In January 2008, a TV series called Persona -trinity soul- aired.
The show portrayed youths who control abnormal creatures called Personas.
The drama between the interesting characters,
along with the significance behind each scene's meaning and character dialog,
provoked many intense fan-discussions.
Here, we will focus on each of the mysteries
scattered throughout the 26 episodes of Persona -trinity soul-.
We will approach these truths with Omatsu Yutaka,
the producer of animation studio A-1 Pictures.
The stage is set in the near future at Ayanagi City, Toyama prefecture.
On one peaceful winter day, Kanzato Shin, the main character...
and his brother Jun return home for the first time in ten years.
The young Chief of Ayanagi Police Station, Kanzato Ryo.
The story starts out with one of the Reverse cases he has been investigating.
"It's an incarnation of your psyche, plus another special ability.'
The story's title, and also its principal axis, Persona.
Originally, personas are "masks" actors used in classical plays.
They're an external machination.
In this story, they appear as another identity deep within all the characters' psyches.
They incarnate as godly visages,
and fight those threatening or belittling them.
In the Persona games, characters use weapons to fight enemies.
Q: What significance do Personas have?
In the anime, characters are normal high school students,
so having them use spears or swords would've been impractical.
So Personas play an important role in place of physical weapons.
That aside, they represent scenes of violence in the story.
They activate when their existence is threatened or if the need to fight something arises.
Ultimately, when a character is provoked to fight, their Persona activates.
"Shadow Extraction"
A series of Reverse cases in Ayanagi City.
Most of the young victims were students at Naginomori Academy.
'Don't! It's probably Shadow Extraction again.'
Meanwhile, the mysterious trend "Shadow Extraction" grew in popularity...
"We're told not to do it. It's dangerous.' Meanwhile, the mysterious trend "Shadow Extraction" grew in popularity...
'Be quiet. Who cares? ' Meanwhile, the mysterious trend "Shadow Extraction" grew in popularity...
'Be quiet. Who cares? '
Among Shin's classmates and the town's youth.
"I'm not gonna help you if anything happens.' Among Shin's classmates and the town's youth.
"I'm not gonna help you if anything happens.'
'You heard about the missing kids, right? His classmate Megumi had a strong negative reaction to this trend.
"Just don't do it! ' His classmate Megumi had a strong negative reaction to this trend.
"Just don't do it! '
"Shadow Extraction? '
Before we worked on this, we talked about working on a novel targeting youths.
Q: What is Shadow Extraction?
Before we worked on this, we talked about working on a novel targeting youths.
The novel was set in a school and dealt with urban legends.
We found the topic quite interesting, and since Persona is set in a school also,
we decided to carry it over.
"Will you... do Shadow Extraction on me?"
"...What? '
"I've been interested since the end of freshman year.'
Because of that, well...
I wanted something unique to young people or school settings...
something only certain people know, or have heard of, but its actual existence isn't definite yet.
That's the kind of atmosphere I wanted to create.
So if we were going with such a theme,
we wanted to also portray the sexuality adolescent boys and girls display.
This way of expression is what we ended up with.
"Marebito"
"I'll be gentle.'
The Reverse cases,
Shadow Extraction,
and the Marebito, who pull the strings behind each incident.
Their mission is to "peel," or take, the Personas of others.
"I told him he would be purged since he lost his Persona.'
And their leader, Kujo Mareya.
'Enough of your jokes, Sotaro.' And their leader, Kujo Mareya.
'Enough of your jokes, Sotaro.'
'Fine.'
The Marebito were once children at an orphanage.
"I'm staying with Kujo-san.'
They were taken in by Kujo...
"I'm staying with Kujo-san.' And raised as "the Marebito" to help him accomplish his goal.
"Shiiba really likes him... ' and raised as "the Marebito" to help him accomplish his goal.
"I wonder if he doesn't like me or Wakasa because we talk crap about Kujo-san? '
Kujo is, basically, a scientist.
Q: What is Kujo's real objective?
Kujo is, basically, a scientist.
A scientist who also dabbles in psychiatric research.
And... he lost sight of his goals and drowned himself in his research,
something stretching beyond human knowledge.
It's vague whether or not he planned all this, or if he was controlled by that unknown power,
but he tried to use that power to create a new world.
As a result, Personas got involved.
He also wanted to revive his daughter.
So, by using something totally unknown, his goal was to create his ideal world.
"What's the matter, Kanzato? '
One day, Kujo decided to pay a sudden visit to Kanzato Ryo.
'Komatsubara... '
"I go by Kujo Mareya now.'
'Komatsubara Keisuke died five years ago.'
'You've become admirable, Kanzato-kun.'
Kujo had already died, physically.
Q: Kujo and Komatsubara
Kujo had already died, physically.
He was killed by Ryo.
At that time, his body was taken over completely by his Persona.
So his real body no longer existed.
What remained were his spirit and the body of his Persona.
The reason why he changed his name was more like a preference.
His body was gone, and since he transformed into something new with a new name...
it's no exaggeration to say he really had become a completely different person.
"Ayane and The Whale"
A girl adorned with feathers who appears everywhere throughout the story: Ayane.
At times, Ayane appears in the story as a child.
And, other times, as a young lady; her appearance changes in different situations.
We wanted to create a sense of incongruity.
Q: Why is her appearance different?
We wanted to create a sense of incongruity.
Ayane is non-existent; she's already dead.
She creates a world of various possibilities.
So if she were alive, of course she would grow older.
Ayane is, in other words, connected with the Whale,
and this connection runs so deep she can show this possible world.
Her wish to grow older could've been a reason.
Just like, well... Like in a surreal world...
Like hoping something else happened, changing the result
may have caused her to appear in such ways.
Jun and Ayane grew attracted to each other immediately after they met.
"Where do you live? '
"Very close to you.'
"Since when? '
"I wanted you to notice me for a long, long time... '
"I think I might have known... '
'Your wish will be... '
It might just be Jun's fetish towards girls with red hair...
Q: Why was Jun so attracted to Ayane?
It might just be Jun's fetish towards girls with red hair...
Jun can read the minds of others.
So he was constantly stressed by that and tended to shut himself out.
But, with Ayane, it was different for him.
He didn't know what she was thinking; her thoughts never invaded his mind.
He accepted her as someone who he could be comfortable around.
Even though she was someone he should've been cautious around,
he prioritized the comfort he felt around her.
That's probably why he was so attracted to her.
One of the most important key words in the story: The Whale.
What exactly is the Whale?
"The Whale is ill.'
"That day... this city and the sea connected with the Whale.'
"...Is my brother with you? '
'He's with the Whale.'
From a production point of view, well...
Q: What is the Whale?
We utilized it to create an appropriate tone for the story. Q: What is the Whale?
We utilized it to create an appropriate tone for the story.
In the setting, the Whale is an assembly of human unconsciousness.
Unconsciousnesses kept piling up,
like filling a glass of water,
and it was about to overflow.
That's what was happening during this time.
The missing persons cases near Toyama Bay symbolized that.
The Whale didn't only collect people's unconsciousness, it took their bodies, too.
That doesn't mean the Whale killed humans.
It simply meant the Whale started to also absorb physical objects.
Even so, the Whale didn't want to do anything in particular.
There was probably something within itself going haywire.
I'm thinking this slip-up by the Whale caused all the incidents.
Then, around episode 19, things slowly return to the world, but in a different form.
'Your dad? '
"Takuro... '
"Is that you, Takuro? '
"It's me, Takuro! '
'Y-you're? '
'Your dad.'
"She might actually be Takuro-kun's father.'
"The missing people are returning... but their body and psyche aren't matching up.'
The Whale itself probably didn't even know what it wanted to do.
The Whale couldn't regain control of itself, and things kept getting distorted.
So it started attempting to grasp things, release them, and repeat.
I can't really explain it logically,
but we basically wanted to portray the existence of a significant power beyond imagination
by making people disappear and reappear in the story.
And that's what the Whale is.
The mysterious Whale,
and the white feathers that appear everywhere.
What is the meaning behind those white feathers?
Why did we choose feathers?
Q: The Whale and the Feathers
You see, the words "whale" and "feather" are never really paired together. Q: The Whale and the Feathers
You see, the words "whale" and "feather" are never really paired together.
When we wanted to represent the Whale, we thought using two things...
that are quite opposites would be interesting.
I'm pretty sure that's how we came up with the idea.
So when the Whale was around,
it didn't actually appear, but showed feathers instead to represent the connection.
That was the concept we had while filming this.
I just remembered that now.
"Kanzato Three Brothers"
Another important aspect in this story: The three brothers.
Each of their hopes and relationships were described in detail throughout the story.
"What were you doing at the scene!? ' Each of their hopes and relationships were described in detail throughout the story.
"I've already told everything to the detective... ' Each of their hopes and relationships were described in detail throughout the story.
"I've already told everything to the detective... '
How were the three's fluctuating emotions expressed in the story as it progressed?
'Come! ' How were the three's fluctuating emotions expressed in the story as it progressed?
'Ryo-niichan... ' How were the three's fluctuating emotions expressed in the story as it progressed?
I always thought brothers portrayed in animation were unfaithful to reality.
Q: How were the three brother's mentality portrayed?
The director, the producer, me... We all have siblings. Brothers.
We all started talking about how brothers generally don't get along with each other.
Not only that, some brothers even despise one another, we thought.
We wanted to express a realistic brother relationship through this anime.
You can see it happen first during the introduction.
It wasn't just about them hating each other.
Of course, the special bond between brothers,
but the distance between them, were things we wanted to show.
'Dinner? '
"We already ate.'
'You know how to use the bath, right? '
"If it's the same as it used to be.'
"I didn't put a lock on it or anything.'
Of course, things happen the more they spend time together.
We wanted to portray the distant aspect you observe with real brothers.
That's why that kind of relationship was established among the three.
"I was a doll loved wrong.'
"So I sank.'
'Higher and higher... '
"I became a part of something that lay quietly, and then I became the whole.'
Jun, while on his date with Ayane, lets his suppressed feelings slip out.
"I always felt like people expected me to act a certain way.'
"I love my brother and Yuki, but I... '
"I've always wanted to be alone.'
He always wanted to be alone.
What did that signify?
"With you, I won't be alone.'
"With you, I can be alone.'
Q: What was the meaning behind his desire to become alone?
Personally, I took it as his childhood reaching its end. Q: What was the meaning behind his desire to become alone?
It was his desire to be independent. Q: What was the meaning behind his desire to become alone?
It was his desire to be independent.
Humans go through standard phases from infancy to childhood and then on to adolescence.
It probably just meant one of the phases in his life was coming to an end.
I'm sure he wanted to start challenging things on his own.
And make decisions for himself, by himself.
Unfortunately, he was starting to feel discomfort being with Yuki as he grew.
As a result, such feelings were expressed in those words.
"Directions"
Reflection effects were used during the direction of this title.
What were they trying to convey by using this effect?
Well, the Reflection technique existed long ago,
Q: The Use of the "Reflection"
Well, the Reflection technique existed long ago,
and it had become much easier to use since the digitalization of media.
With it, more information can be packed on-screen to tighten up the entire scene.
Plus, before anything else, this technique was among the director's favorites.
In the story, the Reflection was often used with Jun.
It represented Jun's split personality.
It was applied from the first episode to the very last.
We tried to show there was another existence within Jun...
through glasses, mirrors, or water surfaces.
In the last episode, using the same technique, we showed the other existence disappeared.
In order to express Jun's unique split personality,
we used the Reflection more on Jun compared to others.
The Kanzato brothers' home: Ayanagi City.
It's a fictitious city facing the Sea of Japan with a beautiful snowscape in the Toyama prefecture.
Why did they choose the Toyama prefecture as the story's stage?
Toyama prefecture... rather, Toyama Bay, right?
Q: Why was Toyama Chosen as the Stage?
Toyama prefecture... rather, Toyama Bay, right?
At Toyama Bay, you can reach the deep end of the water from the shore fairly quick.
Because of that, there are various legends and myths passed on in the area.
That was something we couldn't convey enough through the story.
But we thought such a unique stage was very appropriate for this type of story.
As one of the themes of this piece, we wanted to portray the multi-layered world.
To do that, we decided to use somewhere Japanese citizens are familiar with, yet remains mystical.
That's how we ended up with Toyama.
Most importantly, we wanted to keep things real.
Ultimately, animation is fiction, so unless we incorporate some reality, it's hard to create drama.
As a start, we wanted to create a stage we could relate to and felt familiar with,
and that's why we chose a place that actually exists.
Message to the Viewers
Here's something really important...
The Persona -trinity soul- you watch in the DVDs is the real, complete version.
The story is still the same, and there are no new scenes, but...
the complete version is only on DVD.
As we speak, the directors are working very hard editing it.
What you saw during the TV broadcast was real, too.
It was still the real version of Persona -trinity soul-,
but the only way to experience the real, complete version is to watch the DVDs.
It doesn't matter how, but if you can watch the DVDs,
I think you will be able to enjoy this piece in the most genuine way.
When the brothers reunite, the wheel of destiny will begin to turn.
"Shin-oniichan... '
"We will ignite the explosive once it's by the shoreline.'
The hearts desiring truth.
Various wishes and hopes intersect.
"I don't want any Personas.' Various wishes and hopes intersect.
"I don't want any Personas.'
"That's why I separated those two... '
'Personas represent our desires, after all.'
'You're not one to misunderstand that.'
At the end of the battle...
What will remain?
The bond between the three brothers.
Persona -trinity soul-
The story is not over yet.
This world is made up of multiple layers.
Like a cylinder, it'll appear circular or rectangular, depending on how you look at it.
It means there is always more than one way to interpret things.
That is one of the themes I kept in mind all along.
Another thing is...
Even if they don't say it directly,
someone else could care for me and I may not realize it at first.
If I expand my thoughts and approach their actions more creatively, I would see it.
That's something I realized during production and I've kept in mind.
Like the three brothers...
It's not clearly stated, but Ryo will always care for Shin and Jun, and that's the exact theme of his life.
Of course, that wasn't stated until the very end.
Shin and Jun finally realized it at the very end because they started to think creatively.
I think this story is filled with feelings like that.
Humans aren't thinking negatively all the time.
I'm hoping people are able to feel and grasp that concept by watching this.