Persona 3 The Movie: #2 Midsummer Knight's Dream (劇場版「ペルソナ3」第2章, Gekijōban Perusona 3 Dai Ni Shō) is a 2014 Japanese animated film and the second installment in a film series based on the Persona 3 video game by Atlus. The film is directed by Tomohisa Taguchi and written by Jun Kumagai. It is based on the original story by Atlus and distributed by Aniplex. The plot follows Makoto Yuki (played by Akira Ishida) as he arrives in Iwatodai City, where he finds himself using a mysterious power called Persona to lead the SEES group into battles against entities known as Shadows. As they begin to unravel the mysteries of what's known as the Dark Hour, Makoto and his new friends face many foes and challenges while the pieces of a much greater threat start falling into place. A sequel, titled Persona 3 The Movie: #3 Falling Down, was released on April 4, 2015.
Contents
Plot
The movie starts with SEES' battle in a full moon phase on July. Junpei Iori, Akihiko Sanada, and Mitsuru Kirijo are fighting the Shadow Arcana Hierophant with Fuuka Yamagishi providing tactical support for them. Meanwhile Makoto Yuki and Yukari Takeba are captured by the Shadow Arcana Lovers and under its spell but eventually free themselves from it. Defeating the Hierophant, Junpei, Akihiko, and Mitsuru regroup with Makoto and Yukari, and they defeat the Arcana Lovers. Unbeknownst to them, they are observed by three mysterious people. Makoto and the others goes to Yakushima for a break and they spend most of the day playing at the beach. While trying to flirt with women under Junpei's insistence, Makoto encounters a mysterious blonde haired girl. At night, Mitsuru's father, Takeharu Kirijo, gathers everyone and reveals that the Dark Hour and the Shadows were created by an accident caused by Mitsuru's grandfather Kouetsu Kirijo and Yukari's father Eiichiro Takeba in an attempt to create a device that could manipulate time. He shows a video left by Yukari's father, who reveals that SEES can end the Dark Hour by destroying the twelve Arcana Shadows. This revelation shocks Yukari, who feels responsible for her father's sin, but Makoto comforts her. Entering the Dark Hour, Makoto and Yukari are attacked by Shadows and are almost killed until the blonde haired girl from earlier, revealed to be a Persona user, saves them. Shuji Ikutsuki introduces the girl as Aigis, a 7th Generation Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon developed by the Kirijo Group, and she joins SEES.
Back at the dorm, Mitsuru orders Makoto to pick up Ken Amada, an elementary school student who has the potential to become a Persona user. Moving to the dorm, Ken decides to take a walk, unaware that the Dark Hour has begun. At a nearby shrine, Koromaru, the dog of the deceased shrine owner, is attacked by a Shadow. Makoto arrives and saves Ken before he is devoured by the Shadows. Another Shadow appears, that Ken notices bears resemblance with the one that killed his mother, and he concludes that the Shadows are the ones responsible for his mother's death. Ken swears to annihilate all Shadows and awakens his Persona ability. He and Koromaru, who also has the potential to become a Persona user, join SEES. Entering the full moon phase, SEES prepares to fight another Shadow Arcana. They are approached by Takaya Sakaki and Jin Shirato, who introduce themselves as Strega and reveal that they have come to stop them from eliminating the Dark Hour. They trap them and ask if they truly want the Dark Hour to end. The combined Arcana Chariot and Justice appear and attack. Aigis momentarily gains the advantage by using her Orgia Mode, but quickly overheats, and the rest of the group is weakened by poison gas left by Takaya. Shinjiro Aragaki rescues them by destroying the gate to the area, allowing the poison to disperse, and Makoto destroys the two Shadow Arcanas.
Cast
Main
Akira Ishida as:
Makoto Yuki:
An orphaned teenager who moves to Iwatodai City and finds himself suddenly thrown into a war against supernatural monsters called Shadows. He is made the de facto leader of the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad (SEES) and uses his unique ability of summoning multiple Personas to help his newly acquired friends explore a mysterious tower full of Shadows called Tartarus as well as defeat the powerful Shadows who began appearing on the nights of a full moon. His main Persona is Orpheus.
Pharos:
A mysterious boy who occasionally appears to Makoto and warns him of impending trials and dangers.
Megumi Toyoguchi as Yukari Takeba:
A Gekkoukan High School sophomore and member of the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad. Yukari faces her own personal struggles despite putting on a brave face in front of her peers. She suspects that Mitsuru and the Kirijo Group are somehow linked to her father's death. Her Persona is Io.
Kōsuke Toriumi as Junpei Iori:
Junpei is the most relaxed member of the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad and often prioritizes how he spends his free time ahead of his academics. He finds a curious acquaintance in a strange girl named Chidori after finding himself envious of Makoto's achievements. His Persona is Hermes.
Rie Tanaka as Mitsuru Kirijo:
The founder of the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad and student council president at Gekkoukan High School. She is also the daughter of the head of the Kirijo Group multinational corporation which sponsors Gekkoukan High School. Her Persona is Penthesilea.
Hikaru Midorikawa as Akihiko Sanada:
Supporting
Hideyuki Hori as Shuji Ikutsuki
Chairman of the board committee at Gekkoukan High School and continuing club adviser to the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad. He can experience the Dark Hour despite not being able to summon a Persona and coordinates the movements of the club from a computer in the Iwatodai Dormitory.
Nobutoshi Canna as Takaya Sakaki:
The de facto leader of a mysterious group of Persona users called Strega who had been covertly observing the activities of the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad. Takaya has an uncannily charismatic personality which he uses as a front for more malicious schemes. He can summon a Persona without the use of an Evoker albeit at great physical pain. His Persona is Hypnos.
Masaya Onosaka as Jin Shirato:
Jin is the brains of Strega and acts as Takaya's second-in-command. He has a long history with Takaya and knows him quite well. Jin can also summon a Persona without an Evoker at the cost of physical pain. His Persona is Moros.
Yasunori Masutani as Takeharu Kirijo:
Current head of the Kirijo Group, Mitsuru's father and son of Koetsu Kirijo.
Yuka Komatsu as Isako Toriumi:
The homeroom teacher of class 2F at Gekkoukan High School.
Fumiko Orikasa as Maiko Oohashi:
A little girl who often visits Koromaru's shrine. Orisaka reprised her role in the film from the Persona 3 Drama CDs.
Production
Persona 3 The Movie: #2 Midsummer Knight's Dream was animated by A-1 Pictures. The main staff consisted of the same people behind No. 1, Spring of Birth along with a few modifications.
Development
The staff list is as follows.
Script - Jun Kumagai
Supervisor - Seiji Kishi
Character Design - Keisuke Watabe
Animation Direction - Keisuke Watabe
Executive Animation Director - Tomomi Ishikawa and Yae Ootsuka
Action Director - Ryo Tanaka
Creature Design - Kyouma Aki
Prop Design - Shinobu Tsuneki
Color Coordinator - Saori Goda
Art Designer - Kaoru Aoki
Art Director - Toshihiro Kohama
Composite Director - Hideki Imaizumi
Visual Designer - Junpei Takatsu
Editor - Takashi Sakurai
Chapter 2 Director - Tomohisa Taguchi
Music
The background music for the film was composed by Tetsuya Kobayashi.
The film's main theme song is "Fate is In Our Hands", composed and arranged by Shoji Meguro and performed by Lotus Juice.
Marketing
Previews
#2 Midsummer Knight's Dream was first teased in a post-credits sequence at the end of the Persona 3 The Movie: No. 1, Spring of Birth feature film which began screening in Japan from November 23, 2013.
The first official trailer saw its release on February 15, 2014 and showcased a brief recap of the events of Chapter 1, along with footage of a host of new characters including Aegis, Ken Amada, Koromaru and his Persona, Cerberus and the malefic group known as Strega. The trailer also featured dialogue by Maaya Sakamoto as the voice of Aegis as well as the main theme song for the film, titled "Fate is In Our Hands" by Lotus Juice".
Promotion
The film was first unveiled in an announcement at the end of No. 1, Spring of Birth which stated that the film would be "comming [sic] early summer 2014". The official website was later updated with the first teaser image for the film which showcased Aegis in the same scene.
Reception
Richard Eisenbeis of Kotaku gives the movie more positive review than the first film, commenting "while the first movie suffered somewhat from its limited scope as the story's beginning, Midsummer Knight's Dream is where the tale really hits its stride". He praised the movie impressively takes a fourth of the overall story and makes it largely standalone by focusing on a thematic arc and character development. Adding that a fan of the game or just someone continuing on from the last film will no doubt enjoy the sequel. Most of the praised goes to the vast development of Makoto and the new characters introduced; Koromaru, Ken, and Aigis. He remarked that "Makoto's personal struggle with his insecurities is the movie’s central theme and the consequences of how his doubts affect his performance have lasting consequences for him beyond this single film". He also enjoyed Makoto's relationship with Aigis, making it easier to relate to the epilogue, The Answer from Persona 3 FES, where it is Aigis, not Makoto who is the main player character. And while he thinks that the fan service was a bit too much, "the fanservice is also the basis for some genuinely funny comedy—especially as the male trio of characters go around the beach hitting on every girl they come across." However, Eisenbeis expressed his disappointment of the way of the mysteries from the first movie "are explained through long conversations of direct exposition." And while no doubt the movie makes for a good introduction to the new characters, it also made some of the main cast members that debuted in the first film, particularly Junpei, Mitsuru, and Fuka, reduced to supporting roles without any further character development, comparing them to "might as well be lampposts for all they add to the plot".
Sequel
A sequel, titled Persona 3 The Movie: #3 Falling Down, was released April 4, 2015.