Posted: 08/19/2011

Persona: Trinity Soul Volume II Premium Edition

(2008)

by Ruben R. Rosario

Now available in a DVD Premium Edition from NIS America.

NIS America continues to prove they can do no wrong with their continuation and presentation of Persona -Trinity Soul- Volume II. Tragedy has struck the Kanzato brothers and many of the other inhabitants of Ayanagi City. Kujo is still desperately trying to destroy everyone’s psyche in the city, with the help of his group of persona users, the Marebito. Shin, Jun and the rest of the kids try to do whatever they can in order to stop Kujo and the Marebito from succeeding in their evil plot. The Premium Edition contains the rest of the 13 episodes of Persona -Trinity Soul- in an amazing package that will make any anime fan jump for joy.

The remainder of the series brings about a sense of familiarity with the Persona video game series. The show shifts focus onto Shin and his friends’ personas and how they must help each other in order to stop evil. Each of the characters must revisit harrowing memories within their childhood and come to terms with what’s happened and how this affects them as a persona user in the present.

The video games have always dealt with dark themes and plot lines in every incarnation, whilst in the setting of a high school. Persona -Trinity Soul- emulates those same elements into a very cohesive whole and presents that within the anime series. Akihiko Sanada, a character from Persona 3, makes a very cool cameo and becomes a mentor to Shin and the rest of the kids. Everything in the second half of Persona -Trinity Soul-, from the action, the central plot, important exposition and character development happens at a much smoother pace than the previous volume and makes it a very worthwhile anime series.

As far as the packaging goes, NIS America’s premium set for Persona -Trinity Soul- is one of the best anime boxed sets ever created. What supplemental videos and extras lack, the hardcover art book makes up for. There are breakdowns for every character, persona, locations and more. There are interviews with the creative team and some mini comics that make fun of situations of each of the episodes included. The art book slips right inside the hard case, along with the two slim pack DVD cases that makes for one hell of a collection for any kind of otaku.

NIS America has proven itself as a worthy distributor with a release like Persona -Trinity Soul- into the American anime market. With anime DVD’s from numerous companies lacking in terms of bonus content and quality releases, NIS America fulfills both of these criteria in leaps and bounds. The care and quality presented in this release shows that NIS America cares about what fans want in a niche market of anime in America. While the show may be too bleak for some people, Persona -Trinity Soul- is a really solid anime series that will satisfy someone that’s looking for a show that’s different from the norm.

Ruben R. Rosario is a graduate from Columbia College Chicago with a degree in Audio for Visual Media. He works as a freelance location sound mixer, boom operator, sound designer, and writer in his native Chicago. He’s an avid collector of films, comics, and anime.

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