ETAO Podcast, Episode 29.
Drew’s good buddy Adam Osborn, PhD-pursuer and self-described archnerd, stops by the discuss the Persona games in anticipation of Persona 5 finally coming out next week (but no, really for real this time).
Starting at the 01:08:24 mark, I should mention, this one does get a TRIGGER WARNING for suicide ideation, because there’s no way to do Persona 3’s imagery justice without going there. And once it comes up, it does keep right on coming up.
Less importantly (but still not unimportantly, I know, nerds), heavy SPOILERS for Persona 3 and beyond begin at 00:47:00.
From Revelations: Persona, through Personas 2 (not a type-o), on through the series’ breakout moment with Persona 3 and 4 and their numerous spin-offs, Adam walks us through the legacy of these literate, resonant, bizarre, and not-even-slightly-subtle creations. We read the latter-day Personas as psychologically rich coming-of-age tales, commentaries on JRPG and anime conventions, devastating simulations of social anxiety, and plenty else.
If you’ve never played a Persona game (and especially if you’re considering making Persona 5 your first), then consider this a primer. If you have, then consider this a retrospective—a bit like what Drew and Lucio recently did with the Dark Souls games—with, yes, some sketchy Jungian analysis thrown into the bargain.
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• Adam wrote about Persona 3 FES at length a while back, and it’s a fine, fine read.
• Joseph Campbell is often called a “mythologist,” which is about as badass a job title as one could ask for.
• Here’s that primer on Aleister Crowley by way of David Bowie.
• And here’s that excellent Persona 3 Let’s Play by one Monsieur Schildkrote.
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“All The People Say (Season 2)” by Carpe Demon.
“巌戸台分寮” from the Persona 3 OST by Shoji Meguro.
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