Colors Flying High - Let's Play Persona 5 Royal

Click Here for Update 72

timrodresized: It’s time. Today, we finally reach Rank 9 with Yusuke.

timrodresized: We have four new books we have to buy in order to get Knowing the Heart, so let’s get on that.

timrodresized: We can also get a new decoration for Joker’s room. I think there’s five of these in total. We’ll put them up a bit later.

timrodresized: I’m going to unfortunately have to stick to tradition and do the friendship route first.

Fox: “Where does this passage even go? It feels as though I’m being sucked inside merely by gazing upon it. So this is the heart of man… it is ugly… yet beautiful as well.”

Fox: “That duality is what makes humanity such an interesting subject… as you know, I have been confused recently about the reason for my art.”

Fox: “Did I want to be recognized, or did I want to capture pure beauty? Was it due to my talent, or just my upbringing? …Each answer would seem correct at first, yet only prove itself false upon a more in-depth examination.”

Fox: “Akira… when my mother was painting the ‘Sayuri’… what do you think she was thinking about?”

Fox: “Such love is almost embarrassing to have pointed out to me… but you are probably right. However, I believe that was not the only thing she thought about.”

Fox: “It seems the ‘Sayuri’ was meant to impart something to me… and to all others who view it, for that matter. Love, regret, loneliness, anxiety, calm… and hope. All of the emotions my mother felt, conveyed plainly to the viewer.”

Fox: “That is why it has such a profoundly unique impact on those who see it. My paintings pale in comparison to such depth of meaning…”

Fox: “And yet… that painting has kept me going this whole time. During particularly difficult nights, it was there to soothe my sadness. It acted almost as a ray of light cutting through the somber darkness…”

Fox: “I had wanted to create a similar beacon of hope for others… but it seems I lost sight of that goal. Look. This world is a dark, unrelenting place, Akira.”

Fox: “But that is why I am going to wield my brush again… to give hope to all those who see my paintings.”

Fox: “Yes, thanks to you. You chose to help me work through my problems instead of leaving me to my sadness. Now, I will use my art to paint over the blackness of this world. It shall become a vivid realm, full of hope… I expect it will be a most beautiful sight to behold.”

Fox: “Perhaps you will see it someday, Akira.”

timrodresized: The route switch happens right here. The choices are something like “Let’s make a new world together.” and “I hope I do.”

Fox: “Hm, this radiant light growing within me… it must be the light of hope. …I shall paint it.”

Yusuke: “…Kawanabe-san.”

Yusuke: “Indeed I do.”

Yusuke: “That no longer matters to me though. I am going to enter my painting merely so others can be exposed to it. Well, I will talk to you later, Akira. Farewell.”

timrodresized: Yusuke’s Rank 9 is extremely short compared to almost all of the other Rank 9 scenes. We’ll do his Rank 10 tomorrow morning, but unfortunately we have a very long Mishima event tonight.

timrodresized: For the More Like Yusu-Gay route, there’s no event on the night of 10/07, because Yusuke’s Rank 9 can only be done on a Thursday and picking the romance route locks you out of the next day.

Mishima: “He probably just couldn’t live with himself after what he did to her… his reputation did a total 180 after he announced the marriage though. People used to hate him, but now all everyone wants to talk about is how sweet and manly he is.”

Mishima: “At any rate, we can’t oppose the will of the public. Good thing we decided not to change his heart. Support for the Phantom Thieves would’ve really dropped if we had.”

Mishima: “…I need to make sure our next target is one we can win against.”

Mishima: “Proof. Proof that we’re the ones doing the right thing. Oh, by the way… I came up with a new plan of attack. If we really wanna make you guys famous, we need to do more than just answer promising requests.”

Mishima: “Right now there are tons of idiots out there doubting you, and trying to influence others to do the same. So… we’re gonna purge them.”

timrodresized: I wonder if Chris Metzen played this game, because if he did, I guarantee he and his corruption fetish were salivating. Chris Metzen is the lead writer for Blizzard.

Mishima: “Sorry about that. Purge is a pretty disturbing word, huh? There’s not really any better way to phrase it though. The truth is, I looked up some of these idiots who were criticizing you and sent them warning messages.”

timrodresized: I feel like Joker should follow Golgo 13’s rule regarding imitators and kill Mishima right here.

Mishima: “I’ll have you know, it’s been working wonders. They totally stopped dissing the P-Thieves! There are still some people who say they don’t believe, but deep down they’re just afraid of you guys.”

timrodresized: The… P-Thieves? Is Mishima into watersports?

timrodresized: Mishima’s VA does this disturbing laugh right here and it just works.

Mishima: “Plus now that all those haters are gone, people are putting a bunch more info on the forum. Post after post after post, it’s all ‘please’ and ‘help me’… this is so much fun.”

timrodresized: Mishima has become an early-2000s forum mod.

Mishima: “All I did is find my own way to change people’s hearts. I’m above the simple stuff like producing and advertising now. I can change the world. I have the strength to do that now…”

Mishima: “Akiyama-kun…”

Mishima: “Hahaha… we actually saw each other here not that long ago…”

Mishima: “…Akiyama-kun?”

Mishima: “Are you okay?”

Mishima: “I dunno, you just seem… quiet.”

Mishima: “Zero… he acts like I’m total nothing, but he still takes time to try and mess with me… I’ve changed though. I’m way better than a loser like him. I even heard he’s been hanging out with some shady people…”

Mishima: “They’re all scum. I wish we could change their hearts, for the good of society…”

Mishima: “All right, it’s decided! Your next target is gonna be Akiyama-kun! Let’s see, where’s his info… um, speaking of targets… are you guys gonna come after me someday too…?”

Mishima: “You’re really considering it…? H-Hahaha… good joke, Kurusu… anyway, I’m heading home. I’ll send you Akiyama-kun’s info later…”

Ann: “Didn’t he give us some other weird request too? Something about that handsome actor? Is Mishima-kun trying to take advantage of us?”

Yusuke: “Apparently, he has also threatened anyone who dares speak ill of the Phantom Thieves on his forum. Perhaps we should enact a change of heart on Mishima, not this Akiyama fellow.”

Ryuji: “Whoa, wait up. He ain’t that bad.”

Morgana: “Hm… I guess we could find out what’s happening if we managed to find his Shadow. I mean, he’s already worried that we’re gonna change his heart, right? We’ll probably be able to track down his Shadow in Mementos.”

Morgana: “All things considered, I think our best course of action would be to defeat it and change his heart.”

timrodresized: Does Haru even know who Mishima is?

Futaba: “We can’t have him keep causing problems for us though.”

Makoto: “Either way, we can decide whether or not we change his heart later. For now, we must meet his Shadow.”

Morgana: “Yeah. Let’s head into Mementos and track down Mishima’s Shadow!”

Mishima: “Could you be… the Phantom Thieves!?”

timrodresized: It’s very strange that Mishima’s shadow doesn’t recognize them, especially since he knows who they are in reality and knows that they’re John Persona.

Mishima: “ME, of all people…? If you just shut up and listened to what I told you, the Phantom Thieves would get even more famous… and if you did that, I’d get some of the spotlight too. I wouldn’t be just some stupid zero anymore…”

Mishima: “There’s finally some hope back in my life… so why? Why are you so insistent on stopping me…? Yo, losers, get out of here. I wanna talk to your leader… alone.”

Mishima: “Before you came along, I knew my role in life. I was supposed to be the guy everyone messed with. I had accepted that I was a zero, embraced it even… but once I figured out you were one of the Phantom Thieves, everything changed…”

Mishima: “You just HAD to get close to me…! I mean, seeing a real-life hero do all this amazing stuff made me wish I could be something more… I want to change society too… I want the world to notice me!”

timrodresized: He says this like he didn’t try to get close to Joker at all costs.

Mishima: “If I can just make the Phantom Thieves famous, maybe I’ll end up famous too…!”

Mishima: “I’m not sure… but I don’t have any other choice. I don’t have any special powers like you guys… heck, nobody even pays attention to me…! In the end, that’s why I need you guys… you’re the only way I’ll be able to make a name for myself!”

Mishima: “I know it’s wrong… but if I can’t push my way into the spotlight now, when will I…!? A-Anyway, just bring it on already! You’re here to fight, aren’t you!?”

Skull: “C’mon, let’s go. I’m sure he learned something if he’s been spendin’ all this time with us amazin’ heroes, yeah?”

timrodresized: I was hoping we’d at least get to punch him.

Shinya: “It had a picture of a huge lantern. I didn’t know stuff like that happens in the city…”

timrodresized: The Sanja Festival is a Shinto festival that happens each year on the third weekend in May in Asakusa.

Shinya: “Wow, so you know about it, too? I really wanna check it out… okay, then let’s end training early today and head over there!”

Shinya: “It’s like a festival! Do you think it’s like this every day? What’re we gonna do here, Kurusu-san? I’m not interested in temples…”

Shinya: “Huh? Really!? I thought we were going to the temple. Ooh! I smell something good! Haha… you figured it out, right? I haven’t been able to eat lunch at school lately, which sucks…”

Shinya: “You’re really nice, Kurusu-san. Thanks for bringing me here. Hey, what should we eat first? Ningyo-yaki? Dango? …Let’s see who can eat the most!”

timrodresized: Unfortunately, we can’t do much tonight. The only people available are ones we’ve maxed out, so we read Call Me Chief instead to get ahead on that.

timrodresized: The good news is that as a result of this, we’ll have Knowing the Heart done before the next Mementos visit, roughly two weeks before the guide would have us do it.

Morgana: “I love the sound of the word ‘chief’. I’d like to be called that too, someday.”

timrodresized: We’ll accept this soon enough, but first… Yusuke’s Rank 10. Ignore the date on it, I accidentally recorded the canon run of the 9th and forgot to reload, so I did it on the 10th instead.

timrodresized: I also found out during this run that Yoshida IS available on the 10th, so we will be finishing his confidant this update, ahead of schedule.

Yusuke: “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: “I still have much to learn, but I finally painted something that I can be satisfied with. Yes. This is the true heart of humanity. The title is ‘Desire and Hope’. What do you think?”

Yusuke: “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…”

timrodresized: Yusuke’s existing route is about a step removed from being a gay romance route.

Yusuke: “You…”

timrodresized: Could it be that it’s good because Yusuke has finally admitted who he really is? We’ll find out in the next update.

Yusuke: “Huh?”

Yusuke: “…It is.”

Yusuke: “What are you playing at?”

Yusuke: “But… why would you do that? What’s your objective?”

Yusuke: “Huh?”

Yusuke: “So that’s why…”

Yusuke: “…”

Yusuke: “Sensei…”

timrodresized: Okay so wait… this was a guy who killed someone through inaction, had screwed over everyone he ever knew… and suddenly he gives a shit about Yusuke?

Yusuke: “…Yeah.”

Yusuke: “It’s a truly kind offer. Thank you for your generosity. However, I must respectfully decline.”

Yusuke: “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.”

Yusuke: “…What a strange man.”

Yusuke: “Sacrificing one’s own money for the sake of others - that’s not something anyone can do. Perhaps it’s a tad wasteful of me to decline. Still, I believe it’s for the best.”

Yusuke: “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.”

Yusuke: “But for some reason, I knew that you wouldn’t abandon me until everything was said and done. Thank you… my friend.”

Music The Path Is Open

timrodresized: Odin is the next Persona up the Emperor arcana from Baal. Because we already have Baal, we will be fusing him up into Odin as soon as we hit the next Mementos run.

timrodresized: In hindsight, I really should’ve gotten a picture like that one I got for Tatsuya and Jun in the Innocent Sin LP.

Returning Persona: Kamu Susano-O

Origin: Japan

First Appearance: Digital Devil Story Novels

Shinto god of the sea and storms. Brother of Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi, spawned when Izanagi washed his face after exiting the underworld. Yusuke’s version of Susano-O comes from an 8th-century book called Izumo No Kuni Fudoki that contain fragments of myth that go against the official version that was kept by the government in ancient Japan.

timrodresized: My favorite part of the article about Izumo No Kuni Fudoki is that they have a myth where their province isn’t big enough, so one of the gods pulls land from Korea to make it bigger.

timrodresized: It’s funny because you don’t really need gods for that - all you need is a Belgian farmer who has a tractor and access to the stones that mark the national border between France and Belgium.

timrodresized: Now I kind of want a game where a god attempts to annex Belgium and you play as an irritated Belgian farmer who isn’t going to let divine intervention stop him from growing his crops. It’d be like Harvest Moon only by the end you’re going to beat the shit out of a deity with a battle tractor.

Yusuke: “…I reiterate my promise to you. I’ll extend my assistance to you, should you ever stumble. Now then, shall we go?”

timrodresized: And that’s that. Let’s go on to what we’re actually doing on the 9th.

Futaba: “They’re so high quality. Way better than cheapos. The subtle facial expressions - even the little wrinkles on the clothes… urgh, I want it so bad… but you could get sushi ten times with that kinda money…”

Futaba: “Oh, that’s it! But what part-time jobs could I even do? Not customer service, that’s for dang sure! Fine… I guess I’ll just have to settle for staring at it.”

Futaba: “Let’s just wait for him to leave. Don’t make eye contact. Okay?”

Iwai: “Mm? Well, look who it is…”

Iwai: “Hey. Didn’t think I’d bump into you here.”

Futaba: “He’s talking to us…! We’re dead…”

Iwai: “…Who’s the little lady?”

Iwai: " ‘Basically,’ huh. Sounds complicated. Still, not like I’m in a place to judge."

Futaba: “…You know this guy?”

Iwai: “What, like for a job…? I guess you could say that.”

Futaba: “Wait, like… that military store?”

Iwai: “Oh, you know it?”

Futaba: “Y-Yeah… uh, I mean, yes sir…”

Iwai: “…Relax, kid. I don’t bite.”

Iwai: “Oh, me and these guys go way back. They distribute some of my wares here.”

Futaba: “Wares…? What about that model gun in the second floor display case?”

Iwai: “Oh, huh… yeah, that’s probably one of ours.”

timrodresized: You mean one of yours, right? It’s not like you work with anyone, given that in Strikers the shop closes because you leave it.

Futaba: “That kind of authenticity is hard to find.”

timrodresized: That was a quick turnaround.

Iwai: “Whoa. You know your stuff, little lady. You oughta drop by the shop sometime. I got plenty more models for someone who can appreciate 'em.”

timrodresized: I’m imagining Futaba going to Iwai’s and ordering five M1911s, each one styled after a Featherman. He asks her how the hell she’s going to carry five guns and she goes “I have ways.”

Futaba: “R-Really!?”

Iwai: “Yeah, really. See ya around.”

P5_portrait_of_Toranosuke_Yoshida: “A speech about the Phantom Thieves… there are some things I want you to hear, so please come and listen to it.”

P5_portrait_of_Toranosuke_Yoshida: “Thank you. I appreciate it, but…”

P5_portrait_of_Toranosuke_Yoshida: “I haven’t spoken to him since we last met.”

P5_portrait_of_Toranosuke_Yoshida: “Okay, I’m going to get started.”

timrodresized: Is “break a leg” even a thing in Japanese?

P5_portrait_of_Toranosuke_Yoshida: “I will. Especially with you looking on.”

P5_portrait_of_Toranosuke_Yoshida: “Setting aside whether their actions are right or wrong… there is one thing I can safely say about the Phantom Thieves. A belief with conviction… has the ability to move a person’s heart.”

P5_portrait_of_Toranosuke_Yoshida: “I’m sure you are all aware that I am ‘No-Good Tora’, the one accused of embezzlement. I was a fool 20 years ago. It’s no wonder that I was considered a failure as a politician.”

P5_portrait_of_Toranosuke_Yoshida: “However, because I was accused like that, I was able to understand the suffering of the weak. Why am I in politics? In the past, it was merely for political gain. But why do the Phantom Thieves continue to change hearts?”

timrodresized: I kind of wish they would’ve focused less on Yoshida’s speeches, which are all pretty much the same. I recorded his Rank 10 last night and couldn’t remember which set of screenshots was which because they’re so similar.

P5_portrait_of_Toranosuke_Yoshida: “I believe they do it for the world and its people. And in choosing to do justice for others, they had no choice but to disguise themselves. No matter what the world says, I fully support them.”

P5_portrait_of_Toranosuke_Yoshida: “I’m just an average citizen. However, I will continue to voice my beliefs. I may not be able to become a Diet member this election… and I may not be able to effect change during my lifetime…”

P5_portrait_of_Toranosuke_Yoshida: “Thank you for listening.”

timrodresized: Isn’t it also kind of weird that Yoshida is a politician who only ever talks about John Persona?

P5_portrait_of_Toranosuke_Yoshida: “That’s right.”

P5_portrait_of_Toranosuke_Yoshida: “Matsushita…”

P5_portrait_of_Toranosuke_Yoshida: “My candidacy… huh? What an unexpected turn of events. The Phantom Thieves… perhaps, it’s the effect of you moving my heart.”

timrodresized: I like that he’s the only confidant who kind of asks “Did you do anything to me?” when they realize that the person they’ve been talking to is a high schooler with brainfuck powers.

P5_portrait_of_Toranosuke_Yoshida: “You have a bright future ahead of yourself as a Diet member. I’m sure you’ll be able to stay composed when the opposition taunts you. The Phantom Thieves… the power to change a person’s heart…”

P5_portrait_of_Toranosuke_Yoshida: “I don’t possess a special power like they do, but I won’t lose to them when it comes to conviction. Speech is my only weapon. Just my voice and my words. That’s how I win people over.”

P5_portrait_of_Toranosuke_Yoshida: “Thank you for sticking by my side, Kurusu-kun.”

P5_portrait_of_Toranosuke_Yoshida: “Contrary to what I thought, getting your heart stolen isn’t such a bad thing. If he’s a member of the Phantom Thieves, then…”

timrodresized: We’ll do this event just to see it, but even if I was following the guide to the letter, we’d do it and then reset to do an actual confidant event today.

Morgana: “I guess Futaba’s coming here to show us a magazine tomorrow. It sounds like fun, but… I’m going to bed.”

Futaba: “Oh, I have enough for you, by the way. There’s some seriously ingenious stuff in these things.”

Futaba: “And this keyboard is too curvy! How do you even type on this thing?”

timrodresized: I bet she saw one of those Maltron keyboards. Seriously, those things are like $600, which is kind of absurd.

Futaba: “Man, nice! This ‘PC Build Competition’ is right up my alley… have you ever built your own PC before, Akira?”

timrodresized: Yes I have, and I’m damn well going to build another soon, provided this crypto crash sticks.

Futaba: “Really!? Huh, you’re more of a techie than I thought. You might even be a PC master! What were the specs? What CPU did you use? How much RAM did you put in?”

Futaba: “Ooh, did you overclock it? How’d you handle cooling?” Hehehe… we should go to Akiba together sometime, Akira!"

timrodresized: Let’s reset and do what we’re actually doing today.

Shinya: “I mean, I couldn’t do anything to him… there’s just no way.”

Shinya: “Right!? He must have done something to win… I’ve heard rumors about Takekuma! People say he uses cheat armor! You know what that is, right? He totally broke the rules by equipping it…”

timrodresized: We call that “pay to win”. By the way, this choice is one of a few where you get full points for more than one answer - in this case, either the first or the third.

Shinya: “I bet that’s why my usual shots didn’t work against him! That has to be the reason! But next time we play, I’m definitely…”

Shinya: “Yep. Even the Phantom Thieves had a comeback victory against Medjed. I’m gonna win next time! Just watch! The thing is… I told my mom about what happened with Takekuma…”

Shinya: “But… she didn’t… really care. All she said was, ‘Okay.’ It’s probably because I lost… she doesn’t like kids who lose.”

Shinya: “My mom once told me that… we need to be strong, because it’s just the two of us. She said no one helps the weak. They just get preyed on…”

Shinya: “That’s why I wanna get stronger. Strong enough that we won’t get preyed on. Strong enough that WE’D be the predators…”

timrodresized: I’m just picturing Gotou, who at this point is probably a hobo after losing his military command in If, walking by and going “Hey kid, wanna rule the weak?”

Shinya: “That’s exactly who the Phantom Thieves are… the strongest… who can prey on anyone. Once I become the strongest, my mom will be able to count on me.”

Shinya: “The only way I can win is through games… that’s why I can’t lose. …What should I do about Takekuma’s armor…? The strategy I used last time didn’t work…”

Shinya: “Of course! I’m definitely gonna win next time! …Thanks. You’re like a big brother to me. I can talk to you about anything… I heard that that’s what it’s like to have a sibling…”

timrodresized: This ability was added for Royal. It makes the gun customizations that do status ailments better, but that’s not what we’re going to use it for.

timrodresized: Because we just unlocked Odin, we have access to Ann’s ultimate SMG. It not only does a shitload of damage but also inflicts Despair, and with this ability the chances of it doing so are pretty good. Despair locks an enemy down, so you can potentially win entire encounters with just Ann.

Shinya: “Takekuma better watch out… crap, look at the time! I gotta go! See you later!”

Shinya: “That Takekuma… even thinking about him pisses me off! I’ll beat him next time for sure. But since he might be cheating, normal training isn’t gonna cut it. I gotta think of a new strategy by the next time I challenge him!”

Shinya: “I don’t know yet… I just need some time to think. I feel like I’m right on the edge of a good idea. Once I figure everything out, you should come train with me!”

Shinya: “I gotta be the best. Or else my mom won’t… well, I’ll definitely win next time. See ya.”

timrodresized: Tonight, we’re going to finish off Yoshida’s confidant ahead of schedule. Once we do this, we’ll have avoided one of the two major permafucks in this game. His confidant cuts off on 11/13.

P5_portrait_of_Toranosuke_Yoshida: “A weekly magazine reported that Kuramoto was the real culprit in the funds misappropriation case. Old Man Kuramoto will likely be forced to retire from the political world.”

P5_portrait_of_Toranosuke_Yoshida: “The police can’t do anything, because it was 20 years ago, but he has a moral obligation. I hear his grandson Benzo resigned from the party as well. It could be due to Matsushita’s influence, or perhaps it’s just the party’s way of atoning…”

timrodresized: It’s funny how all of our other confidants need us to do something, but Yoshida probably would’ve turned out the same even without us.

P5_portrait_of_Toranosuke_Yoshida: “Now it’s all up to me… and my abilities.”

P5_portrait_of_Toranosuke_Yoshida: “To think that people would be excited to hear me speak… the article mentioned I didn’t want the real culprit to be named even though I knew who it was.”

P5_portrait_of_Toranosuke_Yoshida: “Apparently, people admire me for having quietly accepted a false charge for 20 years. I didn’t intend for any of this to happen though.”

P5_portrait_of_Toranosuke_Yoshida: “I appreciate that someone like you, who’s been watching me so closely, would say such a thing. I’ve struggled for the past 20 years… but I can put all that behind me after the election.”

P5_portrait_of_Toranosuke_Yoshida: “…Oh, look at the time. I should get started. Today will be the last day I request help…”

P5_portrait_of_Toranosuke_Yoshida: “I don’t intend to meddle. Everything I’ve told you has been based on assumptions, but if you’re still willing to listen… then I think you should focus on your ‘work,’ because the time is now. I can’t think of anything else to teach you.”

P5_portrait_of_Toranosuke_Yoshida: “You are now an expert on giving speeches. I taught you all I know about the art of public speaking, in return for you supporting a guy like me. And over time, you became someone who shared my beliefs.”

P5_portrait_of_Toranosuke_Yoshida: “Thanks to you, I was able to overcome my crisis these last few months…”

P5_portrait_of_Toranosuke_Yoshida: “But if you ever find yourself in harm’s way on your journey, I will be there to help you. We’ll be comrades who reform the world… together.”

Music The Path Is Open

timrodresized: Given what Caroline and Justine’s ability does, this is kind of pointless unless you’re on a low-level run. I don’t think the speedrun even bothers to get this.

P5_portrait_of_Toranosuke_Yoshida: “Thank you for everything. All right, it’s time to begin!”

P5_portrait_of_Toranosuke_Yoshida: “Does anyone out there have something they aspire to do? I met a certain young man… through a method that differs from mine, he was trying to reform the world.”

timrodresized: Certainly not, you know, the guy standing right next to him.

P5_portrait_of_Toranosuke_Yoshida: “As you know, that is a very large mountain to cross. Unfortunately, I am unable to travel the same path as him… however, I will not say goodbye. Because we will surely meet at the peak.”

P5_portrait_of_Toranosuke_Yoshida: “He is desperately doing what he aspires to do. So I encourage you all. Please find what it is that YOU aspire to do. And I will support you. Because that is what I aspire to do.”

timrodresized: Next time, we’ll go through three days of nothing but cutscene as we finish the Okumura arc. Don’t forget to check the “Alternate Scenes” header for the new Yusu-Gays!

timrodresized: Here’s Yusuke’s Rank 9 Romance scene. This was intended to happen after Joker and Yusuke leave Mementos - instead of running in Kawanabe, they get sushi instead… and Yusuke tries his best to confess his love to Joker.

timrodresized: This comic was done by Salty Vanilla.

timrodresized: And finally, Yusuke’s Rank 10, done by Yokobox:

timrodresized: I apologize for not writing anything, but I’m just not a good romance writer. I hope this satisfies all those people who wanted a gay romance route with Yusuke.

The phrase “Sword Art Online inflation porn” is somehow even funnier than just “inflation porn”. I thought that attaching any anime to “inflation porn” made it funnier, but everything else actually makes it less funny and slightly depressing. Except maybe like, “Trigun inflation porn”. But that has too many n’s.

Eh, it works…okay. The painting Yusuke made is about there being more than one facet to the human heart, and the Confidant in general opens with Yusuke making a painting of pure darkness and ends with him making a painting of darkness and light. But it seems as much like an attempt to get the plot point of Madarame raising Yusuke to make sense as much as it seems like an actual story beat.

I was about to say it’s a common translation for “Ganbatte” but “Do your best” is literally the option above it.

The worst part is, and I am not making this up, right after I went looking for that comic I checked my email and there was one in there from my stock broker titled “Will inflation stick around?”.

I switched stock brokers that very same day.

At least Salty Vanilla can display people having more physical chemistry than Atlus can. Which sounds like damning with faint praise but I’m not, I’m saying all the romance cutscenes so far in this game have been weak and it’s all been rapidly downhill since smooching Ann in an alternate timeline. Just sitting together so their shoulders are almost touching, wow. Don’t you think that’s moving too fast? Shouldn’t you go to her dad’s grave and symbolically ask permission to date?

Also given the popularity poll and the phan fan site posts it seems like a missed opportunity that Mishima’s issues are not more closely tied to the main plot.

Click Here for Update 73

timrodresized: It’s time for the end of the Okumura arc.

Morgana: “I guess Okumura finally had his change of heart. That has to at least lift some of the burden on Haru’s shoulders.”

timrodresized: I kind of wish they hadn’t shoehorned it so that the party is always together any time anything major happens. Persona 4 felt a lot more realistic, where something would happen and you’d get a call about it and then meet up later.

Morgana: “Hm? Wait, where’s Yusuke? …If he’s still asleep at this point, he’s definitely going to be late for school.”

timrodresized: He’s still sleeping off the jet lag from Paris. Either that or he was up all night painting again.

Usami: “That aside, Okumura Foods has been a hot topic recently. This much media coverage must be worth at least ten million yen.”

timrodresized: I dunno, Subway’s had a lot of media coverage recently because of the whole tuna scandal (article might be paywalled, it’s the New York Times). I bet they wish they could pay 10 million yen (~$90,000 USD) to make that story and the existing lawsuits over it go away.

timrodresized: On a side note, I read another article about them recently, and their former CEO sounds a lot like a real-life Okumura.

Usami: “At first, I even thought that all this outcry was just some kind of elaborate marketing campaign. I guess it’s giving them too much of a bad image to be that, though.”

Usami: “Advertising and public image are more important than anything else for a corporation. Are you familiar with a psychological test using these images? The idea is to give the two shapes names appropriate to their appearance.”

Usami: " Kurusu-san."

timrodresized: This test was originally performed in 1929 by a German (technically German-American, but he didn’t move to the US until 1935) psychologist named Wolfgang Kohler. Originally, the two words were “takete” and “baluba” - the modern “kiki” and “bouba” come from a second experiment in 2001 that was done in both the United States and India.

Usami: “That’s correct. Most people named B ‘Bouba’ and A ‘Kiki’. Sharp sounds like K and T are linked to a spiky image. According to one theory, sounds and shapes are processed in the same area of the brain.”

timrodresized: The groups that don’t tend to be people who speak a language where those sounds aren’t commonly used (it’s been tested on people in Nepal among other places). The test also has a much weaker correlation in people with autism.

Usami: “Furthermore, this sense is the same worldwide. No matter the language, the result is the same. A product’s name impresses an image on people before they even use or buy it. Big Bang Burger exemplifies this. The voiced consonants and short syllables leave a strong imprint.”

Usami: “Although with the news these days, it may also evoke the image of the strong oppressing the weak.”

Morgana: “Even the teachers have their eyes set on Okumura… well, he should be having a change of heart, so there should be nothing to worry about.”

Kawakami: “So, about Dr. Maruki’s counseling… you’ve already gone to see him, right?”

Kawakami: “I see… that’s good, then. I’m sure you’re aware, but Dr. Maruki’s term here will be ending pretty soon. The higher-ups told me to make sure you’ve received adequate counseling…”

timrodresized: I don’t know if I mentioned this earlier (I think I did back when we first met him) but Maruki’s confidant must be at Rank 10 to get the expansion content for Royal. His confidant cuts off on 11/18.

timrodresized: His confidant is also different from everyone else’s in that you cannot get Rank 10 before 11/18 - the game will automatically give it to you if you are Rank 9 on that date, otherwise you are locked into the base game’s ending.

Kawakami: “Be sure to visit him so you don’t bring any unwanted attention to yourself, okay?”

timrodresized: We will be doing his Rank 9 on 11/17.

Morgana: “Counseling, eh? But anyway, let’s go get lunch! Bring on the bread!”

Kasumi: “I’ve been doing quite well. Are you also about to eat lunch, Kurusu-senpai? If it’s all right with you, would you mind eating together?”

timrodresized: Dammit, game! Stop trying to set up the plot for the expansion this early!

Kasumi: “Oh, would you like to join us for lunch, Dr. Maruki? We were just discussing eating together.”

timrodresized: What the fuck is this, an episode of Seinfeld?

Maruki: “Are you sure? Well, maybe I will tag along, then.”

Maruki: “That doesn’t really…”

Kasumi: “I have to eat this much to stay active! I always burn through everything I eat! From my point of view, it’s your two lunches that are the issue here. If you’re going to strengthen your body, you have to eat right. You should really work on your diets.”

Maruki: “Hahaha, touche. And you’re right, yours does look nutritious. You know… you seem to be giving off a different vibe lately.”

Kasumi: “Yes! I was able to put my problems in the past and move on.”

Maruki: “Ah, so that’s what it is. You don’t seem to be overexerting yourself, either.”

Kasumi: “I’m sorry I’d worried you.”

Maruki: “Oh, not at all. It’s wonderful to hear how you’ve been. I must admit, I’m a bit surprised. If you don’t mind my asking, was there some kind of reason for this breakthrough?”

Kasumi: “Well… it’s all thanks to Kurusu-senpai and his acquaintances. I suppose you could say they gave me a reason to rethink things - or, more like a reason to stand up to my problems. Isn’t that right, Kurusu-senpai?”

timrodresized: I have to wonder how she’d know who the rest of John Persona is, given that she’s only met them once. I’m sure she could guess on some of them.

Maruki: “Stand up to your problems, eh? You’ve grown to be very strong, Yoshizawa-san.”

Kasumi: “Mmhm, I’m totally over it now! Sorry for talking so much. Why don’t we focus on our lunches? Itadakimasu!”

timrodresized: They translate it as “thanks for the food” but let’s be real here, anyone who has watched anime for any period of time knows what itadakimasu is.

Kasumi: “I should get going. Please excuse me!”

Maruki: “Yoshizawa-san really does seem to have found her footing. She seemed absolutely tormented about her situation just the other day… I have to say, this drastic change has really knocked me for a loop. Perhaps the Phantom Thieves changed her heart?”

Maruki: “Haha, I was just joking. Looks like time’s up. You should head back to class as well. See you around.”

Haru: “You can just call me Haru. The seasons are changing soon, so I thought it’d be nice for the plants to change as well. This time, it’s a Yusuke Kitagawa production.”

timrodresized: Yusuke is slowly devolving into Jun. Soon, he will replace his katana for a flower and sending messages to Joker via thrown bouquets.

Yusuke: “Furthermore, Haru chose the flowers herself. It will surely be a great bed no matter the arrangement.”

timrodresized: This is pretty much Haru’s confidant ability - she can plant things. It takes time and the rewards from it aren’t anything special, so I never touched it in the base game.

Makoto: “Hm, I’m looking forward to it.”

Futaba: “Why don’t we plant you, Mona?”

Morgana: “Weren’t you a shut-in until just recently? You’d better photosynthesize while you’re here.”

Ann: “That’s not gonna make a difference!”

Ryuji: “Hey, y’know how we’re thinkin’ of the school festival as our celebration party? Anyone else think we should have a real celebration on top of that?”

Yusuke: “I must agree. It would be not only a celebration, but a welcoming as well. I’d like to do something among ourselves.”

timrodresized: Yusuke has to cover to stop all the questions about where he and Joker were all weekend.

Ann: “Let’s do it then! A joint party to celebrate and to welcome Haru!”

Haru: “Oh, you don’t have to do that. The school festival is more than enough.”

Morgana: “How is everyone else supposed to get excited if the star of the party’s not into it?”

Makoto: “By Destinyland, do you mean that kingdom of dreams?”

Haru: “It would be a bit late, but there are some plans that allow us to rent out the park for the night.”

Ann: “The entire park!? You’re talking about THE Destinyland, right?”

Haru: “Didn’t you say you’d like to do something amongst ourselves?”

Yusuke: “I did, but…”

timrodresized: Yusuke’s like “If you had told me you could rent out Destinyland for an entire night I would have asked you earlier so I could confess to Joker there.”

Haru: “Hold on. I’ll go check.”

Ann: “She really thinks like a celebrity…”

Ryuji: “The heck’s she gonna check?”

Ann: “We’re really gonna have it at Destinyland? Not like, one of the restaurants, but… the entire park?”

Futaba: “Even for just one night, the price is insane…”

Haru: “Oh, that won’t be a problem. We had originally booked it for a company party, then had to call it off because of the scandal… we’d barely get anything back if we canceled the reservation, so why not take advantage of it?”

timrodresized: It’s weird how at first she seems to insinuate that the company has some kind of deal with the park where they can do that on short notice, and then it’s suddenly this planned thing that just happens to be tonight.

Yusuke: “Wouldn’t that be oddly conspicuous though?”

Haru: “It’s still officially under the company’s name. We needn’t worry.”

Ryuji: “In that case… let’s do this. We’ll just celebrate twice as hard today!”

Haru: “I’m sorry for disrupting everyone. You did come to help me, after all. Well, let’s get back to it!”

Ryuji: “So seriously. How much does it cost?”

timrodresized: Money. Loads of money.

Yusuke: “The food was arranged on my plate as though it were paint on a canvas.”

Haru: “I thought if we were going to dine together, it would be better to do it somewhere with a view.”

Ann: “The VIP life is incredible! Not that I’d expect anything else from a private rental!”

Makoto: “There really is no one else here.”

Futaba: “We are the rulers of the kingdom of dreams!”

Haru: “That’s right.”

Yusuke: “It’s beautiful…”

timrodresized: Yusuke glares at her SO FUCKING HARD.

Ann: “Almost anyone would fall for that line in front of a sight like this!”

timrodresized: Morgana is then ejected from Destinyland for being horny.

Ann: “You say that like you’re not tapping into your inner child too, Ryuji.”

timrodresized: How hard can that be? You’re all only 17, apart from Makoto and Haru.

Ryuji: “This is just ‘cause Futaba kept naggin’ me to put 'em on!”

timrodresized: I’d mention something about Ryuji’s constant hatred of adults, but we haven’t heard about that in a while. Hashino abruptly drops it and I don’t think we hear him talk about it again.

Yusuke: “My, this is so heartwarming!”

Haru: “Honestly, I would’ve liked to see the parade as well. But given how sudden the request was, they couldn’t get enough staff together to do it.”

timrodresized: So now we’ve got two lines in the “Okumura Foods can rent out Destinyland on a whim” camp and one in the “Okumura Foods had already rented out the park but didn’t go due to the scandal” camp. Which is it!?

Makoto: “Perhaps that will have to wait until next time.”

Ryuji: “Either way, this party’s totally the best one so far! It’s freakin’ amazing!”

Haru: “I’m glad to see you’re enjoying it.”

timrodresized: In my mind, the answer is that Haru is like the love interest from Lupin III Part 4, who wants to be a thief but doesn’t want a criminal record, so she merely buys entire banks on a moment’s notice to rob them. She just straight-up bought Destinyland on that rooftop.

Morgana: “Be careful, Haru. You’ve shown these guys what luxury means. This’ll really raise the bar for our next celebration party.”

Yusuke: “You’re already talking about our next party? Don’t you think that’s a bit premature?”

timrodresized: What you’re witnessing here is the high point of the game - not necessarily in writing quality, but in terms of the rise of John Persona.

Haru: “Still… how do I put this? I met Mona-chan, I got to know you all… isn’t everything going a little too perfectly? It’s actually a bit frightening…”

Morgana: “You worry too much.”

Haru: “…I must just be overly cautious because of my circumstances up till recently. I’m sorry for bringing it up.”

timrodresized: Who talks like that? Seriously, who? “It’s probably just me. Sorry for bringing it up.” Fixed your fucking dialogue. And yes, I understand they’re trying to do the Elly thing with her, but still.

Ann: “Hey, isn’t it almost time? You know, for the press conference.”

Okumura: “Today, I’d like to elaborate upon the whole truth behind my company’s labor situation. How my employees were forced to work under severe conditions, how… lax we were with sanitation…”

timrodresized: And then the camera cuts away to Valley of Defilement, or Blighttown if you haven’t played Demon’s Souls.

Okumura: “And how my corporation acted as a whole to… cover up every facet of this scandal. For all of this, I wholeheartedly apologize.”

timrodresized: If I was writing this, Okumura would go “Oh, that’s because our company name is actually…” and then it cuts away to the Okumura Foods building where part of the sign with the company’s name on it is obscured by a tree, which blows to the side in the wind to reveal the actual name is “Okumura Food Poisoning”.

Okumura: “Yes.”

Okumura: “About that… I have a critical piece of information to announce here today.”

timrodresized: Shadow the Hedgehog is a bitch-ass motherfucker. Anyway, Okumura’s about to die and it gets a little graphic, so you can skip this part coming up. Just ctrl + f “nice boat”.

Morgana: “Okumura’s going to say who’s really behind the mental shutdowns.”

timrodresized: This entire thing is EXTREMELY inconsistent. We know from Persona 2 that having your shadow die doesn’t actually kill you - it just renders you braindead.

timrodresized: The problem is that the way having your shadow die works in this game makes no sense. First there’s the kind who just go braindead - we saw that with the train conductor at the beginning of the game.

timrodresized: Then there’s the kind who go full-on The Happening and attempt to kill themselves with whatever they can find - this was Futaba’s mother and Principal Evil.

timrodresized: Then there’s… whatever this is, which I think they just kind of stole wholesale from Death Note.

timrodresized: Come to think of it, isn’t this that scene from Ni no Kuni 2? The one with Roland’s son that happens right around the final boss?

timrodresized: So does having his shadow die also fuck with the cameras, or is that unrelated?

timrodresized: I’m very surprised they didn’t do the whole “nice boat” thing.

Haru: “F-Father!?”

Ann: “Wh-Why did he collapse!?”

Makoto: “That didn’t look right at all… don’t tell me…!”

timrodresized: This scene might’ve actually been effective if we hadn’t known for two weeks that Okumura was dead.

Morgana: “You’re right. We followed all the same steps! We made sure we just took the Treasure too…”

timrodresized: Is this an aspect of the dungeons we haven’t seen? That at the end, the party gets together and goes “Okay, did we accidentally kill anyone?”

timrodresized: I’m picturing them doing this at the end of a palace and Ryuji is visibly nervous and sweating. Morgana calls on him. “Ryuji, how many bodies? One? Two?”

timrodresized: Ryuji shakes his head. “Three? How many bodies, Ryuji?” and then Ryuji mouths “Twenty.”

timrodresized: “Twenty people!? How the hell did you kill twenty people!? There weren’t even twenty people in this dungeon! How do you even manage to accidentally kill twenty people!?”

timrodresized: Then it cuts to Ryuji in front of a control panel in Okumura’s palace with a big red button labelled “EMERGENCY ATMOSPHERE PURGE” right in the middle. The next cut is to the Okumura Foods building, which is suddenly on fire.

timrodresized: You know what, basically just this scene with the Persona 5 cast, only the pizza is a pile of bodies.

Haru: gasp “I should call home!”

Ann: “This - this isn’t our fault… is it? It’s been okay all four times so far - ever since Kamoshida!”

Makoto: “If we let the Shadow live, the real person won’t undergo mental shutdown… right?”

Morgana: “That’s how it should work…”

Ryuji: “Yeah… i-it’s gotta be…”

Futaba: “A-Ah…”

Yusuke: “What’s wrong?”

Futaba: “Th-This is… the same… I remember now… it’s just like… what happened to my mom…”

Yusuke: “So this is the moment when mental shutdown occurs…”

Makoto: “But why did they target Okumura-san?”

Ryuji: “Dammit! The hell’s goin’ on here!?”

Haru: “Um… I have to go. I’ll talk to the staff before I leave. Feel free to take your time…”

Ann: “Haru…!”

Ryuji: “This ain’t our fault, right?”

Yusuke: “I’d like to think so…”

Ann: “Some welcoming party, huh…”

Makoto: “I’ll get in contact with Haru later. But for today, I think we should all return home.”

timrodresized: I like to think that Caroline and Justine snuck in and they’re just riding whatever the Destinyland equivalent of Splash Mountain is, completely oblivious to what’s going on.

Akechi: “What are you watching? gasp That’s-”

Sae: “This is just a hypothesis… but perhaps Okumura was bitten by his lapdog.”

Akechi: “Are you implying that the Phantom Thieves triggered a mental shutdown on Okumura?”

Sae: “There might have been a falling out of sorts, so the Phantom Thieves abandoned a useless employer. And to cover their tracks, they dealt with Okumura.”

Akechi: “I hate to bring this up, but I’m actually here about that.”

Sae: “Did you find any evidence?”

Sae: “How do you mean? You were suspecting the Phantom Thieves as well.”

Akechi: “It is still hypothetical at this point… but I don’t want to rule it out.”

Sae: “We’re searching the Okumura residence tomorrow. Same with Shujin and its principal. We will find evidence on this… no matter what it takes.”

timrodresized: So what you’re telling me is that the principal died almost a month ago, you suspected the Phantom Thieves were behind it… and didn’t think to search his office until just now?

Sae: “…By the way, I wanted to ask you something.”

Akechi: “Yes?”

Sae: “…You haven’t looked at my laptop or taken files from it without permission, have you?”

Akechi: “That’s quite out of the blue.”

Sae: “There were traces that someone transferred data from it. It was only a small error pop-up… but I noticed it immediately after I had that argument with you last month.”

Akechi: “And that’s why you suspect me? Oh please, give me a break.”

Sae: “Are you saying you didn’t?”

Akechi: “As a detective myself, I honor the value of information - as well as the effort invested in it. I take pride in what I do. I thought you of all people would understand such values, Sae-san.”

Sae: “…I apologize. But then… who stole my data?”

timrodresized: It wouldn’t be cardiac arrest, that was a heart attack right out of a movie.

timrodresized: Does anyone remember her actually saying that? I sure don’t. But yeah, this is the point where Hashino realizes he just did an ass-pull and is desperately trying to justify it.

timrodresized: This is far from the only time he does this. I feel like this part of the game happened because the writers realized they were five dungeons in, only barely had a plot, and needed to pull something off fast if they were ever going to finish it.

timrodresized: In fact, by the end of the next dungeon, we’ll have seen the part that made me check out on the plot when I played the base game.

Morgana: “It should’ve been okay! It… should’ve been…”

Morgana: “Dammit, this doesn’t make any sense… why he suffered a mental shutdown is one thing… but what are we supposed to do from here on out?”

timrodresized: Tonight’s another night where the plot forces us to sleep.

Justine: “Our master has an important matter to discuss with you. Heed his words well.”

Igor: “…Or so I’d like to say, but something odd seems to have happened.”

Igor: “Who knows?”

timrodresized: I feel like this last exchange was an email between the writers that accidentally got added to the script. “Okay, so Okumura dies… now what’s supposed to happen?” “Who knows? We’re just throwing shit at the wall at this point.”

Igor: “However, don’t you sense it? The malicious will of another… it seems a contingency has occurred. At this rate, your rehabilitation cannot be completed… though I doubt that will be the case.”

Igor: “I truly look forward to seeing how you overcome this predicament. …We shall meet again.”

timrodresized: The opinion bar is dropping. It’ll continue to do that over the next few days.

Kawakami: “Will you quiet down!? We’re in class right now! Not to mention, you have midterms starting on Monday! Focus on studying!”

timrodresized: We will be coming in first place on those exams.

Morgana: “…Things are getting pretty bad.”

Sae: “I see.”

Sae: “We’ve confirmed the victim’s connection to the Phantom Thieves, at least. Thank you for your cooperation.”

timrodresized: I had to re-record this bit because I missed a crossword (we’ll see it at the end) that should’ve been at the end of the last update, and I only just noticed the two cops in the background interrogating that chair.

timrodresized: Cop 1: “Chair, where were you last night at 8? Why are you in this weird corner area that doesn’t really have anything in it?”

timrodresized: Cop 2: “It looks suspicious. Dust it for ass-prints and sent it to the lab.”

Sae: “Yes!”

Sae: “I’m sorry to ask again, but your father hadn’t said anything abuot the Phantom Thieves, correct?”

Sae: “Please contact me if something catches your attention. It doesn’t matter how trivial it seems. …You don’t have to force yourself though. Just anything that comes to mind.”

timrodresized: The date change on the film reel effect bits before the Sae cutscenes have been slowly changing. This is as far as this one goes… though we’ll know EXACTLY when the Sae cutscenes happen pretty soon. Can you guess why?

Sae: “And even the death of Shujin’s principal, who we found a calling card for, was the work of another?”

timrodresized: Oh, one fuckup I found with these Sae cutscenes - if you look at the one from the start of the Kamoshida arc, it has the Phantom Thieves logo on it that Yusuke designed, even though he wasn’t there for that.

Sae: “You don’t sound like you’re lying… if you wanted to deceive me, you could’ve easily made up a much simpler lie than this ‘Metaverse’. Moreover, your account coincides with my own investigation. Is that even possible if it were made up?”

Sae: “And I hate to admit, but… with my line of work, I know a false testimony when I hear one. Still, if you set your sights on Okumura based on my intel, it’d be before his name was even ranked.”

Sae: “You could’ve ignored him and targeted some other famous person. Why would you go so far as to further investigate and pursue this criminal?”

Sae: “Heh… simple enough. There’s still no proof that another suspect exists. That said, it’s safe enough to say that you aren’t the murdering type.”

Sae: “But with the subsequent deaths of Okumura and Shujin’s principal, the public’s opinion changed. Pressed to prove your innocence, your next objective was…”

Sae: “If what you’re saying is true, you must tell your side of the story to the end. We’ll both be in trouble if your testimony becomes unreliable. Well then, let’s move on.”

Sae: “At last, we arrive at your most recent crime.”

timrodresized: Yes, this means exactly what you’re thinking.

Morgana: “I hope Haru’s okay…”

timrodresized: Tonight, we’ll be reading to get ahead on that. I think I mentioned earlier that the guide has us do Knowing the Heart before the next dungeon - it doesn’t.

timrodresized: The good news is that because we have all these nights where we can’t do anything else, we’ll have just enough time to finish all those books before the next dungeon, because this is an LP where we are ahead of schedule and under budget.

Morgana: “Did you want me to call you ‘Chief’ now? Heh, I’m just kidding. Did you learn more about chiefs and their big hearts? Even in the underworld, there’s kindness…”

timrodresized: Wait… it was a book about the yakuza? Figures.

timrodresized: We’ll keep going even though we’re technically at the start of the next plot arc, because there’s even more cutscene here.

Morgana: “It looks like Haru is managing… somehow. All right, let’s meet up with everyone after school.”

SIU Director: “The public has praised them as ‘allies of justice,’ before they strike them back to the ground… now then, she’ll be next…”

SIU Director: “Yes, I’ve already spoken to human resources about it. It will be a heavy responsibility, but I’m certain it’d be an honor for her. The culprits behind the mental shutdown cases she’s been pursuing all this time…”

timrodresized: The SIU director went to HR and was like “Hi, I’m part of an evil, shadowy cabal and I need to brain-murder my subordinate. Are we all good on that? Yes, I understand that this would make my third brain-murder in a 30-day rolling window.”

Ryuji: “It’s so damn loud…”

Futaba: “Hrm? Where’s Haru?”

Ryuji: “She’s the one that called us, so she’ll show up eventually.”

Ann: “Well, even though things have calmed down, she must be occupied with what happened to her father…”

Futaba: “Wh-What’s up?”

Ann: “People are posting that we killed President Okumura!”

Yusuke: “So it’s begun already…”

Ryuji: “What!?”

Yusuke: “Think about it. The CEO collapsed the way he did, during an apology conference that our group caused.”

Ann: “Still…! They were raving about us so much, and now they just treat us like murderers?”

Futaba: “What a lightning-fast change of attitude!”

Ryuji: “They don’t know a damn thing about us or our situation!”

Makoto: “Calm down. Not everyone is necessarily saying that…”

Yusuke: “But there’s no way to vindicate ourselves.”

Haru: “I’m the one who asked you to make time for me too…”

Makoto: “…My condolences. It must be rough.”

Haru: “I’m okay now. Um, I called everyone together because there was something worrying me. Did you all target the principal?”

Ann: “Huh? The principal? …You mean ours?”

Haru: “Yes.”

Morgana: “What makes you say that?”

Haru: “Yesterday, a public prosecutor came to my home. Um… it was a woman named… Niijima-san.”

Makoto: “That’s-”

Haru: “I overheard her saying a calling card was found in the principal’s office. Considering that this was right after what happened… it’s got to be Shujin’s.”

Ryuji: “That’s the first I’ve heard of it!”

Makoto: “Doesn’t this all seem weird to you? It may just be my imagination… but I feel as if… things are escalating far too quickly after President Okumura’s incident.”

Ryuji: “For real!?”

Futaba: “That could be…”

Ann: “Then we need to catch them as soon as possible.”

Yusuke: “Hold a moment. Can we assume we’ve been set up though? We don’t even know their objective.”

Ryuji: “What else are we supposed to do then!?”

Makoto: “Let’s all calm down for a moment. From what Haru said, even the police are suspecting that the Phantom Thieves are murderers… it wouldn’t be wise to carelessly make a move at the moment.”

Makoto: “We need to act as normal students for now. In addition, we have midterms next week.”

Ryuji: “Exams? At a time like this? Rgh… I envy you, Futaba… Futaba?”

Makoto: “I wonder what that could be. At any rate, we need to behave and not draw attention to ourselves. Understood?”

Morgana: “But that’s impossible!”

timrodresized: Did the writers forget that Mishima knows who the party is? I think they did.

Morgana: “Mishima is a bit narrow-sighted, but he’s a good person deep down. We can’t betray him…”

timrodresized: Tonight, we’re going to continue to be ahead of schedule on books. We’re going to have a lot of nights in October where we can’t do anything else.

Morgana: “Stories about great people from the past, huh? I’m just a little suspicious of how true they are…”

timrodresized: Next time, we’ll go through an entire week in one update. We’ll also start picking up our next batch of Mementos requests.

They could’ve squared this bizarre ‘death-by-gunshot-on-two-week-delay’ circle by like, while Okamura is giving his speech, do a cut to the inside of his Palace where DARK FIGURE WHAT WE DON’T KNOW WHO THEY ARE shoots his Shadow in real-time. If you want him to die outright but want it to match the other mental shutdowns, you could have him collapse and hit his head on the podium or something like that. Then the SIU director could say “Well him dying wasn’t part of the plan, but I am evil so I don’t care”.

That aside, I actually enjoyed the content of this update. It gives a pretty good sense of everything falling apart and not being able to do anything about it. Haru booking them a private dinner at Tokyo Disney is really forced, but it’s a decent ‘we’re on top of the world’ image.

If John Persona was getting a lawyer worth a flip and not a convenient prison suicide in all likelihood I’m pretty sure nothing he’s said so far would be considered reliable. I still don’t even consider it reliable.

Real considerate of Haru to stick with the team and not watch her father die then learn about the Principal’s fake calling card and think she was duped into helping a team of murders kill her father to make her spill the beans to the police. Thanks, Haru.

Click Here for Update 74

timrodresized: We’ve seen the rise of John Persona, and now it’s time to see the fall. Welcome to the penultimate arc of the base game.

Morgana: “Bless that girl, worrying about others even at a time like this…”

Morgana: “…”

Morgana: “I wish we could prove our innocence, but we can’t afford to make a dumb mistake and get ourselves caught. We’ll just have to keep laying low and wait. Let’s not do anything conspicuous, okay?”

timrodresized: There’s almost no way Hashino didn’t steal this from somewhere.

timrodresized: So okay, he doesn’t know who John Persona is… but he knows the name John Persona, which only the people in John Persona know or use.

Morgana: “Mishima really does get some amazing info for us sometimes… our reputation may have taken a hit after Okumura’s death, but we can still prove our justice in Mementos.”

timrodresized: Today’s the day we actually do Yusuke’s Rank 10, but we’ve already seen that.

timrodresized: Sojiro’s Rank 7 requires that you have maxed out Kindness. Please remember this fact for the end of this event.

Sojiro: “…Hm? You look like you have something to say.”

timrodresized: And what I have to say is “Shit, I forgot to get a matching Persona, better go get one.” Unfortunately, we were full up, so I had to fuse away a useless Regent I got because I forgot Baal is an Emperor Persona.

Returning Persona: Power

Origin: Judeo-Christianity

First Appearance: Shin Megami Tensei I

Order of angels responsible for keeping history and maintaining knowledge of philosophy and theology.

timrodresized: I then grab the cheapest Persona I can find and go.

Futaba: “Uncle’s bank info, transaction history, credit details… I’ve got tons of dirt on him!”

Sojiro: “…How’d you get your hands on this stuff?”

Futaba: “Hacking, of course! Uncle’s in loads of debt! He’ll never win a suit against us now that we have all this data!”

Sojiro: “This is a criminal offense, you idiot! There’s no way we’d be able to use this stuff in court!”

timrodresized: Is Sojiro the first person to call out all the blatantly illegal shit people do in this game?

Futaba: “But…”

Sojiro: “I’ve known all along how badly in debt he is. He’s not gonna try and take custody back, so don’t go doing stupid crap like this, okay?”

Futaba: “But Sojiro…! I-I only did it 'cause of all that stuff he said to you!”

Sojiro: “About that… I’ve been thinking. When push came to shove, I wasn’t there to help you. So, you know… maybe there’s somewhere better for you out there…”

Futaba: “S-Somewhere better…? Am I not supposed to be here…? Am I just in the way…?”

Sojiro: “No, that’s not it…”

Futaba: “You can just stay here and play with your stupid coffee beans!”

Sojiro: “Makes sense though… you’re the ones who saved her, after all. …Where did I go wrong?”

Sojiro: “I really did try to care for Futaba… look where that got me though. I told myself she was the reason I kept making Wakaba’s curry here… but deep down, I think that was just an excuse to stay distant…”

Sojiro: “At the end of the day, the coffee and the curry people love so much are both just… excuses.”

Sojiro: “Yeah… I mean, I spent more time in this cafe than I ever did trying to talk to Futaba… I’m gonna go out for a smoke, try to cool off a bit. Sorry to lay this on you, but can you go after Futaba for me?”

Futaba: “Y’know, Mom used to talk about Sojiro tons when I was little. How good he was at making curry, how interesting he was to talk to… I remember everything.”

Futaba: “I even remember how she smiled when she talked about him… Mom really liked Sojiro…”

Futaba: “I said some real mean stuff tonight. It’s not his fault Mom’s incident happened… it’s not his fault I shut myself away from the world. And because of me… Sojiro lost a crapton of money…”

Futaba: “I thought I’d be able to stay here with him if my hacking worked…”

Futaba: “Yeah… yeah, you’re right.”

Futaba: “Mm-hm…”

Sojiro: “Look, I’m sorry about what I said just now. And well… if it’s okay with you… I want you to stay here, forever.”

Futaba: “Forever…”

timrodresized: You’d think this would be a problem given the whole tomb thing.

Sojiro: “I know it might be more fun living with people your age like Akira… but I’ll do my damnedest to see things from your perspective. So… will you stay with me?”

Sojiro: “H-Hey… quit your laughing! sigh You’re as exhausting as ever.”

Futaba: “Hey, Sojiro. I know I’ve caused you a lot of trouble… but I really do wanna be here. So, let’s keep living together.”

Sojiro: “Futaba…”

Futaba: “Sorry for not saying that sooner. Oh, and… thanks for taking in someone as horrible as me.”

Sojiro: "…Are you sure I’m good enough?

Futaba: “I wouldn’t want anyone else.”

Sojiro: “Heh, no hesitation… don’t come complaining to me if you regret it. …Actually, I’m not gonna let you regret it. If you ever need help, just tell me. I might not be graceful… but I’ll be there to protect you.”

Sojiro: “And you can stay with me for as long as you’d like. Forever, if you want.”

Futaba: “Mm-hm, I will. …Forever. I can’t wait to keep living with you too, Akira!”

Sojiro: “I didn’t stand up for Wakaba when I knew something was off… and I didn’t stand up for you either. Instead, I went on and on about how you can’t fight back against the laws of our society…”

timrodresized: I feel like Hashino wrote this scene without knowing which confidant it was going to be part of, and then just flipped a coin and landed on Sojiro.

Sojiro: “How you should just accept the hand you’re dealt in life… but those were mere excuses I made to keep myself in line. They gave me the easy way out I wanted so badly…”

Sojiro: “Maybe instead of all that coffee crap, I should’ve been teaching you not to make the same mistakes I did. There I go, ranting again. But… I feel like I managed to put a lot behind me today.”

timrodresized: Sojiro: “Instead of all that coffee crap, I should’ve taught you THE BLADE” and then out comes the katana.

Sojiro: “…Thanks, for making me realize what’s really important in life.”

Sojiro: “All right, I better head home too. Don’t stay up too late, okay? I don’t want you oversleeping.”

timrodresized: Remember how I said at the start of this event that you need maxed-out Kindness for Sojiro’s Rank 7? Yeah, we get useless Kindness points even though there’s no way you could use them at this point.

Sojiro: “…Hey, you good to talk?”

Sojiro: “Don’t know how it took me so long when we’ve been so close, but… I finally had a normal conversation with her. How do I say this… it feels like we’re a real family now. Not just pretending to be one.”

Sojiro: “And that’s only because you helped us connect, so… thanks for that.”

Sojiro: “A real dad, huh…? Sounds corny as hell, but I can’t deny it. Heh… what am I doing? Calling some guy up and rambling about my feelings… eh, but I guess you’re not exactly an ordinary guy yourself.”

Shinya: “The games are on me today… just be sure to keep up.”

timrodresized: As a heads-up, we’re intentionally fucking up the answers in this event.

Shinya: “Don’t worry, I have a lot of money on me today! Now, let’s get to it! Get into your stance!”

timrodresized: This game came out years before YIIK did, but even then this was a poor choice of shirt.

timrodresized: And here we have Shinya in some kind of half-Jojo pose. I like to think the cutscene director saw the script for this cutscene and was like “Fuck it, I’m gonna day-drink. No one can stop me!”

Shinya: “…The King.”

Shinya: “I didn’t take it, I earned it. That money is for my war fund, to help me get stronger.”

Shinya: “Sh-Shut up!”

timrodresized: Mom says it’s my turn rule the weak!

Shinya: “If you want your money back, you’ll have to beat me!”

Shinya: “A bad guy…? Me…? R-Really? Even though I’m strong?”

timrodresized: I like that he’s undergoing his own JRPG protagonist arc while Joker sits there silently.

Shinya: “I’m not a bad guy… am I…?”

Shinya: “No I’m not… I mean, I won… I got stronger, just like the Phantom Thieves did… so how am I… the bad guy?”

Shinya: “…I guess I…I already knew that… I felt bad, even when I was winning. I won’t do it again… I don’t wanna be a bad guy.”

Shinya: “…Thanks. Hey… um… do you… hate me now?”

timrodresized: This is a wrong answer. The correct choice is the middle one. I was kind of hesitant on doing this now that I know what’s going on, but the problem is that Shinya has a very specific unique event that gives us a thing for Joker’s room.

timrodresized: The trigger for it is to either be Rank 6 and do it on several dates in late October, or be Rank 9 and do it on 11/3. Because of how many cutscenes October has, we can’t hit Rank 9 by that point.

timrodresized: What’s really dumb about the whole thing is that most of the other unique events that give you a room decoration happen after Rank 10 and don’t involve purposely fucking up answers. They could’ve fixed this in Royal, but we all know what Atlus’s motto regarding anything that might cost money is.

Shinya: “…Sorry. I promise that I won’t do that again… So please don’t hate me… Sorry. I promise that I won’t do that again. So please don’t hate me…”

Shinya: “The Phantom Thieves are strong because they defeat strong enemies, right? Beating up on weak opponents… that’s bullying… that’s what bad guys do. I was wrong.”

Shinya: “Thanks, Kurusu-san… I wouldn’t have realized this on my own.”

timrodresized: This as as many down shots as we’re going to get.

Shinya: “I’m gonna head home now. I need to think about what I did… I’ll see you later… bye.”

Shinya: “Hey, Kurusu-san, where did I go wrong…? I just wanted to be strong like the Phantom Thieves, but somehow I turned into a bad guy without even noticing…”

Shinya: “The more I thought about everything, the more scared I got… Kurusu-san… are you sure you aren’t gonna hate me?”

timrodresized: This is another intentional wrong answer. The correct option is the top one.

Shinya: “Oh…! Yeah, you are! Haha… I won’t make the same mistake ever again. Trust me, big brother. Phew… I feel a little better after talking to you.”

Shinya: “Thanks, Kurusu. I don’t know what I’d do without you. Okay, I’m gonna hang up now. See you at the arcade!”

timrodresized: Tonight, we have Iwai’s last confidant rank before we have to take his Mementos request.

Iwai: “While you and Kaoru were over at that diner, I was out gettin’ info from a reliable source of mine. Turns out I guessed right. Tsuda was the one on the other end of that Hong Kong mafia deal.”

Iwai: “Apparently he paid them off for a huge arsenal of guns. This is where things start gettin’ interestin’ though… if he was smugglin’ all that shit in, why would he come to me askin’ for modified guns?”

Iwai: “I mean, don’t somethin’ about that seem off to you?”

Iwai: “Right? That piece of shit’s tryin’ to lord his position over me… but he ain’t got shit now! What I’m really sayin’ here is… I don’t think those Hong Kong guys ever delivered on their end of the deal. They prolly just took his money and flat-out stiffed him on the guns.”

timrodresized: And this is where we reach the part of Iwai’s confidant where Hashino realizes he’s written himself into a corner. This plot would make sense if Iwai was actually running guns - but he’s not.

Iwai: “Masa told me somethin’ real weird back when you and Kaoru were over at the diner though. Apparently, the clan’s been treatin’ that Hong Kong transaction like some kinda massive business success.”

Iwai: “That means Tsuda’s been lyin’ to em this whole time… and now he’s tryin’ to use me to cover up his mistake.”

timrodresized: But HOW? I mean, what’s he going to do, show up with a bunch of airsoft guns and hope no one notices or tries to fire one? This is why defanging shit is dumb, because it forces ass-pulls like this.

Iwai: “Yup. Everyone’s always known he’s one sneaky son of a bitch. …Don’t matter now though. Everything’s gonna change once I tell the clan what’s up. Tsuda’s not gonna be able to keep intimidatin’ me anymore.”

Iwai: “And I’ll make sure Kaoru won’t get labeled, like I was. He’ll be a regular, respectable adult. Somethin’ I coulda never even dreamed of…”

timrodresized: It’s funny because I know there’s at least one Yakuza game where the protagonist goes directly to a guy’s patriarch - Kiryu does it in Yakuza 3 if I remember right, and I think Ichiban does it in Yakuza 7.

Iwai: “Hey, I got a favor to ask you. If anythin’ happens to me, take care of Kaoru, okay? …Okay?”

Iwai: “Prolly. I know he’d be able to get rid of me no problem without a witness there, but I’ve gotta put an end to this. Besides, nobody would wanna… wait a sec. I’ve got you.”

Iwai: “I want you to come talk to Tsuda with me. He’s not gonna dare lay a finger on a civilian kid. It’d cause way too many complications for him. If you come as my witness, things’ll be miles safer.”

timrodresized: I mean, not really, given that the yakuza captains in the Yakuza games kill civilians all the time, since the whole “honor code” thing is just a veneer to keep the low-level guys in line.

Iwai: “…All right then. It’s settled. Oh, and lemme think of a reward. Gotta thank you for the info, and for bein’ my witness. How 'bout I work even harder on that special menu? That should be good for you, yeah?”

timrodresized: This ability sucks. What it unlocks are “stronger” versions of the existing customizations that boost one stat more in exchange for lowering another.

timrodresized: I tried it with Joker’s pistol, and it adds something like 100 attack while cutting the accuracy to 50%. It’s a garbage trade-off.

Iwai: “Well, I’ll hit you up when it’s time. Let’s do this, kid. Thanks for today.”

Iwai: “But I’m obviously gonna look out for you. If it comes down to it, I’ll personally take responsibility for protecting you. But considering who we’re dealin’ with… we can’t afford to take any chances.”

Iwai: “Heh… you really do have guts. But guts alone isn’t enough to get by in this world. Remember, nothin’s that simple. …Look, I know I shouldn’t be getting a minor dragged into this shit. But you’re the only one I can rely on…”

Morgana: “Haru… she’s the one who should be in pain right now, yet she’s still trying to cheer us up…”

timrodresized: There’s a new thing in the crane game we can win.

timrodresized: The guide tells us to do this, and I’m telling you don’t. The capsule machine gives one of… I think five or six figures, which can be traded to a guy off to the right for… worthless fucking garbage.

timrodresized: If you get the Girimehkala figurine, you can trade it to the guy in Kichijoji for a sword for Morgana.

timrodresized: Other than that, today’s going to look a lot like the last two days. We’re doing Futaba’s confidant in the morning and then switching to Iwai at night for his Mementos request.

Futaba: “But before that, there’s something I wanna show you, Akira. Come to my room.”

Futaba: “See, everything on here is marked off as being done. But that’s kinda… wrong. There was one promise I lied about doing… one promise I never actually finished.”

timrodresized: What Futaba’s saying is that she’s a Nippon Ichi protagonist.

Futaba: “It was ‘get along with Kana-chan’. This all started back when I was in elementary school. I used to get bullied pretty hard for how weird I was…”

Futaba: “The other kids always accused me of cheating because I’d get perfect scores on my tests. Then one time I turned in a test with nothing written down instead… but the school ended up yelling at my mom.”

Futaba: “My life at school was horrible. Sometimes during recess, I’d lock myself in the bathroom and cry… I didn’t have a single friend… I was always alone.”

Futaba: “But then a girl named Kana transferred to my school… she was absent a lot at first, then when she was there, the other kids bullied her… like they did to me.”

timrodresized: I have to wonder if this is supposed to be a reference to Kana Little Sister. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s an h-game that tried to be more of a legit VN - it even got a PSP release with no porn in it.

timrodresized: The game is kind of famous for being an h-game that turns into this very depressing VN about a girl dying of a mysterious anime disease and how she deals with that.

Futaba: “But one day, she said something to me: ‘Good morning.’ She started saying it every day from then on.”

Futaba: “Totally! I mean, literally nobody wanted to talk to me back then. To be honest… I completely ignored her the first few times. I thought the bullies had put her up to it.”

Futaba: “But without fail, she’d come over to me to say good morning… then eventually, I decided to say it back. It felt like my heart was gonna shatter into a million pieces…”

Futaba: “But apparently, she’d been saying it to me that whole time because she thought we could be friends. She was the first person who didn’t mind how weird I was…”

Futaba: “I was so happy about making a friend that I told my mom. That’s when she added something to my promise list. ‘Get along with Kana-chan.’ B-But… I couldn’t do it.”

Futaba: “One particularly windy morning, Kana-chan dropped her diary and the pages flew everywhere. I didn’t really mean to look… but I ended up seeing everything she had written down. And… once I see something, I can’t forget it…”

timrodresized: This sounds less like dialog and more like she’s writing a book out loud. The worst part is, I can’t tell if the writers did this as a “Futaba has a photographic memory so she remembers things differently than most people” kind of thing or because they just suck at writing.

Futaba: “Kana-chan’s diary was full of stories like that… then when I asked her about it… she got really defensive. I felt terrible, but she just kept yelling at me for reading it.”

Futaba: “Yeah… but I couldn’t really tell her that… I just… froze up. And then… I ran. I ran… and ran… I wanted her to stop yelling. I wanted to go back to how things were before.”

Futaba: “…Kana-chan ended up moving away pretty soon after that. I haven’t talked to her since. So… I lied to my mom. Even after Kana-chan left, I would tell her we were best friends.”

timrodresized: And then she went to Iwai and got a life-size cardboard cutout of Kana that she tried to pass off for the real thing hoping no one would notice… wait no, that’s the other plotline.

Futaba: “So… I lied to my mom. Even after Kana-chan left, I would tell her we were best friends. Every month, she’d write that promise on my list… and every month, I’d lie about it.”

Futaba: “I… I wish I could apologize to Kana-chan somehow. I really wanna say I’m sorry. Sorry for not helping her, though she was going through even worse stuff than I was. Sorry for reading her diary… sorry… for running away.”

Futaba: “I hate being such a coward… but I think I might be able to face my fears now that I’m a promise-setting phantom thief!”

timrodresized: This kind of thing is why I feel like the Persona 3 format was a mistake. It feels like they wrote a lot more for Futaba, but then had to pare it down to fit the 10-rank format.

Futaba: “Y-You have to help me now, got it!?”

Futaba: “This is another part of our deal!”

timrodresized: This is kind of misleading, because I believe it works like Flow does - it’s Charge and Concentrate at the same time.

Futaba: “Welp, I’m gonna get on that right now! Time to go look up Kana-chan’s deets! Oh, and… sorry I wasn’t more hospitable today. That’ll have to wait for next time!”

Futaba: “When I try looking up Kana-chan’s contact info, my fingers suddenly start trembling… I know I promised myself that I’d do this… but when I remember how angry Kana-chan got, I get so scared…”

Futaba: “…! What am I doing? Freaking out at the most important moment…? If I can’t do this, then what was my training for? I don’t want to run away anymore. I won’t give up on Kana-chan.”

Futaba: “…Thanks, Akira. Talking to you about this helped calm me down. I’m going to do a little more research on Kana-chan! Oh, and please don’t tell anyone else about what we discussed today! Not even Sojiro, okay!?”

Morgana: “Haru… I’m not surprised she seems down. You should keep her in your thoughts, Akira. Still, despite how she looks, Haru has quite the backbone. I’m sure she’ll be okay.”

timrodresized: Our shelf of corporate logos grows.

Iwai: “I’ll do my best to protect you. But… I can’t guarantee your safety. You can say no.”

timrodresized: We need maxed-out Guts to get Iwai’s Mementos request.

Iwai: “S’that right? I appreciate it. It’s gonna be under the girder bridge. It’s close by, so follow me.”

Iwai: “He’s here as my witness today. Now listen. I’d be glad to keep my mouth shut about your failed deal… if you stay away from my family. That includes me, Kaoru… and this kid here.”

Iwai: “Rules ain’t meant to be broken.”

timrodresized: I was going to make a joke about Monster Girl Quest here, and in the process of looking for an image found an entire page of Danganronpa shipping pics where half the characters are mermaids for no reason. That line of enquiry was promptly closed.

Iwai: " chuckle Thanks, kid. Tsuda-san, I gotta be honest with you… this whole thing has been a real goddamn pain in the ass. But it’s over. You’re finished."

timrodresized: There should’ve been a fucking intelligence check here like it’s Fallout 1 where Joker goes “Wait a second… you couldn’t even buy guns from the triad. That gun’s a fake.” and then you don’t have to do the Mementos request.

Iwai: “The hell’re you doin’…!?”

Iwai: “You bastard…!”

Iwai: “I’m such a freakin’ idiot… that guy ain’t the Tsuda I know…! Based on what just happened here, I’m done for the second I give him the guns he’s lookin’ for. God dammit…”

timrodresized: Joker: “What’s he gonna do, shoot you with a fake gun?”

Iwai: “…Look, kid. You should prolly go. I don’t got any more tasks for you. Just forget all of this…”

Iwai: “Good. This ain’t nothin’ a kid like you can handle. I… I’m gonna make those guns for him. I gotta do what I can to protect Kaoru… if it means helpin’ out that psychopath, so be it…”

Iwai: "Tsuda… when did he turn into such a heartless bastard?

timrodresized: I think this is the only time we see Iwai make this expression.

Iwai: “…Actually, it’s prolly best that you know. It’s Akimitsu Tsuda. He was famous around here for being an incredible martial artist back in the day. If you see him 'round town, run. Go to the police if you hafta.”

Iwai: “They’ll keep you safe so long as you tell ‘em who’s after you. …Anyways, we’re done here. Thanks for all you’ve been givin’ me. And… take care of yourself, kid.”

timrodresized: We’ve got exams for the next couple of days. I forgot that this is Royal, so we’ll end just before the last day of exams due to them inserting another long Maruki cutscene on the 20th… in addition to the two cutscenes that happen that day in the base game.

timrodresized: The school festival is where I started hating this game’s plot, and I think is also the reason why they straight-up revealed that new palace so early.

Morgana: “Let’s see… an essay question? This looks tough, but let’s calm down and think it through.”

timrodresized: These are really easy to remember when you fact-check most of them while doing an LP.

Morgana: “Soccer balls… didn’t the teacher say that the number of colors used to be different? Do you remember?”

Morgana: “Right, it was only one color. But that wouldn’t really grab your eye. Oh yeah, I remember. I think she said that unlike now, soccer games were broadcasted with…”

Morgana: “Right. A single-colored ball would be hard to spot in black and white. So they changed the color of the ball to make it easily identifiable on TV.”

Usami: “This is the second day of your exams. Please begin.”

Morgana: “That sounds about right.”

timrodresized: Let’s be real here, it’s the third one. That or they don’t hate the cormorants enough.

timrodresized: That’s it for now. Next time, we’ll go through two days of long cutscenes. After that, three days of confidants… followed by five more days of cutscene.

Yeah. That part’s really not bad, and it’s one of the few scenes I remember from the original game (rather than just me remembering plot details). It does what it sets out to do, doesn’t overstay its welcome, and manages to actually be a cutscene instead of just a VN.

In fact, that’s one of the things I think Atlus could learn from FF7 Remake - FF7R has really good cutscene discipline, probably because they know how many people zoned the fuck out at things like the Plot Room ™ at the start of FF15. I never got past the Plot Room.

That cutscene is also one of the few times where I don’t go “Wait, what were they saying again, I kind of stopped paying attention” and then have to go back and do the read-back.

I think it helps that her father is moustache-twirlingly evil and never had any real redeeming qualities. I forgot to post it in the Okumura boss fight update (I didn’t know at the time) but Okumura also had an unused Will Seed cutscene the way Kamoshida and Madarame did… except even there they don’t really try to humanize him. Then again, the translation for that scene was done by a fan and I’m not sure how accurate it is.

Shoutout to the anon undertale-meming on the killer phantom thieves

The winner is righteous, like in that one episode of JoJo. Wait the bad guy said that…

persona5.txt

Click Here for Update 75

Morgana: “Well, it shouldn’t be a problem for you. This has been so easy I might start yawning… you did perfectly. I can’t wait to see your score.”

timrodresized: And we’ve gotten the top score on exams.

timrodresized: Futaba IMs us here, but because this entire day is a cutscene and I missed the shot, I had to take it at the end of the day.

timrodresized: And now it’s time for yet another shoehorned Maruki scene.

Maruki: “Ah, you’re the third-year Okumura-san, correct? So good to see you. Please, have a seat.”

timrodresized: This is exactly how they have it in the game dialog boxes, and it makes it sound like she has a younger sibling or something. She doesn’t.

Haru: “I’m sorry… I did come here because I wanted to, but I’m not exactly adept at saying what’s on my mind.”

Maruki: “Oh, that’s perfectly fine. I’m not all that great at chatting with people either.”

Haru: “Oh?”

Maruki: “…Oh, maybe I shouldn’t have said that. How about some snacks? No need to be modest here.”

Haru: “Thank you - I’m all right, though.”

Haru: “…”

Maruki: “…”

timrodresized: You know, there was a time when I thought this game abused ellipses less than Persona 1 or Innocent Sin did.

Haru: “Ummm… I must be pretty weird, right? I came here for counseling, but I can’t seem to say anything…”

timrodresized: Speaking of Haru, I didn’t know this when I was doing the Okumura boss fight update but Okumura also has an unused Will Seed cutscene.

Maruki: “Not weird in the least. Just take your time. We’ll go at whatever pace you need. And if you still don’t feel comfortable by the end of our time, well… just have some tea and head on home for the day.”

timrodresized: I also found in the same playlist the “confidant broken” cutscenes that weren’t used, and some of them are just fucking hilarious. One of Kawakami’s is telling her you have a boyfriend.

Haru: “I do enjoy teatime… perhaps I’ll feel more relaxed if I think of all this in that way.”

Maruki: “Thinking of this as just sneaking away to relax with some tea would probably help you feel more open.”

timrodresized: You cannot sneak with tea. I’ve tried.

Haru: “Relaxing with some tea… I do that quite often, but on my own…”

Maruki: “Do you find that more relaxing?”

Haru: “The people closest to me in my life… they don’t really feel like people I could sit and enjoy some tea with. Even my family was always focused solely on work…”

timrodresized: Ryuji probably doesn’t drink tea, Futaba would insist on dumping a pound of sugar into it, I don’t think cats can have tea, Yusuke is incredibly picky about where he gets his leaves from, Joker only drinks coffee, and Makoto doesn’t know how to boil water because otherwise Sae would interrogate her over it. So yeah, she’s right.

Maruki: “So… was mealtime essentially the same setup as teatime?”

Haru: “…Yes. Meals where we actually ate together were almost always uptight dinners at work-related events.”

timrodresized: What is this, Duke Crabtree’s marriage counseling?

Maruki: “I see… I’ve never been to upscale social events, so I’m not sure if I should ask this, but… well… didn’t you ever feel lonely?”

Maruki: “Why don’t we call it a day now? Feel free to stop by again, anytime you like.”

Haru: “Oh! Yes, I do apologize. It seems I extended this teatime much longer than I had intended.”

Maruki: “Hahaha, no problem at all - if anything, I’m happy to hear it. I’ll make sure to pick up snacks that pair well with tea.”

Morgana: “I suppose plants do need watering, after all. Ah, I know. You should go help Haru, Akira. I’ll let the others know.”

Haru: “Oh, Akira-kun… have you come up here to assist me? You, um… heard that, didn’t you? giggle How embarrassing. I’m not worried about the garden, in case you were wondering.”

Haru: “It’s just… so much has happened to me lately.”

Haru: “… Well, perhaps I could share this with you… I mean, it would be nice to have someone who is aware of my current situation in life.”

Haru: “But… I don’t know the first thing about business direction or fund management…”

timrodresized: This is an unlikely, but not impossible scenario. Most large companies don’t have their CEOs as majority shareholders, and usually if they do they have it arranged specifically so this kind of thing doesn’t happen.

Haru: “I am. Sorry, I didn’t mean to worry you. It’s just… I know I’m the president’s daughter, but I never thought I’d actually end up involved in company business…”

Haru: “Because of that, lately I’ve been meeting with all the various officers and lawyers my father employed. They’ve been giving me advice on all the things I’m not entirely sure about. Assets, stocks…”

Haru: “It’s clear some people only want to get on my good side though. I don’t know who I can trust… they try to sound comforting by saying ‘don’t worry’ or ‘leave it to me,’ but… it feels like they’re really only being nice so they can get their hands on my bank account.”

timrodresized: In reality, the company’s stock value would probably be plummeting as the company scrambles to put together a buyout offer to have Haru sell her shares back to them.

Haru: “I…I never realized I could be this distrustful of other people…”

Haru: “Ah, I’m sorry for ranting on about this matter. It feels as though doing so has helped me calm down a bit though. The only people I’ve consulted with up to this point have been employees…”

Haru: “But I think what I needed was someone closer to my own age… closer to my own viewpoint. Um… if it isn’t too much trouble, could we speak about this again some other time?”

timrodresized: Yes, this entire cutscene is just to let us know that Haru’s confidant is available. This isn’t even her Rank 1, which we do on 10/31.

Haru: “In return, I’ll… hm… what can I do to help you…? I don’t have any unique talents…”

Haru: “How about this? You know, gardening. I’m actually quite skilled at it. A few years ago I even managed to grow a tropical fruit on the balcony at my house.”

Haru: “To be honest… this is what I do when I’m alone, to take my mind off of everything that’s happened… oh, that’s right. I stored some vegetables in the refrigerator down in the home economics room…”

Haru: "There’s not much consistency to their colors or shapes, but… "

Haru: “You’ll find out once you eat them! giggle Just kidding. It’s mostly normal things like tomatoes and zucchini. They’re definitely unique though…”

Haru: “Speaking of which, I have a favor to ask of you. I’d like to get Sakura-san’s opinion on my vegetables. Do you think I could bring my next harvest over to your cafe?”

Haru: “Thank you. I’m sure Sakura-san will give me his honest opinion. I’ll make sure this next harvest is particularly good. Well then, shall we head over to the hideout?”

Ryuji: " sigh I think I’m screwed for real this time. I couldn’t concentrate at all…"

Ryuji: “Ugh, again? It’s so damn loud!”

Ann: “More importantly, what’s this you want to talk about?”

Haru: “You said that something was on your mind before, but were you able to figure out what it was?”

Ryuji: “Huh? Aren’t you the real one though?”

Futaba: “Oh, uhh… the guy who called himself Medjed after me isn’t the one from the other day!”

timrodresized: Now, if you’re like me, you’re probably extremely confused as to what the fuck she’s talking about. She’s talking about the fake Medjed from her plot arc… two months ago.

Yusuke: “What do you mean?”

Futaba: “The code written by that guy the other day is different from any of the past Medjed.”

Ryuji: “And that means…”

Futaba: “A code is like your fingerprints. No matter how you try to disguise it, your own quirks appear in it. The one from the other day was all cut and pasted with no consistency. No skill at all.”

timrodresized: I’m not entirely sure where she would’ve gotten ‘code’ from, considering all the fake Medjed did was uh… make vague menacing threats.

Makoto: “But aren’t there multiple people across the world that are part of Medjed? Couldn’t it have been done by someone that joined recently?”

Futaba: “How do I put it? That code was not done by anyone interested in cracking. At all. At the very least, there’s no way it was an official Medjed member.”

timrodresized: Does Hashino understand what Anonymous actually is? There’s no “official membership” in Anonymous. That’s the entire point.

Yusuke: “So someone used the Medjed name to provoke the Phantom Thieves? For what purpose?”

Ann: “Could they have been doing it for fun? It was around the time our group started getting popular, so maybe they wanted in on the hype…”

timrodresized: What if… Hashino really has no idea how to write a plot?

Haru: “Hm?”

Makoto: “Perhaps they used the Medjed name to make the Phantom Thieves known…”

Ryuji: “What? That makes no sense.”

timrodresized: It kinda doesn’t. What if the real Medjed (the ones who aren’t Futaba) came out and said the person who challenged John Persona isn’t with them? What if the party had called their bluff?

Futaba: “I actually thought the same as Makoto.”

Ann: “Why’s that?”

Futaba: “Know how I said that code is like fingerprints? I found those same fingerprints somewhere completely different.”

Yusuke: “Where’s that?”

Ryuji: “For real?”

Futaba: “Before summer vacation, the access counter was made to be much higher than the actual number. Same with the rankings. Particularly the time when President Okumura ranked first.”

Haru: “So then, the one who provoked the group and the one who tampered with the site are the same person?”

Makoto: “…I think I’m starting to see the big picture. Both Medjed’s provocation and the tampering of the website brought attention to us as a result. On top of that, our reason for targeting Okumura was influenced by the public and the rankings…”

Makoto: “The perfect timing, and the perfect target. If both of those had been set up…”

Yusuke: “…It would all make sense.”

Ann: “So, the culprit was planning to put the blame on us from the start? No way…”

Makoto: “This is all hypothetical. We lack any hard evidence…”

Ryuji: “W-We gotta be overthinkin’ things. I mean, we’re talkin’ both the rankings AND Medjed! Everyone made a big deal about it! If this was all set up… then… what kind of guy did we make an enemy of?”

Yusuke: “There’s no point in getting anxious over speculation. Regardless, we’ll be falsely charged at this rate, and with murder. We must overcome this.”

Haru: “But, we don’t even know who we’re up against…”

Ryuji: “Hey… you think we’re fallin’ into another trap, even at this very moment?”

Makoto: “Indeed, we don’t. It’ll be more dangerous jumping to conclusions and assuming we figured it out. Even if this is the actions of a meticulous enemy, we’ll just have to get back at them.”

Makoto: “We need to find clues… no matter what.”

Sae: “I was told you recommended this reassignment yourself, sir. Why would you choose someone as inexperienced as myself?”

SIU Director: “When the case of the Shujin principal was ruled a suicide, you thought to reopen it… and you proved its connection to the Phantom Thieves. This is based primarily on that achievement.”

Sae: “…I’m honored, sir.”

SIU Director: “The Phantom Thieves issue is now a national crisis. Expectations are exceedingly high for us public prosecutors, as we are the executors of justice.”

SIU Director: “Personnel and planning will be up to you on this case. You will also have the police under your command.”

timrodresized: You uh, kind of already implied that by saying that she’s in control of pretty much everything. It would’ve made more sense if you said this first, then the bit about the police being under her command.

SIU Director: “You’ve yet to give an answer… will you accept the task of eradicating the Phantom Thieves?”

Sae: “I will give it everything I have.”

SIU Director: “We’ll have to prepare a higher position for you as well in the event that you succeed. I don’t wish to apply extra pressure on you… but I assume your odds of success are high.”

SIU Director: “Naturally, failure to accomplish this task is unacceptable. Do you understand?”

Sae: “Of course! I will live up to your expectations, no matter what it takes!”

Makoto: “Hi, Sis. Should I warm up dinner for you?”

Sae: “No, it’s okay.”

Makoto: “How about a bath?”

Sae: “No need. I just came home to get a change of clothes.”

Makoto: “Are you going to stay at work then?”

Sae: “I’ve been entrusted with a very important task.”

timrodresized: That’s borderline Allanson dialogue right there. I could understand if Makoto asked something where Sae might have a reason to dodge it, but it’s a fucking yes or no question.

Makoto: “You look awful though… aren’t you tired?”

Sae: “As an adult, there will be times when you will accept an assignment for which failure is not tolerated. It’s all over for me if I can’t win this.”

timrodresized: The thing is, if what you’re trying to show is that Sae is so preoccupied that she’s ignoring Makoto entirely, why have her even respond to Makoto’s first two questions?

Makoto: “Still, if you were to collapse from exhaustion…”

Sae: “Don’t worry though. It will all be over soon.”

Makoto: “What do you mean?”

Makoto: “Is that the important task you mentioned?”

Sae: “It’s none of your concern.”

timrodresized: Trust me, just wait and see what happens. It’s going to be in this update, and it’s one of the dumbest and most nonsensical cutscenes in this entire game.

timrodresized: It’s one of those Law & Order spinoffs that get cancelled after one season because Law & Order’s primary audience is geriatrics who can’t understand anything that isn’t SVU.

Morgana: “…E-Everything’s going to be fine. Unless they know about the Metaverse, there’s no way they’ll get any info on us.”

timrodresized: I don’t normally post what’s on the TV, but I found one of the lines kind of funny.

timrodresized: This might sound strange, but it’s actually happened… in the US, at least. According to Gallup, there was a point in 2013 where Congress’s approval rating was at 9%.

timrodresized: The government just can’t handle John Persona.

timrodresized: We have another night where we can’t do anything, so let’s continue making progress toward Knowing the Heart.

Morgana: “So, you’ve finished reading Heroic Revelations. You looked a bit crazy studying so hard. In any case, I’m sure you’ve gained a lot of wisdom from reading about historical figures!”

Morgana: “Everyone’s talking trash about us…”

Kawakami: “The police are here at the school, so be sure not to get in their way. Oh, and… for various reasons, the school festival got moved to the 25th. There was talk of canceling it, but we couldn’t just do that.”

Kawakami: “I’m sure the preparations will be rough, but don’t push yourself too hard.”

timrodresized: Remember that dumb cutscene I was talking about? It’s coming up right after this.

Kawakami: “You two will go together.”

timrodresized: Didn’t Makoto just say they were interrogating people individually?

Ann: “Huh? Why together?”

Kawakami: “Why? They’ll probably have one of you wait outside. That’s how they’ve been doing it so far.”

timrodresized: Here’s the thing about this cutscene. Ann isn’t in it past this part. They could’ve cut this entire explanation, because it doesn’t matter.

timrodresized: It’s like they wrote two versions of this cutscene - one where Joker and Ann get interrogated together and one where they don’t, then decided to just keep everything even if it made no sense.

Kawakami: “Those are the instructions the detectives gave us. Just don’t say more than is necessary and try and get it over with quick.”

timrodresized: There really should’ve been a “…” option here so I could make Joker look intelligent by not talking to the police at all.

timrodresized: Come to think of it, where are the parents in this? You’d think that at what’s apparently a private school that there would be parents rushing to sue the school over something like this.

timrodresized: Joker: “Congratulations, you discovered my boyfriend. Was it the dozens of pictures of our Paris trip that we posted online that did it, or did you only need the ones from our Hawaii trip?”

timrodresized: The real question, though, is why they’re bothering with these interrogations if they already know that the victims of the people John Persona targeted are all hanging out together and/or dating each other. I guess it could be a scare tactic, but there’s far more effective ways they could’ve portrayed that if that’s what they wanted.

timrodresized: Now, here’s what I want to ask you. What do you think the point of this cutscene was? I’m asking because I honestly don’t know.

timrodresized: I’m pretty sure what they intended was to use this to ratchet up the tension, but it just doesn’t work. Remember, the police are interrogating EVERYONE at this point and it’s not even clear that they suspect Joker of anything.

timrodresized: Really, all this cutscene does is talk a lot, but not say anything.

timrodresized: Reference material for what? You didn’t even ask him anything.

Makoto: “It seems we were all asked the same questions.”

Ryuji: “That’s how they get you. They do that on purpose, then wait for someone to slip up.”

timrodresized: I could understand if they had asked it like “Do you know Yusuke Kitagawa and Haru Okumura?” because that’d give them room to prove a lie I guess, but they didn’t do that at all.

Futaba: “I hope you didn’t.”

Ryuji: “…It was prolly fine. I woulda been done for if they saw how sweaty my hands were, though.”

Yusuke: “To think my name would come up as well…”

Morgana: “Sounds like we can’t take the police lightly either.”

Ann: “Hey, didn’t you think that detective guy was scary?”

Ann: “Especially those eyes… it was like they were smiling, but not…”

Makoto: “I’m sorry for all of this… it’s because of my sister.”

Haru: “That’s not true, Mako-chan.”

Makoto: “It’s not as though I hadn’t predicted this would happen… but now that it’s become reality, I’m unsure of what to do…”

timrodresized: Oh, don’t you worry. She’s already got one of her SMART GIRL plans coming up.

Morgana: “We need to make sure we don’t draw suspicion, and work to clear our names… right?”

Makoto: “…Right.”

Ryuji: “It ain’t your fault, Makoto.”

Futaba: “I’m gonna try to see how far along this investigation really is.”

Ann: “I’m worried about the police too, but as of now, anyone in this city could be a mole…”

Futaba: “We were so popular too…”

Makoto: “Haru, can I ask you to search your father’s belongings for clues about a possible culprit? I… I know it may be tough on you…”

Haru: “No, it’s okay. Now isn’t the time for me to look away.”

timrodresized: Hoo boy. I uh, just went and recorded the bit for the next update and had to order an emergency Yusu-Gay because I forgot there’s a date scene in it.

timrodresized: That’s okay, because I’m going to need probably half a day to record all of the possible date scenes due to Royal being shit. We’ll see that in the next update.

Ryuji: “Why!?”

Makoto: “It will allow us to gather without drawing suspicion. Plus, trying to blend in will only do the opposite.”

Ryuji: “Ugh… fine.”

Ann: “I agree. The more time I have to kill, the more time I’ll spend worrying about all this stuff. No matter what happens… I don’t want to regret my decisions.”

Ryuji: “Don’t jinx it!”

Yusuke: “It would be no surprise if they came directly to our homes for questioning. They showed up at your school, after all… I should remain cautious.”

Morgana: “For now, the best option is to stay on the defensive… but we won’t make progress at this rate. Let’s try and figure out who the real culprit is somehow, okay?”

Makoto: “Of course…”

timrodresized: We spend the night reading The Art of Automata, which is poorly translated.

timrodresized: Karakuri are a type of puppet made out of clock parts that move. In modern times, you’re most likely to see that word used when talking about business processes.

Morgana: “They call it karakuri, but aren’t they really just dolls?”

timrodresized: And with that, that’s my thirteenth update for the month. I’ve been meaning to talk about that - basically, I took a new job that has not assigned me any actual work to do, so I decided to turn this LP into my job.

timrodresized: I was on a call with the VP this morning and she was dumbfounded that the company isn’t meeting productivity goals. I wonder why that could be? Anyway, I decided to work some overtime and get this update out before month end to meet those goals.

timrodresized: Next time, we’ll see a 40-minute cutscene that got extended by 20 minutes thanks to Atlus’s Lightning and Maruki deciding that their extraterritorial rights are too powerful to let the cutscene end.

timrodresized: The next update will take… a while, because I have to record this 40+ minute cutscene six times to get all of the school festival dates. There are no save points.

timrodresized: …I need a vacation.

As is typical for P5, the concept is sound but the execution is absent. I was about to type a whole thing about how many/most of P5’s scenes were written very quickly (no surprise considering how huge the game is) – so they knew what the scene was for in the most mechanical sense, but not what it’s about or what makes it interesting – but then I realized this specific scene has a separate problem.

This is a police interview, in which Joker is in fact the guilty party (well, he didn’t commit murder but is guilty of the greater crime of being John Persona). In other words, he is going to be asked a series of questions, and if he answers incorrectly he will be arrested and the story will end. Also, Joker doesn’t speak – all his answers are chosen by the player. Also also, this isn’t a game where you game over for answering questions wrong. When you put these three facts together, you come to the conclusion that Joker just can’t be asked any questions. Thus, there cannot be a scene.

Update 76

timrodresized: Today’s one of the last days we’ll actually get to play the game. It’s all cutscene from here on out.

timrodresized: Trust me when I say the school festival is fucking TORMENT. I recorded it last night and it made an hour feel like three weeks. It’s also the exact point when the game goes to shit.

timrodresized: The "Student Sharing Special’ is truly the worst part of it. I was having flashbacks to YIIK the entire time.

Usami: “The absurdity of it all… ‘Who exactly are the Phantom Thieves?’ That’s what we want to know. We really have no clue what method they’re using… killing someone without directly interacting with them is like magic.”

timrodresized: Or, you know, a drone strike.

Usami: “Speaking of magic, did you know that there’s magic in math too? A magic square! It’s a square in which adding up the numbers in any row, column, or diagonal gives you the same total. Kurusu-san. Please look at this.”

timrodresized: There’s something I realized last update that I didn’t mention, but Kawakami is the only teacher who calls Joker “Kurusu-kun”. You’d think people would realize something is up there.

Usami: “That’s correct. It’s easy once you know which numbers fit in the squares.”

Usami: “In a 5x5 square, there are more than 200 million. Can you believe that? If you had to choose, would you try to find the Phantom Thieves or solve 200 million magic squares? I’d choose the magic squares, hands down.”

Usami: “They might both be magic, but magic squares can be calculated. And math doesn’t kill anyone.”

timrodresized: You know, apart from ballistics. Or artillery strikes, which use triangulation. Or guided missiles.

Morgana: “Having everyone out there looking for the culprit is getting me down…”

Makoto: “You don’t need to keep mentioning it. We’re doing this to keep suspicions off of us, remember?”

Ann: “Goro Akechi… this one too. Akechi.”

Haru: “They’re mostly the same over here as well.”

Morgana: “Everyone’s so eloquent when they can be anonymous. It’s like they never accepted us to begin with.”

Haru: “It would be nice if you did some work too, Ryuji-kun. You came to help us count these, right? Come on Leader, can you tell him too?”

Ryuji: “We’re gatherin’ information too. Y’know, like, online and stuff.”

Morgana: “I guess that’s one way of saying it…”

Ryuji: “Whoa, look here… this ain’t good.”

Morgana: “Criminal profiling? The acts of thievery committed by the Phantom Thieves are mere fakes. And their true goal is… murder!? Every heart they changed before Okumura was just a warm-up!?”

timrodresized: It’s like the writers forgot the whole “Mental shutdowns were happening for over a year” thing.

Ann: sigh “So now they’re accusing us of being a bunch of killers…”

Ryuji: “This is so effin’ stupid! Dammit!”

Makoto: “We have the results. First place is Goro Akechi.”

timrodresized: I like to think of this part of the game as the part where the writers realized “Oh shit, we really don’t have a plot yet, do we?” and rushed to cobble something together.

Ryuji: “What!? Akechi!?”

Ann: “What’re you so surprised for? We’ve been mentioning him this whole time.”

Ryuji: “Seriously? Not some singer or an idol?”

Morgana: “It’s because of us that his popularity has skyrocketed.”

Ann: “I knew people would vote for him, but this is way more votes than I was expecting.”

Makoto: “It would be best for us to avoid inviting such a clear danger upon ourselves… I’d like a little more time to think about who to ask…”

Haru: “That reminds me… how is Futaba-chan doing? She seemed like she was looking into something on her own… has she told you anything?”

Haru: “It’s not that I don’t trust her, but…”

Makoto: “Even one clue would work wonders for us. We should let her continue with her own investigation. I hope she finds something…”

Akechi: “Even though my opinion has been met with criticism, I’ve held fast that the Phantom Thieves are not just. However… I believe the recent series of suspicious deaths is unrelated to their actions.”

Akechi: “This doesn’t change the fact that they are indeed a dangerous group. That said, I would like to express that immediately linking them to this case is far too hasty. There are many questions to be answered here… it feels as though there is more to this.”

Sojiro: “I wonder why the sudden change.”

Sojiro: “What’re you staring at your phone like that for? Oh… are you going through a breakup?”

Sojiro: “Don’t let things get complicated, okay? Having to keep dealing with that stuff later on is a pain… by the way, you haven’t been causing any trouble, have you? I heard the police showed up at your school…”

Sojiro: "As long as you’re not getting involved… "

timrodresized: We’re going to spend the next two nights with Ohya because we need to unlock her Mementos request.

Ohya: “Thanks to my quota… and that shithead chief. But I made some progress on my personal investigation. I did some research on the Phantom Thieves. I’m starting to get the impression they might actually be the real deal.”

Ohya: “No signs of an internal power struggle, no dirty money changing hands… it almost seems like all this recent negative press was fabricated. There’s no actual proof to support the claims. And I mean, you’re still a fan, right?”

Ohya: “Honestly, the more I get know about the Phantom Thieves, the better I understand them… I can relate to their sincerity. They remind me of how I used to be.”

Ohya: “I already know firsthand that fighting the evils of society is a never-ending, thankless job… but I still do it nonetheless. I bet the Phantom Thieves share that same type of passion.”

Ohya: “Maybe… I mean, he is a pretty big fan of theirs, so…”

Ohya: “Yes, this is Ohya. That’s right… what? You found Kayo…!? What do you mean, you can’t tell me!? Why the hell not!? Hey! What’s going on!? Wait!”

timrodresized: Could it be that this is a gigantic ripoff of Persona 2?

Ohya: “That was one of my journalist friends. He thinks he found Kayo. He followed up on a string of pretty far-fetched rumors for me, but now he’s saying he doesn’t want to get involved.”

Ohya: “…Dammit! Why the hell won’t he tell me what’s going on!? I can’t just give up now!”

Ohya: “Wait… you’re the one who pressured my contact to keep quiet?”

Ohya: “What!? Are you trying to kill me!?”

Ohya: “Don’t talk about Kayo like that… don’t you dare! If you even think about talking shit on Kayo again, I won’t hesitate to beat the living crap out of you!”

Ohya: “Shit…! This had to happen just as I got a new lead on Kayo… What should I do? Should I go knock him out!?”

timrodresized: They absolutely should’ve put in a scene here where Ohya solves her own problem by kicking the shit out of her boss. Fucking cowards.

Ohya: “Hmph. I know I’d be playing right into his hands if I let him get to me, but… god dammit! No. I need to stay calm. I can’t give him any more reason to fire me.”

Ohya: “Just stay calm and think… arghhh! This sucks! An even greater quota is gonna be a problem… but I can’t give up now! I promise, I won’t stop fighting! I’ll prove it to you with another great article!”

Ohya: “Exclusive: The Phantom Thieves, Stealing Hearts and Changing Lives! sigh Sorry. I really will try and calm down now…”

timrodresized: That headline is two words away from being Jill Stingray’s catch phrase from VA-11 Hall-A, and honestly her and Gay Joker would be a pretty sick crossover.

Ohya: “…I’m still frustrated though. All that bullshit he said is really getting to me. I wish I was better at controlling my emotions. Like you are.”

Ohya: “I’ll just work twice as hard! I should be fine as long as I keep getting good info from my favorite source here. Oh, that reminds me! Lemme hear all about today’s scoop.”

Ohya: “You’re really the only reason I’m still surviving through my crazy quota. And… it honestly helped that you were there with me earlier.”

Ohya: “If you hadn’t been there, I would’ve just gone full blast on the chief, and that would’ve been it… but I finally got a lead on Kayo. I’ll do whatever it takes to find her…!”

Ohya: “Right! I’m not gonna let this crap get me down! I’m made of tough stuff! Watch me, Chief Shithead! You’re gonna be crying at my feet!”

Ohya: “Still, I do have my limits. I gotta do something about this insane quota… well, I’ll come up with something. You just focus on getting me new info, okay?”

Ohya: “Okay, see you soon. Niiight…”

timrodresized: I believe this is the first time we see Makoto’s winter casual outfit.

Makoto: “Regardless, I thought over the matter of who we’re going to invite for our school festival… I’m considering asking Akechi-kun.”

Ryuji: “For real!? Weren’t you talkin’ about how you didn’t wanna draw danger to us or whatever?”

timrodresized: It’s because she’s THE SMART GIRL. I mean, she’s only fucked up two plans already, how much worse could it possibly get?

timrodresized: Also, I found this screenshot of what I think is the dancing game which kind of exemplifies how I see Makoto.

timrodresized: I just imagine her making this fucking expression every time she does the whole SMART GIRL thing.

Makoto: "I understand this is dangerous. But without a powerful source of intel, we won’t be able to win against the police network. And I can no longer rely on my sister for information…’

Morgana: “Bold move. I’m surprised to hear that suggestion coming from you, Makoto.”

timrodresized: Let me show you exactly what I mean.

SMARTGIRL: “Did you see his press conference yesterday? One of his comments defending the Phantom Thieves stood out to me. ‘There is more to this.’ I think he said that knowing for certain that the Phantom Thieves would be watching.”

Yusuke: “Still, there will be so many other students at the school festival… what are the odds of success?”

SMARTGIRL: “It’s a gamble. And the odds are less than favorable… but we can no longer afford to hesitate.”

Makoto: “What are your thoughts? Should we invite Akechi-kun?”

timrodresized: We can’t even fucking disagree with her.

SMARTGIRL: “I’m not… but, we have to do this. Is everyone okay with that?”

Ann: “I’m good… whatever he says has gotta be more reliable than what I’ve been able to come up with.”

Yusuke: “It would be reassuring to gain him as an ally, rather than simply a source of information.”

Ryuji: “Hold on, how’re we even gonna get in touch with him? It’s not like we got his contact info…”

Ryuji: “For real!?”

SMARTGIRL: “Could you send that my way, please? I’ll contact him right away.”

Ryuji: “I gotta say, I’m really not big on this Akechi deal.”

timrodresized: You know what would have ruled? If Atlus had done something so that people who played the base game didn’t have to sit through this shit a second time. This is easily the worst part of the game.

Ann: “Now’s no time to be petty.”

Morgana: “Just think of him as a source of intel, nothing more.”

Makoto: "I have a response already. He says, ‘Let me think about it.’ "

Ryuji: “Wait a sec. Didn’t he say he wasn’t gonna do any more stuff for the media?”

Yusuke: “That’s likely why he’s so hesitant.”

Ann: “What’re we gonna do if he turns us down?”

Makoto: “I’ll keep trying. It may be frustrating, but he’s all we have at the moment. We need him to do it, no matter what.”

Morgana: “We’re counting on you, Makoto.”

timrodresized: Tonight, we have to see Mishima again.

Mishima: “Huh!? W-Well, actually… I was just gonna say the same thing. I mean, going after him wouldn’t even help you guys get famous. It’d practically be pointless.”

Mishima: “Oh… I get it. Of course a thief who steals hearts would see what’s going on in the depths of my psyche… you know, I first started the Phan-Site so I could spread your message of justice to the world…”

timrodresized: No you didn’t! You did it to get laid!

Mishima: “But before I knew it, the only reason I wanted to help you guys was so I could get famous myself. Though maybe that’s always been the real reason…”

Mishima: “I don’t know… I thought I was doing it out of respect for you guys… yet deep down, I think I really just wanted to show the world that I’m more than some stupid zero.”

timrodresized: They should’ve made Mishima a party member, and had his awakening happen right here. “I am thou, thou art I… thou art also horny and kind of a dipshit, but I am not.”

timrodresized: His Persona is the faceless guy from hentai. You know the one.

Mishima: “I don’t deserve to work alongside the valiant Phantom Thieves. …Well, thanks for everything! Bye!”

Mishima: “I’m such an idiot… hahaha… I can’t even run away right… sigh Working alongside the Phantom Thieves has made me feel like I myself can change the world… but it’s only ever been you guys. I’m still just as powerless as always.”

Mishima: “That’s the truth… hahaha… I wonder if there’s really any way a pathetic guy like me can help you…”

Mishima: “That’s it…! My special power lies in running the Phan-Site! I don’t want it to be about public relations anymore though. First and foremost, that site needs to be a safe haven for people in serious trouble.”

Mishima: “After all that happened to me with Kamoshida, I know how hard it can be to speak out against injustice… so… as long as there are voices crying out to the Phantom Thieves, I’m gonna help them be heard.”

timrodresized: At this point, the only thing EXP is doing for us is reducing the amount of money we have to pay to fuse Lucifer.

Mishima: “At any rate, we should just forget about going after Akiyama-kun, okay? I’m still worried about some of the rumors I’ve heard about him, but I’ll do some more research.”

Mishima: “By the way, he’s not as bad a guy as he pretends to be. Apparently he’s super sweet to his girlfriend. Can you imagine that? They’ve been talking about getting married even since back in middle school… I’m honestly kinda jealous.”

timrodresized: Joker: “What’s weird about that? Yusuke and I are getting married as soon as all this dumbass Phantom Thief bullshit is over.”

Mishima: “…That thing I mentioned about Akiyama turned out to be true. It wasn’t just some rumor. I found a post on the Phan-Site by a girl who I assume is Akiyama-kun’s girlfriend.”

Mishima: “It says she’s worried because her boyfriend’s been hanging out with some sketchy guys. Acting strange, too. It seems like enough evidence to make him a target, but I’m gonna look into this a little further, just to be safe.”

timrodresized: I picked this because I like to think Joker is telling Mishima it’s his turn to die. I haven’t played that and probably won’t because I hated Danganronpa with a passion.

Mishima: “Yeah, leave it to me! We can’t ignore any cry for help on the Phan-Site! Haha… even I didn’t realize the Phan-Site meant this much to me. Thanks, Kurusu. For helping me get here.”

timrodresized: Well, here we are. Today’s the last day before the part where the game goes to shit.

Kasumi: “…Senpai, have you been sleeping well? You look kind of tired… it might not be my place to ask, but… are you okay?”

Kasumi: “Um… never mind, it’s nothing. That reminds me! Tomorrow is the school festival, isn’t it? Is your class all finished with preparations? It feels kind of nice, working with everyone to put all the things together…”

Kasumi: “I hope we all have a fun time tomorrow. Well, I’m going to do some training today, so please excuse me!”

timrodresized: There’s one of those “walking to class” bits where it’s just students talking about how much they love Akechi. I’m skipping it.

Maruki: “Some of those old stories sounded too crazy to be true, now that we’ve got so many years behind us. Sometimes, people have a hard time remembering what’s real and what’s exaggerated.”

Maruki: “This kind of stuff happens to you guys too, right? But there’s a reason for this. This phenomenon has a name too.”

Maruki: “All right, Kusuru-kun. From a psychological standpoint, what’s a key reason our memories can differ from reality?”

Maruki: “That’s right! Impressive. It’s a type of cognitive bias that can impair or even alter your memories. Specifically, the name of the phenomenon in question is called ‘false memory’. Like the name implies, it’s a case where our brain may generate memories that simply aren’t true.”

timrodresized: I’m pretty sure all those memories of me liking this game were those.

Maruki: “The difference between inaccurate memories and the facts can lead to a lot of confusion. Still, if your subconscious desire manifests as a memory, I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing.”

Morgana: “False memories, huh… but it’s totally real to the person, right? What a strange concept.”

timrodresized: There’s a dumbass plot reason this is in. You might be able to guess why.

Morgana: “That’s amazing! Everyone’s gonna have their eyes on you now!”

timrodresized: No cat, that was Final Fantasy 8. I swear I’ve made that joke already.

timrodresized: The icing on this trash pile is yet another pointless Akechi event. This was, of course, one of his confidant events in the base game.

Akechi: “Why, you ask? I just came to enjoy some delicious coffee. How has business been for you lately?”

timrodresized: He came here just to piss me off.

Sojiro: “Take a look around. …Is the Niijima lady doing well?”

Akechi: “Unfortunately, we haven’t seen each other lately. We had a… difference of opinion.”

timrodresized: Oh look, it’s Hideki Kamiya.

Shido: “And because they’ve targeted only prominent figures, our government leaders have been hesitant to act. I apologize for any concern they may have caused and will henceforth search for an apt countermeasure.”

timrodresized: Oh, right. I should mention that Shido is voiced by the same guy that does Char in the Gundam anime - in both English and Japanese.

Shido: “This is an important undertaking, and one I intend to confront with every asset available to me. The selfish criminals enacting this ‘social reform’ are in fact the ones most deserving of reformation.”

Shido: “Answering to the interest of the people as hastily as possible is my natural duty as a politician.”

Shido: “Rampant political scandals, thieves on the loose… as sad as it is, this is the state of our nation. We must resolve this problem, and I assure the people of this noble country that I will do just that.”

timrodresized: There’s a shot here I missed where it does a black and white flashback to when we saw Shido in the hotel after the Kamoshida arc.

timrodresized: If you’re wondering why Joker’s memory is so bad, it’s a plot point. A very bad, very dumb plot point that we’ll see for the first time on the 26th.

Sojiro: “I’m not worried or anything. You’re just blocking the store entrance.”

Sojiro: “Sorry, wasn’t listening.”

Akechi: " ‘Criminals,’ hm? Well, that must be how he sees it. However, that is ignorant of their true nature."

Akechi: “If these people attack others with no remorse, why would they make a teacher and an artist apologize? Could a murder truly have been enacted by the same group?”

Akechi: “If this Okumura incident was not the Phantom Thieves… if they only change the hearts of criminals… then even though they can’t be considered ‘innocent’… perhaps my goals are not so different from theirs…”

Akechi: “Hahaha. I knew there was something special about you, ever since the first time we met. I feel as though I could tell you anything during our conversations.”

Akechi: “Ah, that reminds me. I’ve been invited to a panel at Shujin Academy, and… oh wait, I’m sure you know that already. Considering it’s such a good opportunity, I’ve decided to accept the offer.”

Akechi: “Thank you for the coffee. It was delicious.”

Sojiro: “Glad you liked it.”

Akechi: “I’m happy I could see you. I’ll be going now.”

timrodresized: This is directly about one of the most hamfisted Maruki cutscenes in the game. The thing is, I have a feeling I know exactly why they did this, and it’s because of something we’ll run into in the next update.

timrodresized: I mean, obviously it’s there to set up the plot for Royal, but there’s a reason that goes beyond that.

timrodresized: We can also talk to Sojiro to get a reward for coming in first on exams.

Sojiro: “I guess you can’t judge a book by its cover. Then maybe you didn’t need this… oh well. Take it.”

timrodresized: The Leblanc charm nulls sleep.

Sojiro: “I made it myself. It’s got my finest coffee beans in it. I wanted to give it to you before the exams… but well, you still have more tests. Don’t let up on the finals.”

timrodresized: Finally, it’s time to get Ohya’s Mementos request. We only have two left to go: Futaba’s and Shinya’s, both of which we’ll pick up early next month. At that point, I believe we’ll have finished every Mementos request we actually need to do to 100% the game.

Ohya: “All my connections who knew where Kayo was are gone, thanks to the chief and my publisher… well, say something.”

Ohya: “You can tell? Well, I guess it is pretty obvious. sigh Pulling these consecutive all-nighters is really wearing me down.”

Ohya: “Of course! They’ll fire me if I show any signs of weakness. The chief really wants me to mess up, but I’m not going to give him the satisfaction. Haha…”

Ohya: “Tell me about it. It’s a race to see whether I can find Kayo before he crushes me…”

Ohya: “There’s nothing I can do about a guy like that. He’s rotten to the core. And despite how he acts, the higher-ups like him. I have no one to go to. It’s over.”

Ohya: “Ughhh, I’m gonna die…”

Ohya: “Why? You gonna try to find his weakness? His name is Shinpei Honjo. I heard that he’s a good husband, and he used to cover economic foreign policy…”

timrodresized: It’s strange to me that

Ohya: “Don’t go trying anything heroic.”

Ohya: “I wonder where Kayo is… sorry, but I don’t feel like getting any info from you today… thanks for coming all the way out here though. I’ll see you around…”

timrodresized: And that’ll do it for this update. Next update will be called “Where The Game Goes to Shit” which should tell you everything you need to know about that.

timrodresized: We’ll also maybe see a new More Like Yusu-Gay. It depends on Salty Vanilla’s schedule, because I honestly completely forgot about the festival date being a thing. It’ll be out eventually.

It’s funny you should mention that, because there is one - it happens after the Casino and is technically the bad ending (making this the third Persona game I know of where you get the bad ending based on your answer to a single question).

Like usual, I put all my responses in an unsaved Notepad. Then my computer crashed. So I forgot what I was going to say, except for one point.

I’m a little unclear what Makoto’s ‘plan’ even is? We need Akechi to be our ‘ally’ (whatever that means) so we can get…information from him? And the only way to do this is to invite him to be a guest at our school festival on short notice, even though he and Joker are already friends?

lol I forgot most Persona games have the “Do you want to want to reload your save? Y/N” moment.

Well then he sounds like a man who has never done a bad or wrong thing in his life and I trust him completely now with whatever decision he makes.

Also in my head every time John Persona gets home he hesitates for a moment before stepping on the porch, wondering which person he talked to today that’s about to call him the instant his feet touch the entryway.

Click Here for Update 77

timrodresized: And now, it’s time for the game to go to shit. You are now entering a world of ass-pulls, last-minute attempts to glue several different copies of the game script together in the style of Ni no Kuni 2, and general shit that never gets mentioned in Strikers because even the writers at Koei-Tecmo realized how dumb it was.

Ann: “There’s definitely a lot more people than last year.”

Ryuji: “Well, yeah. This place got ‘famous’ and all. The Phantom Thieves, Kamoshida, Principal Kobayakawa. On top of that, we got Akechi as a guest.”

timrodresized: Thank you, Ryuji, for summing up a situation we already know about.

Makoto: “There may be police officers in plain clothes too… actually, they probably are here. We better be careful about what we discuss.”

Morgana: “Acting like normal students is going to be important.”

Futaba: “What do you normally do at a school festival?”

Ann: “Look around at the exhibits… and eat stuff?”

Ryuji: “There’s no set rules for this kinda thing. Walk around and hang out, like when we went to the beach.”

Futaba: “I think I can do it if I’ve got everyone with me!”

Makoto: “You’re so laid-back… there’s a possibility your name and Ryuji’s have come up.”

Ann: “A number of teachers had been questioned before, and even we were interviewed the other day too.”

timrodresized: That sentence is so badly localized and out of place that it sounds like Allanson dialogue. Here’s a hint, Atlus localizers: you don’t need the “too” there because the “even” implies it.

Makoto: “Don’t let your guard down too much.”

Morgana: “It’s true that the initial members have been at this for a long time, making it easier to get tracked…”

Ryuji: “All riiiight…”

timrodresized: I have no idea what the point of this conversation was. All they really needed to say is that the police might be around.

Haru: “Now, now. Let’s leave it at that. We just need to be mindful about what we’re saying, correct?”

Makoto: “Oh, um…”

Yusuke: “You seem to be having quite a lot of fun, Haru. You did mention that you were looking forward to this.”

Haru: “I want to go around with everyone and eat at the refreshment stands.”

Futaba: “This’ll be a great change of pace from all the nasty stuff lately!”

Makoto: “Shall we head off to the stands then?”

Makoto: “Oh right. This is your first time at our school festival.”

Ryuji: “They’re pretty good - from what I’ve heard…”

timrodresized: Wait, how would Ryuji not know? He’s been here at least a year, because the thing where Kamoshida broke his leg presumably happened a year before Joker got here for the timeline to make sense.

Ann: “I know a great one! Follow me.”

Haru: “Maid Takoyaki?”

Ann: “New customers! I’ll show you all to your seats.”

Ryuji: “…So it’s your class’s stand.”

Ann: “It’s still a refreshment stand, isn’t it?”

Futaba: “It’s like a deserted island here…”

Makoto: “Well, I guess it’s good for talking since there aren’t any people here…”

Ryuji: “And it was all bullshit.”

Morgana: “Here she comes… act normal.”

Ryuji: “Who cares? There’s nothin’ ‘normal’ about this anymore.”

Ryuji: “Take my order!? What happened to the maid atmosphere!?”

timrodresized: Uh, what? How is that not a maid atmosphere?

Yusuke: “There are a lot of odd flavors…”

Ryuji: “Stick to a normal one. I bet they-”

Ryuji: “The hell…”

Yusuke: “Well then… I’ll have the mentai cheese takoyaki…”

Haru: “Then, how about the squid-”

Ryuji: “That doesn’t even sound remotely possible! Ain’t this whole menu just a sham!?”

timrodresized: If you replace “maid costumes” with “battles” and “octopus” with “writing and localization” you pretty much have the design documentation for Persona 5.

Ryuji: “I can see that!”

Morgana: “Ryuji, you’re making a scene…”

Haru: “Then, what would you recommend with what you have now?”

Haru: “We’ll have that, please.”

Ryuji: “…Let’s forget the octopus and get back on topic.”

Ann: “On that note, hearing Kamoshida being almost treated like a victim makes me wanna eat my stress away!”

Morgana: “I’ve even heard conjecture that the principal was targeted for reasons like ‘he knew too much.’”

Yusuke: “I kept hearing about Goro Akechi’s popularity.”

Futaba: “All thanks to the Phantom Thieves!”

Ryuji: “You know, did that Akechi guy agree to show up here 'cause he believes we didn’t kill anybody…?”

Yusuke: “Or, he may simply love large gatherings.”

Ann: “Oh, true. He didn’t seem like he minded being pampered by the media at all.”

Morgana: “We plan on stealing intel, but we might fall into another trap. I’m gonna be bummed if that happens…”

Makoto: “You’re so carefree… does it mean you have nerves of steel in any situation? Still, it doesn’t change the fact that we don’t know what Akechi-kun is planning.”

Ann: “Ooh, it’s fresh made!”

Futaba: “Lies! I heard a microwave go off!”

Ryuji: “Well, it’s not like I was expectin’ crispy takoyaki at a school festival or anything. So, what makes this a ‘Russian’ takoyaki?”

Haru: “Could there be jam in it as a secret ingredient? That sounds quite delicious.”

timrodresized: No it doesn’t.

timrodresized: So… wait a second. You don’t have regular takoyaki, but you have what’s basically regular takoyaki with a spicy one added in. And you couldn’t just, say… take that out?

Ryuji: “Dude, don’t tell me the ‘Russian’ part means…”

Ann: “It’s like, going for the obvious one is manly?”

Morgana: “I-Is that so?”

Yusuke: “I’d prefer the most beautifully shaped one… but all of them are misshapen.”

timrodresized: Yusuke fucking gets it.

Haru: “Oh, aren’t you all going to eat? I think I’ll go for the ‘special’ one.”

Makoto: “Wait… is she honestly going for it?”

Ryuji: “Do YOU wanna go for the red one?”

timrodresized: Joker looks into the red takoyaki and sees Lucifer’s face staring back at him. “By the powers of hundreds of orders of fallen angels, I command this particular takoyaki to be REALLY, REALLY hot!

timrodresized: True bible fact: It wasn’t the rebellion against God that got Lucifer ejected from heaven, it was the hot sauce pranks he pulled on everyone within reach.

Ryuji: “Oh, you sure? All right, then I’ll just help myself to it… NOT!”

Makoto: “Th-the panel isn’t until tomorrow though…”

Akechi: “I came to check out the venue. I can’t make any mistakes since a lot of people will be present.”

Futaba: “Someone’s eager.”

Akechi: “But, people ended up recognizing me. Everyone bombarded me with questions.”

Ryuji: “That’s 'cause you were sloppy.”

Akechi: “I grew tired of the baseless rumors they kept bringing up, so I escaped to where there weren’t any people.”

Akechi: “Let’s just call this my performance fee.”

Ann: “But-”

Ryuji: “It’s fine.”

Akechi: “Mmm, it’s quite deli-”

timrodresized: This scene might not seem bad, but here’s why it’s bad. As we’ve seen, Akechi is a character whose entire personality is more or less “I’m a fancy boy and also the Detective Prince”.

timrodresized: What you have to understand is that in the base game, this is the only time you ever really see Akechi acting like this. There’s also the obvious slip from Update 27, but that’s less him breaking character than it is him making a mistake that just happens to be stupid.

timrodresized: I feel like the writers for Royal really weren’t sure how they wanted to go with Akechi, so they did a bit of both (things like the scene in the cafe where Akechi wears Joker’s glasses) and hoped that they wouldn’t piss off his fans. You know, due to the whole Akechi ranking first in every single Japanese popularity poll thing.

Ann: “Eating it in one bite is a bad idea…”

Akechi: “Ngh… my throat… urgh! This is…! Ohhh… oh, my stomach… it burns!”

Ann: “Are you okay? Do you need water?”

Akechi: “I-I-I’m… I’m fine! I just love… uh… spicy-spicy stuff… haha…hah…”

Futaba: “Hey, does he sound broken to you?”

timrodresized: It’s also really, really strange that they have the panel for the festival on a different day.

Ryuji: “It’s like he wants to get picked up for some commercial or something.”

Yusuke: “But… did he truly come to check out the venue? …This isn’t good. I keep suspecting every little thing.”

Makoto: “…I know what you mean. I’m doing the same too. I need to do my best tomorrow. We need to somehow get him to be our source of intel… I’m gonna pull this off no matter what!”

timrodresized: She’s not going to pull it off.

Futaba: “That Akechi guy… when he got here, didn’t he say that everyone’s all here?”

timrodresized: He did. I wonder how he’d know that? I mean, I suppose he can guess, given that he’s known since 06/09 that Morgana can talk.

Ryuji: “You’re… you’re just imaginin’ things…”

Yusuke: “Yes, but the associated mental fatigue was extraordinary. Being cautious takes a lot out of you…”

Ann: “Seriously. I think I’m as tired now as I am after midterms.”

Futaba: “I didn’t mind any of that. I just loved seeing that detective gulp down the special takoyaki…”

Haru: “I had fun as well, since I got to spend time with you all.”

Makoto: “What would you like to do now, Haru? Walk around a little more?”

Haru: “I appreciate the gesture, but I’m satisfied with stopping here. Why don’t we go home and rest up? We’ll have to deal with Akechi-kun again tomorrow, after all…”

Morgana: “I have to agree. What will his next move be?”

timrodresized: In the base game, this cutscene ends here. Keep in mind that we’ve been on nothing but cutscenes for the better part of 40 minutes at this point.

timrodresized: What we’re about to see is Maruki flexing his extraterritorial rights in one of the most ham-fisted ways possible to ensure this cutscene doesn’t end. Seriously, Royal extends this and tomorrow by at least 10 or 15 minutes.

Morgana: “sigh Where’d he wander off to? Always doing whatever he pleases… think he’s still checking out the festival stalls? Well, I’m sure he’ll be fine - this is Yusuke we’re talking about. Let’s head home.”

timrodresized: Wait… where’d he get that takoyaki from? Didn’t the person at the stand say they were out? That doesn’t look like the one with the red takoyaki in it either…

Yusuke: “My name is Yusuke Kitagawa. I’m a student in the fine arts division at Kosei High. I do apologize for interrupting your day, but ever since Ryuji and Ann first spoke of you, I’ve grown quite intrigued… now I wish to speak with you as well.”

Maruki: “Ryu… oh, Sakamoto-kun and Takamaki-san? Well, I’m flattered that you’ve taken an interest in me. You’re here about the counseling, correct?”

Yusuke: “Correct. Now, teach me how to unshackle the human heart and glimpse into its endless abyss!”

timrodresized: The best part is how this scene makes no fucking sense, especially if you’ve already done Yusuke’s Rank 10.

Maruki: “Whoa, whoa, hold on there! How should I put this… your enthusiasm is appreciated, but I suspect there’s a huge misunderstanding about what I do.”

Yusuke: “I apologize - I simply couldn’t contain my excitement. Would you still permit me to witness your counseling skills in action?”

Maruki: “That’s not really allowed, haha… oh! But how about this? Why not try out my counseling yourself instead?”

Yusuke: “Me?”

timrodresized: Man, that’s a cheap shot at Yusuke’s moveset. At least he has Charge now.

Maruki: “All you’d have to do is chat with me for a bit.”

Yusuke: “Very well… you and I shall go head-to-head.”

Maruki: “I’m not sure what you think happens in counseling, but, uh, there won’t be any of that…”

Yusuke: “It’s in the past. …How curious. I never imagined counseling to be like this.”

Maruki: “Well, I’d say this is less ‘counseling’ and more about building a rapport. When someone first comes to see me, we always start with them telling me a little bit about themselves.”

Yusuke: “Hm, a method of self-reflection that relies on speaking with another person so as to sort through one’s own emotions…”

Maruki: “There really shouldn’t be any cross-examining in a proper counseling session, though… I just do my best to guide patients in a positive direction so they can improve their lives.”

Maruki: “At the very least, I talk them through their problems so they can make the correct choices for themselves…”

Yusuke: “I see.”

timrodresized: Isn’t that just the Law ending from most of the mainline SMT games?

Maruki: “In all honesty, I’m sure there are people who think that… but life in this world confines people to certain frames of mind sometimes, and without them even realizing it.”

Maruki: “If I can help lift the weight off their shoulders and free their minds, I believe the results are worth it.”

timrodresized: Ends justify the means. Got it.

Yusuke: “…Thank you very much for speaking with me. This has been a most valuable experience.”

Maruki: “Before you go, Kitagawa-kun - what would you say is your greatest wish in life at this moment? Would it be success as an artist?”

timrodresized: Mine would be to LP an English translation of the PSP version of Eternal Punishment instead of whatever this shit is.

Yusuke: “No, that’s not it. The only desire I have for my art is for it to improve through my own efforts.”

Maruki: “I see- then what would you wish for?”

Maruki: “Ah… I see.”

Yusuke: “At any rate, I must be going now, so please excuse me. I hope we meet again someday.”

timrodresized: We finish this day of nothing but cutscene by finishing Art of Automata, leaving us with… I think two books before Knowing the Heart.

Makoto: “Our guest of honor is Goro Akechi.”

Akechi: “I feel kind of bad, considering how many people have gathered… I’m sure you all would’ve been happier to have a singer or a mascot appear, wouldn’t you say?”

Makoto: “We’d appreciate it if you could tell us about your experiences with the notorious Phantom Thieves. It’d be wonderful if you could let us hear more about your actual investigative process.”

Akechi: “I’m not used to being the one interrogated… so please go easy on me.”

timrodresized: It’s strange he’d even agree to this, given that they’re asking him to talk about an ongoing investigation. Back when I was a reporter, I interviewed cops a few times. They HATE that.

Yusuke: “He talks of how the Phantom Thieves are dangerous, yet he says they haven’t committed any murders. Either he has an idea who the true culprit is, or he has uncovered the identities of the Phantom Thieves.”

Ryuji: “C’mon, Makoto… you gotta get it out of him!”

timrodresized: If you’re wondering what Makoto’s plan is, the answer is she doesn’t have one. I don’t really understand why she’d expect a cop to coment on a case in public like this.

Akechi: “Getting right to the point, I see. Well, if it’s as much as I’m allowed to say, then everything on TV and the internet is all of it. We don’t have any leads yet, and the methods behind their crimes are still unclear.”

Makoto: “I see… Even with this country’s power, arresting them is proving to be difficult. Is that the case?”

timrodresized: Wouldn’t this be really strange for the audience? I mean, you’d think they’d be expecting her to ask him about his ideal date or something stupid like that.

Akechi: “I wouldn’t phrase it that way - but well, something like that.”

Makoto: “Thank you for answering that question. By the way, it seems you’ve denied a correlation between the Phantom Thieves and the murders… why the sudden change?”

Makoto: “Until now, haven’t you upheld your stance that the Phantom Thieves are dangerous? How are you so positive that they haven’t committed murder?”

Akechi: “Aren’t you a little too comfortable interrogating people? Why, it’s as if you’re a prosecutor.”

Makoto: “But won’t you tell us? What reason is there that you’d claim their innocence when you previously stated they were unjust?”

Futaba: “She’s pelting him with questions.”

Akechi: “Every person whose heart they changed have truly been criminals, including Okumura… why, then, was he the only one who needed to be killed…?”

Makoto: “Why is that?”

Akechi: “I must admit… I couldn’t deduce a reason. That’s why I believe that case should be thought of as if a different party is responsible. And if - this is all hypothetical, mind you.”

Akechi: “If the Phantom Thieves are the ones I know of, I can’t possibly imagine they would kill anyone.”

Makoto: “Your comment just now… does this mean the police have already identified who they are?”

Akechi: “Oh, no. The police haven’t gotten that far yet. But I have my own conclusions about the true identities of the Phantom Thieves.”

Ann: “Pipe down!”

Haru: “He’s lying, right…?”

Futaba: “But if it’s the truth…”

Akechi: “You’re not going to ask me who they are?”

timrodresized: Makoto figures she can just SMART GIRL her way out of this shit.

Akechi: “It’s only my personal opinion, so announcing that here wouldn’t pose a problem. However… there is a possibility that everyone present will hear the truth before the police or media.”

Ann: “The truth…?”

Futaba: “What’s he planning on saying?”

Makoto: “That’s quite the confidence you have. If you’re so certain, then very well. I’d like to ask you then: Who do you think the Phantom Thieves are, Akechi-san?”

Ryuji: “That idiot!”

Yusuke: “No… there’s no way he could have any evidence…”

timrodresized: So, okay… did he plan that? Did he have someone in the audience planted to call him just in case this came up? How did he know Makoto would ask him that?

Akechi: “Would you mind if I step away for about… ten minutes or so?”

Makoto: “I’m terribly sorry, everyone, but we’ll be taking a break. We’ll resume the panel in ten minutes.”

Akechi: “Please don’t troll me online for this interruption, okay?”

Makoto: “There’s the PE faculty office.”

Akechi: “I want you to come too. There’s a matter I want to discuss. Your friends from yesterday are here, aren’t they? Can you bring them too, if that’s all right?”

timrodresized: I mean, no shit. He’s basically Light Yagami.

timrodresized: Congrats, you’ve got uh… a couple of photos that could easily be explained by Photoshop filters. In fact, I’m pretty sure you can do stuff like this with one button these days.

timrodresized: I really wish they’d give Joker an opportunity to snark this. “Hey Akechi, congratulations, you saw Yusuke emerging from the Elemental Plane of Boyfriend.”

Ryuji: “That’s gotta be 'shopped!”

Akechi: “I have video footage too. Please, let’s not feign ignorance. All of you can go to that other world too, yes?”

Akechi: “As I just said, I know everything. I also know that when you traverse over there, your appearance changes as well. It’s because of those mysterious powers, isn’t it?”

timrodresized: An obvious lie. We already know he knows about Morgana, and that was in June.

Ryuji: “Dude, it’s the Nav…”

Akechi: “When the app activated on its own, the scenery around me suddenly changed. Quite frankly, I still can’t believe it myself. But from the look of these photos, all of you seem quite used to it.”

Ryuji: "We’ve been listenin’ to you blab on for a while now, but cut the delusional- "

Akechi: “All of you are acting as Phantom Thieves in the Metaverse. I can say so with conviction because I have the same power as you.”

timrodresized: We could already infer this from him being able to hear Morgana, but now we know that Akechi has a Persona. We also know that he’s had it since at least June, if not earlier… and that he was in Okumura’s Palace.

timrodresized: This would mean that Akechi fits all the criteria for being the killer, and it’s fucking stupid that Joker doesn’t point this out. It’s not like he’d even have to reach back that far, because Akechi is admitting this shit now.

Akechi: “I’ll take your silence as confirmation. In all honesty, I’ve been curious about you since the time of the Madarame case. But to think it would end up like this…”

Akechi: “I believe that as well…”

Makoto: “…How can you be so sure?”

Ryuji: “For real!?”

Ann: “Who was it!?”

Akechi: “I couldn’t identify his face… he had a mask on, after all. Actually, when I took these photos, I entered that world too.”

Akechi: “He shot at me the moment he noticed me.”

timrodresized: That’s funny, because you’d think someone would have heard the apparently unsuppressed gunshots. Also, how do you know the shooter’s gender?

Yusuke: “That’s who killed President Okumura?”

timrodresized: Now, here’s the real question. Why isn’t Makoto asking these fucking questions? This would’ve been a great opportunity to make it obvious that she can do shit.

timrodresized: In fact, I’m going to be real here when I say that if Makoto asked a couple of pointed questions, the plot would be resolved right here.

timrodresized: You might be wondering if this is actually a trap on Makoto’s end, and… no, it’s not. At this point, no one is even vaguely aware of the possibility that Akechi could be the killer.

Akechi: “Most likely. At the very least, I was almost killed by him. ‘I can’t die here… I need to determine the truth…’ When those thoughts overcame me, I awakened to that power - a most fortunate accident.”

timrodresized: Fuck you, Hashino. Fuck you. He stole that straight out of Eternal Punishment. We’ll hopefully see that when the translation is done.

Morgana: “This guy has a Persona too?”

Ann: “Morgana. Our teammate who taught us about the Metaverse.”

Akechi: “…Really? This is unbelievable… but it IS true that you know things that I don’t… say, Morgana. Were you also the one who instructed them on how to change people’s hearts?”

Akechi: “I experienced that world too, but I still haven’t solved that mystery yet.”

Morgana: “We go in the Metaverse - we call them Palaces - to steal the core of their desires: their Treasure. And those whose Treasure has been stolen have a change of heart.”

Akechi: “Hahaha… there’s certainly no way anyone could figure out such an MO.”

Ryuji: “Anyways! Back to what you were talkin’ about! Are we in this mess 'cause of that guy!?”

Akechi: “Although I don’t completely understand the method, all you do is simply reform people. Someone else is behind the murders. However, the police have decided that the Phantom Thieves did it… they’ll arrest you at this rate.”

Haru: “Th-They’re going to treat me as my father’s murderer?”

Akechi: “I can’t overlook such a grave mistake. Which is precisely why I want us to strike a deal. I may be able to save you from this situation.”

Futaba: “A deal?”

Akechi: “I would like you to cooperate with me on investigating the truth.”

Yusuke: “And if we decline?”

Akechi: “Then I think I’ll have to inform the police about all of you, along with that video I mentioned.”

Ryuji: “This ain’t no deal! It’s blackmail!”

Akechi: “Say what you will. This is the method that I believe is correct. The justice I uphold will not tolerate criminals who kill people at their leisure.”

Haru: “Justice…”

Akechi: “You’ve heard that Sae-san is the one spearheading the investigation about you Phantom Thieves, correct? The higher-ups are concerned only with settling the case.”

Akechi: “They want to capture the culprits behind the psychotic breakdown incidents and end the commotion. Those are the ones who are putting pressure on Sae-san. I can only imagine her impatience.”

Akechi: “Even if there is no objective explanation of the method, it’s over once causality is established. Sae-san can’t make rational judgments at the moment. If she were to be cornered, well… she may even make up a confession.”

Makoto: “Make it up?”

Ryuji: “So they’re gonna make it all our fault!? Just 'cause they feel like it!?”

Ann: “We haven’t killed anyone though! …And we’re still going to be arrested?”

Akechi: “You’ll be found guilty if you’re caught, and it will be treated as a very serious crime.”

Ryuji: “Bullshit! None of that makes any sense!”

Akechi: “Unfortunately, there’s nothing I can do alone anymore to stop the flow of things…”

Makoto: “And that’s why you want our cooperation?”

Akechi: “Yes. In return, I’ll turn a blind eye to what you’ve done. Those are my conditions. That said, I ask that you disband the Phantom Thieves after this.”

timrodresized: I dunno, kill him? Dump his body in the Metaverse, where it’ll never be found? He’s already threatening murder charges - what’s one more murder when you’re already accused of at least three?

timrodresized: Seriously though, Tatsuya or Jihei would’ve already lit Akechi on fire at this point.

Akechi: “I see… I thought I was making a lot of concessions myself. Well, you don’t have to decide at the moment. Considering this is you we’re talking about, I believe you’ll come to a favorable reply.”

Akechi: “I’m glad we could talk. It’s been a while since I’ve been able to spend such a meaningful time like this.”

timrodresized: “Spend such a meaningful time like this?” What the fuck kind of localization is that? Oh right, I forgot, this is the part of the game where it goes to shit.

Akechi: “I look forward to your answer. It was definitely worth coming today - for various reasons. We should be getting back. … About that, I’m sorry. Would it be acceptable if we ended the panel here?”

Akechi: “The reason why you called for me in the first place is because you wanted intel, correct? My business is concluded as well.”

timrodresized: A good writer would have had that last line be a plot point where Makoto was working with Akechi the entire time, which would explain why she’s so fucking incompetent. Hashino is not a good writer.

Makoto: “I’ll deal with it somehow.”

timrodresized: The game then fades to a blur. This? Right here? This is where I checked out on the plot the first time I played the game, and just wanted it to be over.

timrodresized: This scene sucks for a bunch of reasons. It feels stupid because it’s taking your agency away, but also because by the time we see what happens here, we’ll already know everything it has to tell us.

timrodresized: This scene (and the other three like it) are trying to patch a massive ass pull that Hashino makes in late November. You’ll know it when you see it, and it ruins the entire goddamn plot.

timrodresized: David Cage pulled this exact shit in Heavy Rain, and it was just as dumb there as it is here.

timrodresized: Anyway, here’s how I’m going to handle these. Underneath this update, you will see a second “summary” box. That box will contain the full text of the blurred scene. You can view it if you’d like, or wait until November when they’re revealed normally.

timrodresized: I will warn you that there’s a couple of cutscenes in November that will not make any fucking sense if you read the blurred scenes early… but they also won’t make sense if you read the blurred scenes afterward.

Akechi: “So, I truly apologize about this… but I’ll have to end things here today.”

Makoto: “To make up for the time that was planned for this panel, the rakugo research club will instead be-”

timrodresized: Wait, what? Rakugo… what? How do you research a comedy style? Why did this need to be here at all? Seriously, why would you not just cut to the post-festival date?

Akechi: “I can’t say anything in detail regarding the Phantom Thieves investigation… but I feel another great stride will occur again soon. I hope you all continue to pay attention to what happens.”

Makoto: “Let’s have a big round of applause for today’s guest, Goro Akechi.”

Ann: “He totally used Makoto’s suggestion against us.”

timrodresized: I swear, there must have been a draft of the script at one point where Makoto was a traitor and actively working with Akechi. It’s the only thing that explains how utterly incompetent Makoto is.

timrodresized: Just think about it though. What’s one time where Makoto has been right on anything, barring the handful of times where she points something out in a dungeon?

Yusuke: “Indeed. We intended to get intel out of him, but to think it would play out like this.”

Ryuji: “So what? We’ll just accept his deal?”

Ann: “He’s got evidence on us. We really don’t have a choice…”

Ryuji: “Dammit, what’re we gonna do!?”

Morgana: “Calm down, Ryuji.”

Ryuji: “How am I s’posed to calm down!? What are we gonna do!?”

Yusuke: “What’s done is done. We’ll have to cool our heads and think more on this. We must make up our minds by the time he contacts us again.”

Morgana: “We need to give this a lot of thought…”

timrodresized: Well, shit. I have to wonder, though: how would he know that’s a real one when there were places all over Tokyo selling fakes?

timrodresized: There’s still the plausible explanation that John Persona bought a fake card, made it look like a real one, and then used the threat of a brainfuck to get Futaba to change without actually doing anything.

Sojiro: “I knew it… she’s… oh god…”

timrodresized: And now it’s time for the date cutscene, with absolutely no one else jumping in to assert their extraterritorial rights and extending this entire mess by say… another several minutes.

Morgana: “Post-festival party? I thought this thing was over… eh, nobody invited you to it, so let’s just go home.”

timrodresized: Oh look, it’s Atlus’s Lightning. Are you here to sell us your custom Louis Vuitton bag?

Kasumi: “Since we’ve run into each other on our own, why not go together? People say these kinds of events should be enjoyed with others, so let’s go have some fun!”

timrodresized: Kasumi being here makes this scene kind of stupid. In the base game, you had the scene with Akechi and then you did the festival date and went home.

timrodresized: In Royal, you instead go to the party with Kasumi, leave, go back with someone else, and then then go home. You know, instead of just making her a choice and giving the player a save point that doesn’t require them to go through multiple days of shit to get back to it.

Kasumi: “Let’s get in there, Kurusu-senpai!”

timrodresized: This is more or less how all of the other date cutscenes start.

timrodresized: There is a long dancing animation here and I don’t know why they did it. Seriously, I timed it on one of my re-records and it’s like 15 seconds long.

timrodresized: You may also notice the sign that says “Syujin Academy”. I’m pretty sure that’s how the name of the school is actually spelled, and it’s this kind of thing that makes your localization look bad.

Kasumi: “Kurusu-senpai - let’s do it!”

timrodresized: As you may be able to guess, this entire cutscene exists for one reason: to justify the showtime attack that Joker eventually gets with Kasumi. I believe you have to be Rank 10 with her to get it, meaning it’s basically limited to that mystery palace.

timrodresized: Her Showtime Attack is called Dances with Phantoms, and is the only one where the film reference actually makes sense. It’s less a showtime attack with Joker than it is a solo attack, because she’s Atlus’s Lightning.

timrodresized: In the More Like Yusu-Gay route, this scene instead happens with Yusuke. We might not see that for another update or two - Salty Vanilla is working on it.

timrodresized: There’s this short scene where they’re dancing together, but it looks like crap in still shots. Fortunately, I took a video of both this and the anime cutscene we’ll see shortly.

Kasumi: “Hmm… got it. I’m in!”

Kasumi: “Just wait here, and watch what happens!”

timrodresized: I love how whichever studio did these anime cutscenes can never get Morgana on-model. It just can’t be done.

timrodresized: The way this studio can never get anything on-model, even when it’s the only thing in frame, reminds me of the 70s Lupin III anime where they had animations that played for 10 seconds or more but were only two or three frames long.

timrodresized: Animation studio boss: “Shit, we need something to hide the fact that we can’t draw Kasumi on-model… anyone got any ideas?”

timrodresized: Animator: “How about we just put a three or four second animation where the shot is going through people’s legs, so the viewer sees our horrible off-model animation as little as possible?”

timrodresized: Animation studio boss: “Brilliant!”

timrodresized: I mean, I guess I can’t blame them, given that anime creators usually don’t make all that much money, but still.

timrodresized: Animator: “We don’t need to be on-model for any of these close-ups, do we?”

timrodresized: Animation studio boss: “Fuck no! Just be as off-model as possible and we’ll call it an art style.”

timrodresized: Animator: “Boss, how do I draw a cat? The client says they want a cat in this scene, but I’m not qualified for that.”

timrodresized: Animation studio boss: “Hell if I know! Call Fred! He was on that project with the catboy, right? That’s practically the same thing.”

timrodresized: Animator: “Boss, the client says they want this scene to be like a minute long and I’m already out of ideas! What do I do?”

timrodresized: Animation studio boss: “Shit, if only Fred was here. Uh… you’ve got that leg shot from earlier, right? Just copy-paste that a couple of times.”

Kasumi: “Ah, thank you!”

Kasumi: “It’s my dad. He’s telling me to come home before it gets too late. Sorry to leave you like this, but I have to get going.”

timrodresized: There should have been a line here where Kasumi goes “Oh, no, we’re all done with the scenes where I’m being harrassed and you have to step in to save me.”

Kasumi: “Thank you. I’ll be all right, though. The post-festival party was so much fun! Especially with you! See you soon!”

timrodresized: I… don’t know why they put this line here. The writers knew that there was a festival date thing coming up. I mean, they presumably had the game’s script to work with. You know when they have trouble keeping shit like this straight that it’s a sign of bad writing.

timrodresized: Just like the Hawaii scene, we have three scenes that require Rank 9 and being on the romance route (those being Ann, Kawakami, and Makoto). Ryuji’s scene needs you to be Rank 10, and Haru is the fallback if you don’t meet any of those.

timrodresized: Keep in mind that we haven’t been able to save since the night of the 25th - meaning we have to go through the entire day to get back to this choice.

timrodresized: For this update, we’ll be doing Haru’s date. All the others will be filed under the “Alternate Scenes” header.

Haru: “I’m sorry. I can’t stop thinking about what Akechi-kun said…”

Haru: giggle “It feels like nothing bad could ever happen when you say that.”

Haru: “Sharing…? I never knew we had such an event.”

Haru: “Ooh, he’s going to choose? I wonder who it will be…”

Haru: “Huh…? Is he… looking this way?”

Haru: “He’s talking to me… isn’t he?”

Haru: “Well, I’m going.”

Haru: “Um, yes…”

timrodresized: Haru’s version of this scene is easily the most awkward of them all.

Haru: “Oh, please don’t worry!”

timrodresized: I wonder if it’s easier to take the death of a parent if they were a moustache-twirling cartoon villain.

Haru: “Something to share… I have too many things…”

Haru: “Huh?”

timrodresized: Now, I get that awkward moments like this happen a lot, but something tells me this goes beyond the usual degree of social ineptitude.

Haru: “Erm…”

Haru: “Well…”

timrodresized: Yeah, you know what, let’s just take this situation from bad to worse.

Haru: “Huh?”

Haru: “Wait…!”

Haru: “Th-that wasn’t what we were talking about…”

timrodresized: All of the date cutscenes are basically identical to this, but with Ann or Makoto. The only one that’s significantly different is Kawakami’s, which is probably the one I like the best.

timrodresized: I just wish that they had written an alternate version of it for if you’re not dating her, because it would have had a thousand times more impact that way.

Haru: “It turned out to be more like an interview party, huh? I still can’t believe you said that…”

Haru: “Huh…? Right… at any rate, I’m not sure what I would have done without you. Thank you for saving me. You’re a mysterious person, but you’re so reliable.”

Haru: “Who knows what may lie ahead. For now, I’m worried about what happened with Akechi-kun… but I have to say, my first post-festival party was quite fun. Though… I guess it’s my last too.”

Haru: “Here, I’d like you to have this.”

timrodresized: The reward for all of these dates is the same - the item has a different name, but in all cases it’s an SP restorative.

Haru: “I… bought it earlier…”

timrodresized: By this, he means “I can’t wait to never use it.”

Haru: giggle “Now then, let’s go home.”

timrodresized: You thought this day would just end? Oh no.

Futaba: “You took off somewhere during the festival, huh… I tried to find you, but I gave up pretty quickly.”

Morgana: “Futaba? What are you doing here in front of the store?”

Futaba: “I needed to calm my brain. My thoughts were getting out of hand. Not just Akechi, but other stuff too. We’re in deep trouble unless we can do something soon.”

Futaba: “But anyway, I was just thinking about going inside, so your timing is perfect. Let’s go.”

SIU Director: “They’re saying whatever they want. So, how’s the investigation going? Any clues yet?”

Sae: “Nothing that leads to a firm conviction yet…”

SIU Director: “What’s going on here? Didn’t you say that you were sure about closing this case? And I thought I told you that failure won’t be tolerated.”

Sae: “…”

SIU Director: “Well, this is troublesome. If this continue at this rate, never mind a promotion… we’d have to let you go entirely.”

SIU Director: “I had high expectations for you, but it seems this task was too much to handle for someone so young. We may need to reform the operation as well since the selected personnel for this-”

timrodresized: Has it even been a week since he put her on the case?

Sae: “Please let me see this through to the end! This case is something that I’ve always-”

SIU Director: “I know that you’ve been at this for a while now, even before the police spared us the staff for it. If you can manage an arrest, I’ve made special arrangements so that you can question them personally.”

timrodresized: Here’s the game justifying the use of the secret murder room, though it’s a mystery why they’d let Sae interrogate Joker if they were planning on killing him anyway.

SIU Director: “…That’s what you want, isn’t it? The leadership of this country is about to change. We can’t let this case carry over into their term. I’ll make myself clear again: failure isn’t an option. We need results.”

timrodresized: And now we know who he works for. It shouldn’t have been hard to guess.

Sae: “…I understand.”

SIU Director: “You’re allowed to take some… bold measures if you need to. We need good results, no matter what. Oh, one more thing. If the unexpected happens to occur, contact me immediately.”

timrodresized: If you are at all thinking about the plot, you might ask why Akechi hasn’t simply given the names of the party directly to the SIU Director. There’s a reason for that.

Sae: “…To you, sir?”

timrodresized: Could this guy be any more cartoonishly evil?

Futaba: “Sojiro?”

Sojiro: “This is a calling card, right? I’ve read about it online too.”

timrodresized: Sojiro saw one of those “How to tell if your teen is John Persona” segments on the local news.

Futaba: “Y-You went into my room without my permission!?”

Sojiro: “I’ll apologize as much as you want later. …So, what is this?”

Futaba: “That’s…”

Sojiro: “Is it something to get flustered over? I knew it. This isn’t just some game you’re playing. Why aren’t you saying anything?”

timrodresized: I ask that question a lot of this game’s script.

Morgana: “Why did you keep it!?”

Futaba: “I mean… it was memorable…”

Sojiro: “Explain.”

Futaba: “Explain…”

Sojiro: “Can’t tell me?”

Sojiro: “I’m talking to Futaba here, you know… I’ll get right to the point. Is this a ‘real’ one? Did they… trigger a change of heart in you?”

Futaba: sob

Sojiro: “How about it?”

Sojiro: “Futaba… here… sit down. I can at least listen to what you have to say.”

Futaba: “It’s the same as Mom’s research… they changed… my cognition…”

timrodresized: Here’s what I hate about this scene. Futaba is basically two separate people - there’s the more somber one (which we see near the end of her dungeon and right here) and then the epic gamer memelord anime gremlin we see in her confidant.

timrodresized: This, right here? The sort of somber, brooding Futaba? This is the Futaba I like. If she were like this the entire game, she would be the best girl with virtually zero competition. I’m not saying she has to never be happy - that’s not the point. They could’ve just dialled back the memes and it would’ve been far better.

timrodresized: Now, a good writer would’ve realized what they were doing and either made it a plot point that she acts like two different people… or just give her a single coherent personality. Basically, they should’ve stuck with their initial plans to just make her a goth.

Sojiro: “Seriously? …Wakaba’s research about altering one’s cognition… I wondered about it myself too, but still…”

Sojiro: “When she said she was gonna go to the beach out of nowhere. Even the doctors had thrown in the towel.”

Futaba: “…”

Sojiro: “At first I just chalked it up as other kids being a better support for you than any adult. But as I kept watching the tabloid shows here day in and day out, a thought crossed my mind…”

Sojiro: “I thought… your case kind of seemed similar to what these Phantom Thieves were doing.”

Futaba: “…Wow.”

Sojiro: “I’m still your guardian, you know. I’d never overlook such a drastic change in your behavior.”

Futaba: “Sojiro…”

Sojiro: “But to think that Wakaba’s research and the Phantom Thieves changing hearts were about the same thing.”

Sojiro: “She said something odd when we were out drinking… that one of these days, she might die a bizarre death. Who wouldn’t take that as a joke? I just laughed it off.”

Sojiro: “But… it happened exactly as she said. If anything were to happen to you, I’d feel like I let her down.”

Sojiro: “There’s something I want to ask you, Akira. Judging from your attitude, you knew about this calling card, didn’t you? You should’ve known that Futaba had a change of heart through the Phantom Thieves as well.”

Sojiro: “…Is there a connection between you and them? The first incident of a change of heart was a teacher at your school. The kid who brought that painting here was a pupil of that artist who had a change of heart, wasn’t he?”

Sojiro: “And then there’s Futaba… you always seem to be linked to these incidents somehow. Got anything to say?”

timrodresized: The entire Japanese police force can’t figure this shit out, but one random cafe owner can.

Sojiro: “…You think this is a game? You know what people call them? Criminals. Why did you introduce such dangerous people to Futaba!?”

Futaba: “I asked them! That’s why Akira saved me! He stole my heart!”

Sojiro: “…Asked? Stole?”

Futaba: “Oh… uh… ummm…”

Sojiro: “Wait, are you saying that he’s the one who changed your heart? He doesn’t just deal with the Phantom Thieves… he’s actually one of them? You’re pulling my leg, aren’t you?”

Sojiro: “Are you serious? You… really are a phantom thief? For crying out loud…”

Futaba: “Sojiro…”

Sojiro: “So basically, I’ve been sheltering a phantom thief for the last six months? And on top of that, Futaba’s involved too… what the hell…”

Futaba: “I…I want to find the culprit who killed my mom!”

Sojiro: “Wait, killed?”

Futaba: “I… remember it now.”

Sojiro: “Stop this nonsense!”

Futaba: “Why won’t you believe me!? Are you the same as everyone else? Didn’t you know already!? The way Mom died wasn’t normal!”

Futaba: “Didn’t you notice that her research was stolen by someone!? Sojiro…!”

Sojiro: “…When she passed away, I did think it was odd. It was awfully fishy. But what could I do? …All I was able to do was run from it all. Run away, hide… and end up here, as some old guy running a cafe.”

Sojiro: “To be frank, I took you in for my own good. Like it’d somehow make up for what I’d done. It’s basically my fault that you got burdened with all this crap.”

Futaba: “It’s not your fault, Sojiro.”

Sojiro: “I acted all big, lectured, even yelled at you kids… and I end up getting consoled by her. God… real pathetic, aren’t I?”

Futaba: “I mean, the one who killed Mom is the one at fault!”

Sojiro: “…I see. Don’t worry.”

Sojiro: “Let me just say one thing though. Immediately back out of a fight that you can’t win.”

Sojiro: “If by chance you pissed off the same guys that killed Wakaba… then they’re not someone that kids like you can deal with. Listen to reason, all right?”

Sojiro: “We’re done talking about this. C’mon, time to eat. All that yelling’s gotten me hungry.”

Morgana: “Phew… if he turned us in, that would’ve jeopardized our operation. …Still, we should tell the others about what just happened.”

timrodresized: It should be pretty obvious to everyone involved who the actual killer is. I mean, given that we already know one person who meets all the criteria.

Futaba: “We’re gonna win, no matter what!”

timrodresized: I mean, yeah, Futaba could be an Inkling. She’s got the hair and general build for it, even if she’s a bit tall.

Futaba: “All this happened because I kept the calling card… it’s so late already… is Sojiro still awake? This is kind of awkward…”

timrodresized: Joker has a very strict rule: no anime gremlins allowed in the bed.

Futaba: “…I’m gonna go home. Night.”

timrodresized: We’re forced to go to bed tonight, which I suppose makes sense given how many people jumped in to assert their extraterritorial rights. Next time: More cutscene and a goth mom. Before I finish this, there’s an optional IM conversation I didn’t even notice until my second or third re-record.

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Click Here for the full version of the blurred cutscene (optional, read the update first)

timrodresized: I don’t have this scene recorded yet in Royal, so all of the dialog choices will be marked with Joker’s dialog icon, which I think is more appropriate given the lack of agency. Please also note that I didn’t pick the dialog choices in this scene, but will pick different ones when the LP catches up.

Morgana: “…You realized it too, then. It was our conversation about pancakes, right? There’s no way he could have reacted like that if he hadn’t heard me.”

Joker: “We can’t trust him.”

Morgana: “My thoughts exactly. It was your social studies trip. We met him in the hallway of that TV station…”

timrodresized: There’s a black-and-white shot of a scene from Update 27 here. I’ll just post the color version instead.

timrodresized: This, by the way, is why so much of the fanart of Akechi has him eating pancakes. Because that’s how fucking stupid this plot twist is.

Morgana: “There’s no way that this is the first time he’s heard my voice. This whole deal feels sketchy.”

Joker: “He’s suspicious.”

Morgana: “Yeah. It’s impossible not to think that of him. Okay… let’s get everyone on the same page right away.”

“Russia sushi yo. Umai yo. Oishii yo.”

It’s been a million years since I watched an episode of Durarara, but I see you, Atlus. I see you.

I think that’s a joke in a Woody Allen movie or something.

There’s a diner near where I live that has an early bird menu, where the dinner comes with a soda and pudding. The chicken parm isn’t on the early bird menu. But chicken parm but with a slice of ham on top of it for some reason IS on the early bird menu. I never tried asking for chicken parm with ham, without the ham.

Those ellipses are the painful irony as Ryuji realizes they’re fucked, but in the same moment knows he’s the dumb character and isn’t allowed to say anything.

This is my contribution to the LP, everybody. Tim asked me who we should date at the festival and I said “uh…da fluffy one”

Originally, I wasn’t going to do the other ones at all. It takes forever to get to the date choice (I timed it while re-recording and it’s around 12 minutes if you’re going as quickly as possible) and most of them have near-identical text with the choices re-worded slightly. Kawakami’s is really the only one that is significantly different.

Then I decided that I’d do it anyway, because it’s easy enough to just let it fast-forward in the background.