"Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3" was released to the Sony Playstation 2 in Japan around 2007 and in United States around 2008. It was developed and published by Atlus. So far, Persona 3 is the third installment of the "Persona" series. In turn, the Persona series is part of the Shin Megami Tensei universe created by Atlus. In the same year, an ongoing manga series based off of Persona 3 was created as well.

In order to understand the manga, one may have to familiarize oneself with the Persona series. To understand the Persona 3 manga, you may have to play Persona 3. However, there are two versions. The second version has an added story called "The Answer."

Storyline: A

The manga is the perfect adaptation of Persona 3. The story closely follows all the events that have taken place in Persona 3 "The Journey" which is the main story of the game. If you have played Persona 3, you may enjoy the storyline very much. So far, the storyline let alone the manga is plot-driven and character-driven at the same time.

It focuses on the world of Shadows that emerge during the "Dark Hour." It is known as the twenty-fifth hour. When the Dark Hour takes place, almost everybody appears in coffins for the most part. Only a few humans are aware of the Dark Hour. Those that are aware of the Dark Hour are immune to its effects.

It takes pace in a modern city which is built and funded by the Kirijo Corporation. During the Dark Hour, reality is bent. At the Gekkoukan High School, it turns into a huge labyrinth known as "Tartarus" where Shadows roam the area and preying on those still conscious.

A special group of students at Gekkoukan form up the "Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad" which is known as "SEES." They use Personas to assist them in fighting against the Shadows. To summon Personas, they use special gun-shaped objects called "Evokers." I found the use of the Evoker to be quite interesting.

Characters: A

The characters in the video game are in the manga. In the manga, the story gives more focus on the characters and their relationships. In a sense, it gives the characters more substance. In the game, the main character is nameless. In the manga, he is known as Minato Arisato.

So far, the characters keep true to their video game counterparts.

Illustrations: A

The illustrations of the manga keep true to the actual video game. The way the characters look and are portrayed keeps true to the way they appeared in the actual video games. The artist was very detailed oriented in making everything look the same as if it was in the video game. So far, I was very satisfied with the illustrations of Persona 3.

Overall: A

If you enjoyed playing Persona 3, you may enjoy reading the manga. The manga really does keep true to the events that have taken place in the game. In a sense, this could be considered a more in-depth version of the story. If you liked the game, you probably will like the manga.

Learn more about this author, Can Tran.
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