#oh and bc the portable port the previous year sucked that too

[elendsessor]

SPOILERS FOR BOTH PERSONA 3 FES AND RELOAD’S EPISODE AIGIS AHEAD!

(don’t expect much persona stuff on this blog either i just found this interesting)

disclaimer: if you like episode aigis, more power to you. this isn’t meant to be an attack, rather a critique!!!

because a lot of discussion regarding episode aigis kept creeping into my recommended, i was genuinely curious about some cutscene changes and yeah reload absolutely fumbled the shadow mc’s death… but not in the way i think some discussions see it.

the common consensus with how it was handled is both tried to go for two different tones, which is true. however, the original scene is seen as strictly the horror of death, which is where i don’t think people understand what made it work.

that scene wasn’t only that. it was meant to represent the beauty in the macabre.

the original persona 3 played with visuals more than reload and that’s just a fact. compare the color choices, the openings, all of that. in terms of modernsona, it’s the most visually distinct game as a result, which serves as a much more interesting way to explore emotions. that scene serves as a testament to such.

disregarding the gorier elements of the original scene, how the visuals of letters peeling off the shadow mc’s skin just matched how uncanny it all is, the sudden use of 3d animation, and finally the burst of blue butterflies adds impact as it sort of shifts emotions.

notice how that’s the last thing that happens as the shadow mc fades away. there’s no struggle, blood, immediate reactions, any of that. it’s a quiet death.

and that’s why the answer’s worked. the skin peeling represents the mortality, fragility, and in some ways decay, yet the butterflies bursting gives life and peacefulness. you can find the chaoticness horrific, edgy, grim, saddening, any number of feelings.

there’s no right way to interpret the scene—it’s meant to be an emotional rollercoaster—but to say that there can’t be more than one takeaway aside from horror is objectively wrong.

however, with episode aigis, there is only one real way to interpret it. this isn’t just because all the shadow protag does is fade away, but the inclusion of character reactions actively hurts it because it tells you how to feel. you’re meant to be as distraught and sad as sees. aigis may be the most expressive, but you’re meant to be aigis, not the player, so the ultimate interpretation is it’s sad (and beautiful if you find it beautiful). there is no room for debate because there’s the fucking answer right there. death is sad and nothing more when in reality it isn’t.

it’s okay to add the reactions but not in the moment. afterwards leaves a better impact because by letting the death play for itself, the player’s feelings come first, not aigis’s.

in that sense i suppose, yes, both games were trying to achieve different results. however, those results are either up to the player’s interpretation or what the writers wanted, which the latter is terrible storytelling.

something a few writing teachers have said, at least in my experience, is once your story gets out there, it’s up to the reader to decide how they see it, not just the characters. if the author is telling the reader how they’re supposed to feel, in some ways it’s talking down to them. disregarding their feelings. leaving no room for experiences.

that’s the danger of the tell don’t show rule, which is why it has to be used sparingly or avoided if at all possible. if it’s used incorrectly, then it can result in media illiteracy and be an overall insult to the reader.

episode aigis is anti-reader as a result, making it genuinely awfully written. plus, that scene is honestly the best thing in the answer, so they fucked up the best part, making it actually worse in comparison.

i’m not here to call the answer a masterpiece or anything because it isn’t good. not horrendous, but it’s definitely the weakest storyline tied to p3, which is a shame because, despite all the issues 3 has, the story was the best thing about it.

reload did sanitize a bunch of aspects for a more wide appeal but it ultimately harmed the original message and interpretations. it genuinely hurts to see.