PERSONA5 the Animation
2018
Original language: Japanese
- animation
- action & adventure
- comedy
- drama
- sci-fi & fantasy
- crime
The story
Ren Amamiya is about to enter his second year after transferring to Shujin Academy in Tokyo. Following a particular incident, his Persona awakens, and together with his friends, they form the “Phantom Thieves of Hearts” to reform hearts of corrupt adults by stealing the source of their distorted desires. Meanwhile, bizarre and inexplicable crimes have been popping up one after another… Living an ordinary high school life in Tokyo during the day, the group maneuvers the metropolitan city as Phantom Thieves after hours. Let the curtain rise for this grand, picaresque story!
What it’s like
Restless, stylised pop energy: a palette of hot red, inky black and clean white, comic-book panels that snap across the screen, and bold text and graphic overlays that jump in with every twist. Night-time Tokyo glows in neon and rain-slick streets, while daytime classrooms and cafés sit in flat, bright light. The jazz-funk score pulses through the action sequences and drops away for quieter scenes of friends eating together or talking late. Pacing is brisk and episodic, with each heist-like mission built around a tense infiltration and a flashy, stylised payoff, and the cast's bickering affection gives the rhythm a warm, playful core. Violence is frequent and cartoonishly staged, with fast melee fights and supernatural attacks, but there is little gore; the darker material concerns manipulative and abusive adults, and it is handled with some heaviness. The mood is energetic and mischievous with an undercurrent of unease, suited to a lively weekend binge or a comfort rewatch. It suits viewers who like stylish action, found-family teamwork, and the thrill of a caper.
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