The fantasy-adventure Persona 4 (2011) is based on the fifth installment in the ongoing series of PlayStation 2 games. When his parents go abroad, Yu Narukami moves in with his uncle and niece in the flyspeck town of Inaba. He expects to spend a boring year at Yasogami High, then a mysterious killer starts leaving bodies sprawled on old TV antennas. Yu makes some friends at school--exuberantly klutzy Yosuke, bossy Chie, shy Yukiko, and tough guy Kanji--who tell him about the "midnight channel." On rainy nights, bizarre images appear on television at the stroke of 12. Yu discovers he and his friends can pass through TV screens into an alternate world that seems tied to the midnight channel--and the murders. Each person who enters the weirdly colored realm beyond the screen has to confront the embodiment of his hidden desires. Yukiko must acknowledge her longing for a freedom she also fears; Kanji, who kicked the soba out of the local biker gang, sews cute little animals. When they accept their flaws, the teenagers receive magical cards that enable them to summon their "personas," powerful creatures who battle the resident demons. Teddie, a melodramatic bear who may remind viewers of Kon in Bleach, guides them through the netherworld. Persona 4 is a welcome rarity: a series based on a computer game that can be enjoyed by people who've never played the game. Yu and his friends are an engaging, believable group of teens; the mystery plot has enough unexpected twists to distinguish it from countless other student detective stories, and the designs of the personas display a quirky originality. This highly entertaining set will leave viewers eagerly awaiting the second half of the season. In English only. (Rated TV 14 V: violence, violence against women, risqué humor, grotesque imagery, alcohol use, toilet humor, sexual stereotypes) --Charles Solomon (1. You're Myself, I'm Yourself, 2. The Contractor's Key, 3. We Are Friends, Aren't We? 4. Somewhere Not Here, 5. Would You Love Me? 6. I'll Beat You, and Beat You Good, 7. Suspicious Tropical Paradise, 8. We've Lost Something Important Again, 9. No One Sees the Real Me, 10. Real Me Doesn't Exist, 11. Catch Me If You Can, 12. It's Not Empty At All)
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