from Kanij. Who’s trying to prevent who from being kidnapped again?

The situation about Kanji is interesting though. You’ve got this guy who apparently gets into quite a lot of fights and isn’t exactly popular around school. Yet what Yuu picked up at the start of the episode and handed to him was hardly scary. He chased our group all over the place on multiple occasions and certainly can be intimidating. But he also acted unusual around that person that showed up at the shop. Then of course you have that scene on the Midnight Television. Does certainly make you think he is more interested in guys. Would add a different dynamic to the group than they currently have. Of course need to prevent him from getting killed first. But besides Kanji that guy stopping by Kanji’s shop and talking to him seems unusual. Gave Yuu that look as well…

But now a tricky rescue awaits the characters. It won’t be very comfortable to rush in there, but they’ve got to save Kanji. Even if the guy was chasing them around it doesn’t mean they can leave him in there to be killed by his shadow.
Score: A

• setsuken

  I feel that Yukiko might very well be interested in Yuu, especially after that little alone time they got. And it seems Yuu might actually be interested in her, while actually not losing that cool “I am oblivious to everything” factor.

  I personally Satonaka as a better girl, but it seems they might be setting up a Yosuke x Satonaka thing? I dunno.

  I personally don’t mind A Yukiko x Yuu thing, it could work, given they develop the idea properly. That said, they have really done well to develop the relationships between Yuu and his friends and supporting cast. I loved the touching moments in the start of the episode, especially the ones with Nanako.

  I’ve heard a lot about Kanji’s story arc, and I’m really excited to know where they go from here. I love how the anime doesn’t shy away from adapting some nice slice of life moments, as that is half of what Persona is about.

  Also… the blue haired guy reminds me of the Persona 3 main character, except for the fact that he has a very devious seeming personality. Can’t wait for next week! =D

  • http://www.anime-evo.net FlareKnight

    It definitely wouldn’t surprise me if Yukiko was interested in Yuu after all that happened. Getting saved like that by someone she’s only known for a short period of time (plus has a greater cool factor than poor Yosuke) would have quite the impact. Whether it grows into something bigger or if they decide to pair Yuu up with Yukiko I don’t know. With Yuu’s expression being so low it’s hard to say how he feels. At the very least seems interested enough which isn’t a shock.

    Do like Chie’s character so if they decide to go that route it wouldn’t be a bad thing. Could easily go with a Yosuke and Chie pairing too though that’d definitely be a true, love/hate relationship there. Of course considering that Konishi who Yosuke liked got killed that might chill any serious romantic situations around him. Of course could also say getting into a relationship could help him heal from that and move forward.

    Watching the Kanji stuff coming should be fun. Seeing this stuff animated will be interesting.

    The normal slice of life events definitely is an important part of the series. After all making these bonds is boosting his ability to fight so it all works. He makes friends who he cares about and he then saves people who can become his friends.

• NeroFrost

  The episode seemed a little gray for the most part this week, but it was a great effort to convey the events of the game with minor creative liberties nonetheless.

  OK for starters, I know what Kanji is really supposed to be and how a lot of people I know can’t get past his awkward orientation bit, but I think the character is actually pretty decent and well-rounded. For being a real tough-guy, we got to see that he does have a bit of a soft side as well. That little teddy bear falling outta his pocket & the awkward blushing were proof of that. We also got to see another character along the way: a boy in a blue cap that has a stern air around himself. Something to look forward to in the future, perhaps?

  Well, it’s pretty much established now that Chie and Yosuke are the highlight of the show’s comedy. It was nice to see Chie being thoughtful and inviting Nanako to hang out with them at Junes for steak lunch. She also displayed her love for beef by pouncing on the steak and ordering noodles at the oddest of times, and her silliness at being bummed out over the tests, her insistence to radio Yosuke who was standing right next to her, and her willingness to pay the Aiya delivery girl while being chased by a wild delinquent. That’s some good lolz we had there. I do wish they’d put a bit more emphasis on her with Yu, though, since she was probably the only one who didn’t blush throughout the entire episode (not at any person anyway )

  Yosuke is another great character for comic relief, but also shows a bit of his forward-thinking mindset. Of the entire group, it seems he is the one most eager to get to the bottom of the case and comes out with good ideas regarding the situation. But his theory that the victims were all girls was ultimately shot down when Kanji appeared on the TV. Apart from that, he’s great for a few laughs and his obvious play on getting in with the girls. It’s always nice to have someone like you being represented on-screen, and I associate myself pretty closely with Yosuke.

  The pace was good this week and I like how they’re moving the story forward by giving people time to observe and analyze the situation while still delivering the slice-of-life elements that are supposed to be there. That’s always a great thing to witness, and it makes watching the series as a whole a lot better. Sound cues were spot-on, and the music from the game being played during key scenes is really good indeed. The only complaint I had was the slightly noticeable drop in animation this week. It seems that they did great up until the first 5 episodes, but things like effects and character models from afar looked sorta off and mildly substandard, like after everyone is chased off by Kanji outside his home. Maybe its just me, but I feel that the design was kinda rushed.

  It’s nice to see Yukiko opening up to the rest of the cast. She’s been a bit more vocal and we’ve got to witness her personality a bit more as a normal person. But I really wouldn’t be happy with a Yukiko x Yuu outcome, or a Yosuke x Chie either. Call me weird but I’ve always been rooting for Yuu x Chie all the way… well, unless someone else drops in that I approve of (quick FYI, I actually hated Yukiko in the game ).

  But by far the most awkward thing in the entire episode that leads up to the next one is the discovery of Kanji actually being… well, gay! That’s probably the only major flaw I see with him: everybody’s Shadow form is snarky and totally badass, but Shadow Kanji just proved to be a giant bowl of FAIL in that aspect. Seriously, that was a pretty gay Shadow and I have no idea how the hell they’re going to make it badass at all in the next episode. After this week’s entertaining piece however, I’d love to see more.

  • http://www.anime-evo.net FlareKnight

    With Kanji I’m just going to stay as neutral or vague as necessary so people can decide how they feel about him at this point. The tricky nature of knowing what’s going to happen, but still actually writing about something XD.

    Will agree that Chie and Yosuke are key for the comedy. Whether it was Yosuke setting up that cat fight in the last episode or just their banter when stalking Kanji. They did go the extra step with the comedy adding in that scene with the delivery. It’s nice to have some additional moments to chuckle at since it gives the anime it’s own unique flavour. Hopefully we’ll see some more nice Yuu and Chie moments. Both Nanako and Yukiko got some Yuu blushing so spread the wealth around I say XD.

    It is good to see Yosuke being serious about the case (and pretty much just the case). Of course he has a personal motivation to find out who killed Konishi and get payback for that. Maybe his theory wasn’t right on the genders, but he is right in that if they don’t keep throwing out theories they won’t ever be able to figure out what is going on.

    I wasn’t paying too close attention to the animation quality though you might be right. Guess the week right before another rescue episode they want to hold themselves back or something. If it means the next episode will look spectacular I can let it go this time.

    In terms of my personal pairing choice, I won’t say anything quite yet. Plenty of series to go and can wait a while before making a call there. At this point I might lean more towards Yuu and Chie.

    In terms of the shadows I do feel for Kanji, his was really out there. Of course not like Yukiko’s wasn’t pretty…bold in its own respects. Still have to say Kanji’s took it to another level right there. I can’t wait to see the battle against Kanji’s shadow if we get it next episode since it should be pretty crazy. Curious to see how they handle it.