"Heartbeat, Heartbeat, it keeps on pounding
Heartbreak, Heartbreak, you tell me goodbye
Heartbeat, Heartbeat, it keeps on pounding
Heartbreak, Heartbreak, you tell me goodbye"
We need some more girl protagonists, yo. MASSIVE SPOILERS INSIDE.
Wassup kids, it's Prophet and I am here to finally give you our thoughts on Persona 4. "Whoa, you guys are fucking late to the party. Half-assed Megaten fans you are." First of all, fuck you. As Ed says, "Any Megaten fan that likes Persona is a fake bitch." Therefore, none of us are really Megaten fans at all. Second of all, fuck Ed. The only reason it's taken this long for us (as in, me) to write anything is because we never would have written anything. What can we say? It's Persona 4, it's better than Persona 3 in...lots of levels, and I hope the next Megaten they're doing is part of the core series.
However, because I'm trying to avoid work (both school and Rabbit stuff) I'm going to personally write up some things. Expect random bits of input from random bits of Rabbits (the ones that cleared the game, that is). If for some reason the MASSIVE SPOILERS/TRUE ENDING tag hasn't scared you off and you haven't beat P4 yet...GET THE FUCK OUT.
They're gone? Alright, let's set this off:
Love. That's what we're going to talk about. To be precise...TRUE LOVE. As in, TRUE PAIRINGS. I know, this is kinda obsessive, this thing we have...but pairing people up is just NECESSARY. Don't ask why. But I'm not talking bullshit fan-fantasy pairings, like Koromaru and what's-her-face-teacher-Hermit-arcana. I'm talking actual "this is how it may as well be" ones. P3 was more rigid in this: obviously it was Yukari the Protagonist was supposed to go for; yeah, yeah, everyone fell in love with Mitsuru and Aigis but canon-wise, it's clearly Yukari. P4? Not so much...which is A LOT more fan-fantasy friendly and leaves it to your imagination. That said, I felt P4 was weaker on terms of "let's have a happy couple relationship" not because the Protagonist didn't click with X girl...but because there was someone BETTER for her to be with. Sidenote: we're ignoring most of the secondary characters for sake of focusing on the main ones. Anyways, we're going to get back to me and start off with nde:
nde's Perspective
Hetero
Chie and Yosuke: They meshed well.
Yukiko and Teddie: He'll be taken care of.
Naoto and Kanji: Fitting.
Rise and Protagonist: I ended up choosing this path.
Homo
Teddie and Protagonist: Blatant.
[prophet sez: He actually has some VERY risque things to add as well but he's a coward so he won't say it here. Funny will probably get to it.]
Lavie Rhap's Perspective
For the heterosexual relationships, I felt that the lack of a major plot point involving romances was a detriment, on terms of having a 'love story'. Persona 3's Yukari and Aigis especially stand out; Elizabeth's departure from the Velvet Room also stays with me. Persona 4 was more friendship-based, so I found it difficult to imagine 'proper' romances. Perhaps it was only me, but I saw much of our own interactions; to inexpertly shove a hackneyed 'epic' romance into Persona 4 would be folly. These are only teenagers, after all, within a period spanning one year. But since I am being pressed to provide my own interpretations on what may as well have occurred...
Naoto and Kanji are the most obvious of the pairings and provides the most humorous speculations of what may happen next in such a relationship. Yosuke and Chie's love-hate bickering was most enjoyable; I was reminded of Prophet and Ed (sorry, Pat!). Everything else is...rather open. I personally chose Ai to be with the main character; after all, who doesn't want to express their true self? Blending one's own experiences with gaming do make for a more interesting time. Now, while I can understand the undercurrent of homosexuality, only in Kanji's case does it become pronounced. As I've stated before, friendship takes priority over romance in Persona 4.
Kawaii Pattycakes' Perspective
[prophet sez: She doesn't get anything because she loves them all. ALL (with emphasis on Teddie and the Protagonist). So we'll let Funny handle this too, because as rambling as he can be, I'll make him be brief.
Oh, and she chose Naoto. "Because she's the closest to bish." Go figure.]
edthefucker's Perspective
That cousin and that uncle, where's the hentai for that shit? FUCKIN' A. [prophet/Pat/funny sez: DIE.]
Killer Ink's Perspective
I haven't played it. I'm not going to. [prophet/Pat/funny sez: LOSER.]
funny_bunny's Perspective
I wholeheartedly agree with nde! On the straight dealies, that is. Permit me to elaborate! Ok, see, Rise and the Protagonist are PERFECT for each other because they'll meet again MUCH easier! Yes, absence makes the heart grow fonder, but what of the star-crossed love of a STAR and a COMMONER? But of course, the TRUE LOVE is that between the Protagonist and...IZANAMI.
Fufufu, but can I neglect the HOMOEROTIC FUN? Nay, I shant...for I declare: ALL MALE SOCIAL LINKS ARE FILLED WITH SEXY.
prettyprophet's Perspective
The Protagonist of P4 is a total player. That said, my view on all this is more or less a mix of everyone else's views. Even though the 'love' deal is a pretty big part of this game, it's not; friendship, motherfuckers. Out of everyone, there is no 'this is our destiny' sorta shit. There's just a whole lotta implied and 'up-to-your-imagination'. I'm still going to put P4 above P3 because P3 played more to the stock types: Yukari = normal girl, Mitsuru = regal girl, Fuuka = gentle girl, Aigis = robot girl. Like, face it, P3's social links were all, "The fuck am I doing talking to this guy?" P4 got around this by having fewer non-essentials (Death link I'm not convinced on) and my personal favorite link, the Hanged Man. It wasn't just some random person; Naoki was and will be affected by you, the player. Now I'm not saying the P4 characters weren't all types...but we were technically getting two characters for every one: shadows, yo. Look at Kanji: he's a tough guy and a softie. Or Sayoko, crazy pervert nurse that's actually dedicated to her work. See? I'm not going to declare this the most realistic game since...Cho Aniki, but the characters are at least more believable. I will say this though: this is NOT the second coming of Christ for videogame characters. Just because they have shadow sides doesn't make P4 the equivalent of Godfather; hell, it's not even Fight Club. People have more than just a shadow. A lot more. Remember that shit.
All in all, I was very happy with P4 and I would seriously like to see doujinshi for every single pairing. Again, no bullshit pairings, just actual, 'this is what may as well have happened' pairings, like the Protagonist with...practically everyone. I will disagree with nde, Lavie, Pat, Funny...Chie and Yosuke don't work. Friends yeah, sexing each other up? I can't see it. Besides, we all know that Yosuke's had that thing for Saki, even if she never would've reciprocated. Naoto and Kanji are a given. But Lavie's right, it's all so open. And for the gay POV? Trojan finally got far enough to say something and here are his words of wisdom: "Hey, you know I love Ted...and Daisuke and Kou? Threesome time! But I liked the one with Naoki best. That was pretty sweet." Word up. I don't feel the sexual myself in that one, but I can understand it.
I ended up pairing together Yukiko and the Protagonist because...well, I got to see Naoto's and Rise's thanks to Pat and Funny. No one was doing Yukiko, so I was like, what the fuck, she's cool. I think she's the only girl character where the Protagonist actually gets to spend time alone with in story-related cutscenes...ok, maybe I'm mixing it up with social links, but I figure these two have the most potential for a long-term relationship. But ultimately...I'm going to have to go with Funny and restate the Protagonist x Izanami connection. Well...that's kinda TOO poetic, so fuck it.
So there, that's how we feel about a good number of the P4 relationships. I know, we didn't touch on everything. GO YELL ABOUT IT ON OUR FORUMS AKA THE REVOLUTION. Hey Atlus, next Persona, give us girl protagonists! Don't you think it's our turn to shop for some love? BRING ON THE BOYS.
All images from BE YOUR TRUE MIND.
