@cold_spirit I think you are on point about it being politically apolitical. I've never thought about it that way, but I also haven't played the game in 7 years. I feel like MC is the only character that actually fits the description (even though he is conventionally attractive and able bodied). I liked how they captured the suffocating feeling of being ostracized and bullied through this character - I'd never personally seen bullying and dogpiling portrayed accurately prior to this. Not so much for the other characters. It seems like the barrier to entry for modern characters in anything is that they must always be beautiful, thin, and not sick or disabled... Even in stories about being subversive. Even Wednesday Adams had to have a glow up apparently. Dark skinned characters in media also tend to be presented in a "perfect" package and cannot escape this when they are fortunate enough to be depicted. As for P5, I think there is some value in showing how some people with a lot of privilege still resent "the system" (like Sae), but that's not what they actually said they were going for. LGBT characters are also not unheard of in Persona, as there are two of them in P4, not including Chie's relative nonconformity, so I agree it would've made sense to have one in P5 in line with its supposed themes.
Different game, but regarding the beauty thing, I saw someone recently complain about how My Time at Portia has ugly character designs, when they really just look like (cartoon versions of) actual, flawed faces, not unlike designs you'd see in much older American games.
Twitter leaker Midori, who has an so far impeccable track record, recently posted that P6 will keep the high school setting. Sooo I think the calendar system will return for sure.
I don't mind the calendar system being repeated, since it is Persona after all, but another Japanese high school is just played out. For setting, they already did a mid-sized city, the boonies, and Tokyo, all in Japan. With the themes of death, identity, and rebellion, respectively. I suspect that the new game will be less than original, to put it lightly. I think they just need to let this series end if they have any self-respect, especially since there isn't really a centralized lore to expand on that is actually gluing these games together.
Also, it is sounding like P2 is getting the remaster treatment and P4 is getting a remake. This is so lazy. P2 with all else it has to offer will sit unplayable (fuck random encounters) to a modern audience, with slightly better graphics, while the game that already had a definitive, modern version, will get a remake as an easy cash grab. I honestly don't think I'd buy a P4 remake, or P6, unless they find a way to do something particularly incredible with them.
Saw some fan yesterday basically talking about how Jung's work was useless. I think I'm ready to be done with P3R and check out of the Persona fandom after that honestly.
Also, anyone have SMT recommendations they think I may like? I haven't actually ventured into those games because of analysis paralysis.
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