Persona 4: The Animation - Episode 4

I guess you could say that Persona 4: The Animation has had its desired result, as since I last wrote about this series I've picked up a copy of the original PlayStation 2 game and started playing through it.  Mission accomplished?

In keeping with my own progress through said title, this fourth episode sees our trio of high school heroes continue apace in their efforts to save the missing Yukiko, with Chie in particular desperate to find her friend, bolstered by the discovery of her own Persona.

Of course, while finding Yukiko is one thing, saving her is quite another as we come into the midst of her full-on conflict with herself as her "Shadow" rails against the gilded cage into which she was born and continues to be imprisoned on account of the inn run by her parents - hence her search for a "Prince" to save her, whether it's Yukiko or anyone else.  Naturally, our heroes ultimately win the day and save their friend, thanks in no small part to Narukami's Persona-wielding abilities - but what does the world beyond the television hold for them next, and can they find the culprit for the recent spate of disappearances and murders?

Actually playing through Persona 4 shifts my perception of the series quite a bit, giving me an appreciation of what the series is doing well in terms of its adaptation.  On the other hand, it also makes it incredibly difficult to separate the experience of watching this series to playing the game in terms of satisfaction with the material presented - was this a solid episode in its own right, or more compelling because I've only just played this segment in the game?  Through the eyes of my current situation, this was a strong, neatly delivered episode that felt a little more stable in terms of its animation while also telling its story pretty strongly, to grant us a good footing for episodes to come.