Thank you for the ARC! Persona is popular in my library system and I thought I'd give this a try. Action-packed and with appealing characters, this manga will keep the reader wanting to read more of the series. Definitely a book to want to add to your collection.

I've always loved the persona games, so I was really looking forward to reading this. Unfortunately I wasn't as big of a fan as I hoped. I'm not sure if it was because I prefer the way the story unravels in the game franchise or why exactly I felt this way. In my opinion, everything felt a little rushed and the dialogue was a bit awkward. This could be a translation issue though, since it was originally published in Japanese.

My honest feeling about Persona 5 the manga goes like this. It’s a great manga but, is it better than the actual game? No. Not by a long shot. The game offers some great animation, stellar voice acting, and some fabulous gameplay. The manga seems more like something of a nostalgia trip for people who’ve already played the game. I say this because someone who is getting into Persona 5 won’t fully experience Persona 5 through the manga. What I will say about the manga is that it does a phenomenal job at making the introduction to characters and key moments in the show look really cool. The way I would compare it is how Goku or Naruto look in the manga when they’re about to pull off their signature move. Incredibly detailed and some scenes like Joker taking off his mask it makes you go “woah…”. I like the Persona 5 manga but again to me it’s used more for a callback to an exceptional video game. - Jose Salazar, Otaku Hourly

Volume three has the continuation of the story with the master artist, Madarame, who has been accused of abusing his apprentices and passing off their art as his own. Lady Ann tries to get the current apprentice, Kitagawa, to open up about Madarame’s crimes so that The Phantoms can change his heart. Kitagawa doesn’t reveal anything, and rather asks Ann to pose nude for his paintings. The assault on Madarame’s castle reveals another ally for the Phantoms, but the fight gets too overwhelming, and the group backs out for the day. The next day, they leave their calling card for Madarame, which allows the "treasure" of his heart to materialize into something they can take. The group of five then assault the castle again, but their carefully laid plan is heavily thwarted at every turn.

This is me identifying my own bias: maybe it's because I’m a teacher, but the artist taking advantage of his apprentices didn’t make me nearly as uncomfortable as the PE teacher abusing his students. Having the extra motivation of passing off their work as his, plus crushing potential artistic rivals, gives Madarame a little more substance to his actions, rather than the PE coach just being an awful person to students. The shading in the art is still really strange and hard to get used to because it uses a pattern to shade rather than inking. Otherwise, the Personas are all beautiful, and their special attacks are really interesting to look at.

VIZ rates this for Teen+, most likely for the mature themes of adults mistreating children and teens. There is also some mild cussing.

Sara's Rating: 8/10
Suitability Level: Grades 10-12

This review was made possible with an advanced reader copy from the publisher through Edelweiss. This graphic novel will be on sale July 14, 2020.

Read more graphic novel reviews at www.graphiclibrary.org.

I love this series; it makes a great addition to the Persona world. If you're not familiar with the Persona 5 game, you're still in for a treat, because this book takes the in-depth story of the game and the fabulous art style and combines it into a most excellent manga. I highly recommend it.

Persona 5 Vol. 3, published by Viz Media, is a retelling of the game of the same name. The volume comes from mangaka Hisato Murasaki, with translation from Adrienne Beck, touch-up art and lettering from Annaliese Christman, design by Kam Li, and edited by Marlene First. The volume also features approval cooperation from Shinji Yamamoto and Miki Iwata of ATLUS Games. Previously, Akira, Ryuji, Morgana, and Ann defeated Kamoshida’s palace after Ann discovered her own Persona. The four are now determined to change more hearts starting with Momentos, the distorted version of Tokyo’s subway that contains everyone’s hearts. But when a new clue emerges, the team finds themselves ready to take down an even bigger target, the famous artist Ichiryusai Madarame.

At the end of Vol. 2, the team met Yusuke, and Persona 5 Vol. 3 picks up with them running into him again at Madarame’s art exhibit. After learning more about the artist from the exhibit and an anonymous tip, the team decides to make him their next target. But to do so, they will need an inside source.

Yusuke is one of the most frustrating characters of the series. The team initially meets him after they confront him for stalking Ann and later asking her to attend Madarame’s art exhibit. When the team does attend, even though they insist it is to see the art and not him, he continues to not get the hint and asks Ann if she will model for him. Despite wanting to help him escape his abusive teacher, Yusuke is reluctant to speak to the group after they confront him about Madarame’s treatment of him. Ann is able to speak to him again, but only by modeling for him. Just as Yusuke begins to open up during the painting session, he requests Ann model nude for him. She is forced to comply, or at least stall him long enough while Morgana attempts to gain insight into Madarame’s crimes. Ann is uncomfortable and the manga does not rectify any of the problematic parts of this scene. As much as I adore all the main characters of this series, it is impossible not to be disappointed when Akira, Ryuji, and Morgana push Ann to do something she is blatantly uncomfortable with.

In the previous volume, Ann, with the help of Akira, Ryuji, and Morgana, stood up to her abuser, a man who sexually harassed and coerced her. So to see her now having to relive that trauma and her team pushing her in a similar way is uncomfortable to read. It is also disappointing because it is so easy to fall in love with Yusuke. The beautiful parts of this character like his passion for art and quiet but wise nature are overshadowed by his sexist attitude and inability to understand how uncomfortable he makes Ann.

A lot of the manga adaptation remains the same as the game; however, it does a great job of expanding Akira’s character. Unlike the game, the main protagonist, who in the novel is named Akria, speaks a lot more. Getting a look into his thoughts and dynamic as a leader, particularly when the team discovers Madarame’s palace, is a refreshing addition.

Murasaki’s art is still beautiful. The characters’ expressions are vivid and compelling. That being said, my digital copy was incredibly grainy, often making it hard to truly appreciate the artwork. So much of the page is muddled because of the grainy effect. Ann’s features, which are drawn with thin strokes, are almost impossible to distinguish on pages with dark, heavy backgrounds. Christman’s lettering can also be difficult to read because of this grainy effect. This is incredibly unfortunate because the physical copies I have of previous volumes do not have this same issue. While I cannot be certain every digital copy suffers from this, it was a big enough problem that it did take some of my enjoyment away from reading.

At the end of the day, it is hard to recommend skipping Persona 5 Vol. 3 when it does so much for the story at large but at the same time, it has so many uncomfortable moments that make it difficult to outright recommend it.

Persona 5 Vol. 3 is available in book stores everywhere July 14, 2020.

Thank you for approving me for a review copy, from a Persona fan! Goodreads review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3361952887