Click Here for Update 29
: On the night of 06/11, we get another Igor cutscene. These are basically just glorified “Hey you got a new ability” scenes. Incidentally, this is more or less exactly how I felt after that last update.
: “In other words, they all have been unfairly labeled by society and are standing up against such fates.”
: To the point where almost every character in this game has an identical backstory.
: “Have you noticed? They seem to have influenced you.”
: I suppose we can now put Igor into the “Like Sonic” category of Sega characters. As opposed to the “Unlike Sonic/Doesn’t Chuckle” category.
: “Picaresque”, by the way, refers to a Spanish literary genre that’s apparently about showing the lives of common people through the daily adventures of a roguish hero.
: Atlus misuses this word a lot in that the DLC that adds the older primary party member Personas adds “Picaro” after their name for no apparent reason - “Orpheus Picaro”, “Izanagi Picaro”, etc.
: “Those will become the strength behind your rehabilitation… I look forward to it. I shall grant you an ability befitting of your newfound growth. Consider it a gift. May you continue devoting yourself to further rehabilitation.”
: The reason I didn’t just skip right to the new ability (which will make it much easier to keep all the Personas around we’ll need for confidants) is that there’s a lot of “nothing” dialogue like this in the game.
: This is one of the reasons I got turned off to the plot when I played the base game. Sega as a whole has a lot of problems with this: the Yakuza games do the same thing.
: “May I talk to you for a moment?”
: “Is it about the Phantom Thieves.. Akechi-kun?”
: “…You’re quite perceptive. I was wondering if there were any points in common between Kamoshida and Madarame’s cases. There have been victims, after all. The Phantom Thieves need to be pursued.”
: Okay, Hashino? We ALREADY FUCKING KNOW THIS! There was a giant fucking cutscene two days ago! We don’t need to hear more about it, especially when it does nothing to advance the plot!
: “You criticize the Phantom Thieves, yet you don’t doubt their actual existence.”
: “Oh, you saw that show on TV.”
: Yes, TWICE in fact! TWICE! Shut the fuck up already and let’s get to actual fucking gameplay!
: “Common sense can get in the way at times when pursuing the truth. Many details become logical if I think on the premise that they do exist.”
: “Is this.. because my sister told you to do so?”
: “It was just a coincidence.”
: The worst part is, this is basically one of the Adachi cutscenes in Persona 4, and it’s pretty clear they’re going for the “assistant cop as adversary” thing again, because Hashino is a hack.
: “Why do I get the feeling that you’re enjoying this?”
: “…You may be right.”
: “Huh?”
: “You have such high self-esteem. So the Phantom Thieves are evil, and you are just?”
: “Compared to people who manipulate others’ hearts as they see fit, I believe I’m on the side of justice.”
: There’s a line from Psycho Killer by The Talking Heads that goes: “You’re talking a lot, but you’re not saying anything / When I have nothing to say, my lips are sealed / Say something once? Why say it again?”
: What I’m saying is that someone should’ve written that on a whiteboard in the writing room for this game, and then tasered anyone who repeats dialogue like this.
: Someone also should have done that for the Allansons, except instead of the taser going off every time they repeat dialogue, it’s just constantly going off. All the time.
: “Besides, I’m only using my natural-born talents for the sake of serving the world. Don’t you think the same about yourself too?”
: “…Looks like it’s starting soon. See you later. Give Sae-san my regards.”
: “You could stay here until you find a place, you know. I can’t promise it’d be comfortable here though.”
: “Thank you, but I’ll return to the dorms. I realized something after talking with everyone last night. Perhaps it’s due to my upbringing, but I don’t know anything of the world, let alone other people.”
: “If I’m to depict people in my art, I need to learn more about them; I must interact with them more.”
: “I’ll return to the dorms.. and start over by talking with the people closest to me.”
: And now you’re gonna give it all you got, start to knock, shout for Joker to open the lock? Just gotta knock a little harder, break through the door?
: “I see. Good on you for realizing that yourself.”
: “There’s no need to exaggerate. May I come again sometime to enjoy your coffee?”
: “My doors are always open.”
: “Akira’s been through a lot too, from what I’ve heard… are you related to him?”
: “Huh? Oh… how would I describe it.. we’re just acquaintances. Not family or anything.”
: “I may be overstepping my bounds, but why did you decide to take him in?”
: “My reason, huh… probably because.. he reminds me of my old self.”
: “That’s all?”
: “Your art instructor - um, ‘former’ art instructor.. he must’ve felt something for you too, besides just stealing your talents.”
: “Truth be told… I cannot hate him from the depths of my heart either. I should probably get going…”
: “Even if I kept it at the dorms, it’d only be met with skepticism. I doubt it would want that. Adding a hint of color to an otherwise ordinary day.. I’m sure my mother would’ve done the same.”
: I hate that we had to suffer through a shitload of nothing dialogue to get to actual plot/character development.
: “…I see. I’ll hold on to it for you then.”
: “Thank you for the coffee.”
: Inside, Joker is disappointed, yet relieved that he no longer has to deal with the metaphorical car.
: “That kid ended up going back to his dorms.”
: “And this painting is amazing. Not only is the mother stunning, but the expression on her face… the regulars will probably freak out when they see it in here.”
: “Still… I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere. It’s a bit different from how I remember it, though.. well, if you’re up for the day, go on and get dressed. I opened shop hours ago, so go take the cat out somewhere.”
: “So, Yusuke went home, huh? Oh well, I guess that’s best.”
: This Mementos request unlocks from working at the convenience store three times.
: And as if that wasn’t already enough incoming IMs, there’s even more.
: “Plus it would be bad if the chief knew you were out in the middle of the night.”
: “There’s no way… who would go after a shop like this?”
: Well, that’s over.
: Can’t forget to grip and sip.
: We also need to head to the sports store in the Underground Mall and buy some stuff for pool.
: The first is the “Expert Billiards” book, and the second is the Jump Cue. This totals 51,500 yen of expenditures, and is why we grinded so much money in Madarame’s dungeon.
: Ann’s confidant has this weird thing I kind of forgot about where a lot of it is about her visiting Shiho in the hospital.. which can still happen like, six or seven months into the game.
: “Oh, but I probably can’t take a crepe into the hospital, huh…”
: Fun story about this, my grandfather had to go to the hospital once (nothing major) and he filled his pockets with pound cake so he’d have something to eat after he woke up from the procedure. I figure if you can smuggle in two pockets full of pound cake you can probably smuggle in a crepe.
: “I… really want one though.. do you think maybe Shiho would want one too?”
: “R-right.. it might be half off, but I should try to control myself… Shiho might have rehab today too. They probably wouldn’t even let her eat it.”
: “Oh yeah, I forgot to mention - Shiho started her physical rehab. She pushed it up ahead of schedule. I think it’s because I told her about how I want to get stronger.”
: “She said she was gonna start working hard too.. I haven’t actually seen any of her rehab sessions yet though…”
: “Uhhh, that’s not good!”
: “Sorry, something just came up! That was from my agency. One of the models didn’t show for a magazine shoot they’re doing. They’re looking to wrap up soon, so I’m gonna head over now to fill in.”
: “…It’s pretty close though. Wanna come with? Actually, let’s just go! I’ll race you there!”
: Joker can never attend a photoshoot for fear that he’ll end up on the cover of a magazine and become a teen heart-throb.
: “After I saw you in last year’s show, I just.. sniff.. Oh, I think I’m gonna cry…”
: “U-Um.. it really wasn’t a big deal. That fashion show was tiny…”
: “By the way, I’m Mika. And please, no honorifics. I might be older, but you have loads more experience, Ann-senpai.”
: “All right, M-Mika… haha, it feels a little weird saying it like that…”
: “Oh, and you don’t need to use ‘senpai’ with me. A-Anyway, uh.. it’s nice to meet you?”
: “Likewise, Ann-chan. giggle You’re so nice. Hey, can you teach me how to be a better model? You know, your everyday routines, stretches…”
: “Routines? You mean like.. singing in the shower..?”
: “O-oh, is that all you do? Then, what kinda stuff do you eat? I’ve been looking all over for a place to import some organic green almonds… plus I’m getting suuuper tired of eating quinoa. Do I need to like, boil it in hard water or something?”
: Gotta activate the almonds.
: “Um, almonds? I only ever eat those when they’re covered in chocolate.. and hard water? Isn’t it kinda tough to boil ice?”
: “… Do you weigh yourself?”
: “Oh, of course! Once a year for the health examinations at school.”
: She’s made of a substance more dense than a black hole.
: “So.. you’re gonna keep it all a secret from me, huh?”
: “Th-That’s not it! I just don’t really think about that stuff…! It has nothing to do with not trusting you. It’s more that modeling is a hobby for me.”
: Has anyone seen Yuriko since Persona 1? Do we know that she actually died (again) in Thanatos Tower and didn’t escape somehow?
: “W-Wait, I…”
: “I love this magazine! Everyone tries so hard to make sure their product is the best…!”
: “But.. you guys work so much harder than me… and I’m still the one getting comforted.. sniff”
: “H-Hold on…”
: “H-Hey, I didn’t…”
: “Don’t worry. I.. I can do it alone! I read the concept docs on my way here.. sniff”
: “Y-You’re so mean, Ann-chan! Do you really hate me that much!?”
: So wait, they really think Ann showed up to a photo shoot just to… not do it? Who even does that?
: “But…”
: “Yeah.. but maybe it’s because deep down, I’m not actually that invested in modeling… she sees straight through that.”
: “Anyway, I totally ruined the shoot.. but still, wasn’t Mika’s fake crying pretty incredible?”
: “Oh, maybe that’s what I’m missing…! I-I dunno though, I think I’m pretty good at fake crying myself. I know the perfect technique.”
: “Either way, I think I’ll be able to use that ability to our advantage in the Metaverse! I’ll turn my failure today into positive energy going forward!”
: This is easily THE most useless ability in the game. In order for this to ever come up, you’d have to be in a very specific situation, where:
-
1: You got ambushed by an enemy and Kasumi’s ability to turn ambushes into not-ambushes doesn’t trigger.
-
2: An enemy managed to use a weakness attack before you do and uses that to take someone hostage.
-
3: You aren’t connected to the internet and can’t just use the Thieves Guild “automatically un-hostage me” button which works every single time, up to 3 times per dungeon visit.
-
4: You’re willing to give up money instead of just letting the enemy kill your party member and reviving them, which doesn’t cost money.
: Considering the last time this happened was in Kamoshida’s dungeon before I got the ability to use stealth.. yeah, no this isn’t ever going to happen again unless there’s some scripted shit in the stuff Royal added in.
: “Speaking of the Metaverse… I’m gonna try super hard in my work with the Phantom Thieves too! But for now, I should go stop by and see Shiho at the hospital. Thanks for today! Bye!”
: Before we go on with our evening plans, we can stop and talk to this guy in the back alley in Kichijoji.
: This guy’s name is Sakai, and he’s basically Snuggly the Crow (from Dark Souls 1) in human form.
: On certain calendar dates, Sakai will show up here and offer to trade items. Usually, he wants stuff that’s only available to buy on certain days - like the imported protein we picked up a few days ago.
: I should mention that most of his trades are kinda pointless.. except for one which is a near-requirement for 100% and would more or less be a permafuck if you don’t get it. I will point out which one that is when we get to it.
: The Decorative Whip is surprisingly strong for this point in the game, even though by the next dungeon we’re never going to be using physical attacks or guns again, unless something is weak to one of those.
: Oh christ that’s disgusting.
: I’m not sure which is worse, this or the reindeer in The Snow Queen.
: Tonight, we’re doing Yoshida again. We have a very good reason to do this before the third dungeon - you’ll see why.
: “To make your decisions based simply on loss and gain is to act like a heartless machine. The reason so few people care about their fellow man is because so few have the energy to do so.”
: “We politicians have fallen short of our goal to change society. We need your support more than ever!”
: “Again, what I’d like to say is-”
: “You made a great comeback, though. You’re truly an inspiration.”
: “Oh, there’s no need for false praise to impress the boy here.”
: “…And what might that mean?”
: “Without honesty and good arguments, there can be no political justice!”
: This is like the time I met Ralph Nader and all I wanted to do was get out of the room as quickly as possible. He’s not a bad guy, just… yeah.
: “I intend to teach him everything I know. That’s what we agreed on.”
: Yes. Since we still can’t effectively confusion-farm for money, this ability is a godsend. From what I remember of my base game run, this ability was how I was able to afford Tae’s accessories.
: “We’re still not on speaking terms.”
: “Very well.”
: “Why did he have to mention that? Ah, my apologies. That’s all for today. Good job..”
: Oh boy, more nothing dialog.
: “What a mess.. past mistakes can really come back to bite you. It’s hard to feel like you’ve ever truly escaped them. Some people can fight their way back up, like Matsushita.. but many end up suffering under the weight of labels.”
: “Even after twenty years, I’m still nothing more than No-Good Tora.. but I will not give up! It’s true that I lost a lot, but.. I did learn a great many things along the way.”
: “Somewhere in the middle of it all, my old stubbornness was tempered into conviction. My one redeeming quality. That is why.. I want you to use your experiences to forge your own conviction.”
: “Yes. You’re still young, after all. You have a great deal more learning and growing to do. …Ah, I ended up talking longer than I expected. Well, until next time.”
: “Oh, right. I guess Shujin was in this direction too.. still, I wouldn’t have expected to run into you at this time. Perhaps it really is fate…”
: “How are you doing?”
: “Haha. Relaxed as always, I see. I’ve been getting interviewed a lot lately, so I’ve been wondering how to answer such questions…”
: “I see now that there’s no need to be so roundabout with my responses. Talking with you helps me realize many things. If it isn’t too much trouble, may I speak with you again sometime?”
: He’s like fucking Anime Jimmy Neutron. Anyway, there’s a glorified tutorial about Sakai coming up which I’m skipping.
: “It’s the only month of the year with no holidays, and it’s filled with rain - truly a season of hell. I’m exaggerating, you say? Haha. You’re all just ignorant. After all, what’s falling from the sky is acid rain that can melt metal.”
: A bit of clarification on this. For a long time (since the early 1970s) Japan has had a massive problem with acid rain. Part of the problem was that Japanese companies were putting out a lot of air pollution - but even once they cut down on emissions, the problem persisted. Why?
: The answer is actually a sensitive political issue, largely because of China’s involvement. China was (and still is) the largest producer of sulfur emissions in the world, even after taking steps to reduce them.
: Sulfur emissions from China get into the atmosphere and then cause acid rain to fall on Japan, meaning that to a large degree, Japan is dependent on its neighbors reducing their emissions to stop acid rain. The Japanese government has spent a ton of money in China trying to do that. As I understand it, South Korea is also an element, but to a lesser degree than China is.
: That’s not to say the Chinese are the only ones doing it - from the 1980s to 1990, one of the biggest issues between the United States and Canada was sulfur emissions from the US causing acid rain in Canada. I didn’t know until I started looking it up, but the Northeastern US used to be a hotspot for acid rain - the environment is largely recovering from that now.
: “Kurusu-kun. Let’s test your knowledge and imagination. When washing your hair with dissolved copper, your hair color changes. …What color do you think it turns?”
: If you’re curious about what it looks like, you can find a picture here.
: I should note that this question is kinda bullshit, because the only people that experience the green discoloration are typically blondes and people with bleached hair. In people with darker hair, you typically can’t see it.
: Oh, right. The place you’re mostl likely to have that happen (provided the copper pipes in your house aren’t fucked) is either if you have hard water and fill your pool with it without filtering out the minerals, or if you use copper as an algaecide.
: “That is correct. By the way, magnesium turns your hair white, and rust will turn your hair red. However, acid rain can’t melt gold or silver. If you want to dye your hair gold, use bronze coins.”
: “Thinking you could save money by skipping a visit to the hair salon? …It seems you still don’t understand the horrors of acid rain.”
: “London once had acid rain on the level of stomach acid. More than four thousand people died.”
: Goddamn, I’m talking more than he is for this one. This is only partially correct. What he’s referring to is an event known as the “Great Smog of London” which happened in early December of 1952.
: The Great Smog was not actually acid rain - it shares the same root cause (sulfur in the atmosphere) but was caused by a couple of completely windless days over London that caused emissions from people burning sulfur-rich coal to stall over the city.
: The resulting smog may have killed as many as 12,000 people, but it wasn’t from the acid so much as it was from fine particle matter in the air exacerbating existing respiratory issues.
: “Perhaps one day such a deathly rain will fall on Japan.. my heart, too, is overcast, just like the rain that falls on the city.. ah, rain!”
: “Niijima-san’s looking for you. Could you head to the student council room right away? She says there’s no report of a lost item, so she wants you to start filling out some paperwork.”
: “Telling me that isn’t going to get you out of this. The student council room is on the third floor, next to the library. Got it?”
: “What could she want…?”
: “…Have a seat.”
: “Mr. Kamoshida and Madarame. Won’t you tell me the truth behind the Phantom Thieves’ incidents?”
: “Can’t answer that? Ah, of course. There’s no way you would admit to such things. Have a listen.”
: What is she, Chris Hansen? I still remember when he got arrested in Connecticut because he wrote a bad check. Good times.
: This is why I’m glad Connecticut is a two-party consent state for recording.
: “…What could all this mean?”
: Couldn’t they like, just say they’re LARPing or something?
: “Was it blackmail? Hypnosis? How do you corner someone into making them confess? Won’t you tell me how you did it?”
: “…You want to say that this doesn’t prove anything, don’t you? I believe that you three are the Phantom Thieves. Now, what would the police think if they heard my recording?”
: “It’d be bad if we’re put under police surveillance. There’s no telling what’ll happen to you, too!”
: “If you confess the truth, I don’t mind just leaving this between the two of us. You’ll tell me, won’t you?”
: “That’s the same as admitting to it, you know.”
: This is so contrived it’s funny.
: “That idiot!”
: “As loud as always.. but his timing’s perfect. I’d like everyone else to hear this as well. Won’t you take me to your friends?”
: “I guess it can’t be helped now…”
: “What’s the meaning of this?”
: “I had him lead me here. Ryuji Sakamoto, Ann Takamaki… and you’re Kitagawa-kun, correct? Second-year at Kosei High and former pupil of Madarame?”
: She plays the clip of Ryuji again, only the game (mercifully) doesn’t subtitle it again.
: “An extremely similar technique was used for both Kamoshida and Madarame.. while those affected by their acts were just coincidentally meeting up. How could that not raise suspicions?”
: “What do you intend to do? Have you come just to say you’re going to report us?”
: “I bet someone told you to find us. The school can’t have ties to criminals, after all! And yet they turn a blind eye when it comes to suicide and sexual harassment.”
: “Huh?”
: “What?”
: “I’m the only one who knows about you. If you prove what you’re doing is just, I’ll erase this.”
: Classic mistake there, now they can kill you knowing that you have the only copy of the recording on you.
: “She wants to make a deal…”
: “There is someone whose heart I’d like you to change.”
: “Who?”
: “Hm, so you’re not saying it’s impossible. However, I cannot tell you that just yet. Let’s continue our talk after school tomorrow. On the roof. Assuming you accept my offer, that is.”
: “This is turnin’ into a real pain..”
: “Anything to say, Ryuji?”
: “Why’re you singlin’ me out? Ann got recorded too, y’know!”
: “I’m so sorry…”
: “Hey, what should we do? That girl’s got dirt on us…”
: “A recording seems to be insufficient evidence though. And even with that, there’s no way they could prove our methods.”
: Joker is attracted to Yusuke because Yusuke is the only person in the party who isn’t a complete idiot.
: “Considering who we’re dealing with, I think it might be a trap.”
: “Regardless, Akira would be in real trouble. He’s on probation, after all.”
: “Things’d get rough if we didn’t have our leader.. and I totally don’t wanna deal with the police…”
: “Then.. we have no other choice but to go along with it.”
: “Yes, it’s best we agree, at least for the time being. We made a crucial mistake.. but not a critical one. We’ll just have to recover from here on out.”
: “Yeah, yeah. My bad. So… we doin’ this?”
: “All right. We’re meetin’ on the school rooftop tomorrow, yeah?”
: “What about me? I could always sneak in if necessary.”
: “That’d draw too much attention. You should just wait outside, Yusuke.”
: “What could she be scheming?”
: “Be careful. She’s a shrewd one. We’d best be prepared for anything.”
: I actually checked afterward, and the devs apparently didn’t think to charge you for the trip to Kichijoji if you warp there via the confidant tracker.
: You might be asking why Akechi’s confidant scenes take place in Kichijoji - after all, Kichijoji wasn’t in the base game and Atlus didn’t re-write any of the original confidant cutscenes from the base game.
: The answer is that a lot of the locations in Kichijoji show up in Akechi’s confidant in the base game - so they were already fully modeled, you just couldn’t visit them outside of the confidant scenes. Man, Royal really is a cashgrab.
: I totally forgot about this, and when I looked something up involving the ability we’re going to get at the end of this cutscene, I realized WHY I forgot about it.
: The reason is that Akechi’s confidant was changed in Royal. In the base game, his confidant was an auto-confidant that progressed with the plot, like Morgana’s or Igor’s. Now he’s an optional confidant just like the rest, and is thus able to be the cause of a permafuck.
: “Well, I wouldn’t say I’m unoccupied, but I’m not busy all the time either. If anything, it’s my policy to spend my spare time in meaningful ways.”
: “Oh, my apologies. A break ace.”
: This is why I feel like pool is kind of a dumb game, because it’s possible to lose without ever doing anything.
: “Well, the 9-ball’s been sunk already, so..”
: “But that was just a coincidence, of course, so we can start over. That won’t count.”
: This choice matters and I have no idea why.
: “I win. That was a close one, though. I suppose it would have been embarrassing to lose as your senior, huh?”
: “Huh.. I’m honestly impressed you noticed. That’s right, this one’s my dominant hand. I switched hands during the game. It’s not anything against you. Going all-out against a junior just seems a bit gauche..”
: “But I confess you’ve surprised me. I’m rather dextrous with my right hand. I can even use chopsticks with it. Frankly, I didn’t expect you to see through it.”
: Akech is a discount Light Yagami and it totally shows.
: “Oh, so those glasses are just for the aesthetic, then? Or were you being metaphorical? You’re a hard one to read sometimes.”
: “In any case, you truly are interesting. You never cease to amaze me.”
: This is a new ability added for Royal - in the base game, Akechi’s confidant had no rewards associated with it, probably because it was automatic.
: It’s not super-valuable because soon we’ll have SP regeneration and can freely experiment with weaknesses (or, you know, use the wiki) but I guess it’s nice to have.
: “Well, see you.”
: “Our little game turned out to be more interesting than I expected. Barely anyone notices when I don’t use my dominant hand. I can only commend your powers of observation.”
: “I think you’d be an interesting influence on me. If you’re so inclined, we could go out again sometime.”
: I think we all know the correct answer is “I already have a boyfriend”.
: “Haha.. whatever works for you. As long as I can spend some time with you, think of it as you please. Well! I suppose I’ll reach out the next time something comes up. See you.”
: I tried looking up where we’d be at this point in the base game with Akechi, and the answer is I couldn’t find it - none of the guides mention it because it was an auto-confidant.
: The routing for the base game is wildly different: at this point in the base game, we’d be maxed out with Ryuji within a couple of days and nearly maxed out with Ann. We would’ve hit Rank 7 with Dr. Femdom weeks ago, before the end of Madarame’s dungeon.
: The reason this route is so different is because there’s more confidants, but also because of things like the outings with Caroline and Justine that weren’t in the base game.
: “Morning! Going to school now? I’m just heading home! The morning sun is too bright…”
: “I pulled an all-nighter. Journalist Ichiko Ohya works around the clock, you know! Well, you work hard on your studies.”
: “So, whose heart do you want us to change?”
: “A mafia boss.”
: “Mafia!?”
: “What’re you talkin’ about!?”
: The writers kind of wrote this like Makoto already knows that there’s supernatural shit involved, but at this point she doesn’t. Because she’s assuming they’re going to what.. blackmail a yakuza captain?
: “That’s what they call themselves. This group seems to be the cause of the rise in phishing scams. What’s worse, once you’re in their sights, they won’t stop threatening you until they get what they want.”
: “They’ll force you to take part in their scams, threaten your family, and ultimately destroy your life.”
: “Holy shit…”
: “It appears that their victims include some of our students.”
: “No!”
: “They primarily target juveniles.”
: “What’s their boss’s name?”
: “Nobody knows. The victims are being threatened not to testify, so even the police can’t get a grasp of the situation.”
: “That’s where you want us to start!?”
: “You should be able to pull it off.. if you’re really the righteous Phantom Thieves. Or is Akechi-kun correct when he says you act without justice?”
: I mean, what was he expecting? This is the guy who named his supernatural crime group John Persona.
: “Their main hub of activity is in Shibuya.. that’s all the information I have. You have two weeks. Once that has passed, I’ll submit all the evidence I have to the police and to the school.”
: “Hello, police? I have this recording of a couple of high schoolers.. what do you mean blackmail is illegal?”
: " ‘Don’t let me down…’ Dammit, she was just bossin’ us around."
: “Come on, we should get in touch with Yusuke.”
: “…! Why would Makoto.. bringing up my sister to upset me, are you? It seems there’s no limit to your duplicity.”
: “Fine. I’ll listen to everything you have to say before I decide the truth of your statements.”
: This is maybe the one time a Sae cutscene actually has a point.
: “The mafia? Hm..”
: “Can we really do this?”
: “…”
: “Either way, we have almost no information on the target. This guy’s a crime boss, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he had a Palace. Still…”
: Wait a second. Kazuma Kiryu was a Yakuza boss for like.. a day. I bet he has a palace wherein he imagines himself actually committing a crime or killing a man.
: Actually no, let’s be real here, his palace is the 80s version of Serena and his treasure is the record with Baka Mitai on it.
: “Isn’t this a prime opportunity, though?”
: “Even after we punished an evil man who seemed to be good, the public did not acknowledge us. However, if we take down an actual criminal, let alone a target the police don’t have answers for..”
: “Oh, right! That might make people believe in us!”
: “I get it! That means even Akechi’ll have to acknowledge us as the Phantom Thieves! Whaddya say, leader?”
: I’d say you haven’t learned a goddamn thing.
: Joker saw someone wearing a “be gay, do crimes” t-shirt once and now he’s getting ideas.
: “Well yeah, it’d be a pain if they came after you. But we don’t hafta deal with 'em directly! We just gotta do what we always do!”
: “Our time limit is two weeks, correct? We can’t afford to waste too much time. I’ll ask around Kosei and see if there are any victims.”
: “Okay, I know some girls who go to Shibuya pretty often. I’ll check with them about it.”
: “All right, and I’m gonna see what I can find on the net. That leaves our school up to you and Morgana. You figured out what to do during the whole Kamoshida thing, right?”
: “I’ll back you up.”
: Translation: He’ll be thirsty for Ann.
: “All right, let’s get back together at the end of the week once we’ve got all our info! I’ll get in touch with you guys later!”
: “We’re meeting in front of the school tomorrow, right? Don’t worry, I’m sure we’ll find something new!”
: Joker puts his hands on Yusuke’s shoulders, looks directly into his eyes, and goes “Yusuke, we need to start our own yakuza. The only rule in our code of honor will be that no animals will be allowed to thirst for human women.”
: Feeling a little lonely in that closet, Yusuke?
: “So if you’re heading homeward, I’ll accompany you.”
: “I’m glad I chose to leave it here.”
: “To put it bluntly, I am in need of your assistance.. please, listen to what I must say. Throughout my artistic career, there have been moments I’ve struggled with particular motifs or techniques. However, each of those struggles did eventually fade.”
: “Yet now I find myself in a similar situation… but the more I try to escape it, the worse it becomes. It seems I am trapped in what we in the art world call a ‘slump’.”
: That’s a funny way to pronounce “closet”.
: “Are you aware that I am attending Kosei on an art scholarship? Such coveted grants are not given as charity. I must continually achieve within my field to remain eligible.”
: “Were I to lose my scholarship… I would likely have no choice but to leave the school as well.”
: “In the earlier days of my career, I would exclusively paint what I desired, when I desired it. The only goal I had in mind was the pursuit of true beauty.. that goal is what drove me onward.”
: “I wanted nothing more than to attain the lustrous allure of the ‘Sayuri’ in my own work. Yet what reason do I have now? Holding on to my scholarship? Keeping a roof over my head?”
: “Worldly desires are all that spur my brush to move.. and the resulting work reflects such impurity of mind. To be honest, I am unsure as to whether I can call myself an artist anymore.”
: “…My apologies. It seems I got somewhat carried away there. But.. I simply cannot accept this lack of purpose in my work. That is why I am so upset with my own indecision. Such vague ambition is, in essence, a sin of sorts.”
: “Though I suppose allowing my young career to come to an end here would be even more sinful. I only wish to create a work I can be genuinely proud of…”
: “Yet no matter how hard I try to replicate it, an elegance so sweet remains elusive to me! Why is that, you ask? It is surely because the painter behind the work differs.. because the soul differs!”
: This entire conversation, by the way, is a very long-form way for the game to tell you that Yusuke is now available as a confidant.
: “But if my estimations are correct, the ‘soul’ is nothing but another way to speak of the human heart. What, then, is the heart? How does it bring forth such beauty? I must understand!”
: “What, then, is the heart? How does it bring forth such beauty? I must understand! …To be perfectly frank though.. I am unsure of how to do so.”
: Joker just looks at him and goes “I thought you’d never ask.”
: “You would!? Wonderful. At the moment, my art teacher has yet to notice any drastic changes in my work.. but I cannot hide forever. Impurity of the heart will undoubtedly seep onto an artist’s canvas eventually.”
: “I must go now. My curfew approaches.”
: Tonight, we’re supposed to go to the bathhouse. That is exactly what we do, and we’ve all seen it enough times to know the cutscene is the same every time.
: I stopped by the recycle shop and found out the game system was already in-stock, so let’s take a (non-canon) look at that. Remember, we do the bathhouse tonight and not this if you are following this for 100%.
: There’s a store that sells games in Akihabara, but we can’t get there yet.
: There’s a button mashing minigame I didn’t get to capture because both of my hands were on the controller. I’ll show it off when we actually do this later on.
: The game console increases your social stats just like watching the DVDs. The old 100% route for the base game never actually used it: you did it at the end of the game if you wanted a trophy for it.
: I looked at the current 100% guide, and it looks like we’ll have maxed out social stats sometime in September, meaning that around then we’ll start having a lot of free nights. I’ll probably do darts and the game console at that point.
: That isn’t to say the game’s schedule isn’t incredibly tight: even though our nights will be free, we’ll be doing confidants until more or less the last day.
: Next time: More cutscenes. More Kawakami. Still no actual gameplay!