Click Here for Update 49
: After the boss fight, we immediately call Kawakami.
: Oh no, she’s found self-help books.
: “I even have a book about the secret to being a good listener! It was written by a hostess from a club in Ginza. Just picking out which books to bring took me half a day. I have tons more back home though!”
: “I’ve started using these as reference materials for the advice I give to my clients. This way, I can suggest new alternatives instead of leaving them resigned to their fates.”
: “Of course. After all, I need to be able to advise my clients on their future selves! Anyway, what I really want to tell you is that I’ve arrived at a new fortune telling philosophy.”
: “Those with strong convictions can, in fact, change fate. O-oh, and as for the people I sold Holy Stones to… I’ve started reading their fortunes free of charge. I’d like to return the money they gave me too, but um…”
: Does this mean she’s going to give us all that money back we spent on luck readings? No.
: “W-Well, um…”
: “Yokoda-san!?”
: “U-Um, what are you doing here?”
: “Th-that’s my apprentice! I haven’t actually introduced him to the chairman yet…”
: “Y-Yes! He’s been a wonderful help!”
: “Thank you for stopping by!”
: “…I’m sorry you had to see that…”
: “That’s, well… a nickname of sorts. A-Anyway! It’s a private matter, Kurusu-san. Nothing you should concern yourself with.”
: “W-Wait, are you perhaps… worried about me? Oh, I’m so touched! Honestly! My luck really improves when you’re around, Kurusu-san! I know! In exchange for that, I’ll predict your luck whenever you want!”
: All of Chihaya’s abilities are good, and this one is one of the best. Affinity Reading costs 5,000 yen and gives you one point to any confidant you currently have.. and TWO points if you have a matching Persona. This means you can potentially turn a non-rankup event into a rankup event or avoid a permafuck if you get a wrong answer because the guide you’re using is a half-plagiarized piece of shit that didn’t properly translate some of the dialog options.
: We’ll be using this a few times, mostly to avoid having to waste a night without ranking up.
: This is a direct hint on what we’ll have to do - there is a part-time job at the bar in Shinjuku and we’ll need to do it once to get this done.
: We then, regretfully, have to do another Makoto event. The good news is these will pause for a bit because after this rank, we need Charm at rank five.
: “Let’s get a drink before we talk. Oh, and we can take the back entrance into the school.”
: Why is she even here? It’s summer break!
: “I guess he, um… hit on her one day after her shift, and that was that. Since then, he’s the only thing she’ll talk about. She even sent me a picture of their date at Destinyland.”
: Was Pascal the Dog there?
: I’d make an Among Us joke, but I think Among Us becoming the next big thing and then dying in the span of like three months was enough of a joke.
: “…You think so as well? For now it seems he hasn’t forced her to spend any money at his club, but I’m still nervous.. beyond that, he calls her his ‘princess’ and constantly tells her how special she is. It makes me sick to my stomach.”
: Joker immediately begins calling Makoto “princess” at every possible opportunity in hopes that she fucks off.
: "But Eiko refuses to listen to me. She said the idea that all hosts are bad people is outdated… she even said she was shocked to be getting advice from someoe who would ‘totally flunk a test about love.’ "
: Wait a second, wasn’t this a Yakuza substory? Hashino, you unoriginal fuck.
: “S-sorry about that.. I’m probably just being biased towards him. I mean, I don’t have any proof that he’s untrustworthy… but that’s why I want to meet him and find out for myself what kind of person he really is.”
: Joker: “No. Not even if you paid me.”
: “It’s honestly okay? You’re so reliable, Akira-kun. I think if I have a boyfriend, Eiko might be more inclined to listen to me. To tell you the truth… I actually already made plans with her and her boyfriend for a double date.”
: “S-sorry. But it’s just going to be at a diner. Nothing particularly fancy, I promise.”
: This next part is going to sound like I missed a screenshot. I didn’t. Joker nods and then Makoto continues.
: “Thank you! You’re a tremendous help. I’m so glad you agreed to this. I don’t know who else I’d have asked if you had said no…”
: “Eiko… I hope she’s not getting herself wrapped up in anything dangerous. But just in case, I’ll try looking for some info on that host.”
: “Do you think Eiko’s really okay? I hope I’m just being paranoid about her boyfriend… but if it turns out he really is toying with Eiko.. what should we do?”
: It’s a shame the first answer isn’t the right one.
: “You’re right. We’re friends now, so I’m sure she’ll understand if I can just have an honest talk with her! Phew.. I keep thinking in circles here. I need to stop dwelling on the negative.”
: “Let’s see who this host is behind his smile. For Eiko’s sake. Okay, I’ll call you again later.”
: Sick burn from Yusuke. He really is the best party member.
: “I understand why you guys feel nervous, but we’ll just have to wait for now.”
: We have a crossword.. and admittedly, I could’ve gone and gotten a luck reading first. This is where the guide I’m using starts going to shit - the guide claims it’s raining (which would prevent us from getting a reading) but it’s not.
: I had to shuffle around Personas to get a Hanged so I could do this confidant. This is going to be a problem for the next couple of weeks, at least until we max out Ann and Ryuji.
: “I’m gonna meet with a guy at the diner after this. I need you to sit close-by. When I give you the signal, call me. The signal is when I cough, got it? C’mon, let’s head over there.”
: “Hey, don’t knock this place. It’s pretty decent, and cheap too.”
: If you couldn’t already tell, Iwai is an ex-yakuza. He shares more than one similarity plot-wise with Kazuma Kiryu, but he’s one of the confidants in this game I don’t outright hate.
: “You don’t need to exaggerate.”
: “Oh, right. How’s Tsuda-san doin’?”
: “Oh, nothing. Just saw him 'round the other day.”
: “I mean, we were both young… I just figured it’s about time we bury the hatchet. I can’t just go up n’ talk to him though…”
: The yakuza code of honor, which prohibits anyone from talking to anyone else without pretending they’re in one of those medieval intrigue novels.
: “No, you fool. I just wanna end up in the same place at the same time. It’s gotta look like a coincidence.”
: I’m now imagining a yakuza-style dating app where it just gives you a random place to wander around and if you happen to meet someone, well..
: “Yeah, we’re redevelopin’ it into a big obstacle course so this guy can chase Eddie Murphy around it to increase his stamina in those chase scenes that pretty much stop showin’ up by the point the training becomes available.”
: “Shibaura… cough cough”
: The second choice isn’t wrong, but it boots you into the first one.
: “Nah, it’s just a cold. Hello? Yeah, how’s it goin? What? Your order’s all wrong? My bad, I’ll get back and take care of that straight away.”
: “Sorry, I gotta run. Work shit. Let’s talk some other time, yeah?”
: “Masa’s still on the phone, right? Just say quiet so I can hear what he’s sayin’.”
: “A deal? …Sounds like there’s some weird stuff goin’ down.”
: “Y’know I was actin’, right? …At any rate, I honestly wasn’t expectin’ too much outta you. But it looks like you’re gonna actually be some use to me. I’ll be countin’ on you, kid.”
: “Good work today. Order yourself somethin’ nice as a reward. Oh, and bring me the receipt so I can pay you back for it. Well, later.”
: The answer is “We’ve been assaulting people for cash”. Mishima is going to keep spamming us with requests because I believe the area of Mementos that covers Kaneshiro’s dungeon just opened.
: Today, we’re hanging out with Yusuke and our new air conditioner (just offscreen).
: “Photos can’t convey all the real life majesty of art. There’s also scale: art can be titanic in size. Hm.. I wish to go to Paris. Akira… will you join me?”
: Joker actually does all three answers at once, except it’s “Let’s go. Just the two of us. Pack your bags, I’ll buy the tickets.”
: “Great! We shall have to save money for travel, then. It would be cheaper if we go there by foot, but it is simply too far… nevertheless, that would be an enjoyable journey.”
: Five points to Charm.
: Before we go on to visit Caroline and Justine, there’s a TV quiz we can do for knowledge points. I actually did the rest of the update, completely forgot about this part (even though I had done it), thought I’d permafucked, and then realized that no, I had done it the entire time.
: Thing is, barring a fuckup so bad it’d have to be intentional, we’re past the point where we can easily permafuck.
: We’re actually several events behind with Caroline and Justine, but we will be seeing all of them. We actually kinda need to, because finishing their confidant is a pain in the ass without the DLC.
: The final rank of their confidant requires that you fuse a Seth with High Counter. The DLC provides a Persona you can fuse directly into Seth that starts with that move, so it’s super easy to do.
: If you don’t have the DLC, you have two options: either waste a fusion alarm fusing Ose and itemizing him into High Counter (we will be doing this) or get it from these optional events.
: “Listen closely: the place we wish to evaluate for your rehabilitation is.. where one offers up faith and words of devotion.”
: “Every day, lost sheep flock there to pray. There are even cases where individuals will confess to crimes.”
: “Confessing one’s crimes due to a fear of divine punishment.. this has a familiar ring to our own Inmate’s rehabilitation. Does such a location sound familiar to you?”
: “Well? If you know where it is, then escort us there immediately!”
: “So, what’ll it be?”
: “Oh, so it’s called a church? Let’s witness this so-called faith that humans offer with our own two eyes.”
: “Lead us there, Inmate. Now.”
: “The peaceful atmosphere here is the antithesis of a prison cell…”
: “Hmm? Is that man standing there one of the gods?”
: “Yeah, you may be right. At least, I can’t sense any exceptional abilities from him.”
: It’s because the Messians are cannon fodder.
: “If that is the case, then perhaps he’s some sort of servant to the gods. What is that over there… a smaller room?”
: “I know! It’s an ‘iron maiden’ for reforming criminals, right? Whoever goes inside and fails rehabilitation gets skewered!”
: Confession booths are a natural occurrence that usually grow under cherry trees and are where anime teenagers go to confess their love.
: “Confession… booth? You mean, THIS tiny box is where the crimes are confessed?”
: This line shows that Hashino clearly has never been to a church before. I did the whole church thing when I was a kid, and they start doing confessions really young. Most of the articles I found on it said that the modern Catholic church starts doing it around 7 years old, which is pretty much what I remember.
: As far as I know, that’s a pretty standard thing in Catholic churches and isn’t just limited to the United States.
: “Which of us? Do you intend to split us up and pick us off one by one?”
: “Hmph, no such luck. We’re both going in.”
: “…You what? Listen to people’s concerns? This isn’t a form of rehabilitation? …Regardless, such talk is cheap, but pays quite well.”
: “We shall undertake this confession and ascertain the truth for ourselves.”
: “Hmmmm, what to confess… it’s probably unkind to kick the Inmate, but it’s part of my duties as warden, so that can’t be held against me…”
: What she’s referring to is this animation that plays if you enter the Velvet Room from the real world, where Justine opens the door and Caroline kicks Joker in the back to force him inside.
: “This is none of your business. We’re speaking to the gods right now.”
: I wonder what denomination the Velvet Room workers are. I mean, can you really find religion when your entire job is fusing clones of random gods for teenage RPG protagonists?
: “Recently, I’ve been shifting my more mundane bookkeeping responsibilities onto Caroline..”
: “You WHAT!? I knew my workload was feeling larger for some reason!”
: Wait, what. What bookkeeping? Who do Caroline and Justine pay taxes to? Can the IRS (or rather, whatever Japan’s taxation agency is) even reach the Velvet Room?
: “But.. she made so many mistakes in her work that I regret not doing it myself…”
: Joker enters the Velvet Room the next time and Caroline and Justine are in the cells next to his for tax fraud.
: “Of COURSE I’d make mistakes when I have nearly twice the work!”
: I didn’t know what menchi katsu was, so I went and looked it up. It’s a kind of deep-fried hamburger, only the meat is shredded and is usually a blend of beef and pork. I’d eat it if there were any half-decent Japanese restaurants around here.
: “Erk! I… was curious about the line! Like, what could humans want so badly that they would stand in one place for so long-”
: This cutscene is unfortunately not voiced, so I still don’t know how you pronounce Megidolaon.
: “Fine, fine, fine! I’m sorry! I won’t do it again! …Confession time is over! We’re done here!”
: “Were it not for this opportunity, we would have likely kept these matters locked away deep in our hearts.”
: “Why would we do such a thing? I don’t see anyone here to whom we owe any kindness.”
: “Did you think we’d actually regret the treatment we’ve given you so far? By the way, why do humans pray to gods? Shouldn’t they be spending that time trying to solve their problems themselves?”
: Yeah, like when you’re given fuckloads of money to remake a game and still don’t fix the underlying plot issues.
: “Well, isn’t that all too convenient for the humans..”
: “I’ll bet the gods don’t appreciate that answer any more than we do.”
: I’m pretty sure this is a reference to one of the possible negotiation questions in the earlier games.
: “No matter. We’ve come to learn how these places of worship work firsthand. We’ll consider the assignment complete.”
: “Here is your reward.”
: “You know, confessions seem like they’d be rather useful to your rehabilitation. You ought to confess to us every day!”
: “Put that out of mind, Caroline. Once we return, you’re going to tell me all about your experience eating you-know-what..”
: “If you’re done eating, go wash the plate.”
: “Who was that invitation from? Let’s go upstairs and reply once you finish with the dishes.”
: We’re going to spend our morning doing Ryuji’s Rank 9 event. We’ll be finishing his confidant this month, but we have one more of those unique non-rankup scenes to see with him.
: “Pretty damn good, huh? This one’s on me. Don’t expect it to happen too often though. Wait.. where’s my wallet? …Eh, whatever.”
: “Oh by the way, I got a text from Takeishi.. he said the track team’s gonna try n’ ditch Yamauchi. They wanna start practicin’ without him.”
: “They’re trying to get their old coach back too.. the one from before Kamoshida. Looks like they’re finally walkin’ their own path.”
: “Hm… yeah, I guess so. Oh, and uh.. they asked me to come back to the team.”
: I’m not sure I understand why this is the right answer, other than that the track team seem like they’re assholes.
: “Dude, I wasn’t gonna. It felt kinda bad, but that’s not where I belong now. When you first came to Shujin, people were talkin’ so much shit about you. But you took it in stride.”
: “You just did whatever you thought was cool, and didn’t care what other people said about you. I think that’s why people kinda get pulled towards you, man. Wherever you decide to be, that’s where you belong.”
: “Seriously? Y’know… back before I met you, I kept makin’ excuses for why I couldn’t fit in. It was always 'cause of someone else. Kamoshida, the track team.. hell, I even blamed my dad.”
: “I was such a freakin’ loser… but I’ve realized now.. as long as I’m bein’ myself, I’ll always have somewhere I can fit in. It ain’t really the same place as before, but it’s damn good. …I’m just glad I found it.”
: “Heh, don’t worry, man. There’s a place here for you too. Right next to me.. or maybe ahead? Something like that.”
: This from what is probably the worst party member in the game.
: Remember when this was a Rank 1 ability in Persona 4, and you didn’t know why until the very end? Persona 4 was a good game.
: “Someday, I’m gonna show you speed so lightnin’ fast, you’re not even gonna be able to see me. Wait, but if you can’t see me, am I really showin’ you anything…?”
: “Eh, whatever. I think we’ve been talking too long. We’re all outta monja.. wanna try grillin’ some toothpicks?”
: I hope you’re ready for a phone call that retcons most of the last scene.
: Okay, so.. the track team was going to ignore Yamauchi and do their own thing.. and then right after you left the monjayaki place you got a call saying they’re not ignoring Yamauchi.. what?
: Also, the phrase “I just got a call from them earlier..” doesn’t make any fucking sense. You were with Joker earlier! Fuck! This is approaching Ni no Kuni 2 levels of plot incoherence!
: The thing is, I don’t know why they put this in at all, because it contradicts the Rank 10 scene! Actually, I do know why - it’s because Ryuji is such a non-character that they couldn’t come up with anything else.
: “Thanks, man! I gotta pay you back - you can get some ramen, on me! And then let’s top it off with some seafood soup! A toast to the success of the new track team!”
: The track team that you’re not part of and want nothing to do with anymore? How does this make any fucking sense!? It doesn’t!
: But yeah, we can let the track team handle the rest of their problems. They gotta do the runnin’ from now on. Heh.. I’m not gonna let my guard down now! I ain’t about to lose to them!"
: What was the point of that entire phone call? Hell, what’s the point of Ryuji’s entire confidant? What have we learned about him that we didn’t already know by the time Kamoshida’s palace was over?
: I think if I had to point to a single thing to show how this game talks a lot but actually says very little, I’d point to Ryuji’s confidant.
: After this pointless IM exchange, we quickly to go Chihaya to get a Luck Reading for Kindness. Why, you ask? Well, here’s another broken IM to explain.
: Notice how Joker’s response is “Go see it.”
: We get ten points to Kindness.
: “Oh, forgive me. I can’t help but focus more on the visual aspect than on that storyline.”
: Well yeah, it’s Les Mis.
: Joker’s like “Yeah, I stopped paying attention when Wolverine didn’t just bust out of the bastille using his adamantium claws.”
: “Thanks. Well, I already understand that you’re not the type to feel offended by such matters. Thank you for today. The time we spent together was worthwhile. Well then, let’s head home.”
: Yet another scene we wouldn’t see on the reset-heavy route, because we’d have already maxed out Ann’s confidant. I feel kinda bad for whoever had to write these knowing that there’s a good chance no one would ever see them.
: “Meiji Shrine is a Shinto shrine, right? I never thought Lady Ann would be into that traditional stuff…”
: “Should we try praying to the gods, too? It could be about us.”
: “Hey! They’re not so bad I have to ask for divine intervention! No, I want to pray for the future of the Phantom Thieves. Oh, but… I don’t really know how to pray properly.”
: “What should I do? Maybe I’ll ask someone.”
: Joker: “Oh no. I only packed four air horns today. Ann, don’t believe anything Dr. Femdom says, I don’t think she’s even a doctor.”
: “Are you on a date? Such an odd location for someone your age.”
: “Is that so? Well, not that I care.”
: “Um.. is this someone you know, Akira?”
: “Don’t worry about me. I don’t intend to intrude. Oh… I assume you’re here for your college entrance exams. You had mentioned them before.”
: “Shake the bell twice and put in your offering. Then bow twice, clap twice, and bow once again. …Wasn’t that what you wanted to ask?”
: I went and fact-checked this, and it looks like that’s actually pretty accurate. The standard ritual for praying at a shrine is two bows, two claps, a prayer, and then a bow.
: There’s a lot more to it than that, though: there’s a specific way you’re supposed to walk through the Torii gate, a whole purification/washing ritual, and the donation itself.
: When I was streaming the recording for the LP, this bit tripped me up. The guide I’m using tells you to pick the option “As expected of a doctor”.. which obviously doesn’t exist.
: The reason for this is that the only complete guide for this game on Gamefaqs was apparently taken from a Japanese guide, and I’m guessing they forgot to change the lines over.
: “Wait, you’re a doctor!? Well, you really helped us out. Thank you very much.”
: “Sure. Although.. you may want to use this time to actually study for the exams instead of praying.”
: “That’s the doctor who gets us our medicine.”
: Ann whispers to Joker: “Is that why he’s so thirsty for me?”
: “Oh, I see… wait, you’ve been here the whole time!?”
: “How rude! I’m here to protect you!”
: “Yeah, sure… anyway, what is this about praying for college entrance exams?”
: “We asked earlier if she could get us some super stimulants to help us study.”
: We’re doing Hifumi again tonight, and unlock one of the last side areas we didn’t already have access to.
: Jinbocho is home to the final (and most expensive) book store in the game.
: “Today I thought we’d find you something to help you train on your own. This bookstore is filled with shogi-related books. I’ve been coming here a lot lately.”
: “There’s also a curry restaurant just around the corner. I recommend their katsu curry. I always eat katsu curry before an important match.. for good luck.”
: “…My apologies. I forgot that there aren’t any matches scheduled for today…”
: “…Sorry. She was only glaring at you because you’re with me. She’s my senior.. I defeated her in a recent title match.”
: “Actually… yes! I did have katsu curry before that match. The truth is, I’m not well-liked by my seniors.. the more attention I get, the more enemies I make, and the more lies are spread about me…”
: “Perhaps it’s odd to compare myself to them, but… I wonder if it’s the same for the Phantom Thieves. People are so divided about them on the internet. Some love them, while others hate them…”
: She could be talking about Makoto here and it’d still work. Except no one should like Makoto because Makoto sucks.
: “I can’t help but see similarities between us. What do you think about them?”
: “…I feel the same way, actually. It’s amazing that they’re still doing what they do, even though so many people criticize them. They give me courage.”
: “But their victories can’t be won with will alone… how do they change a person’s heart? I’m interested from a tactical standpoint, and.. oh, I’m sorry! We really are quite off-topic…”
: “I feel like I’ve become much more talkative as of late. I usually don’t talk this much… you’re more than just someone I can practice new moves with. You’re someone I can confide in.”
: “Um, if you don’t mind this sort of thing… I’d like to go out and chat with you again.”
: “Oh yes, there’s a book that I’d love for you to read. Let’s go.”
: “My intention was to show you how great Jinbocho is, but I ended up just talking about myself… my apologies. I was shocked, though. Ordinarily, I don’t talk that much, I assure you…”
: “Perhaps it’s because I never had friends at school who I could talk to about shogi.. I hope this won’t discourage you from spending time with me. Really, I would be delighted to do this again.”
: “Thank you! Other than used books and katsu curry, there are many things I’d like to recommend in that city. If you have the chance, perhaps we can explore more of the city next time.”
: “Well, I’m afraid I must go. I’ll see you at the church.”
: Next time, we’ll spend a lot of time with Yusuke, unlock a thing that we’re going to make a minor schedule change to accomodate, and continue to be ahead of schedule and under budget.