Netflix is reportedly planning a live-action series based on the video game series Persona. The JRPG plays an important role in the everyday life of MeinMMO editor Jasmin, which is why she is only cautiously excited for the new series.
Although I only came late to the Persona 5 series, it has since become an essential part of my daily life. Gradually, I caught up on the other entries, as each game is quite a knockout in its own way.
What fascinated me the most were the monsters. I am a passionate fan of monster-collecting games, but with Persona, it’s especially fun. This is largely because the Personas are designed so creatively, albeit not always family-friendly, as seen in the case of Mara.
My love for the series also stems from the fact that the soundtrack in each installment is an absolute banger:
- Persona 3 combines hip-hop beats with rap interludes
- The sound from Persona 4 especially brought me joy in the dancing spin-off
- I typically don’t like jazz, but Persona 5 made it accessible to me
The combination of cool monsters and brilliant music just hooked me. And it’s precisely these two aspects that concern me that the live-action adaptation of Persona could be a total flop.
Without these two aspects, Persona is not Persona
If both the monsters and the music were altered in any way or lost their charm, Persona would just be another run-of-the-mill video game for me. While there are also other fantastic aspects of the series, such as the dramatic story and the vibrant graphic style, it’s primarily the sound and the monsters that scream “Persona” for me.
With the monsters, I am fearful that it could end up like the live-action film of “Detective Pikachu”. Some monsters are, I must admit, well done. However, there are also many pocket monsters that look like a living nightmare and that I simply cannot imagine in real life.
One example is Charizard. The Pokémon is based on a real lizard. So, it makes sense that the creature would have scales in real life. However, in the anime, there is no sign of that at all, so the real
Charizard is just material for new nightmares for me.
Furthermore, the series would need to capture the soundtrack of Persona well. If it were to focus on a specific installment, I wouldn’t mind if the sound from the game is simply recycled and maybe one or two new songs are added, as was the case with the Royal expansion for Persona 5.
But if the music is absent and only a generic soundtrack is used, the series would lose the magic that captivated me about Persona.
What do you all think? What points would the creators of the series need to perfectly implement for you to feel that Persona vibe immediately?
Persona has also helped me get through the time until my next vacation well. Because in the game, it feels almost like you are really in Japan, which is due to the high level of detail: After 8 years, I’m replaying an RPG on PS5 because I long for a very specific country
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