Whether you have played the game already or you are new to Persona 4, the manga successfully executes the murder-mystery story all on its own and is a great read.
What is Persona 4 all about?
There is a rumor. If you turn on the television at 12:00AM on a rainy night, you will be able to tune in to the ‘Midnight Channel’, a paranormal phenomenon that will show you your ‘soul mate’.
But the ‘Midnight Channel’ also shows people who are about to die.
A group of high school students take it upon themselves to form an investigation team to find out just what is behind the gruesome murders that have been plaguing their town.
Inevitably, they stumble across much more than they bargained for: dark truths, intense self-discovery, and a good deal of peril.
For the veteran fans:
Because Persona 4 has a silent protagonist, his personality is largely up to the player and thus ends up appearing rather neutral and indistinct.
Adaptations, like the Persona 4 manga, result in more specific characterization that provides a different interpretation of the original game, filling in some of the spaces, exploring new details, etc.
A simple example of this is the protagonist’s name.
For the manga, Sogabe Shuuji chose the name Seta Souji. Later on, Persona 4 the Animation presented the fans with a different name: Narukami Yu. Both are slightly different interpretations of the same character.
There is a different kind of richness to the character interactions when the main character has a defined name, voice, and set dialogue. Rather than being an extension of the player like he is in the game, he becomes a character with his own story.
It isn’t just about the main character, either. The manga explores the background stories of all the characters in ways that the game does not.
It is an entirely different mode of storytelling which lets you have a fresh experience of Persona 4.
Even if you’ve already played the game, and/or watched the animated series, the manga both adds a whole new dimension and is also valuable all on its own.
