Remaking Persona 3

 I've been waiting for this!

The Persona franchise has grown very near and dear to my heart recently, such that I consider it some of the greatest games ever to be published and am slowly being drawn into the rest of the Shin Megami Tensei universe as a consequence. I can hardly help myself, can I? Catherine literally butts it's way into Persona 3, I've not experienced the whole world unless I play that game too. (Slippery slope commence...) And as such I've gone from hearing talk about the Persona 3 Remake and being utterly disinterested, to seeing a leak and thinking it looked fine, to actually experiencing the original and coming away slightly hopeful about the leak, to exploring a bit more into the Persona 3 brand and deciding that this Remake has the potential to blow us all away if the team over at ATLUS handle it correctly. I really have turned around on the little guy.

First off you should probably know my thoughts on what Persona 3 was and how I think it could be improved. Of the three Persona games that are considered the 'modern Series', I think Persona 3 might rank as my least favourite. Which isn't to say the game was bad, I think it was actually a great game- but for the key defining elements of the Persona sub-series that gives it it's individuality, the relationships and bonds we form with one another, Persona 3 doesn't really hold a candle to it's successors. Using purely the game as reference material, I never really brought the SEES team being close-knit friends like I know the Inaba Investigators and the Shadow Thieves are. And it seems that the creators agree with me given how the Persona 3 anime purposefully rewrote characters and how they behaved to better reinforce the unit. (In doing so giving Ken and Shinjiro a relationship which makes their shared narrative actually mean something in it's climax.)

I know, it's a very controversial opinion to have considering there are many who call the game the best of the three- and you can call me a misguided heathen for having experienced the game in it's worst possible form, though Persona 3 Portable- but my gripes reach deeper than the presentation. The MC was never much of a leader, or presence within the team at all outside of being the heavy hitter in fights, the key concept of 'sacrifice' which plays such a key role loses it's bite when the key most realisation of the theme is made unwittingly and without any real indication- and I still don't understand why the many intro videos for the game fly by a plethora of scientific concepts that play no bearing on the game's narrative. Butterfly Effect? Arguably relevant in a very tenuous manner. Cogito, Ergo Sum? 'Sentire, Ergo Sum' seems like it'd be more related. (My Latin's not very good but you can get the gist of what I'm saying) Topological Space? I don't... what does that have to do with anything? Explaining Tartarus? Don't pretend the scientific possibility of the high school transforming into a 250 floor death dungeon is essential to understanding the inner workings of this narrative!

But I'm not entirely heartless either. I think that Persona 3's exploration on the concept of acceptance and facing death is particularly unique and affronting in this world of media, and I love the way the game touches on these ideals so abrupt and jarringly that the audience is forced to acknowledge and ruminate on them. I even like the idea of what they were going for with the ending, which is what I suspect so many people fell in love with when it comes to Persona 3's finale. The idea of the ending is perfect, the execution seems abrupt and confusing- somewhat contrasting with the entire idea of the final act: knowing what is coming and choosing to face it, not cower or live in fear. I really think that finale could have been incredible. Which is why I'm coming around on the idea of this remake really throwing the Persona 3 narrative into high gear. 

Still, the real reason I've come around so heavily on the idea of this remake is because watching the anime has revealed the single depiction of the MC that makes sense within the context of his story. Unlike within the game, the anime depicts Makoto (the generally accepted canonical name of the protagonist- not that I personally care about canonical names, my characters are always the name I picked for them in my heart) as a largely apathetic, almost, airhead. At least at the beginning, Makoto seems to lack any sort of strong emotion in the face of anything. The prospect of a grisly death doesn't appear to frighten him, he accepts the reality of the '25th hour' of the day totally at face value without questioning a thing, and when trapped abroad a speeding train that's about to crash into a stationary train causing chaos and potentially killing hundreds- he casually strolls into the driver's cabin that Yukari and Junpei are frantically slapping buttons in and simply says "Oh, you want to stop it?" Before casually pulling the breaks. He is... uniquely disconnected. 

And it works! It works increadibly well. Of course, the very concept of 'apathy' is a huge reoccurring theme throughout Persona 3, with the 'Apathy Syndrome' being a supposed illness that is spreading across the land as the increasingly aggressive Shadows of the Dark Hour eat the emotions of those oblivious to the hour's existence, robbing their drive and passions for life. Makoto earns his apathy in a another way, however. Having lost his parents 10 years ago, Makoto drifts through life without friends or strong ties, like a ghost being dragged along in corporeal form. He has a uniquely disparate view on the concept of society and connection that are best recognised by anyone who has gone through the throes of directionless depression like he has. And I can attest personally, the depiction is apt. And most importantly of all, it creates a base for the evolution of the character throughout the narrative.

Starting as an odd-ball loner with nobody and no ties to the world, carrying the heart of death inside of his soul, Makoto going on to learn to be close to those members of SEES and come to rely on them in battle and life allows us to really recognise the change inside of him, better explaining how that shift of place reflected on Pharos and later The Avatar of Nyx. Going from an apathetic no-one with nothing to lose to a integral and irreplaceable heart in the midst of a team of steadfast, tragically touched, heroes presents the most distinct character evolution possible in this story- and I'll bet a set-up like that will make that finale act hit with every single emotion that the lovers of this game remember it hitting with in their recess of their rose tinted memories. I'd love to have my devastated heart soar in the way that thr beloved final song attests that it should.

All in all, I think that any remake of Persona 3 absolutely needs to depict Makoto the way that anime does, to bring the touch of narrative mastery back around to the game, resulting in that ideal depiction of the game's themes coming to fruition and resonating the way this story should. Alongside rewriting the Social links to be more about personal development than unintentional harem forming, and making Ken's relationship with Shinjiro existent. Oh, and while we're at it- How about making Junpei and Akihiko's social links accessible to male characters? You know, so we can actually feel like we're close friends with our fellow SEES members? Oh what, you'd have to cut 'Kenji' to make that work? Mr 'delusional-and-hot-for-teacher'? What a terrible shame that would be! And Hidetoshi? Honestly, I never liked Hidetoshi anyway...