Persona 5: The Animation Episode 1 Review

Persona 5: The Animation has aired this week and it's only episode 1 so far.

Fans of the video game will know much of the characters and story already, although non-fans will be in for a great treat if they continue watching the entire series.

I played Persona 5 last year and it was my second favorite game of 2017 behind the excellent Horizon: Zero Dawn. I loved everything about the game including the engaging story and many of the likable characters. 

Sadly if you want to watch the animated series, there's nothing new in the TV show that will surprise you.

This is because the animated series is just an exact retelling of the video game story itself minus all of the playable gameplay stuff.

As I was watching the first episode, I was hoping the animated series was going to add some new elements to the story but so far everything has been the same so far.

Not that this is a bad thing mind you, it's just that people who have played the game will know exactly how the story ends.

The only big change that the series has done is give a voice and name to the main character.

In the TV series, the main's character's name is Ren Amamiya and he actually talks! This is much different to the mute and voiceless guy we saw in the video game.

Adding a voice to the character does make sense, although I do find it more humorous if the series stuck with the main character being mute. The rest of the characters all have the same Japanese voice actors which is cool to see.

There's currently no English dub for the series yet, although I do hope one is coming soon.

In terms of animation, the quality is the same as the anime cutscenes featured in the game itself.

The animation is of a high quality throughout the entire first episode and it looks like nothing has been rushed out the door so far.

The soundtrack is still the same music featured in the video game which is another thing I like about the series so far.

Even though Horizon: Zero Dawn was my fave game of 2017, Persona 5 by far had the best soundtrack of last year out of any video game or movie.

The only bad thing I can say about the first episode is that new viewers might still be confused about what is happening. Things happen so fast that noobs might be confused on what's happening with the story.   

The video game had more time to explain things since the story can get confusing sometimes. That said, I'm sure the episodes that are to come should make new viewers more up to speed with the story. 

Anyway, Persona 5: The Animation is great and I'm glad English subtitles are available for it so far on both streaming sites Crunchyroll and AnimeLab.

If you loved the game, it's cool to revisit it again by watching the animated series. Let's hope the series still keeps the best elements of the game in future episodes!

Wanna read more on this? Check these out: Persona 5: The Animation Episode 26 Recap/Review: 'I Won't Let It End Here' (Spoilers) (more); Persona 5: The Animation Episode 25 Recap/Review: 'Jealous Sinner' (more); Persona 5: The Animation Episode 24 Recap/Review: 'A Challenge That Must Be Won' (more); Persona 5: The Animation Episode 23 Recap/Review: 'How About A Deal With Me?' (more).

And here are some more related articles: Persona 5: The Animation Episode 22 Recap/Review: 'Is This Our Fault'? (more); Persona 5: The Animation Episode 21 Recap/Review: 'You Can Call Me Noir' (more); Persona 5: The Animation Episode 20 Recap/Review: 'My Name Is Beauty Thief' (more).

A few more: Persona 5: The Animation Episode 19 Recap/Review: 'Aloha' (more); Persona 5: The Animation Episode 18 Recap/Review: 'I'll Guide You To Victory' (more).