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ペルソナ5 [Persona 5] #1
Persona 5 01
Based on the popular video game, this manga’s phantom thieves will steal your heart!
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 Kurusu thought he was doing the right thing when he rescued a woman who was being attacked. Expelled from his school and sent away from home, he is reenrolled in Shujin Academy on probation. Trouble finds him again on his first day when he comes across delinquent Ryuji Sakamoto and the two somehow stumble into a castle in an alternate reality. Caught by the castle’s king, the schoolteacher Kamoshida, Akira discovers his will to rebel and awakens the power of his Persona!
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 Kurusu thought he was doing the right thing when he rescued a woman who was being attacked. Expelled from his school and sent away from home, he is reenrolled in Shujin Academy on probation. Trouble finds him again on his first day when he comes across delinquent Ryuji Sakamoto and the two somehow stumble into a castle in an alternate reality. Caught by the castle’s king, the schoolteacher Kamoshida, Akira discovers his will to rebel and awakens the power of his Persona!
208 pages, Paperback
First published August 10, 2017
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906 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 168 reviews
December 3, 2020
It's Persona 5. Enough Said 🙌🏻
read-manga-manhwa
June 12, 2018Completed Series Rating
⭐️? stars⭐️
⭐️? stars⭐️
May 20, 2022
I don't know the game but the story seemed clear enough.
We have a conflict between some misunderstood teens who care about helping the weak more than they care about fitting in and maintaining social harmony VS adults who harm others but are respected in public. This conflict plays out in "palaces," an altered dimension where secret desires manifest physically, eg the bullying teacher imagining the school as the castle of which he is king. With enough will power, players can manifest a persona that allows them to fight back.
It grew on me and I'll get at least one more volume.
We have a conflict between some misunderstood teens who care about helping the weak more than they care about fitting in and maintaining social harmony VS adults who harm others but are respected in public. This conflict plays out in "palaces," an altered dimension where secret desires manifest physically, eg the bullying teacher imagining the school as the castle of which he is king. With enough will power, players can manifest a persona that allows them to fight back.
It grew on me and I'll get at least one more volume.
March 22, 2020
You guys have no idea how much it pains me to give this thing 3 stars.
The Persona series is, bar none, my favorite video game franchise. I love the intersection of the surreal and the everyday. I love the characters. I love the battle system even. Persona 5 isn't my favorite in the series, but it's an incredible game, and was one of the best in 2017, a year crowded with excellent video games.
Now, there's always a bit of a disadvantage that comes from trying to be an alternate medium retelling of something that's really good in its original form. You have a lot to live up to. You really need to bring your A game. And for me, this manga simply didn't.
Sure, it hits all the major beats of the game. The characters are all there. They sound like themselves. But I had so much difficulty getting immersed in this. the panels are overcrowded and dense, and we spend a lot of time just right up in people's faces and eyeballs, to a point it became actually distracting to me. And worse, there's no sense of motion in the manga a lot of the time. Like, there's a moment when a character gets punched in the face. It doesn't feel like a punch. There's no weight or energy to it. This leaves most of the action feeling stilted and messy.
Now, there were some exceptions. In a scene where our hero and his buddy are interrogating someone about how the bad guy is acting, I think the manga actually did a better job than the game in capturing the abject terror this character had of crossing the baddie. But moments like that just didn't come often enough.
Now, if you don't have the time to sink into a long game (we're talking like 80-100 hours) to get the story, this looks like it's going to be a lower-tier but mostly faithful adaptation. But for me, it unfortunately failed to live up to the source material.
The Persona series is, bar none, my favorite video game franchise. I love the intersection of the surreal and the everyday. I love the characters. I love the battle system even. Persona 5 isn't my favorite in the series, but it's an incredible game, and was one of the best in 2017, a year crowded with excellent video games.
Now, there's always a bit of a disadvantage that comes from trying to be an alternate medium retelling of something that's really good in its original form. You have a lot to live up to. You really need to bring your A game. And for me, this manga simply didn't.
Sure, it hits all the major beats of the game. The characters are all there. They sound like themselves. But I had so much difficulty getting immersed in this. the panels are overcrowded and dense, and we spend a lot of time just right up in people's faces and eyeballs, to a point it became actually distracting to me. And worse, there's no sense of motion in the manga a lot of the time. Like, there's a moment when a character gets punched in the face. It doesn't feel like a punch. There's no weight or energy to it. This leaves most of the action feeling stilted and messy.
Now, there were some exceptions. In a scene where our hero and his buddy are interrogating someone about how the bad guy is acting, I think the manga actually did a better job than the game in capturing the abject terror this character had of crossing the baddie. But moments like that just didn't come often enough.
Now, if you don't have the time to sink into a long game (we're talking like 80-100 hours) to get the story, this looks like it's going to be a lower-tier but mostly faithful adaptation. But for me, it unfortunately failed to live up to the source material.
March 26, 2020
I've played the game(not beaten it) and loved it. So reading this, it was nice going over the story again, but with the main character getting much more lines. He felt more alive in the version somehow. And this obviously got me ready for P5R.
December 25, 2021
I love the cover manga though, picture of akira's face n his persona arsene. The male lead name Akira kurusu who used to get arrested & having to transfer to a new high school n he's been awaken his persona - the power of one's true self. My fav character so far - Akira, Morgana & ryuji - they're fighting against the pervert narcissist teacher in alternate world where evil teacher little desire think of the school as a castle n students as his slave so in reality he's taking advantage on students who joined in volleyball team n abused them. The other teachers, principal even students parents either they're know the truth or they're trust on Mr kamoshida ( evil teacher). Akira, Morgana & ryuji got persona power - like their art style.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 21, 2025
Zakup skłonił mnie do zagrania w konsolową Personę 5, i w sumie pierwszy raz czytam i gram jednocześnie śledząc wydarzenia. Koncept ciekawy ale czy zrozumiały dla kogoś kto nie zna gry? Zapowiada się ciekawy eksperyment bo lore podobno jest świetny.
October 22, 2019
Finalmente esce in Italia il manga di uno dei videogiochi a cui ero più incuriosito. Sto parlando ovviamente del manga di Persona 5 edito per JPOP. Il manga tratto dal celebre videogioco narra le vicende di un ragazzo che vive in una città nella quale i criminali non vengono punti per i reati che hanno commesso. Ma con una realtà distorta (creata dalla realtà distorta che ha il criminale) lui, un gruppo di ragazzi e un “gatto” di nome Morgana tentano di far pentire e quindi confessare il bandito.
Ho comprato questo manga perché la trama mi incuriosiva molto e anche perché dopo l’introduzione del protagonista all’interno del videogioco “Super Smash Ultimate” ho incominciato a informarmi maggiormente sul videogioco d’origine e ne sono rimasto affascinato dalla trama. E quindi dato che spendere trenta euro per una cosa che forse non poteva piacermi mi sembrava troppo ho deciso di puntare sul primo volume della trasposizione a fumetti.
Devo dire però che ne sono rimasto un po’ deluso a fine lettura perché nonostante rimanga un buon manga con delle premesse ottime lo trovato troppo frettoloso. Infatti la maggior parte delle situazioni che si creano all’interno de volume sono accelerate e a volte mi sono ritrovato a non capire determinate dinamiche che succedono all’interno del volume. Questo l’ho riscontrato maggiormente nei primi capitoli della storia,infatti più andavo avanti più entrava nel vivo delle trama e più mi prendeva perché succedevano più cose nonostante alcune cose non le comprendevo a pieno. Diversamente da altri libri o manga ho trovato tutti i personaggi davvero validi a partire dal protagonista per finire dall’antagonista e anche i personaggi secondari sono davvero ben sviluppati. Devo però ammettere che il mio personaggio preferito sinora è il “gatto” Morgana. Lo trovo un personaggio adorabile,ma soprattutto penso che sarà un di quei personaggi che più apprezzerò man mano che leggerò anche gli altri volumi che usciranno.
Ho comprato questo manga perché la trama mi incuriosiva molto e anche perché dopo l’introduzione del protagonista all’interno del videogioco “Super Smash Ultimate” ho incominciato a informarmi maggiormente sul videogioco d’origine e ne sono rimasto affascinato dalla trama. E quindi dato che spendere trenta euro per una cosa che forse non poteva piacermi mi sembrava troppo ho deciso di puntare sul primo volume della trasposizione a fumetti.
Devo dire però che ne sono rimasto un po’ deluso a fine lettura perché nonostante rimanga un buon manga con delle premesse ottime lo trovato troppo frettoloso. Infatti la maggior parte delle situazioni che si creano all’interno de volume sono accelerate e a volte mi sono ritrovato a non capire determinate dinamiche che succedono all’interno del volume. Questo l’ho riscontrato maggiormente nei primi capitoli della storia,infatti più andavo avanti più entrava nel vivo delle trama e più mi prendeva perché succedevano più cose nonostante alcune cose non le comprendevo a pieno. Diversamente da altri libri o manga ho trovato tutti i personaggi davvero validi a partire dal protagonista per finire dall’antagonista e anche i personaggi secondari sono davvero ben sviluppati. Devo però ammettere che il mio personaggio preferito sinora è il “gatto” Morgana. Lo trovo un personaggio adorabile,ma soprattutto penso che sarà un di quei personaggi che più apprezzerò man mano che leggerò anche gli altri volumi che usciranno.
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August 9, 2023it's a love story baby just say I am thou, thou art I... Thou hast acquired a new vow.
It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity.
With the birth of the CHARIOT Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power...
It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity.
With the birth of the CHARIOT Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power...
March 4, 2020
200+ pages of persona goodness... What's not to like!? The only downside is I now have to wait for the next volume!
As with most mangas the art work is great quality, the writers really captured the characters and had me hooked from page one. With P5R out at the end of the month it felt great to be back in that world!
As with most mangas the art work is great quality, the writers really captured the characters and had me hooked from page one. With P5R out at the end of the month it felt great to be back in that world!
August 8, 2020
Akira is arrested after trying to help a woman in need, causing him to be expelled and sent to a new school in Tokyo on probation. On his first day, though, he steps into a dark and fetishized castle. After fighting their way out alongside a talking cat, Akira and his new friend, Sakamoto, discover the real secret behind the castle and set out to destroy it.
This was fast-paced and such a page-turner! I'd never heard of this RPG, but I was fully captivated by the concept of this story. The art is really well-done, characters are easily distinguishable, and even the fight scenes, which I in general have trouble visualizing, were easy to understand. There are definitely some content warnings (off-page assault, suicide), but wow, I enjoyed this so much and really want to read the next volume.
This was fast-paced and such a page-turner! I'd never heard of this RPG, but I was fully captivated by the concept of this story. The art is really well-done, characters are easily distinguishable, and even the fight scenes, which I in general have trouble visualizing, were easy to understand. There are definitely some content warnings (off-page assault, suicide), but wow, I enjoyed this so much and really want to read the next volume.
April 15, 2020
This was a good first volume of this series. I've never played any of these games so I have no knowledge of the world or the characters. The only thing that I didn't really like about this is that there hasn't been any explanation as to how the main characters got their personas or even what the personas are. I'm hoping that in volume two there will be more explanation and backstory ass to what is going on. I was a little bit lost but it wasn't so bad that I didn't enjoy the book. It was still a fun story with a lot of action scenes. I'm looking forward to reading volume 2.
February 25, 2021
I am a huge fan of Persona5, so I was over the moon when I was gifted volume 1 for Christmas 2020. Having put in almost thousand hours into the game, I know it inside out*. This manga is a lovely little retelling, fleshing out some parts and speeding up parts that wouldn’t benefit the story in book form. It’s interesting to have Joker (known as Akira in the books) be more vocal, since in the game he barely speaks. This is good read for anyone who loves the game, or for anyone who just enjoys manga.
*The first edition; I’ve yet to play Royal and Strikers.
*The first edition; I’ve yet to play Royal and Strikers.
August 19, 2022
This is a good adaptation of the Atlus video game from 2017. I would give a plot synopsis but this is a game/manga that’s better if you’re left spoiler free, however I’ve played the game before & am currently on my 2nd playthrough (I’m going to continue & restart once P5R [Royal] is on switch, October 21st can’t get here soon enough) if you decide to read this, just note it’s essentially p5 if the protagonist’s lines weren’t chosen by the player, or in this case, reader. If you like bizarre animes, teenage adventures, all with a hint of murder mystery. You might like the persona 5 manga
July 25, 2023
Took me long enough, I have this fear that I'll want to play the game less due to reading its story via manga, however that is not the case. If anything I'm MORE interested and have already placed the second book on hold, I will say though I think I'd be a lot more clueless about things in this manga as a whole had I not played strikers and I am very thankful for that!
June 13, 2020
Read- June 2020 for the MakeYourMythTaker Readathon (Royal Spy- Secret Book)
- My boyfriend goes on and on about the Persona franchise and literally forced me to read this. I definitely didn't love this but I'm excited to see where it goes from here and how the story progresses.
- My boyfriend goes on and on about the Persona franchise and literally forced me to read this. I definitely didn't love this but I'm excited to see where it goes from here and how the story progresses.
September 21, 2023
I was about to rate it three stars, since the entire Kamoshida storyline sucked the most when compared to everything else. Then Akechi showed up on the last two pages and my spirit got lifted so much, I forgot about Kamoshida
October 5, 2019
3.5
Un primo volume carino.
Forse un po' troppo frettoloso, però la storia di questo primo volume é stata interessante quindi speriamo migliori con l'andare avanti😁
Un primo volume carino.
Forse un po' troppo frettoloso, però la storia di questo primo volume é stata interessante quindi speriamo migliori con l'andare avanti😁
January 22, 2020
More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/
Persona 5 the manga was an adequate retelling of the plot from the Persona 5 game. The book did its job of covering all the main plot points while ensuring that the essential dialogue remained. What was lackluster was the fluidity of the pacing: some scenes dragged while others went by quickly in a confusing manner.It worked well to cover all the scenes that played in the game since plot was nearly identical. The characters said the same things and acted like they did in the game. As such, those who who want the original story retold will enjoy this graphic novel format. But others looking for something new might be be disappointed. It lacks a unique approach to the original story that manga based on games tend to have. Previous Persona manga, for example, have created distinct storylines that were just as compelling as their origin game.
Another issue is the often confusing pacing of the plot. There are many scenes where characters tend to talk in circles, leaving the reader bored. But then other scenes that have action tend to happen very quickly. The result is that the action scenes are diminished in effectiveness and can lead to some very confusing panels that are difficult to interpret. The jerkiness of the pacing made it very hard to want to finish to the end of the volume.
In conclusion, this manga is a nice entryway into the game before it has been played. Perhaps much less effective after completion to the game since it doesn't add anything to the story or further explore the characters. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.
March 5, 2020
When I found out that persona 5 was being made into a manga I was so happy and couldnt wait! I brought it as soon as I could and now have read it almost as quickly.
I love the ps4 game, one of my favourite games ever and the manga will surely rank high for me also. So far it's great, the story is brilliant as always and the artwork is fantastic. Cant wait for volume 2!!
🐑
I love the ps4 game, one of my favourite games ever and the manga will surely rank high for me also. So far it's great, the story is brilliant as always and the artwork is fantastic. Cant wait for volume 2!!
🐑
September 20, 2020
ahh, after reading this, I want to go back and play the game! I miss these characters!
February 28, 2022
Obviously a high rating because it's persona 😍
February 28, 2023
Gorgeous art! I think the author does a great job telling the story in a condensed way without losing the character of the game.
December 17, 2024
Seems like a decent retelling of the game.
January 20, 2020
After playing the game three times, reading two different manga adaptations in translation, countless fanfic, and the DS sequel you think I'd be tired of this story, but...nope.
June 25, 2020
The story of Persona 5 as a b/w manga.
Pity this isn´t a fully coloured manga, but at least a fan of the series is making it.
Pity this isn´t a fully coloured manga, but at least a fan of the series is making it.
January 28, 2020
It's very different from the game, but it's a refreshing spin.
November 25, 2021
I've read this book before. A few times, actually. Earlier, I was thinking I'd wait till I read the entire series, so I could review it as a whole. But I just re-read this one and decided it'd be fun to write a review.
I really like this series. And this first volume is probably one of my favorites in the series. Just to make sure this review seems like a positive one, I'll go over the bad things first, then move over to things I like.
It's a good idea to keep in mind that I've never actually played the game of PERSONA5. I have seen most of the anime (I only haven't seen the last four episodes, as they're not as easily available), but, for the most part, I don't know how good of a game it is. So this review is more of a standalone review rather than a comparison.
The first thing is that, every once in a while, a drawing will be a little awkward. The art is mostly great, but sometimes, it's just off. Perhaps a limb will be bent in a weird way, or someone's face looks the wrong shape. It's not super common, but there are a few examples in this book I can give.
The other most notable negative of this series is that many pictures which attempt to show good motion, such as running, actually lack a sense of action. For example, one panel has a character slamming their fist into the table, but it doesn't look as intense as it should. This issue is also prominent in fighting scenes. If someone is getting punched, there will be a white blur on the impact. And it doesn't really look like anyone is getting punched.
Honestly, those are the two most prominent issues. And that second issue is even less prominent than the first. There isn't much negative about this volume. So I might as well move to the positives.
The art is beautiful. I guess this one's just opinion. And I also know I mentioned the art can be a little strange sometimes. But for the rest, it's amazing. The scenery looks good, however, the true greatness lies in the characters. They're not really especially detailed or anything. They're just memorable, and drawn well.
The dialogue is, for the most part, very natural. This is something I didn't necessarily expect. There are a couple conversations that I just find to be very noteworthy, such as when Akira first meets Ryuji.
The story is intriguing. This first volume doesn't have a ton of plot, but it really gets it going, and leaves you wanting more. I'm not going to summarize the plot, as you could simply read the description right here on Goodreads.
There's probably more I could mention in this review, but I think that about covers the most of it. I'll give this book four and a half stars out of five. The other volumes are great, too, but this is one of my favorites.
I really like this series. And this first volume is probably one of my favorites in the series. Just to make sure this review seems like a positive one, I'll go over the bad things first, then move over to things I like.
It's a good idea to keep in mind that I've never actually played the game of PERSONA5. I have seen most of the anime (I only haven't seen the last four episodes, as they're not as easily available), but, for the most part, I don't know how good of a game it is. So this review is more of a standalone review rather than a comparison.
The first thing is that, every once in a while, a drawing will be a little awkward. The art is mostly great, but sometimes, it's just off. Perhaps a limb will be bent in a weird way, or someone's face looks the wrong shape. It's not super common, but there are a few examples in this book I can give.
The other most notable negative of this series is that many pictures which attempt to show good motion, such as running, actually lack a sense of action. For example, one panel has a character slamming their fist into the table, but it doesn't look as intense as it should. This issue is also prominent in fighting scenes. If someone is getting punched, there will be a white blur on the impact. And it doesn't really look like anyone is getting punched.
Honestly, those are the two most prominent issues. And that second issue is even less prominent than the first. There isn't much negative about this volume. So I might as well move to the positives.
The art is beautiful. I guess this one's just opinion. And I also know I mentioned the art can be a little strange sometimes. But for the rest, it's amazing. The scenery looks good, however, the true greatness lies in the characters. They're not really especially detailed or anything. They're just memorable, and drawn well.
The dialogue is, for the most part, very natural. This is something I didn't necessarily expect. There are a couple conversations that I just find to be very noteworthy, such as when Akira first meets Ryuji.
The story is intriguing. This first volume doesn't have a ton of plot, but it really gets it going, and leaves you wanting more. I'm not going to summarize the plot, as you could simply read the description right here on Goodreads.
There's probably more I could mention in this review, but I think that about covers the most of it. I'll give this book four and a half stars out of five. The other volumes are great, too, but this is one of my favorites.
January 19, 2021
seeing akechi has immediately improved my whole day tbh
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December 30, 2021joker speaking is a wild experience
Displaying 1 - 30 of 168 reviews