Persona: Trinity Soul

Persona -trinity soul-
File:Persona ts logo.jpg
Genre	Mystery, Supernatural
Anime
Directed by	Jun Matsumoto
Written by	Yasayuki Mutō
Studio	A-1 Pictures
Released	January 5, 2008 – June 28, 2008

Persona -trinity soul- (ペルソナ 〜トリニティ・ソウル〜, Perusona ~Toriniti Sōru~) is a Japanese anime TV series. It is the sequel to the PlayStation 2 game Persona 3, taking place ten years after its events. Produced by Aniplex and animated by its A-1 Pictures animation studio, the series premiered in Japan on MBS, Tokyo MX and Animax from January 2008. It also features music by Taku Iwasaki.

Story

Persona -trinity soul- takes place ten years after the end of Persona 3. It is set in Ayanagi City, a city located near the Sea of Japan, where the police force is investigating several cases involving a mysterious illness called the Apathy Syndrome. Ten years ago, Ayanagi city had been subjected to a severe earthquake, which the city has since recovered from.

In the midst of the crisis, two brothers named Shin and Jun Kanzato move back to Ayanagi to see their elder brother Ryō, who is now the Superintendent of the Ayanagi City Police. It has been ten years since the three siblings last met with each other.

It was said that the mysterious incidents in Ayanagi City were linked to covert testing conducted under Keisuke Komatsubura's watch, which tried to locate all known Persona users and find the strongest by weeding them out via Persona experiments before it was disbanded.

Characters

Kanzato family

Shin Kanzato (神郷 慎, Kanzato Shin)

Age: 17

Voiced by: Nobuhiko Okamoto

The seventeen-year-old protagonist. He is a second-year student at Naginomori Gakuen High School. He always carries a pendant in the shape of a feather, which is a memento of his father. After his parents and little sister died, he and his brothers were under the care of their relatives in Tokyo, and ten years later they returned to their home town Ayanagi. As the series goes on, nearly everyone close to Shin seems to be taken away either by Ayane or through Death (e.g. both brothers and Kanaru respectivley). Shin also has an interest in art, making clay models and is frequently seen sketching. Strangely, his art pieces resemble Personas and in one case, Igor. In the first episode, he awakens his own Persona after ten year of slumbering, and one of the enigmatic Outsiders (rogue Persona users) also commented that Shin's Persona is of "Special A-Level". His birthday is January 19, and his blood type is A.

Ryō Kanzato (神郷 諒, Kanzato Ryō)

Age: 28

Voiced by: Takehito Koyasu

Shin and Jun's brother, eldest of the three at twenty-eight. His personality is stoic to the point of being cold, even towards his younger brothers. He entered the police in order to investigate the strange incidents, becoming the youngest superintendent in history. He keeps all important details on the recent 'Reverse' cases to himself, restricting them from others in the police force. In the first episode he is revealed to have a "Persona" of his own, though he does not use an Evoker like the main characters did in Persona 3. A bottle of pills was briefly shown on his desk, perhaps similar to the suppressant drugs Strega used. His birthday is January 18, and his blood type is A.

He is reported to be missing by the Japanese National Police Agency, but Shin finds him alive when his Persona guns down a Persona user.

Jun Kanzato (神郷 洵, Kanzato Jun)

Age: 14

Voiced by: Miyuki Sawashiro

The youngest of the Kanzato brothers, and a third-year student at Naginomori Gakuen Middle School. He began to lose the will to live after an incident that happened at the time their parents disappeared ten years before the series began. He had a twin sister, Yuki, whose dress he keeps. Oddly, Ryō overheard Jun seemingly speaking to a girl, presumably Yuki. This might indicate a spiritual body sharing, or multiple-personality disorder. He also has a certain level of perception ability and can hear the inner voices of people around him. During his visit to the beach, the water's reflection showed his twin sister summoning her Persona but not Jun. His fringe hides a scar on his forehead that came from the surgery involving him and Yuki. His birthday is February 4, and his blood type is A. It is told later that after the accident ten years ago, part of his brain was replaced with Yuki's, in an effort to prevent them both from dying (the decision was made by Ryō). His Persona is an accidental fusion of his and Yuki's.

Yuki Kanzato (神郷 結祈, Kanzato Yuki)

Age: deceased (would be 14)

Voiced by: Miyuki Sawashiro

The female twin of Jun. She died with her parents in a major accident ten years ago. She shares her Persona with Jun due to the fact that part of her brain was being used to replace his during her death. She sometimes takes control of Jun's body and is currently the sole inhabitant of their body after Jun's encounter with Ayane.

Haruka Kanzato (神郷 遥, Kanzato Haruka)

Voiced by: Fumi Morisawa

Mother of the Kanzato brothers. An artbook artist, she gave Yuki a 'Whale Feather' as an amulet of happiness. She died in the Ayanagi City disaster when Ayane's Persona grabbed her and Shigeru, killing them.. It is revealed that they were involved in the same Persona research as Komatsubara.

Shigeru Kanzato

Father of the Kanzato brothers. Like his wife, he was an artbook artist. He died alongside his wife Haruka when Ayane's Persona grabbed and killed him. It is revealed that they were involved in the same Persona research as Komatsubara.

Naginomori Gakuen

Takurō Sakakiba (榊葉拓朗, Sakakiba Takurō)

Age: 17

Voiced by: Hideki Tasaka

A classmate of Shin's who he becomes acquainted with him on the first day he attends school. He is an easy-going individual and sports a distinct afro. Surprisingly, he has a Persona, which awakens when Shin tries to do Shadow Extraction on him. He now trains to control it. He has also had a dream with Igor in it much like Shin did. He has a crush on Megumi.

Takuro's father had disappeared during the Apathy Crisis in Ayanagi City, due to unknown reasons. He came back in a woman's body.

Megumi Kayano (茅野めぐみ, Kayano Megumi)

Age: 17

Voiced by: Kana Asumi

A classmate of Shin's, though he actually saw her at a restaurant arguing with someone the night before he started school. She is a member of the Street Dance club and has a frank and straight-forward character. She has a dislike for Shadow Extraction. Megumi had her Persona awakened when she was still young during an accident after which her stepbrother died.

Kanaru Morimoto (守本叶鳴, Morimoto Kanaru)

Age: 17

Voiced by: Mai Nakahara

A somewhat timid girl who is acquainted with Shin, Megumi, and Takurō. She is very interested in Shadow Extraction, and she asked Takurō to do a Shadow Extraction on her, which seems to be a forced invoking of a Persona to create a euphoria similar to taking a drug. She suffers from occasional memory loss where she sometimes cannot remember why she is at a place or even where she is at. In the past, she and Mayuri lived in a nursing facility. She becomes addicted to Shadow Extraction and this may have caused multiple personalties dues to her sudden change in attitude and manner when talking to people, as well as suddenly saying things about what a persona is with out remembering what she said. She also demonstrates a possible romantic interest in Shin which is confirmed by Yuki. Kanaru also manifests her persona in episode 20 though whether she will be able to control it is undetermined as it appears similar to the personae used by the Marebito.

Nearing the end of the series, Kanaru finds out she was a cyborg similar to Aigis, and dies at episode 23 in Shin's arms.

Yumi Tasaka (田坂悠美, Tasaka Yumi)

Voiced by: Fumie Mizusawa

Megumi's senior in the Street Dance club. She was under police protection during the period of the 'Reverse' incidents. During that time she was attacked by the Outsiders and almost had her Persona forcefully extracted. She was rescued, but suffered Post-traumatic stress disorder and was hospitalized. Her Persona is damaged from the extraction attempt.

Tōru Inui (戌井暢)

Voiced by: Tomokazu Seki

Caretaker of the student dormitory. He keeps an old dog although pets are prohibited in the dorms. He had taken footage of Personas in action with his camera. He also knows a great deal about persona users saying that there were a lot of them around him many years ago. He also carries a gun in his jacket which he never uses.

Mayuri Yamazaki (山咲まゆり, Yamasaki Mayuri)

Voiced by: Mayumi Sako

A mysterious transfer student and a friend of Kanaru. She lived with Kanaru in a nursing facility in the past. Strange things started to happen after she transferred to Naginomori Gakuen High School. Her true identity is Saki Tachibana, a member of the Outsiders. Her favorite food seems to be beef bowls and she can quickly finish a big bowl in seconds; the feat contradicts her composed beauty image and greatly surprised Jun and Ryō.

Ayanagi Police

Eiko Nikaido (二階堂映子, Nikaido Eiko)

Voiced by: Sanae Kobayashi

A medical examiner from the North Japan Medical Examiner's Office. Currently at the Ayanagi Police Station. She is also a long time family friend of the Kanzato siblings. In the third episode, she visited Jun at Ryō's house and went to pick up Shin at the Ayanagi City hospital. Shin has a childhood crush on her even when she admits that she loves Ryō. She is currently investigating the case of the mysterious disappearances that occurred at Toyama Bay. In episode 13, she was shot by Ryō's berserk persona after the fight with Komatsubara.

After being shot by Ryō's persona, she is said to be murdered by the media to possibly cover up her death.

Kunio Itō (伊藤久仁雄, Itō Kunio)

Voiced by: Hisao Egawa

A sergeant and chief of the Ayanagi Criminal Affairs Department. He suspects Ryō to be hiding something about the recent "Reversed" cases before he decides to help investigate the true nature of the Apathy Syndrome crisis.

Tomohiro Narasaki (楢崎智弘, Narasaki Tomohiro)

Voiced by: Yoshihisha Kawahara

An investigator of the Ayanagi Criminal Affairs Department. He is a tall person nearing two metres. He works with Itō and is keeping watch on Ryō's actions before being sent to monitor Jun and the others from Naginomori Gakuen. Unfortunately, he had been affected with Apathy Syndrome after Kanaru had her Persona activated.

Kubo (クボ)

Voiced by: Hiroshi Naka

The vice chief of the Ayanagi Police Station.

Outsiders

A group of Persona-users (possibly a non-natural type, medically induced) who seem to use their special abilities to steal other people's Personas. The group is called "Marebito" in Japanese and carries the meaning of a "foreign stranger" and "outsider."

Tōma Shikura (紫倉統馬, Shikura Tōma)

Voiced by: Daisuke Namikawa

A member of the Outsiders, he acts as the leader of the group. Tōma seems to be a cool and collected individual, but in the third episode he shows aggressive tendencies. He was killed in battle by Ryō, and afterwards an unknown chemical is discovered in his body. His death is kept in secret and was not publicised.

Yūji Kimoto (紀本祐史, Kimoto Yūji)

Voiced by: Nobuo Tobita

A member of the Outsiders, one of the executors of the Reverse incident. His Persona has the special ability to extract others' Personae, this ability is the cause of the 'Reverse' incidents. After the being defeated by Shin's Persona, Yūji lost his Persona. He seems to be the most mentally unbalanced of the Outsiders and is often shown taking some kind of drug. He had a part-time job giving out balloons in a bear costume. Yūji is executed by Mariya after he went renegade by escaping from their compound.

Sōtarō Senō (瀬能壮太郎, Senō Sōtarō)

Age: 16

Voiced by: Motoki Takagi

Another member of the Outsiders. He does not like working in groups and usually moves alone. His Persona also display the Persona extraction ability. Sōtarō attempted to fight Shin, but he ended up gravely injured after Shin's Persona countered his. Killed in episode 22.

Saki Tachibana (橘花沙季, Tachibana Saki)

Voiced by: Mayumi Sako

Another member of the Outsiders, the only female member. Saki appears calm and quiet, and she moves quickly while fighting. She has an affection for Tōma. Similar to Yūji, she lost her Persona after her defeat by Shin, but before that her Persona had actually been taken in by Sōtarō's Persona. Afterwards she was seen in a mysterious device that reattachs her Persona. She appears in Naganomori Gakuen High School as transfer student named Mayuri Yamazaki, which could be her real identity. The strange incidents in school were caused by her half-berserk Persona due to overdosage of the drug. Interested in the Persona ability of Jun, she decides to keep going to school. Saki laters kidnaps Yuki, in Jun's body, and activates Kanaru's persona. Killed in episode 22.

Taiichi Udo

Voiced by: Hiroki Yasumoto

A tall man with shades and muscles.

Mariya Kujou (マリヤ・クジョウ)

Voiced by: Nobuyuki Katsube

The man in the wheelchair that is regarded as the mastermind behind the Outsiders. He at some point died, and allowed his persona to devour him to extend his life span. He uses the Outsiders to gather "A-levels" and during the process he becomes interested in Shin's Persona ability. His original name was Keisuke Komatsubara.

Returning Characters

Akihiko Sanada

Voiced by: Hikaru Midorikawa

He is seen talking with Ryō on the phone in the beginning of the series. He knows about the Persona and Reverse cases as they are usually the conversation topic. He is currently working with the police force after prior events 10 years ago from Persona 3. He was one of the main character's companions in Persona 3. As of episode 14, Akihiko has officially entered the universe of Persona: Trinity Soul, seen entering the elevator of the police station behind Shin and then later talking with Inui as a member of Marebito loses control of his persona in the city square.

Igor (イゴール, Igōru)

Voiced by: Isamu Tanonaka

An old man who appeared to Shin and Jun as a fortune teller. He is a character from the Persona game series, and he played a major role in Persona 3 as the one who fused the Main Character's/Minato Arisato Personas and has assisted numerous people such as Aigis, Tatsuya and Maya.

Unknown characters

Ayane Komatsubura

Voiced by: Mamiko Noto

A ghostly girl with red hair that appears and disappears before the Kanzato siblings. Surrounding her are "whale feathers," an object from the last artbook of the the Kanzato brothers' parents. When sliced or shot by the Kanzato brothers' persona, she disappears in a cloud of whale feathers. In recent episodes, is it revealed that she is the daughter of Keisuke Komatsubara who conducted persona experiments on her and was the culprit behind the Ayanagi City disaster when he summoned her persona that affected a part of the city and gave its victims Apathy Syndrome.

Her name is first revealed to Jun during a "date". She is also responsible for removing Jun from his body and leaving Yuki unable to call their persona. Her power seems to draw from the "whale", as she refers to it, that causes the strange events isolated around the city. A clone of her created by her father was defeated by Jun/Yuki's Persona and the fate of Ayane is unknown.

Production

A promo video had been on the show's official website, created by A-1 Pictures.

Jun Matsumoto, known to his involvement in Blood+, was pitched to be director. Shigenori Soejima designed the original characters for Yuriko Ishii. Yasayuki Mutō was responsible for doing the script with Shinsuke Ōnishi, Shōgo Yasukawa and Saya Matsuda.

According to a statement released by Yutaka Omatsu, he said the show is different from the Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 game especially since the "divergence are the many different aspects that the characters and story share."

Staff

The following are involved in the creation of the show.

• Original work: Persona 3 (Atlus)
• Planning: Kōichirō Natsume, Masao Takiyama, Tetsuya Suzuki, Naohiro Futono
• Main characters original creator: Shigenori Soejima
• Character design and chief supervising animation director: Yuriko Ishii
• Series composition and script: Yasayuki Mutō
• Script: Shinsuke Ōnishi, Shōgo Yasukawa, Saya Matsuda
• Persona design: Nobuhiko Genba
• Mecha design: Shinobu Tsuneki
• Art director: Michie Suzuki
• Color settings: Kazuko Nakashima
• Assistant-director: Hiseyasu Habu
• Director of photography: Kōji Ishihara
• CGI Director: Takayuki Furukawa
• Editing: Shigeru Nishiyama
• Music: Taku Iwasaki
• Music production: Aniplex
• Sound director: Shōji Hata
• Sound producer: Minoru Yamada
• Producers: Kazunori Adachi, Katsunori Naruke, Hideyuki Kachi, Kozue Nananiwa
• Animation producer: Yutaka Omatsu
• Executive producer: Hideo Katsumata
• Supervising producer: Tomonori Ochikoshi
• Animation production: A-1 Pictures
• Director: Jun Matsumoto
• Production: Persona -trinity soul- Production Committee (Aniplex, Sony Pictures Entertainment, We've, Movic)

Music

Theme song

Opening

"Breakin' through" (Episodes 1-13)

• Lyrics: Yoshiharu Shiina, composition: Takuya, arrangement: h-wonder, performance: Shūhei Kita (Aniplex)

"Word of Voice" (Episode 14-27) performance: Flow

Ending

"Suicide Love Story" (Episodes 1-13)

• Lyrics: Nana Kitade, composition: Hyoue Yasuhara, arrangement: Kazunori Watanabe, performance: Nana Kitade (SME Records)

"Found Me" (Episode 14-27) performance: Yumi Kawamura

Media

DVD

Official artwork used in the Volume 1 DVD release in Japan.

A DVD of the show had already been released in Japan recently on April 23, 2008 with the first two episodes before subsequent releases of Volumes 2 and 3 had 3 episodes each. Volume 2 is scheduled for release on May 28, 2008 with Volume 3 on June 25, 2008.

OST

The singles 「Breakin' through」, 「SUICIDES LOVE STORY」 and 「WORD OF THE VOICE」 were released on February 27 , March 5 and June 4, 2008.

The main OST of the anime was released July 2, 2008.

Reception

In an anime column by Mania.com, it said that the show was good in terms of having excellent animation though it noted the huge contrast of the distrust between the Kanzato brothers and the mysterious supernatural attacks on Ayanagi city. Japanator noted that the atmosphere is very dark, similar to Darker than Black.

External links

• Official website Template:Jp icon
• Gyao's Official website Template:Jp icon
• Tokyo MX's Official website Template:Jp icon
• Persona: Trinity Soul ({{{type}}}) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia