Part 173: 12/4-12/6: Bad Redesign Central

Part 163: 12/4-12/6: Bad Redesign Central



Anon: Justice with Akechi!
Anon: Evil is destined to perish.
Anon: he shoulda confessed first
Anon: What a sore loser

Music: Disquiet




Yup. No matter where I go, I keep hearing election speeches.
It’d be fine if that was all…
Shido’s calling himself a brave hero who stood up to vile terrorists. Don’t make me laugh. He’s nothing but rotten scum.
It seems he’s been using the Phantom Thieves as ammunition for his political activities.
Only two weeks until elections…
And it’s been exactly two weeks since the news of Maaku’s suicide.



Just give the word when you’re ready and we’ll all come over!

All right, our goal for this update is to finish the rest of our Confidants so we can head into the Palace ASAP.



The United Future, led by Mr. Shido, has been dominating the other parties. Victory seems certain for them, and people have high hopes about having a new prime minister. As for Mr. Shido himself, he was once again out giving speeches, and…
At this rate, he’s gonna be the next prime minister! We have to make him have a change of heart!



Whaddya wanna do today, Maaku?




Let’s do the last thing on the promise list!



The last thing on the promise list… “Being OK without you around”… I think I wanna give it another shot. I’m comin’ for you, Akihabara!

Futaba Rank 10

Music: Home Electronics Store





I’m kinda nervous… but here I go! Time to make like a tree… and branch out!

Heh, that’s a cute pun.

Later…

Thirty minutes have passed… She’s still not back…



I’m starting to get worried…



Music: What’s Going On?




Guess that means I beat my mission, huh?
*nod*

Aww, I’m proud of you.

Y’know, it was the same Akihabara as before, but everything looked so different to me this time. ...It’s not just here though. My whole world is expanding. Every day brings new and different discoveries. The direction of Sojiro’s cowlick, the atmosphere of Yongen, the various types of coffee beans… Things might be the exact same as they were yesterday, but from my perspective, it’s all spinning. I knew it was possible… but I had never really felt that sensation before now. I just hope I can keep changing little by little… like everyone else does.




Oh, by the way… I got a text from Kana-chan saying she got a job at a convenience store. It sounds like she’s just happy to be living life like a normal teenager. Plus, she got study guides with the money she made! She’s gonna take the high school entrance exam! Even Kana-chan’s trying to step out into the world.




Hey! You said you’d give me a reward if I completed my promise list, remember!?




You know, I was looking in a bunch of stores thinking about what to buy… but it felt kinda weird. There were plenty of things I wanted, but it was all stuff I could get if I worked really hard. And after all… I already have something I wouldn’t have been able to get on my own.

Maaku shakes his head.



No… You’re forgetting. You gave me something really important.



Music: Sunset Bridge

You gave me my life back. It’s thanks to you that I learned I’m fine just as I am… and that I learned to trust my mom again. I was as good as dead, but you resurrected me. I want to use my work with the Phantom Thieves to return you the favor. And when I remember all the friends I’ve made… it’s like I’m tapping into some kind of unknown power!
I feel a strong bond with Futaba...



Music: The Spirit




This ability is identical to one of Rise’s abilities from Persona 4 Golden. Contrary to the description, this ability will totally nullify any attack, party-wide, that would kill a party member the first time it comes up. It also says “Chance,” but in my experience that chance seems to be 100 percent.

Sadly, Futaba doesn’t get the utterly busted Rank 10 ability of Rise’s that revived the protagonist with full HP and SP upon death, nor her third persona’s ability to just completely reveal the affinities of every enemy instantly. Man, Rise was broken in Golden. Miss ya, girl.



And, the requisite awakening.




Futaba at time feels more like a collection of quirks than a cohesive character, but she’s fun enough. Again, her VA is Erica Lindbeck.

Music: Swear to My Bones






Bye, sweet UFO.





Ah fuck, it’s a goth disco sun.



You probably know about the legend of Prometheus, the Greek Titan who created mankind from clay and later stole fire from the gods and gave it to man. The running theme here is blatantly about “forbidden knowledge,” which is more than most of the ascended Personas get so I’ll take it.

Music: What’s Going On?



Feel free to tell me anything. I’ll do whatever I can to help. I’m serious, OK!?




And…! I never said I was gonna let my reward go unclaimed!



So, lemme see… How ‘bout a month’s supply of instant yakisoba!? Pretty good deal, huh!? I don’t wanna order it off the net though! Let’s go look for it in the real world! Now I know how much fun walking around can be!




The rather unceremonious final skill Prometheus gets for ascending is… Treasure Skimmer, which lets us detect if an enemy has a rare item at the start of battle. This can be claimed through stealing with a melee attack using Morgana’s Pickpocket ability, or more easily through negotiation. Interestingly, if an enemy has a rare item and you know about it from this ability, you cannot ask for money, they’ll just give you the item if you try.

Still, not much to write home about. I wonder why they didn’t make Final Guard the Prometheus skill and Treasure Skimmer the Confidant ability.

Music: Beneath the Mask





At around this point I realize that I have just enough time left in the game to finish the rest of the video games and get that trophy. So, let’s do that. There’s some things, like fishing, that we just won’t have time for, though. More for NG+!

Music: Star Forneus



Apparently there’s a way to shoot double lasers from your ship to make things a little easier…



I don’t give a crap about integrity, I just wanna get this bullshit done.

I see… I guess I understand how you might be frustrated about not being able to beat the game.



Good, good… It looks like you’re on course to beat it. Oh… There aren’t many enemies left. Is the boss coming up? There it is…! That’s a lot of tentacles… You can’t hit the core without destroying them first.



The cheat halves the number of button presses, so this takes 15 instead of 30.



Nice! You destroyed all the tentacles, and the core too!



It wasn’t really very exciting with that technique…

Shut up, cat. Maaku gains Guts +2.



Anon: We’ll finally have peace
Anon: AKECHI IS BAE!!!
Anon: c’mon, leak his name!
Anon: kid had it coming, lol

Music: Suspicion



Did you watch that TV special about the heroes who took down the Phantom Thieves? I saw it too! It did make me like Akechi-kun more, but honestly now I’m a really big fan of Shido-san!
If he was my boss, I’d follow him no matter where he went.



They’re crazier about Shido than ever before… When I think about how he used us… Dammit! It pisses me right the hell off. Well… it’ll be fine. The better his reputation gets, the more I look forward to tearin’ it all down. We’ll make him own up to all this bullshit. Then they’ll see who the real heroes are.

Music: Disquiet



Now, your trial should take your extenuating circumstances into account. But, why did you suddenly decide to tell me?
It’s because… I wanted to eat katsudon.
Come on, that’s why!? Oh, hey, did they give you katsudon to eat while you were in jail?

Nope! What a letdown!

Apparently, Japanese police really do give suspects katsudon in an attempt to get confessions. If you didn’t get that one “EAT THE CUTLET” joke from Pop Team Epic, well, you do now.



Have you decided on your plans for today?





You see, I entered my piece into Kawanabe’s competition. Moreover, it was accepted. The resulting exhibition is actually going on as we speak. Come, let us go. It is being held at the same museum as last time.

Yusuke Rank 10



I guess all that shit about how it didn’t matter if he won was irrelevant!



Yes. This is the true heart of humanity.

It looks fucking badass.

Music: Sunset Bridge

The title is “Desire and Hope.” What do you think?



I added aspects that were previously lacking. This light… is all of you. The title lists hope, but in my mind, it’s a much more concrete thing. I can’t believe I didn’t realize that until now…



You…
…It’s a good painting.
Huh?
It’s not trying to be eccentric for the sake of being eccentric, like the last time.

“Jesus, that last painting was so bad it made me want to die. What a shitshow. Oh yeah, this one’s good I guess.”

To think the same painting can change this much…



...It is.
“Desire and Hope”… I see. Beauty and ugliness… Humans are creatures that possess both. It seems you understand that.

Man, what a shitty critic this dude is if the only paintings he approves of are ones that regurgitate his own view of the world back to him.

What are you playing at?



I apologize. Although my intent was to encourage you, it WAS rather crude. Still, I believed that this ploy needed to be done in order to ignite your competitive spirit.
But… why would you do that? What’s your objective?
I wanted to do something for you as another person who is free from Madarame’s chains. That’s all.
Huh?



To start, I couldn’t get anyone to rent me space for exhibits… He caused me no end of hardship.
So that’s why…




If only he had your strength…



...Madarame and I go back a long way. First as classmates, then as teachers at the same art school. He used to have a noble spirit. Said he wanted to aim for the top of the art world one day.
……
But in the end, even the art world has its share of politics… Those who are cunning win. Our hearts were stained black in that manner.



I was shocked when I heard that he took you in. He never liked children, you see.



This happened just before we cut all ties from each other, but I got a call from him.



Sensei...

Aww, the man who let his mother die cared about Yusuke, deep down.



“He was a good man deep down” lol fuck off



I don’t want any more losers like me or misguided winners like him being born from this world. That’s why I started this foundation. So how about it? Would you like our support? *chuckle* Without the overbearing marketing production, of course.




What!?

Huh. What makes you say that?
I am not Madarame. I won’t be stained by desire. After all, I can see hope. If I am lost, they will extend their hands. If I am wrong, they will chastise me. ...As long as I have my rays of hope to guide me, I will be fine.

What the fuck are you on about, take the damn money! One of the two weird, bad jokes that comprise most of your character is that you can’t afford to eat!

...Hah. Madarame really did have a good eye. Hahahahaha!

Kawanabe walks away, surely in shock about what a fucking idiot Yusuke is.




For declining his offer? It IS a tad wasteful of me to decline. Still, I believe it’s for the best. ...I feel contradictory, but that’s the human heart, correct? ...Interesting. That’s exactly what I should be painting. It must have been troublesome dealing with me. But for some reason, I knew that you wouldn’t abandon me until everything was said and done. Thank you, Maaku.
I feel a strong bond with Yusuke...



Music: The Spirit







Yusuke is sadly probably the “least” character in the game, in that he doesn’t have much of a coherent personality, barely talks in most group scenes, and honestly doesn’t stand out at all. Not to say I dislike him, but where characters like Makoto and Ryuji get tons of focus, he’s sadly sidelined, including in gameplay by me. What a shame. Anyway, Yusuke is voiced by the ever-present Matthew Mercer. Dude’s a fucking legend at this point, mad props to that guy.

Also, here’s the best Yusuke-related thing in the entire game:



I’ve only ever seen this portrait ripped from the game files, never in-game. I’d say it’s just a piece of cut content, but The Cutting Room Floor doesn’t list it anywhere on its site (which you absolutely should not visit if you don’t want to be spoiled), meaning it’s possible that it actually is used somewhere. Huh. Whatever, I’m posting it here because it’s goddamn hilarious, ‘nuff said.



Music: Swear to My Bones





Goodbye, pompadour.




Wow! It’s a lame character design!



Yusuke! You can’t steal Yosuke’s Persona, silly!

Kamu Susano-o is a long way of writing the name Susano-o, or Susanoo. Susanoo is the Shinto god of storms, the son of Izanagi and the brother of Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi, the goddess of the sun and the god of the moon. Just like Yosuke’s third Persona upgrading to Takehaya Susano-o from Susano-o wasn’t actually changing anything but how long and deferential his name was, there is no real difference between Susanoo and Kamu Susano-o. Kamu, in fact, is just an archaic Japanese term meaning “god.” It’s honestly really fucking lame to me that they couldn’t even be bothered to give Yusuke an evolved Persona they hadn’t done yet, but that kind of speaks to how much effort they put into Yusuke in general.

What if we had a dude who… liked art? Man, I don’t know.
Fuck it.

Music: What’s Going On?




I’ll extend my assistance to you, should you ever stumble.
*nod*
Now then, shall we go? In order for me to learn more about the heart, we need to work hard in our thief business.



Kamu Susano-o’s resistances improve: it now blocks Ice and resists Wind. It also learns Evade Fire to triple its Fire dodge rate, which we sub out Speed Master to fit in.

Music: Beneath the Mask





Music: Star Forneus






We’ve already beaten a lot of enemies…! But be careful. The boss should be up ahead.



You’ve come this far… You can’t afford to get beaten now!



All right, you managed to survive. Is this really the end though…?



Wh-Whoa… It’s the last boss! Give this all you’ve got!




Music: Everyday Days



Maaku gains Guts +2.




...We cheated, though.

...This is a promotion from years ago though. There’s probably no point in doing it now. But I guess it wouldn’t hurt to write it down anyway. Maybe some antique game stores go for that…




Anon: A worthy end for a villain
Anon: Suicide by gun…? Scary…
Anon: kid had it coming, lol
Anon: he went down easy



Did you already decide who you’re voting for?
I see Shido’s as popular as ever.
Is there even any point in anyone else running?
His approval rating went up again. How high will it go?

Anon: kid had it coming, lol
Anon: the cops are so incompetent
Anon: he went down easy
Anon: he got what was coming
Anon: So did he do it or not!?

Music: So Boring



With Akechi-kun and Shido-san, it feels like some heroes have been born this year!
That’s right. The turning point of any era is when a hero is born.

That seems like a harmful ideology!

They address everyone’s fears and worries and skillfully carry out a revolution. Representative Shido is like that, don’t you think?
A hero? Him? ...Don’t make me laugh. This is getting really bad. We need to make everyone realize it.

Music: Disquiet



Let’s head over to the retro game shop in Akihabara and see what we can do with that code for beating Star Forneus. Nobody has to know we totally cheated like a scrub!



That prize postcard and password…! Whoaaa… You beat “Star Forneus”!? This is the very first game to feature “rapid-fire”! Oh, and it started this high score craze! Yeah, players went nuts trying to figure out the secrets and game mechanics to outscore each other! Yes, this is the game that defined the shooting genre! It’s a masterpiece! Oh, I have some prizes left from back then, so I can exchange them with that postcard for you!



...Ah, sorry. I got all pumped without realizing it. Were there any games you wanted to check out?

Nope!



The Forneus Badge gives us a high Physical evasion rate. Cool.



Next, let’s go see Haru and pick up our veggies (only one day late!).




We have fourteen carrots now. Fucking hell.





So, what’s the plan for today?





I have a magazine shoot today… It’s a special on me and Mika! “Up Close and Personal with Two Popular Models”!

Awwwwwwwwww yes, Mika time! ...Oh yeah, and Ann will be there too, I guess.

I want you to be there for it. It’s over at Seaside Park. Let’s go.

Music: Wicked Plan

This next scene is part of Ann’s Rank 10 Confidant, but it isn’t voiced for some reason. I really only do the max rank videos to show off the voice acting, so the video won’t include it.





What’s going on here?



Oh right, you fell victim to it too. Is it OK if I tell her, Mika-chan?
Yeah…

I know I don’t normally create separate portraits for each expression because this would be a fucking nightmare otherwise, but Mika owns so whatever.

Do you remember a while back when a bunch of models weren’t showing up to our shoots?
Oh yeah, I remember.
Well, apparently Mika-chan was posing as our agency and telling them the shoot locations changed.



That seems really easy to detect! Damn, girl, I thought you were at least more thorough about covering your tracks. I’m honestly disappointed.

We had heard rumors that she might have been doing it… but we thought people were just jealous of her. I mean, those shoots she filled in for really boosted her popularity. Anyway, I asked her about it today… and all she had to say was “I’m sorry.”
What I did was really terrible. I caused so much trouble for everyone… But I’m gonna start working even harder from now on, I promise…
*sigh* Anyway, let’s get started. You’re ready to go, right?

That’s right! No punishment! Remember kids, cheat to win!






There it is! There’s the stone-hearted woman I crave!

This industry’s overflowing with models. Without an in, your career will never get off the ground. Chances don’t come to those who wait. You have to make your own luck if you want to succeed.
You really are something…
It’s your own fault for getting the boot. If you can’t crawl your way back up, you may as well go home.



...You talk big, but they still found out about your fake emails.
Sure, but all I had to do was offer a teensy apology. It would’ve been dumb to try and hide it from them. Anyway, they can’t sack me now. I’m gonna get even more popular, even if it means being detested for my actions.



Music: Sunset Bridge

*giggle* You’re just like the villains I used to admire when I was a kid. Beautiful, strong… and wicked. Honestly, I just can’t bring myself to hate you.
Well I don’t have any trouble hating you.
Sorry Mika, but your hard work is only gonna get you to second place. I’m going to be the number one model. You might be more popular right now, but I’ll take that spot from you fair and square.
Hm…





Ann and Mika are both beaming at the camera...




It’s Mika! Oh, and Ann too! They’re both so cute…!



They might have some natural beauty, but they’ve gotta be exercising to have those bods!



Something’s changed in Ann-chan, huh?





So… how was I?




I know I said I want to be the number one model, but I’m OK with that not happening just yet. For now, I just want to keep improving, one step at a time. Then someday down the line, I’ll be able to look at myself with pride. Hopefully people will see that confidence, and draw strength from it. I’m gonna be a ray of light for the people of this planet… Just like you and Shiho are for me…




Maaku, you’re… my light.



Got it!



*nod*

Ann Rank 10




Back when I met Shiho, when she saved me… I realized that personal relationships are something to be treasured. That’s why I’m not going to run away anymore. I’ll face myself head on. This time, it’s my turn to help someone. But… I’m still kinda worried. Do you think you could help me, Maaku?




You can lean on me too, if you need it…



*giggle*



Did we not before? Was that some grand issue we had to overcome?

I’m so glad I met you…
I feel a strong bond between me and Ann...



Music: The Spirit







Ann is… okay, look. I’m not really sure how I feel in regards to Ann because she makes very little impact. She, like her Confidant, is often just a mishmash of different tropes and ideas that don’t really cohere. For heaven’s sake, the fact that she’s half-white barely factors into her character in any kind of explicit way, which is weird for a game ostensibly about outsiders. Honestly, thinking about that part now makes it seem kind of weird and fetishistic and I don’t wanna go too far down that road because hoo boy, I could say that about a lot of things in this game.

Also, for some reason my eyes totally glaze over reading Ann’s whole deal about becoming the very best model like no one ever was, even though I was totally on board for Rise’s whole idol deal, which was at least as totally unrelatable. Maybe because I liked Rise and she felt like more of a character? Oh well, her clover hoodie is cool I guess. Ann is voiced by Erika Harlacher, in case you forgot.



Music: Swear to My Bones





Goodbye, cigar chomp.




And hello Chain Chomp!



Grant us eyes, grant us eyes…



Hecate is a badly designed Persona! No but for real, Hecate is a Greek goddess associated with *checks notes* crossroads, entranceways, light, magic, witchcraft, knowledge of herbs and poisonous plants, motherfucking ghosts, necromancy, and sorcery. She’s also the chief of the witches in Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The weird doggos there are a reference to her common depiction as being attended to by dogs. I looked her up on Wikipedia and apparently she “eludes definition” which is as close you’re gonna come to getting that site to say “man I don’t know what the fuck.”

Music: What’s Going On?





Not really the issue I had there, but OK.

Anyway, let’s eat before our food gets cold! Time to dig in!



We give Ann Evade Ice to replace Burn Boost. Her resistances have also upgraded so she nullifies Fire and resists Electricity.

Music: Beneath the Mask




The polls for each election ward have remained the same though.
Does this mean Shido’s victory is guaranteed?
That would be the case.
I wonder if voting will shift if Shido has a change of heart…
Nobody’ll vote for him once they find out he’s a criminal.
Assuming they find out before they vote.
That’s the important part.



Yeah, I’m sure it’ll happen beforehand!

We should probably, uh, go before we say stuff like that.

All we can do is change his heart.
We should be able to put a stop to this if we succeed…



Oh, was it? I probably have no choice but to give up at this point. None of my opponents ever trembled while playing me, so I’m actually sort of jealous now.





Let’s move on to Punch Ouch.

Music: Punch Ouch



By the way, haven’t you read that secret technique book? There’s a way to increase the time you have for the inputs, making the game easier to beat, right?



Let’s do this legit at least once.

Spoken like a true warrior. Good luck!



How’re you feeling? I’ll be responsible for training you today! Listen closely to what I’ve got to tell you! We’ll start today by reviewing the basics!

(I probably should have used a picture of Mickey Goldmill since the character is “Wrinkled Old Man” but fuck you, it’s Doc Louis)

(I also probably should have used a picture of Doc Louis from the original Punch Out!! but they were all framed weirdly)

(Shut up)

Ohhh… So there’s a practice stage before you get to the real action later.
First up is sway. You’ll need to predict your opponent’s attacks, and dodge ‘em! Now, sway around my attack, then smack me with a counterpunch! ...Here we go!




Simple.

Hrgh! G-Good job… You moved well. Remember how to do that. Next up is the flurry! Gimme some fast consecutive hits! A small guy like you’s gonna have to focus on quick attacks over heavy-hitting punches! Now aim at my glove… and hit!




Gnh! A-All right, good job! M-Make sure you keep working at it though! Sway to dodge attacks, then use that opportunity to unleash a brutal flurry of punches… That’s gonna be your golden combo! All right, now give me a sway and a flurry in combination! ...Let’s go!



Nice dodge! Now on to the flurry!



Hrngh…! *cough* *cough* G-Good work! You’re in incredible shape! I hope you can do this in your matches too!

I think we’re gonna kill Doc Louis you guys

Interestingly, as this is the practice stage, you can fail here to a certain extent and still clear the level. Failing any input will give you a second chance, while failing either of the first two inputs (the sway and the flurry separately) will simply move you to the next stage. Failing the sway immediately followed by the flurry will give you a choice if you want to continue, then presumably fail you if you mess it up again.

Music: Everyday Days



Maaku gains Charm +2. Figure that one out.