From start to finish Golden was loyal to what it set out to be. This was pretty well a NG+ run for Yu and also focused heavily on the new material added into the game. I think that reflects pretty well on how Golden was a nice improvement to the overall game. In the end how much that new material means to you will probably tie into how you felt about the last episode and the show as a whole.

I’ll say that the two anime versions and the showdown in the game all had their own way of standing out. The Margaret assist in the original show was pretty effective and so was the Marie moment in this version. Although I might prefer how the game handled it best, I can appreciate how the anime versions were trying to do their own thing. And certainly the Marie involvement in this episode was more integral and tied in nicely with the show as a whole.

They certainly got the unsettling aspect of the team getting taken by those weird hands. Although I did appreciate the team aspect of the game more than how the anime handled it. It’s hard to deny that the main cast was pretty well relegated to being cheerleaders in this version. True, that’s kind of how NG+ goes since you have all these powerful persona and they have to level normally, but still…it was pretty sad in this version. Even at the end the cast literally is nowhere to be seen until it’s all over.

But they do seem to try and make Yu’s journey less simple than it might seem. Even having his search for the truth lead to things he’d rather not have to face. The risk to Marie in fighting all out was high and that wasn’t easy to face. That Marie was originally one with the enemy that they’ve been fighting against. It’s not just that she was a pawn, but they were literally one being to begin with.

While I did like Marie reaching to Yu and help him stand again, I do kind of wish that they had the more group feeling to it. Maybe it’s just more suited to this version since the Marie social link was the major focus for the entire show. It just was fitting to have them work things out like that. Plus it was a kind of awesome moment having the couple go in there and just be unstoppable.

I’ll give full props for the use of Kaguya. I think that persona has a great design and it’s nice to see it get a presence in the show. Sure, it didn’t get to actually attack or anything, but at least it got to appear. I’ll just have to be satisfied with the power of hugs XD. I suppose with the key role of Marie from the beginning this was the proper way to go about it. Having her be on the front lines and there to accept herself. Ties right into the idea of accepting your less than pretty side to become more complete. Just that this was on an almost god level.

Was nice that they could also fit in the majority of that epilogue. It does help give the show a much more concluded feeling. Really when you think about it, the fuss made originally about Yu moving shouldn’t have been that much of a crisis. The bonds they forged aren’t ones that could be so easily destroyed. Not to mention, it’s not like he’s living across the globe. Maybe he can’t get there regularly, but for vacations and holidays he can manage it. No offense to his parents, but this is the place that is truly home for him.

Not a bad thing to show the cast changing in little ways. Although really it seems the only change Yosuke and Teddie had was their clothes XD. The rest certainly changed more distinctly. Yuikiko having the feel of more accepting where she is going and trying to appear more professional I guess. Chie also going for a bit of a style change. Rise felt very much like she was someone who was back in the idol business. Naoto clearly was accepting herself better and willing to stop hiding. Kanji…wow. Let his hair return to its natural colour and apparently stopped using contacts. A bit strange to be sure.

The brief time skip for Nanako was something. I suppose it’s only right to have a cute scene of her welcoming her big bro back. I’d think that separation was hardest on Nanako since the gap is most clear on a day to day basis. Certainly moving forward though from the kidnapping incident, even starting to play the piano.

Marie’s scene was pretty hilarious. Clearly the god of that region is doing just fine. Perhaps abusing her supernatural powers to control the weather, but seems to be doing it to help the region be at its best. That and making sure to have things go as smoothly as possible for Yu’s return to Inaba XD. I give that girl props since she had the most bold expression of affection out of anyone in the show. Making full use of her position to confess on a grand scale. Good luck to the other girls, you have a pretty unstoppable rival there.

This was a pretty solid way to wrap up the series. It may not have been a mind blowing show, but it was pretty enjoyable. They managed to include a lot of the bonus material from Golden so it was a good bit of fanservice for those who at least played the original game. Being an anime it had the ability to change things more than Golden could as a game. I enjoyed the Kaguya presence and appreciate them going so far to have the closest thing to an official pairing that the anime has ever given us.
Score: A-

Final Thoughts:

When Golden was announced I wasn’t sure what to expect. Honestly I had originally thought they should have just done a Golden version to start with. But they went for a more standard adaptation that time around. I had somewhat hoped they’d go all out for this one and make it the anime to remember. Instead they decided to go more conservative. It wasn’t the flashiest of adaptations and it wasn’t the longest. But they were focused on the new material and I think on that note they did a good job showing it off.

Of course I’d still recommend heavily that anyone who enjoyed the original game and can play Golden on the Vita should, it is the best version of the P4 story. But as something of a New Game Plus run, this was a good ride. They made sure to hit the funny moments and certainly did more with Marie’s character than I ever expected them too.

Honestly, the mileage for this show for you will depend entirely on Marie. She is the star of this version of the anime. Which does make sense since she was added for the Golden version. Even though Adachi got a social link as we could see, he was still a presence from the original game that just had more added to him. Marie was a fresh existence with a personality that you’ll either really enjoy or probably get upset with. Her existence seems to be a very polarizing factor.

Another thing to consider is the lack of presence of the main cast. It really does come down to Marie and Yu for most of the episodes. The other characters just kind of are there and only stand out when they are getting a chance to interact with Marie. I do wish that they had more done with them. For all the Golden aspects they got for this anime, they did leave out the extra material that was like an epilogue to their social links. But with the limited time constraints I guess they could only go so far.

While the show didn’t visually wow me except for certain scenes, it was fun. The opening over powered Izanagi in the first episode was entertaining and I also enjoyed the showdown with Adachi. It was just nice seeing this group again and getting a feel for this anime version of Yu and Marie. I certainly feel the temptation to give P4: Golden another replay if nothing else. Farewell P4, unless we get an Arena adaptation this is probably the last we see of you in anime form.