Atlus recently announced that well-known Persona fans, freelance writer Mafia Kajita and voice actress Tomomi Isomura, are returning to host a regular Persona program called “Persona Stalker Club”. In the first episode of the show, which was streamed last night, the two shared some humorous moments and some new footage of Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth.
Kajita and Isomura start out by looking back at their previous talk show that took place shortly after the announcement of Persona 5. They then share their surprise at how they’ve been chosen to be the host of what could potentially be a long-running Persona program in Persona Stalker Club.
Next, they then mention that Atlus had everything prepared for them, including their Gekkoukan and Yasogami uniforms. From 7:15 onwards, we get a look at how their Persona-themed accessories were made at a specialty shop, called Contribe, who’ve made figures and other gaming goods.
As the guys in Teddie outfits start working on the custom-made accessories, Kajita jokingly says that they’re almost like magical elves who’d make shoes while you were asleep. According to the two, it was Persona series character designer Shigenori Soejima who designed their look for the show.
After playing a game where Kajita and Isomura made up quotes for a scene in Persona 4, they talk a bit about a new Q&A segment, which will be an ongoing corner of the program.
Since this is the first episode of the program, they didn’t take any serious questions, but they urge fans to ask any interesting questions to which answers aren’t easily found, and the Persona team will personally answer them in future episodes.
At 32:23, we get a silly personal segment at Isomura’s request, where they’ll be listening to various Persona songs. As we know, a lot of them have lyrics in English, so in this bit, they have a humorous session on what it sounds like to them, considering that they don’t actually understand it.
To share a bit of the joke, in the Persona 4 opening song, ‘Pursuing My True Self,’ a part of the song says “Reaching Maximum Capacity,” which is heard by Isomura as “リッチな朝抜きパセリ/ricchi na asanuki paseri (rich morning-less parsley)”. Kajita shrugs at how it doesn’t make sense, but couldn’t hold back his laughter after hearing it a second time.
If you’re wondering about the second one, it’s from Persona 3 Portable’s ‘Wiping All Out,’ where it says “It’s coalition,” which ends up sounding like “イス壊れちゃう～！/Isu kowarechau (the chair’s going to break!)”
Next, we get the “Midnight Station” part of the show, where the pair talked about the latest Persona news. This will be the part of the show that the hosts will be taking the most seriously.
Starting at 42:26, we see the latest footage of Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth, where the new character Zen talks about their situation and how they ended up in a school with students they’ve never seen before, as they encounter other Persona-users.
The hosts point out that the game seems to have plenty of animated scenes, and what pleased Kajita even more was seeing Marie from Persona 4 Golden in one of the scenes. They also point out that Igor’s assistant, Theodore was there as well, and wonder how the Velvet Room attendants will be involved in Persona Q.
They also point out that the game looks like it’ll be more fun and festive than any Persona game so far, so we might be seeing a number of lighthearted moments in the game.
Finally at 50:18, Atlus shares a look at a “never-before-seen” image of Persona 4: Dancing All Night to commemorate the first episode of the show. After seeing it for themselves, surprised, the hosts jokingly say, “What the heck? That’s it? … well it is him from a different angle. Then again, he had the same face in the last trailer!”
Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth will be released in North America in Fall 2014 for Nintendo 3DS.
Published: Feb 28, 2014 08:30 am