The Persona series had always been known for its bold, high-contrast color schemes. These striking palettes were designed to instantly grab a player's attention.
Take Persona 5 with its red and black theme, Persona 4 with its vibrant yellow, and the original Persona 3, which used blue and pink for its male and female protagonists, respectively.
Though bright pink and deep blue could easily look tacky, the development team used the contrast masterfully. In fact, the colors themselves represented the central themes of each game.
This was why Kobayashi Tetsu decided to use the same thematic color scheme for the commercial he was about to film.
In the office, Tetsu ran a hand through his hair as he checked his reflection in the mirror.
He suddenly looked up at Takamine Aika.
"Aika, is it my fault for being both rich and handsome?"
Aika: ———?
She took a deep breath.
Don't laugh! Whatever you do, do not laugh right now!
Takamine Aika spoke truthfully. "While that's a bit exaggerated, I think Tetsu-kun, even if you didn't work in the game industry, you'd probably become a handsome man like one of those Johnny's idols if you entered the entertainment world."
"Don't you dare bring up Johnny's."
Kobayashi Tetsu instantly waved his hand.
What good was that damn place? He had no desire to be beaten to the ground by Kitagawa and dragged back to be made into a happy slave.
"Actually, in this game that Atlas is about to release, the protagonist, Makoto Yuki, is a typical, somewhat mysterious, brooding boy who always wears headphones while walking. I originally planned to hire someone to film a commercial mixing live-action and hand-drawn animation, but I suddenly thought, instead of hiring someone, why don't I star in it myself?"
Kobayashi Tetsu said, "After all, my face is still considered handsome enough."
Besides, if the president himself starred in it, such a gimmick would clearly be more effective than randomly hiring some celebrity.
Takamine Aika thought about it.
Alright, I can't laugh! This is true.
Kobayashi Tetsu roughly sketched out a list in his mind. In his vision, this commercial would be similar to the opening of Jackie Chan Adventures, using live-action and hand-drawn animation interchangeably against a deep blue color scheme to demonstrate the characteristics of the Persona series—a game more suited to the tastes of high school players!
"Forget everything else. Just tell me—isn't this deep blue, sharp-edged color scheme cool enough?!"
On the eve of Valentine's Day, the long-anticipated title from Atlas, Persona, finally made its grand debut with its first television commercial.
Iwasaki Isao was genuinely excited about Persona. Not just because it was his favorite genre, the RPG, but because Atlas had promised it would be the first game built on the Persona Engine, fully unleashing its potential.
Though he had already seen the commercial once, Iwasaki had gone out of his way to dub it onto a videotape, eager to share it with friends who hadn't seen it yet.
You have to see this! It's amazing!
If you don't watch this, you're not truly Japanese!
The commercial opened on a drizzly Tokyo street. A melancholic young man named Makoto Yuki, his blue hair and long bangs partially obscuring one eye, walked through the rain under an umbrella. Small headphones rested around his neck, the cable leading to a portable CD player in his pocket—a device that had become a fashion statement ever since Sony released the first Walkman.
Suddenly, Makoto Yuki stopped in his tracks and stared ahead.
The camera zoomed in, and at that moment, the scene shifted to a 2D hand-drawn animation.
In a mere instant, the school building twisted and warped, swelling into a towering spire that pierced the clouds, its peak vanishing into the unknown.
On the screen, the clock hands turned slowly.
Tick, tick—
BONG!
The moment the clock struck twelve, the screen's colors abruptly dimmed, and the text began to tremble.
Shadow Time!
A distorted, slime-like monster crawled from the edges of the hand-drawn art toward the screen.
Just then, Makoto Yuki inserted a cassette tape into his portable player and put on his headphones. Music began to play.
Amidst the melody of Color Your Night, a sci-fi-styled handgun materialized in Makoto's sleeve—sharp-edged, blue and white, clearly not a weapon from the real world.
Yet, the gun wasn't pointed at the enemy. He aimed it at himself.
As his companions gasped, Makoto pulled the trigger.
What emerged wasn't a bullet, but a figure materializing behind him.
Persona: Orpheus!
Strike! Fire! Fierce Attack!
With a flash of special effects, the scene transitioned back to hand-drawn art.
Even though they had seen it once before, Iwasaki Isao and his friends stared at the screen, completely mesmerized.
New characters continuously appeared amidst the combat effects.
A woman with long red hair and an air of unapproachable dignity.
A woman with short blue hair and a shy demeanor.
A woman with flaxen hair and a high-collared shirt, looking like the girl next door.
A man with short silver-white hair and a sturdy build, moving with the footwork of a boxer.
A man with his hands in his pockets, his expression aloof yet unexpectedly reliable.
And a dog, sporting a dapper little scarf.
As the music neared its end, all the characters had made their appearance. They turned into silhouettes on the screen, finally revealing the game's title.
Persona.
Persona.
Releasing on 3.14!
Iwasaki Isao let out a long breath.
"So, what do you think? Pretty cool, right?"
"Yeah, it looks like a game with a huge cast."
"It's like it was made by an animation studio! What should we call it? Atlus Animation Studio?"
"Exactly! Just like Toei—"
The two finally agreed on one point.
It looked just like something from an animation studio!
Even though they had already seen the commercial once, they still couldn't take their eyes off it.
He had to get his hands on the Persona game right now—immediately!
"Speaking of which," his companion suddenly remembered something, "that Walkman looks just like the new one Sony released!"
As he spoke, he hurriedly rummaged through his things and quickly produced a flyer—one distributed by Sony Corporation on the streets earlier this year.
The new Sony Walkman, the WM-DD9!
Comparing it to the advertisement, the design was identical. The only difference was the color: the actual device was black, while the one in the ad was blue.
"If only Sony actually sold a Walkman like that..."
"You want to buy one?"
"Don't you?"
"True enough..."
The two sighed in unison.
After all, Sony's products were too expensive! And the WM-DD9 was a flagship-level Walkman, priced astronomically high. Although they were both working professionals now, spending a small fortune on a Walkman was still a hard pill to swallow.
Thus, they could only lament their situation once more.
Seriously...
Hurry up and release Persona!
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