Persona 3 the Movie: #2 A Midsummer Knight’s Dream Review (Anime)

Persona 3 the Movie: #2 A Midsummer Knight’s Dream continues on from where Spring of Birth left off, with Makoto Yuki opening up to his friends and fellow Persona users in SEES. The second movie introduces Aigis, Ken, Koromaru and Shinji (past his brief appearance in the first film), and the stakes are raised far higher than they were before.

 

A Midsummer Knight’s Dream also introduces the truth behind both the Shadows and the Dark Hour, as well as Strega who are fighting to protect them. Makoto faces an internal battle as he believes that if the Dark Hour is vanquished, then his reason for living will vanish along with it, whilst Ken is fighting to find the truth about his mother’s death. Many of the characters have to work to overcome many personal obstacles during the film and the ground is set for bigger events in the near future. With SEES’ goal clear as well as Strega’s, SEES will have to battle both Shadows and Persona users alike to put an end to the Dark Hour. It’s another gripping installment and a brilliant adaptation of one of my favourite games, and I’m actively eager for the third and fourth movies to release.

 

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Another gripping installment and a brilliant adaptation of one of my favourite games.

The first movie was animated by AIC Asta, but A-1 Pictures adapt the next three movies and do a great job with them — they also animated the Persona 4 Golden anime. The change in studio is seamless and I wouldn’t have noticed had I not looked it up. Persona has always boasted excellent character, Persona, enemy and location designs and more of that is shown off here with grander battles, more action and more of the Dark Hour. It’s a gorgeous movie that perfectly captures the bleak atmosphere of the game and its identifiable colour palette (the coffins and green skies always remind me of Persona 3), and is a thrill to watch from beginning to end. The Persona movies may be the current peak of A-1 Pictures’ works.

 

As I mentioned in my Spring of Birth review, it’s a shame that the games English voice talent isn’t brought back for the movies, and that there’s only the Japanese voice-over available. I can’t complain about the quality of the performances though and many of the games voice-actors and actresses reprise their roles once more, and the yellow subtitles are easy on the eyes. Lively, emotional performances give life to a memorable cast of characters, and its joined by one of the world’s greatest soundtracks. Many of the games songs appear here such as Burn my Dread and Deep Breath, Deep Breath, alongside new ones created specifically for the movies. It’s a delight to listen to across all aspects.

 

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The Persona movies may be the current peak of A-1 Pictures’ works.

Persona 3 the Movie: #2 A Midsummer Knight’s Dream is another outstanding entry in the Persona series, and I’m happy to see the third game receive so much love and care long after its initial release. This is a great way to experience the 100 hour-ish long game, especially if you’ve already played it and just want the story, but watching it will likely make you want to pick the game up regardless! I’m excited for the third movie to release, which is due for next month at the time of writing, and I’ll be sharing my thoughts on that too.

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