Persona 4
Persona 4 is a role-playing video game developed and published by Atlus for Sony's PlayStation 2, and chronologically the fifth installment in the "Persona" series, itself a part of the larger "Megami Tensei" franchise. The game was released in Japan in July 2008, North America in December 2008, and Europe in March 2009. "Persona 4" takes place in a fictional Japanese countryside and is indirectly related to earlier "Persona" games. The player-named protagonist is a high-school student who moved into the countryside from the city for a year. During his year-long stay, he becomes involved in investigating mysterious murders while harnessing the power of summoning Persona. The game features a weather forecast system with events happening on foggy days to replace the moon phase system implemented in the previous games.
Persona 4: The Animation
The anime television adaptation of the game, produced by AIC ASTA and directed by Seiji Kishi, aired for 25 episodes on MBS between October 6, 2011 and March 29, 2012. The series features most of the returning cast from the video game, whilst voice recordings for Igor were taken from the game as his actor, Isamu Tanonaka, died in January 2010. Aniplex released the series on DVD and Blu-ray Disc between November 23, 2011 and August 22, 2012, with the first volume containing a director's cut of the first episode and a bonus CD single. An additional 26th episode, featuring the story's true ending, was included in the 10th BD/DVD volume released on August 22, 2013. Sentai Filmworks licensed the series in North America, simulcasting it on Anime Network as it aired and releasing the series on DVD and Blu-ray in two collective volumes on September 18, 2012 and January 15, 2013 respectively. Like the Japanese version, the English dub retains many of the original voice actors from the English version of the game. Kazé and Manga Entertainment released the series in the United Kingdom in three BD/DVD combi boxsets released between December 24, 2012 and July 22, 2013. Due to licensing issues, the North American BD releases omit the Japanese audio track, though it is still present on DVD releases, as well as all UK releases. A film recap of the series, titled "Persona 4: The Animation -The Factor of Hope-", was released in Japanese theaters on June 9, 2012, featuring a condensed version of the story and new scenes of animation. Sentai re-released the series on September 29, 2015 in a Blu-ray/DVD Combo Collector's Edition boxset. The Blu-rays include both Japanese and English audio tracks.