Persona 4: The Animation - Episode 17

Even in the Velvet Room people can make mistakes, no matter how much they protest otherwise.  Nonetheless, I digress, as this seventeenth episode of Persona 4's animated outing returns to the gangs attempts to save Naoto from himself.

With a premature ageing ray amongst the weapons at the disposal of Naoto's shadow, a successful rescue mission won't be easy, which makes for a protracted action sequence before Teddie's regenerative abilities and some teamwork amongst the party's members ensure that they win the day, thus giving Naoto an opportunity to face their hidden self and admit that at the real core of his worries are not his.. sorry, her gender or a need for acceptance as a detective, but simply that she wants people around her that he can call friends.  He's certainly come to the right place in the regard.

Following this ordeal, Naoto's clear recollection of her kidnapping gives us at least some clues as to both the identity of the murderer and the reason behind the way corpses of the victims have been disposed of, while also confirming that Mr. Morooka's murder was indeed a copycat incident.  The question is, of course, where the gang's investigation goes from here - a question best left for next week's instalment as the remainder of this week's episode largely involves itself with bringing Naoto into the core of the group.

All in the all, this made for another hugely enjoyable episode of Persona 4: The Animation - the balance between action, serious stuff and comedy was pretty much spot-on, and the slow-down for the second half of the episode was forgiveable as a way of wrapping up the arc and getting us ready for whatever the show has up its sleeve next.  This kind of accomplished and confident adaptation certainly feels like a million miles from the show's stumbling start, which makes me very glad indeed that I've persevered with it.