is a Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

ese anime

Anime

is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....

 TV series which is part of the Shin Megami Tensei: Persona

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona, known in Japan as is a series of role-playing video games developed and published by Atlus. The series is a spin-off of the Megami Tensei series which focuses on demon summoners. However, the Persona series centers around groups of teenagers who have the ability to...

series. It is a spin-off of the PlayStation 2

PlayStation 2

The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...

 game Persona 3, taking place ten years after the game's events.

Produced by Aniplex

Aniplex

, formerly known as Sony Pictures Entertainment Visual Works Inc. and Sony Music Entertainment Visual Works Inc., is a Japanese anime and music production and distribution enterprise owned by Sony Music Entertainment Japan and established in January 1997...

 and animated by its A-1 Pictures

A-1 Pictures

is a Japanese animation studio, a subsidiary of Sony's anime production firm Aniplex.-History:The studio was established by Sony's animation production division, Aniplex, on May 9, 2005, to animate its anime series and productions. In 2006, it co-produced the original production Zenmai Zamurai,...

 animation studio, the series premiered in Japan on MBS

Mainichi Broadcasting System

is a broadcasting station in Osaka, Japan, affiliated with Japan Radio Network , National Radio Network , Japan News Network and TBS Network, serving in the Kansai region. MBS is also one of the major stockholders of Tokyo Broadcasting System Holdings, Inc...

, Tokyo MX and Animax

Animax

is a Japanese anime satellite television network, dedicated to broadcasting anime programming. A subsidiary of Japanese media conglomerate Sony, it is headquartered in in Minato, Tokyo, Japan, with its co-founders and shareholders including Sony Pictures Entertainment and the noted anime studios...

 from January 2008. It also features music by Taku Iwasaki

Taku Iwasaki

is a Japanese composer and arranger. His hometown is Tokyo, Japan. He is a graduate of Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. Iwasaki is generally known for his jazz-like score music.-Anime:...

. On February 11, 2010, NIS America announced it would release Persona: Trinity Soul in North America with the original Japanese dub.

According to the official Persona 3 Portable fanbook, Trinity Soul is considered to be a non-canonical entry in the series.

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

Sea of Japan

The Sea of Japan is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, between the Asian mainland, the Japanese archipelago and Sakhalin. It is bordered by Japan, North Korea, Russia and South Korea. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it has almost no tides due to its nearly complete enclosure from the Pacific...

, 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.

Kanzato family

Age: 17

The seventeen-year-old protagonist. He is a second-year student at Naginomori Gakuen High School on the beginning of the anime, becomes a third year student during it. 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. 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. His birthday is January 19. His persona has the power to eliminate (cleanse) other personas with its sword. When he was seven years old his persona cleansed both his parents personas before they were completely extracted by Ayane, who almost caused both a reverse case and a fusion of both parents. Shin was deeply traumatized until he got hypnotized by Komatsubara, to forget about that incident.

[Persona] : Abel(アベル)

Age: 28

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. His birthday is December 18.

[Persona] : Cain(カイン)

Age: 14

The youngest of the Kanzato brothers. A second-year student at Naginomori Gakuen Middle School on the beginning of the anime, becomes a third-year student as the story progress. 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.He carries a pendant in the shape of a feather, which is a reminder of his Yuki 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. 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.

[Persona] : Seth(セト)

Age: deceased (would be 14)

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 had once been the sole inhabitant of their body after Jun's encounter with Ayane.

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 and nearly extracted her and Shigeru's personas, killing them.

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 nearly extracted his persona, killing him. It is revealed that they were involved in the same Persona research as Komatsubara.

Naginomori Gakuen

Age: 17

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. Unfortunately, he showed very little ability in being able to control it, as it often flew off at random rather than fight when summoned (which became a recurring gag of sorts). Nonetheless, he does manage to master it by the end of the series. He 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, although Takuro was unable to accept the possibility when meeting for the first time.

[Persona]: Spartacus

Age: 17

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, and frequently scolds her friends for partaking in it. Megumi had her Persona awakened when she was still young during an accident after which her stepbrother died. Since then, she harbored a distrust towards it, believing it had chosen not to save her brother because of her inherent jealousy rather than not being fast enough. However, the growing crisis concerning Marebito eventually makes her recognize it as a protector, and she uses it for the rest of the series for the sake of her friends.

[Persona]: Diana

Age: 17

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 romantic interest in Shin which is later confirmed by Yuki. She is eventually revealed to be a machine, much in the same nature as Aigis from Persona 3. Unfortunately, because of her artificial nature, her working lifespan is much shorter than a human's lifespan. After severing ties with Marebito, she peacefully dies in the company of Shin.

Kanaru is unique in that she has the ability to invoke two Persona rather than the conventional one. However, the first one seen (Ashtoreth, in episode 20) proves to be the Persona of her "other personality" that is loyal to Marebito. She later invokes her own (Astarte) during a fierce fight between the Marebito and her friends, which briefly pacifies the battlefield in a stunning display of power. While most of the Persona in the series are humanoid, Kanaru's looks much simpler and resembles a jellyfish. Megumi comments that it is because Kanaru's is just a "baby Persona". Despite the death of its "master", her friends somehow manage to invoke this Persona one last time during the final battle.

[Persona]: Ashtoreth/Astarte

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

Post-traumatic stress disorder

Posttraumaticstress disorder is a severe anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to any event that results in psychological trauma. This event may involve the threat of death to oneself or to someone else, or to one's own or someone else's physical, sexual, or psychological integrity,...

 and was hospitalized. Her Persona is damaged from the extraction attempt.

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. He might be Ken Amada from Persona 3 under an "alias".

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

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.

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. He could be a prototype for Persona 4's Ryotaro Dojima.

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. He could be a prototype for Persona 4's Tohru Adachi.

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."

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. However, there's some within his organization who claim that they have seen him walk about. Namely Saki.

[Persona]: Nebuzaradan

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 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.

[Persona]: Utnapishtim

Age: 16

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.

[Persona]: Gukyo

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.

[Persona]: Nebuchadnezzar

Taiichi Udo

A tall man with shades and muscles.

[Persona]: Hermóðr

Wakasa Kusu

The older twin between himself and Shiiba. He has a small ponytail and is always smiling.

[Persona]: Shinshukuho

Shiiba Kusu

The younger twin between himself and Wakasa. He has a short hair and is always frowning.

[Persona]: Koteitoku

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.

[Persona]: Gozanze

Returning characters

Akihiko Sanada

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 had 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. He can't evoke his Persona anymore because he passed a certain age and doesn't take the drug which allows the forceful evoking of Persona that Ryo takes.

An old man who appeared to Shin and Jun as a fortune teller in the first episode. He is a major character from the Persona game series, as the one who fused the main characters Personas and aided the protagonists in each Persona game on their journeys.

Unknown characters

Ayane Komatsubura

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 Kanzato brothers' parents. When sliced or shot by the Kanzato brothers' persona, she disappears in a cloud of whale feathers. In recent episodes, it is 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; although she is presumed deceased, due to the experiments conducted on her.

[Persona]: Aditi/Devi

Production

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

A-1 Pictures

is a Japanese animation studio, a subsidiary of Sony's anime production firm Aniplex.-History:The studio was established by Sony's animation production division, Aniplex, on May 9, 2005, to animate its anime series and productions. In 2006, it co-produced the original production Zenmai Zamurai,...

.

Jun Matsumoto

Jun Matsumoto

, often called by the portmanteau nickname , is a Japanese idol, singer, actor and radio host. He is a member of Japanese boy band Arashi and is best known to Japanese television drama audiences for his portrayal as Tsukasa Dōmyōji in the Hana Yori Dango series, in which he won GQ Japan's Man Of...

, known for his involvement in Blood+

Blood+

Blood+, pronounced as "Blood Plus", is an anime series produced by Production I.G and Aniplex and directed by Junichi Fujisaku. The series premiered in Japan on Sony's anime satellite channel, Animax, as well as on terrestrial networks such as MBS, TBS, and RKB on October 8, 2005. The final episode...

, 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."

The first opening theme song to the series is "Breakin' Through", performed by Shūhei Kita, as winner of the Animax Anison Grand Prix

Animax Anison Grand Prix

The is a Japanese anime song music competition, organized by Animax, in association with Jupiter Telecommunications.-Outline:The annual competition is first held across a series of preliminaries in several Japanese cities, with the chosen finalists performing at a final round, which will be...

, while the first ending theme song was "Suicides Love Story", performed by Nana Kitade

Nana Kitade

Nana Kitade , is a Japanese singer-songwriter and musician. She has had success as a solo artist, model, actress, fashion designer, and the lead singer of the Germany based noise pop band, "Loveless"....

. The second opening theme and ending theme songs, from episode 14 onwards, were "Word of the Voice", performed by Flow

Flow (band)

Flow is a Japanese rock band, that formed in 1998 and signed on to Sony Music Japan's Ki/oon Records label. Flow is a five-piece band made up of two vocalists, a drummer, a bassist and a guitarist...

, and "Found Me", by Yumi Kawamura, respectively.

Staff

The following are involved in the creation of the show.

• Original work: Persona 3 (Atlus
  Atlus
  is a Japanese computer and video game developer, publisher, and distributor based in Tokyo, Japan, best known for developing the console role-playing game franchise Megami Tensei. The first Megami Tensei was a Nintendo Entertainment System video game published by Namco based on a trilogy of...
  
  )
• Planning: Kōichirō Natsume, Masao Takiyama
  Masao Takiyama
  is president and representative director of the Japanese anime satellite television network Animax, AXN Japan and Mystery Channel, each subsidiaries of Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan .-Biography:...
  
  , 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
  Taku Iwasaki
  is a Japanese composer and arranger. His hometown is Tokyo, Japan. He is a graduate of Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. Iwasaki is generally known for his jazz-like score music.-Anime:...
  
  
• Music production: Aniplex
  Aniplex
  , formerly known as Sony Pictures Entertainment Visual Works Inc. and Sony Music Entertainment Visual Works Inc., is a Japanese anime and music production and distribution enterprise owned by Sony Music Entertainment Japan and established in January 1997...
  
  
• 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
  A-1 Pictures
  is a Japanese animation studio, a subsidiary of Sony's anime production firm Aniplex.-History:The studio was established by Sony's animation production division, Aniplex, on May 9, 2005, to animate its anime series and productions. In 2006, it co-produced the original production Zenmai Zamurai,...
  
  
• Director: Jun Matsumoto
• Production: Persona -trinity soul- Production Committee (Aniplex
  Aniplex
  , formerly known as Sony Pictures Entertainment Visual Works Inc. and Sony Music Entertainment Visual Works Inc., is a Japanese anime and music production and distribution enterprise owned by Sony Music Entertainment Japan and established in January 1997...
  
  , Sony Pictures Entertainment
  Sony Pictures Entertainment
  Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc. is the television and film production/distribution unit of Japanese multinational technology and media conglomerate Sony...
  
  , We've, Movic
  Movic
  is a Japanese company which specializes in the publication of trading cards, figures, CDs, and other general media related to the anime industry. Movic is a part of the Animate group.-Anime involved in:*Ah! My Goddess: The Movie: Production...
  
  )

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

Darker than Black

is an anime television series, created, directed and written by Tensai Okamura and animated by Bones. It premiered across Japan from April 5, 2007 on MBS, TBS, and its affiliated broadcast stations, with its satellite television premiere in Japan on Animax in May 2007. The music for the series is...

.

External links

• Gyao's Official website
• Tokyo MX's Official website