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ペルソナ5 [Persona 5] #4
Persona 5, Vol. 4
After being arrested and having to transfer to a new high school in Tokyo, Akira Kurusu is given the goal of rehabilitation and awakened to a new power—the power of one’s true self, a Persona. Using his Persona and the mysterious navigation app Mementos, Akira and his friends take on the role of Phantom Thieves, saving people from the twisted desires of those around them.
Akira and the gang think they’ve stolen Madarame’s treasure, but before they can escape the palace, its master—Shadow Madarame himself— catches up to them and reveals the true story behind Yusuke’s mother’s death! Back in the real world, sinister agents have begun to investigate the strange events surrounding the Phantom Thieves. Will Akira and the gang be able to stay one step ahead of them?!
Akira and the gang think they’ve stolen Madarame’s treasure, but before they can escape the palace, its master—Shadow Madarame himself— catches up to them and reveals the true story behind Yusuke’s mother’s death! Back in the real world, sinister agents have begun to investigate the strange events surrounding the Phantom Thieves. Will Akira and the gang be able to stay one step ahead of them?!
192 pages, Paperback
First published September 19, 2018
18 people are currently reading
282 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
February 2, 2021
It's DELICIOUS, not just yummy pancakes bro 🥺
September 25, 2024
Kinda forgot Makoto is a bit annoying at first, but at least she looks really pretty in the manga tho as a fan of the games I will say the manga does a great job of keeping as much as possible of the original story without making it overwhelming. Obviously stuff like confidants and side activities you do in the game would be a bit hard to tackle, but still the little hints are fun to see. Reading the manga while knowing everything that happens in the game is such a great experience cause picking up on the foreshadowing makes you realize it was right there all along.
October 1, 2020
A wonderful adaptation of the video game with beautiful artwork that stays pretty true to the game. They’ve mainly focused on the main storyline rather than the side characters and quests for the most part so far, but they have some fun little extra short stories about the confidants at the end. Sakura-San and your teacher in this one. I kind of hate the teacher storyline in the game so it’s nice to see it presented differently.
They did change little story points - like they were vague about what caused Yusuke’s mum’s death. In the game is an epileptic fit and in the manga they made it that she had a long term illness.
Otherwise the art is lovely and it’s a nice way to catch up on the game if you didn’t play it or forgot what happened haha. It’s also nice to see the MC talk although not often haha.
I can’t wait for the next manga!
They did change little story points - like they were vague about what caused Yusuke’s mum’s death. In the game is an epileptic fit and in the manga they made it that she had a long term illness.
Otherwise the art is lovely and it’s a nice way to catch up on the game if you didn’t play it or forgot what happened haha. It’s also nice to see the MC talk although not often haha.
I can’t wait for the next manga!
May 27, 2025
I am taking a star away because Makoto Niijima looked like a older person not a student and it was hard reading it and thinking she was a highschool student. I know it might be me and I maybe picky about the drawing but still, it was hard to believe she was a high schooler.
June 29, 2023
why is makoto so fucking annoying here wtf, anyway i love my silly goofy babies
September 23, 2020
I've never played the Persona video games but they are wildly popular so I decided to give the manga a shot and WOW I can see why it's popular. The story was compelling, but the graphics really drew me in. This is a very well drawn manga because it doesn't focus on patterns or overlays, it's stark contrast in the art and they do a lot of facial close ups so you really feel like you can see the emotions of the characters. I also appreciated that each character is completely different in personality but also looks. I am eager to read the rest but I'll start on this volume's review story-wise. It starts with some action, right off the bat. You see this man who has stolen and changed the last work of an ill artist. Her son is facing him with the Phantoms helping and they eventually defeat him and he repents. This seems to be a pattern where people are overcome with corruption or evil and then the Phantoms are tasked with defeating them in this alternate reality type space (from what I can tell) and then when they defeat the enemy, that person has a change of heart back to their normal selves. The rest of the volume we meet another character the Student Council President who is tasked with investigating this exact scenario happening in her school, the same school our main characters attend. She's definitely on to them but I'm curious what she will do-- will she protect them or turn them in as suspects?
September 11, 2020
Thanks to Netgalley for providing a free ARC. I've been wanting to check out how this worked as a manga.
I started playing Persona 5 earlier this year, beat it, and tore through Royal when that came out as well. Loved the game. So the story is still pretty fresh in my mind and I think this volume did a nice job of faithfully adapting the game. It starts with boss battle, then covers the aftermath,
The boss battle was interesting, because that part is the most reliant on the player, but I think the manga did a good job. I'm curious how future volumes will handle the larger party.
The rest of the volume basically followed the game's script, with a brief mention of off-screen Mementos time. It did a nice job of portraying the pressure Makoto is feeling. Character design is good, though I wish Sae's hair was dark like Makoto's. There's so much screen-tone going on all over that I get why they'd want some characters with empty coloring, but still.
All in all, if you're curious about the Persona 5 story but don't want to play the game, it's looking like the manga is a good substitute so far. I might have to go pick up the earlier volumes now.
I started playing Persona 5 earlier this year, beat it, and tore through Royal when that came out as well. Loved the game. So the story is still pretty fresh in my mind and I think this volume did a nice job of faithfully adapting the game. It starts with boss battle, then covers the aftermath,
The boss battle was interesting, because that part is the most reliant on the player, but I think the manga did a good job. I'm curious how future volumes will handle the larger party.
The rest of the volume basically followed the game's script, with a brief mention of off-screen Mementos time. It did a nice job of portraying the pressure Makoto is feeling. Character design is good, though I wish Sae's hair was dark like Makoto's. There's so much screen-tone going on all over that I get why they'd want some characters with empty coloring, but still.
All in all, if you're curious about the Persona 5 story but don't want to play the game, it's looking like the manga is a good substitute so far. I might have to go pick up the earlier volumes now.
September 16, 2020
Persona 5, Vol. 4 is a quick, great read for fans of the Persona 5 game. It stayed loyal to the story-line, artwork, and conversation style of the game, which is a huge plus for me. I also personally loved getting to see Carmen in this illustrated version, since she is my favorite Persona/character in the series (though, selfishly, I wish we could have had just a little more of her).
Cons: I believe the message explaining that it "reads from right to left, starting in the upper right corner. Japanese is read from right to left meaning that action, sound effects, and word-balloon order are completely reversed from English order" should be at the beginning - not the very end. While I caught on to the format pretty quickly, it is jarring when you first begin reading if you're used to English comic books/graphic novels. I also believe that compared to the action scenes in the game, the illustrated version's action scenes are a little bit harder to follow, but I think that should be expected to an extent since it is a different medium.
Overall, this was a very good illustrated adaption of the game. I would absolutely suggest this to fans of the series.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. I am voluntarily providing an honest review.
Cons: I believe the message explaining that it "reads from right to left, starting in the upper right corner. Japanese is read from right to left meaning that action, sound effects, and word-balloon order are completely reversed from English order" should be at the beginning - not the very end. While I caught on to the format pretty quickly, it is jarring when you first begin reading if you're used to English comic books/graphic novels. I also believe that compared to the action scenes in the game, the illustrated version's action scenes are a little bit harder to follow, but I think that should be expected to an extent since it is a different medium.
Overall, this was a very good illustrated adaption of the game. I would absolutely suggest this to fans of the series.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. I am voluntarily providing an honest review.
September 30, 2020
I would like to preface this review that I am a very big fan of the Persona video game series. The 5th installment was nothing short of breath-taking for its originality, breadth of content, and gameplay. This manga rendition of the game is an amazing way to engage video-game fans, anime fans, and manga fans alike. It has something for everyone, whether they are new to the story or returning after a game hangover from clocking 120+ hours in the Persona 5 Metaverse.
Art: 5/5
Story adaptation: 5/5
In this volume, we meet Makoto Nijima, my favourite character. She is a fun contrast to the characters we have met before, as she is the class president and a model student. Why would she associate with the rebels from her school? What brings them together and builds a lasting bond? The Phantom Thieves are growing, but so is the evil they seek to expose. We are now about half way through the storyline and it is worth sticking around for the ride!
Art: 5/5
Story adaptation: 5/5
In this volume, we meet Makoto Nijima, my favourite character. She is a fun contrast to the characters we have met before, as she is the class president and a model student. Why would she associate with the rebels from her school? What brings them together and builds a lasting bond? The Phantom Thieves are growing, but so is the evil they seek to expose. We are now about half way through the storyline and it is worth sticking around for the ride!
March 22, 2021
Read more graphic novel reviews at The Graphic Library.
After finding out the truth about the famous painting Sayuri, the Phantom Thieves take on the artist Madarame for all the evil he’s done to his students and victims, especially how much art he has passed off as his own when it was really the hard work of others all along. This high profile change of heart brings more notoriety to the Phantoms, but it’s not all good. Special investigators, the police, the school president, even a mysterious high school student detective have all started to investigate the Thieves. Some believe their intentions to be good, but others wonder what laws they're breaking, and what sort of power they have over their targets to instigate this change of heart in the first place. So far, none suspect there is really another "world" the Phantoms step into to change their targets' hearts.
There are several narrative jumps in this storyline that are usually signaled by a blank white panel with one bubble of dialogue. Even knowing what they look like, the jumps are still confusing at times. There are a couple of characters that may have been flashed to within other volumes that the audience is supposed to remember from one volume to the next, but I am not grasping who they are. I am really glad that there is this other storyline of the investigations going on because I was not seeing the longevity of a storyline hopping from one corrupt adult to another with little storyline happening in the real world. We also get some really good insights in this novel as to Akira's past, so I imagine that will play into things in the future as well.
Sara's Rating; 7/10
Suitability Level: Grades 10-12
After finding out the truth about the famous painting Sayuri, the Phantom Thieves take on the artist Madarame for all the evil he’s done to his students and victims, especially how much art he has passed off as his own when it was really the hard work of others all along. This high profile change of heart brings more notoriety to the Phantoms, but it’s not all good. Special investigators, the police, the school president, even a mysterious high school student detective have all started to investigate the Thieves. Some believe their intentions to be good, but others wonder what laws they're breaking, and what sort of power they have over their targets to instigate this change of heart in the first place. So far, none suspect there is really another "world" the Phantoms step into to change their targets' hearts.
There are several narrative jumps in this storyline that are usually signaled by a blank white panel with one bubble of dialogue. Even knowing what they look like, the jumps are still confusing at times. There are a couple of characters that may have been flashed to within other volumes that the audience is supposed to remember from one volume to the next, but I am not grasping who they are. I am really glad that there is this other storyline of the investigations going on because I was not seeing the longevity of a storyline hopping from one corrupt adult to another with little storyline happening in the real world. We also get some really good insights in this novel as to Akira's past, so I imagine that will play into things in the future as well.
Sara's Rating; 7/10
Suitability Level: Grades 10-12
October 1, 2020
Thank you netgalley for providing me an arc of this book.
Persona is a game series that quite famous right now. I've only played Persona 4 and like it greatly. I haven't played Persona 5 but oftenly saw people talk about it on social media. I've been wondering why a lot of people like it and what is this 'pantom thief' about.
This manga summarized the game's plot and I heard it's faithful in following the game's storyline. It is a good starting point to get a glimpse of the story or the atmosphere of the game. It makes me curious about the game and want to try it. I feel that some scenes are rushed, but that's to be expected in adapting 100 hours game into shorter media. Despite that, the artstyle also looking good. I am pretty sure this manga will also be enjoyed as complementary materials by those who had played game.
Persona is a game series that quite famous right now. I've only played Persona 4 and like it greatly. I haven't played Persona 5 but oftenly saw people talk about it on social media. I've been wondering why a lot of people like it and what is this 'pantom thief' about.
This manga summarized the game's plot and I heard it's faithful in following the game's storyline. It is a good starting point to get a glimpse of the story or the atmosphere of the game. It makes me curious about the game and want to try it. I feel that some scenes are rushed, but that's to be expected in adapting 100 hours game into shorter media. Despite that, the artstyle also looking good. I am pretty sure this manga will also be enjoyed as complementary materials by those who had played game.
August 12, 2020
It was great! As it is a visual novel, it was quick & easy to read. Most things from this manga stayed in line with the official game, which is nice, and some little moments left me pleasantly surprised with the way Murasaki chose to depict them (combat scenes especially). You can't go wrong with P5.
September 3, 2020
Thanks NetGalley for the Arc!
Another good continuation to this series. I especially like the chapter from Makoto's perspective. The big drawback is that the art seems to have taken a step back in this issue. It's not bad, but linework seems to be unfinished or faint, which wasn't an issue I noticed with previous volumes.
Another good continuation to this series. I especially like the chapter from Makoto's perspective. The big drawback is that the art seems to have taken a step back in this issue. It's not bad, but linework seems to be unfinished or faint, which wasn't an issue I noticed with previous volumes.
November 6, 2021
I'm so happy to have this reviewed. I have not read the first 3 volumes of this so this will come from a perspective of someone who finished the game. I like how this was so enjoyable like the game. You can totally see the characters' attitudes here and I was not disappointed. The story can improve a little I still love this. Kudos to the mangaka who drew this also.
March 6, 2024
I'm surprised that they're bringing more and more characters into the spotlight. I've never played the games but this definitely makes me more interested in them, and even if the game style is not my type (which happens sometimes) I can still understand why others would love it.
October 28, 2020
Another fantastic entry in the series. I really am loving it!
April 16, 2021
So Makoto is annoying in the manga too huh?
June 12, 2021
yes the queen has arrived!
March 20, 2024
and thus, Akechi’s pancake trauma begins
Read
March 25, 2024typos had them continuously calling yusuke "kitamura" instead of "kitagawa" :')
September 2, 2024
This manga wants me to know all the lore behind persona. How was I supposed to know this before starting it as my P book??
December 22, 2024
makoto niijima save me,,, save me makoto niijima
February 11, 2024
no thoughts head empty. all there is in my brain is just a single goro akechi who loves to be a pretentious asshole for the sake of being a pretentious asshole (and i love him for it). anyway i love them all actually
November 6, 2020
This Is The Fourth Time I've Experienced This Part Of The Story, The First & Second Time Is The Game (I Am Currently On My Second Playthrough) & The Third Is The Anime, & No I Enjoyed This Time As Much As The Others!
The Story Flows Really Nicely In A Manga Format, Better Than The Anime In My Opinion
Its Hard To Tottally Review This Volume On Its Own As Its Not My First Time With This Story But I Will Say That It Builds Upon Points Brought Up Earlier
If You Don't Know The Series From Any Of The Formats Yet There Are Revelations About The MCs Background & Why He Ends Up Where He Has, Along With The Little Side Mission That Happen On The Game (Which Was Really Cool To Read!)
The Story Flows Really Nicely In A Manga Format, Better Than The Anime In My Opinion
Its Hard To Tottally Review This Volume On Its Own As Its Not My First Time With This Story But I Will Say That It Builds Upon Points Brought Up Earlier
If You Don't Know The Series From Any Of The Formats Yet There Are Revelations About The MCs Background & Why He Ends Up Where He Has, Along With The Little Side Mission That Happen On The Game (Which Was Really Cool To Read!)
May 15, 2021
(8/14/2020) 4 stars
I am an avid fan of Persona 5 and this manga was very faithful to the game! My only complaint is that the action is very difficult to translate into a manga so it was hard to follow. Also when the characters would say oh my "gawd" (I get why but it's still odd to see how often it came up). I love the art style though and I love that Akira actually has dialogue. I really like how certain characters look (Goro and Morgana to name a few). A very faithful manga adaptation of a fantastic game. :)
I am an avid fan of Persona 5 and this manga was very faithful to the game! My only complaint is that the action is very difficult to translate into a manga so it was hard to follow. Also when the characters would say oh my "gawd" (I get why but it's still odd to see how often it came up). I love the art style though and I love that Akira actually has dialogue. I really like how certain characters look (Goro and Morgana to name a few). A very faithful manga adaptation of a fantastic game. :)
October 12, 2022
I think this is the best one so far. The mystery really draws you in and i love the new characters too.
September 3, 2024
Collects chapters 17-22, plus extras
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews