"Locked up in your Mind" - The Media and False Perceptions

As Kanji becomes part of the group, he manages to "get" a list from a student, and there are hints that the Midnight Channel rumor has turned into something that people tune in for, in the hopes of seeing the action. If they see the fights against the others or if they simply see the Shadow version of the ones thrown in before the fog lifts is unclear, though, as thus far the Protagonist and Investigation Team have managed to save everyone after the first two victims who are thrown into the TVs. As Yosuke said when discussing Saki Konishi's death, he saw her 'in pain' on the Midnight Channel the night before her body was found. If this is what happens when the victims end up remaining until the fog lifts, that means failure would result in basically a snuff film on midnight television, with everyone watching as the Shadows destroyed the 'host' of the series.

This seems to show a changing view of the Midnight Channel and how it operates. As more and more people watch the 'rumored' show, the more it becomes focused on the ones who are on television, and that results in them becoming the ones on the upcoming 'show'. With little known about the Show or it's effects, we can only figure things out from what we see, as well as the new information we get after the arrival of idol Risette.

The Midnight Channel: Analysis and Speculation Thus Far

The Midnight Channel appears to be something that exists no matter what the Protagonists or others do, as it is a link to the "Shadow" filled world inhabited by Teddie and the other Shadows. As Teddie explains, Shadows are born from Humans and sometimes will gain a great deal of power if they are repressed, ignored, or denied for a long time. Many of the Shadows that lurk in various areas are similar to each other, with the special Shadows and Minions falling into a specific stereotype that works in the setting given - Yukiko's Avenging Knight who 'tests' the 'princes' coming for Yukiko, Kanji's 'Fighting Gigas' who offers up a bouncer-like persona for those who are trying to gain Kanji's 'affections', and the two larger monsters, based on others, that later take up living in the highest level where the Shadows had once been.

• Shadows as the Repressed Selves/Jungian Archetypes
• Each Shadow is created and shows off what one of the characters wants/desires out of their lives or their current situations.They all speak or focus on the extreme of a harsh truth that the character sees or attempts to hide about themselves.
• Mayumi Yamano - Hatred of Other, Desire to Destroy Other
• Saki Konishi - Hatred of Perceptions, Dislike of Gossip, Dislike of Position
• Without anyone to save them or help them face their other self, both Yamano and Konishi were destroyed by their Shadow self and the Shadows in the area. However, as neither Shadow is encountered in that area, it is possible Shadows are linked to their Host, and thus died with the death of their original self
• Yosuke - Hatred of Loneliness, Unwanted Desire for Thrills vs. Heroic Actions, Misuse of Powers (Magician Reversed)
• Chie - Hatred of Self, Desire to Be Someone Else/Change Self, Desire for Control over Other (Chariot Reversed)
• Yukiko - Hatred of Obligations, Inability to Ask for Help, Inability to See/Use Power (High Priestess Reversed)
• Kanji - Hatred of Perceived Self, Self-Loathing/Self-Stereotyping, Misunderstanding of Self (Emperor Reversed)
• The Midnight Channel as a Conduit for Media
• With more and more attention brought to the Midnight Channel, there gradually creates a pattern and method to what occurs before/during someone's time in the other world and with the creation of their Shadow's "dungeon"
• It is unknown if the Midnight Channel shows the events in the dungeon, but it does show the beginning of the dungeon
• Grainy Video of Victim - Often the first one or two images shown during the rainy night are hard to tell, though there can be some hints of who the intended victim are. The first image often puts someone to mind, though they are not always sure. The second one usually cements the idea of  it being one person in particular.
• The "Show" - After the victim is kidnapped and put into the TV, a show appears on the Midnight Channel
• Originally, the show seemed to have been of just the victim in the setting, though neither is witnessed by the Protagonist. Yosuke, who witnessed the final 'show' before Saki Konishi's death, only states that Konishi appeared to be 'in pain'.
• After the initial two deaths, the shows change when Yukiko is put in, so that she and Kanji appear in a type of television show
• Princess Yukiko's Search for Her Prince Charming
• Similar ideas to "The Bachelor/The Bachelorette" or a dating series, where someone is trying to find "love". 
• MEN ONLY! Kanji Tatsumi in Rosy Steam Paradise
• A late night Skinamax production with a homosexual tone - though it's stated they are trying to find 'love', this is implied to be physical-only, not romantic.
• The rescue ends the show, and it's implied by two classmates that others can watch what happens, though how much they see, including if they see the rescue or acceptance of the Shadow, is not stated. 
• The fact that the two seem to only know that it's a 'show' and as few/no one really talks about the two 'shows' or gossip isn't overheard, the first part might be all that's shown
• Conclusions: With more people watching the Midnight Show, the channel's focus has changed.
• The shows were never about soulmates, but others who were in the media predominantly due to interviews, scandals, or exclusives
• If the person appears in the 'other world', their Shadow may put on a 'show'
• This so far is only confirmed by those who appear on TV and then are put in the Midnight Channel after their appearance.
• Due to more people watching, as well as more being thrown in, the 'shows' are appearing with each main person tossed in
• The 'dungeon' can double as a trap for another person as well, especially if they are close to the person who was shown on the Midnight Channel or has heavy negative emotions towards themselves.

The Midnight Channel is changing, and it only gets weirder when Risette comes to town and a new change occurs.

Next Time: False Perceptions 2 - Celebrity and Media

"Loading...Loading...Loading" - Another Lull (May-June)

After saving Kanji, there is another long time period occurs in which you can build more of the Social Links, gain more Links, or simply continue to study and gain information. You have all of May to save him, though doing so earlier will at least allow you the opening of learning and doing more things, instead of worrying over what will happen to Kanji.

 For the time between saving Kanji and the arrival of the next "victim", most of the work done is on strengthening your already established S.Links. While others are available, you were given a year to complete the task given, and some of them need to have you meet or establish a relation with others for them to work. This lets you learn more about your various established S.Links and, as we find out after maxing out one of the S.Links, will allow you to gain access to the highest form of that Persona group, as well as allow other members of the Investigation Team to understand themselves.

CLOSER TO THE TRUTH

Being able to gain more S.Links shows that many of the links already established do need love so you can find more information about the town and people, as well as help your friends. By deepening these Links, you learn more about your friends and they begin to help out more and more - every other level or so added more to their abilities to fight with the others and Protagonist. Early on, they gain the power to take a mortal blow for the Protagonist, but as things continue, they gain more and more able to help others out, helping out others with standing when they're knocked back, or even breaking them out of some of the ailments you can get. In the meantime, more talks with others allow for learning more and more about the characters and why they are acting the way they are - Ayame does her best to get better, practicing an instrument that, at first, she was not very good at, and she gains more confidence over time. Kou and Daisuke both show off that there are more to them, with both having serious issues that effect their abilities and actions towards others. Nanako asks serious questions and, while able to deal with her life in a very serious and mature way, she still shows her age and remains the most precious of Cinnamon Rolls, up there with Castiel of Supernatural and Steven from Steven Universe.

(I have not seen Supernatural Season 11 yet, no, why do you ask? Huh? Oh, the Persona I summoned? No, it's not because I'm doing this, I'm just going to kill the writers who think that was ok)

Dojima's history only adds more to why he acts the way he does and the rather sad case about his wife and why he continues to search for information about what happened the night she died. Though the case is not a massive one, it's an example of how one small thing can really effect someone, and how that changes his interactions with Nanako. His job and the work to find more causes a lot of issues, as he can't think of a way to really talk to Nanako about this, and even has a hard time talking with the Protagonist. In other cases, he looks at the Protagonist with some confusion and even thinking that the Protagonist has something to do with the deaths and disappearances, especially with what happened early on (I still blame Yousuke for that) but also for his connection to Yukiko after her disappearance. Add in Kanji, who is a known trouble-maker, and Dojima will definitely have issues with the Protagonist's friends.

For now, we do have one or two new S.Links, and the maxing out the links, giving us an unbreakable bond and allowing for that character to admit to his own character flaws and work to fix them.

The Moon Card (XVIII): Ai Ebihara

Showing up as an uninteresting girl who has to 'help' the sport's team you joined when you started the Strength Card, Ai is there due to having skipped classes to go shop. Though she appears superficial, Ai also shows off times when it becomes obvious her attitude is actually from having been hurt or with few people paying attention to her, or those who do pay attention having ulterior motives. She seems fine with the Protagonist due to how he deals with her, and his courage of going out with her on the first trip, ditching class, but also that he does his best to understand her and won't always take her pushy nature. Despite that, Ai is still an interesting character and shows some more depth than expected.

The Empress Card (III): Margaret

The one who holds the book that involves all the Personas you create, Margaret mostly works with Igor and is his silent partner for the most part. This card comes up only if your Intelligence is high enough, and she mostly asks for the creation of Personas with certain advantages, most of them making them more balanced throughout their links. The link continues more and more as you create more and more of the Personas she wants, which can often demand you level up so you can create more and more Personas with various types of balance and abilities. This does mean she speaks up more and it makes things interesting as she gains more and more interest and a desire to help the Protagonist as she can.

ACCEPT AND OVERCOME YOUR WEAKNESS

Depending on how often you give different people attention, you will probably get Yousuke's S.Link of the Magician to max out first. "Max" is at level 10, and creates an unbreakable bond between the Protagonist and the one that the S.Link represents. In this case, we also discover that those who are part of the Investigation team, their Persona changes as well.

This does make sense that the Persona would change as well, as it's often created via the Investigation Team accepting a part of themselves that they don't like. With the continued growth of the various ones in the group, even allowing them to admit to issues they still have or deal with problems they'd had beforehand, or ones that even came up and remained despite everything.

Jiraiya to Susano-o

Allowing Yousuke to figure out for himself what it is that he has issues with, as well as how he feels towards the Protagonist (as a friend, despite what the fanfic and yaoi might think) before the two have a fight. This mostly works for Yousuke to realize he is an equal to the Protagonist and how he's allowed to still be upset and sad over the loss of Saki-sempai, as well as realize that he now enjoys the small town he once hated, not to mention that he realizes how much he really cares for those he sees as true friends. Yousuke learns more as he befriends the Protagonist, and admits a lot about himself and his motivations, not to mention gaining probably the first friendship where he's thought of as an equal to the other person.

In this case, a trickster-esque folk-hero becomes a far more violent but also redemptive god as his Persona reaches it's highest level and becomes Susano-o. A god of storm and sea, Susano-o is most famous for a rivalry with his sister, which resulted in him nearly causes eternal night and also got him banished down to Earth, only to kill a huge dragon, Yamata no Orochi. As the main Persona of the Magician-holding Yousuke, this does make sense in some cases, especially for the major tale of defeating a great monster who killed women. Though not a direct correlation, Yousuke realizing his equal status to the Protagonist, as well as finally coming to peace with himself, and is happy to have gotten to his full potential. Knowing his strengths and weaknesses allows Yousuke to move forward, and to know how far he can go and how much he can help.

Next time: The Media and False Perceptions

More on the Persona (Elements, Folklore,and Transformation) - Take-Mikazuchi the Emperor

PERSONAS: The Dungeon

Like Yukiko's Castle, the Steamy Bathhouse serves more as a way to throw in the stereotype of what the outside world might believe or say that the other person wants, but instead of being based on complete rebellion against tradition while embracing an ideal, this is more going towards what society or others would think they wanted. If you don't like the opposite gender, then you're obviously homosexual. For Kanji, this translates into going somewhere that might accept him - a tough guy who does things for 'nice' reasons - and where he might find someone who shares in his interests but won't laugh at him for having those interests. In the case of Kanji, instead of looking for a 'prince' to take him away, he's searching for someone who will accept him, and this manifests as the idea that it must be a man (because of a bad experience or experiences with girls) and that it must be in a homosexual way. This is part of the reason why Kanji's actual sexuality is a bit harder to figure out - he might be gay, but it's more likely he's bisexual because of how he reacts to the girls, and because of his issues with that sexuality. It's often shown in media and through conversations about media's portrayal of bisexuals that being such is very hard - I often use the "Chasing Amy" analogy because it does have points where the female protagonist points out that she 'loves who she loves', but at the same time is ostracized when she begins to date a guy who she cares for after spending a lot of time exclusively dating women. Though the main issue with the story is to not be so emasculated by having a partner with more 'history' than you, another issue is with sexuality itself, and the problems that can come from trying to find yourself and letting others push you into a specific box.

The Steamy Bathhouse - Floor 10

Arriving at Floor 10 of the Bathhouse, after the Shadow begins to warm to the Protagonist as someone who will accept him, the group is confronted by Shadow Kanji, who serves only to enrage Kanji with his admissions of liking guys and why that is, not to mention his deeper seated fears of not being accepted by anyone. The Tough Guy and Nice Guy summoned by Shadow Kanji in his next form are ones that focus on boosting and aiding the Shadow, not to mention making it near-impossible to throw out the stronger attacks against everyone, forcing you to focus your attacks and status ailments on the Tough and Nice Guys before you can even work on damaging the very dangerous Shadow Kanji. Compared to Yukiko's battle, this one is far more stressful and dangerous, and harder to get through. While Yukiko might have held back a bit at first because her Shadow still trusted Chie and the others, Kanji has no such trust, and as such his power is quicker to display and his allies serve to only keep him from attacks, and thus from any attempts to defeat the rejected Shadow and allow Kanji the time to finally accept that part of himself.

The Emperor: Take-Mikazuchi

Going from the more human and hidden Shadow you fight, with dual color schemes to show his 'nice guy' and 'tough guy' personas that he shows off to the masses and the few, Kanji's Shadow is similar to Chie's in that they are both strong and protecting themselves from harsh truths, or trying to wrap themselves up in an identity that can sometimes appear ill-fitted. Where as Chie's Shadow attempted to look like Yukiko with it's long, black hair, and was more feminine in a dominate way, Kanji's Shadow wraps itself into a rose and masculine shell, hiding behind two strong, burly men who keep away or strengthen his views. In contrast, the Persona that Kanji gets after finally accepting himself is taller than most, with a skeleton outline on a burly, almost robotic body that is over-proportioned in some areas and smaller in others. He carries a lightning bolt, and is the main one outside of the Protagonist who uses Zio (Lightning) attacks on his opponents, not to mention his physical strength. In contrast, Take-Mikazuchi seems larger than the other Personas, and ready to battle anything and everything that gets in his way, if not through magic than by physical strength alone.

Named for a god created by Izanagi after he slew the fire-god Kagutsuchi, Take-Mikazuchi is one who descends to pacify the deities of Izumo on command of Amatsu, and engages one in the first sumo wrestling match, easily defeating him. He is considered a god of thunder and a sword-god, which explains his use of that element as well as his wielding the thunderbolt like a sword, save when he drives it into the ground to summon lightning. Considering the main Persona of the Protagonist, as well as the one that Kanji gains, it's not surprising that this one appears after Kanji is saved by the group and accepts himself.

The Emperor's focus on control and power is a good one for someone so dangerous as Take-Mikazuchi as well as someone like Kanji. As he learns to control himself, by learning more about himself and accepting that to add to his power, Take-Mikazuchi becomes stronger as well. Thunder and swords themselves are also things that demand a great deal of control and that are often seen as a sign of power - Lightning is often seen as the highest form of fire, or a symbol of particularly strong gods, such as Zeus or Thor in Western mythology. Having weapons or lightning itself weaponized often a sign of power and status, and with now, the idea of controlling lightning safely has spurred on a sudden interest in Tesla and his experiments with electricity. 

ELEMENT

Element: Zio (Electricity)

          Weakness: Garu (Wind)

Electricity is an element that is not really seen within the standard mix of spiritual elements uses by various religions and people, but it is often put into the category of 'fire' or a higher form of fire, and linked to heavenly or divine power and might. Thunder and Lightning Gods are often depicted as the strongest of their group, and even as the leaders in some cases. Control over this element is one that demands control of other elements as well. 

Of course, this element is abound in various other games and genres as well - Lightning Elementals are in many of the fantasy games or MMOs, and control over lightning is shown as a power that can be gained by the Sith in Star Wars, especially those who give fully into the Dark Side. But as an element or power, it's often one of the strongest ones that you can gain, or signifies the approach of powerful beings. Those with lightning as a power are often bigger or stronger than the others, and quicker to anger and fight (such as Sailor Jupiter from Sailor Moon). But they are also shown to have a variety of passions and feelings, and will do their best to fight for their cause.

Kanji's determination and work to figure himself out, to 'control' himself through self-knowledge and understanding his limits, means that holding a power over lightning is something he has to master. Knowing enough about himself to calm down and even hit his Shadow only shows that while he is confused about certain aspects of himself, he also knows that this confusion can be easily cleared up by reminding himself of why he does this or why he thinks a certain way. Even with being the butt of some jokes, Kanji becomes a bit slower to anger, and his understanding of himself will help the others they meet up with and who join them in the quest to discover the killer.

Next Time: The Long Lull (May-June/July)

"Sea of the Unconscious" - Shadow Kanji Analysis

Unlike some of the other dungeons, the Steamy Bathhouse feels more like Kanji's attempt to hide himself over being found, and it's only after being pursued for so long, he's finally open to the idea of being 'found' by the Protagonist and being accepted. That only happens after meeting the Shadow and having to deal with the more aggressive Gigas-Hogan (I will call them that because seriously, they look like him). When you find Shadow Kanji and the real Kanji, you find that Kanji is much quieter until Shadow Kanji continually states that he only likes men. Kanji's rejection of him is what sets off the battle, and the continued determination to find someone who 'accepts' him, and the Shadow's angry retort to toss aside anyone who gets in his way.

[I am a Shadow...the true self]

Kanji Tatsumi: The Emperor Take-Mitzuchi

Shadow Kanji is very aggressive, making him an even harder boss to deal with than Shadow Yukiko. He also has two lesser Shadows working with him, both of whom are very, very hard to defeat if you're attempting to spam attacks on everyone.

Kanji himself is met shortly after it's revealed by the Midnight Channel that he'll be the next victim. Seen talking to a strange, slender young man dressed in dark blue, Kanji is seen muttering to himself and then, when annoyed or embarrassed, attempting to threaten the group while they watch over him to try to stop the killer. This fails quickly, and the group is forced back into the TV World to rescue him. Unluckily, due to Teddie's inability to figure himself out and Kanji's own inner turmoil, the group has to rely on information from the slender young man to get there, finding out he has a 'complex'.
Kanji at the beginning is overly tough and puts on a very tough-guy appearance and attitude when you first meet him and is very quick to anger and even more prone to misunderstandings. Half of the dialogue ends up with him chasing after you or the others in an attempt to beat you up or try to argue about the misunderstandings.
After accepting his other self, Kanji seems more self-aware of himself and who he really is. As much as the others, he understands what it is that brought up his Shadow and what he really wanted and was attempting to get. Kanji is not always the quickest to understand the whole thing, but he does his best and will push forward with everyone after he's joined the team. Next to Yosuke and the Protagonist, he's one of the stronger fighters and will always work to deal as much damage as he can.
Even though Kanji's sexuality is the main reason for his Shadow appearing, he is still teased about it by the others, especially by Yosuke. However, he seems more confident in himself and his 'true self', so while he gets angry and gets into a few different antics, overall he's a great help to the group and does ultimately add something new to the group dynamic.

TAROT ANALYSIS

The Emperor (IV), Reversed

The Emperor is often just that - a man in power, often depicted in a way different from the Empress, who lounges in beauty and flowers. The Emperor is often shown ruling over a blasted or stony landscape, with harder features and battle armor worn and ready, holding an Ankh and a globe. He symbolizes the top of the secular hierarchy, and holds control over all he surveys. 

Reversed, though, this meaning changes quickly. The Emperor goes from being in control and having a solid foundation to holding control by sheer force of will. Reversed, the card means that there's an abuse of power and a hold onto power in a bad way, or simply a stopping of thinking and instead holding hard onto old ideas. This could also represent negative authority figures in your life - Kanji is known to Dojima through police work, meaning he's been arrested or in trouble more than once, resulting in him having to deal with the police. Despite Dojima's authority and ability, he's unable to really connect with younger children or teenagers, and that means he can sometimes come across as very harsh when he's worried or upset about something.

The main focus of the Emperor is control, though - reversed, that control is lost or held onto in a very negative or toxic way. In Kanji's case, his control of situations and of himself is, at the time, very tenuous and he's been pulled into bad situations due to his inability to control himself and articulate what he really wants or feels. Turning the card upright will allow Kanji to control himself more, understand when to speak and when to threaten, as well as give him more confidence in what he likes and realize that he doesn't have to stick to one side or the other, despite his confusion.

THEME: Sexuality and Gender

I continually mention this about Kanji, because for this part, sexuality is a more important part of what makes Kanji a target and what pulls out his Shadow. Kanji's sexuality is never explicitly stated as 'gay' or 'straight', and another character's introduction will only make this subject a bit more confusing. For now, I'm fine with breaking it down based on "The Genderbread Man" {Source: It's Pronounced Metrosexual}, as I think that will help explain why I see Kanji as a bisexual (the spoilerific character that, in game, we've only met but don't have the name of yet, will play into this too)

Gender Identity: Male

Gender Expression: Male with Female-coded Interests (sewing)

Biological Sex: Male

Sexual Orientation: Bisexual or scoring at least 3-4 on the Kinsey Scale (homosexual with heterosexual tendencies).

When Kanji finally confronts and accepts his Shadow, he has to explain to it that it doesn't matter to him if it's women or men - that he wants to be accepted. It might be from bad experiences with women that his Shadow gained the idea of being homosexual, not to mention the incidents with the slender young man who was asking him questions and who Kanji is shown to find handsome, or at least get flustered around. He later gets a bloody nose when he sees the girls in their bathing suits, hinting at least an attraction to the girls in a sexual way (he turns around when the girls arrive, and other events later on hint at his attraction to certain types of women). Kanji accepts that he is a male and sees himself as such, but his sexuality is the main source of his confusion, and as he stated after he accepts himself, he is interested in someone who will accept him. Without more confirmations about what he feels, Kanji's sexuality is left up to whatever the player feels he should be. Again, my personal headcanon is that Kanji is bisexual, though possibly homoromantic.

Next up: More on the Persona

"Search for Your Heart" - Steamy Bathhouse Analysis

The world that Shadow Kanji 'creates' to deal with his issue is the Steamy Bathhouse. Subtle, the symbolism isn't always (even Yukiko's Castle, while it took three posts, was still pretty simple), but it also works to explain what the characters are going through, as well as what they haven't faced yet as far as fears and insecurities.
In the case of Kanji, it's played a bit for laughs about his issues with his sexuality and how he's perceived by everyone. Like Yukiko, he's seen as something and his hidden side instantly goes for broke on what it is - Yukiko as the 'damsal/princess' in distress to be 'rescued', and Kanji as the VERY stereotypical homosexual. This also comes through in that the Midnight Channel seems to have warped from simply a place where one sees a blurry image of someone, to something where the Shadows are running TV shows.

Media Influence: Yukiko's Castle (Dating) and Kanji's Bathhouse ('Exclusives')

Both Yukiko and Kanji are the first to really show this off, and as Yosuke said when he first saw the Shadow's 'broadcast', it looked like a tacky show. Specifically, it looks like a low-rent version of "The Bachelorette" or something similar, in which one woman or man is being pursued by a variety of others to become their 'true love'. Yukiko's desire to have someone 'rescue' her creates a show in which she'll find someone worthy of her love.
Kanji's insecurities and confusion about who he does like (I'm guessing that the small, slender guy isn't the first that Kanji was confused about, just the first who actually talked to him) presents itself as an 'exclusive' in which his Shadow goes into a Bathhouse. The nature of the exclusive seems to be to find someone who will join in his 'scandalous' behavior, and who will help him understand gender roles. After all, for a tough guy, he enjoys sewing and creating things that are considered 'girly', and he's questioning his orientation. In this case, his Shadow takes on the role of a 'reporter' who's lines are more from a porno than from an 'exclusive' (so, more late-night 'Skinomax'). What both of them say also shows their repressed feelings and urges, as well as how the media or other ideas have skewed things. Yukiko's Shadow is quick to say she's going to 'score' a 'hot stud' and even admits to be 'stacked' and wearing lacy underwear - she's going to entice a man to 'rescue' her however she can, and inside the Castle, the 'stud' is now a 'prince', going from someone who's simply handsome and sexually pleasing to a more idealized version.
Kanji's Shadow, in contrast, talks about finding someone to explore the "gender barrier" and seek a "subliminal love" as he goes to enter the Bathhouse. While Shadow Kanji does show some of what he really wants (to be accepted despite his interest in 'girly' things), he goes about in a way that is, like many of the other Shadows, to the extreme of what he really feels and believes. He goes into the Bathhouse seeking 'love', but in a more carnal way than Kanji himself might be looking for at the time.

Men Only - Shadow Kanji's Own Misconceptions

As you go through the Bathhouse and later run into Shadow Kanji and his minions, a few things come up - Shadow Kanji is only interested in men, and the voices you hear (implied to be memories or Kanji's inner thoughts) revolve around what is 'manly' and what men do. As I stated before, while Kanji very obviously identifies as male, the fact that he enjoys 'feminine' activities is what ultimately causes some of his issues and his Shadow's misreadings of their own feelings.
Kanji, though a tough guy on the outside and able to fight off whoever he'd like, is overall still worried about what people think of him and this greatly effects his outlook on himself. He's been teased for liking to do 'girly' things (sew, paint, etc) but he's also talked about behind his back by men and women alike. However, Shadow Kanji went with the darker emotions towards women and how they treated him and went to the other extreme - that means he only likes guys and must find a man who accepts him.
Underneath the stereotyping and attacking, Shadow Kanji mostly is looking for someone to accept him no matter what he likes or dislikes, but the Shadow that comes out of Kanji's confusion over liking guys and girls, let alone his social awkwardness that leads to him picking fights or yelling at people, results in the Shadow saying he only likes guys. This means he only wants the guys to accept him, and spends most of the upper levels attempting to flirt with the Protagonist.

Steamy Bathhouse Analysis

Bath houses and public bathing have a VERY LONG HISTORY. Basically any and all bath houses from the ancient world were used in multiple ways, especially for relaxing. Think expensive spa or health club. However, for as long as there have been the types of bath houses where you just went to relax, there has been sex in those bath houses. Wikipedia cites records as far back at the 6th Century BCE, and with various attempts to close bath houses and other areas known for men getting together.
In general, many of the bath houses filled the role of an area for someone to go and have sex with another man - some men might be closeted or not identify as gay or bisexual for a variety of reasons - and for said encounter to be private and anonymous. Bathhouses also served as meeting places and safe havens for homosexual men (and, in some cases, women) during times when homosexuality was not as widely accepted, or are still safe places in countries where homosexuality is not widely accepted. Overall, bath houses tend to be members-only and, thus, exclusive and with a wide variety of rules.
The two main monsters you go up against is one called the Daring Gigas - a larger version of some of the muscular monsters you face off against, who spends most of his time doing wrestler's poses and who's hairstyle reminds me of Hulk Hogan. Like the Knight before him, Gigas is there to show what the Shadow believes the original version wants. In this case, and in the cases of the later Tough Guy and Nice Guy minions who helps the Shadow when it transforms, Shadow Kanji shows that he likes muscular but effeminate men (so, the bara stereotype plays in here a lot) that he believes will accept him for who he is - someone who is similar to him in the sense of being strong and muscular but also who enjoys feminine-coded things. The main thing that Shadow Kanji seems to want, despite his carnal portrayal of it, is companionship and someone who sees him as himself and doesn't judge him for what he likes and his hobbies.
Many of the monsters in the places remain the same, with a few, such as the Officers, added in to possibly relate to the theme. The Knights I only saw in Yukiko's Castle, thus far, and the Officers stay mostly within the Bathhouse thus far. Considering that Dojima knows Kanji through 'work', the officers could also represent what Kanji feels about the police force or those who continually bust him, as well as representing the history that law enforcement has with gay bathhouses (which is to say, a bad one). No matter how awesome some of the officers are, there is always going to be the ones that got into it just for the power, and who will abuse everyone they can.

The bathhouse in general is very straightforward, I think the main conflict in this case is just Kanji's true feelings and his acceptance of them. While Yukiko does deny her 'show' looking like Kanji's, and Yosuke ponders if people are watching the Midnight Channel, resulting in a new question - has the formatting changed because more people are looking at the Midnight Channel, and enjoyed Yukiko's 'Search for Her Prince Charming'? The first two, who had few people watching, seemed to not have any show whatsoever, despite one being a TV Reporter. If the killer did send them in with the intention to kill them, why has the Midnight Channel changed from simply showing the victim in pain or being attacked to now drawing it out?

The Bathhouse is 11 levels, as opposed to Yukiko's ten, and the focus is all on Kanji and his attempt to figure himself out, not to mention accept himself and realize what his true nature is, not to mention find people who will accept him, despite all they saw.

Next Up: Shadow Kanji Analysis

"Gonna Short-Circuit My Identity" - Repressed Selves and Sexual Identity

It takes a good few days before you get the next hint of who might be on the Midnight Channel. Shortly before another long night with rain, there is a special report on biker gangs, and on one particular guy - Kanji Tatsumi.

According to Dojima, the younger student broke up some biker gangs while in middle school, due to them keeping his mother up with their noise. His family runs a textile store, meaning that Yukiko knows of him and his family, but most know him as a delinquent and a dangerous person due to his joining/breaking up motorcycle gangs.

Unlike the other four in the team, Kanji is the first outside of the team that requires the others to try to figure him out. While Yukiko and her family knows his family, that doesn't make her or Kanji 'friends' in any real sense. Most of the times when Kanji meets up with the group for the next few days, the result is a lot of arguments or yelling, as well as the four racing off in the face of possible attack after saying something that is misunderstood by Kanji. Along with Kanji, a strange, slender young man appears as well, asking or observing things that the others don't, and causing Kanji to question some things.

[...he's interested in me...?]

Sexual Orientation, Identity, and Repressed Selves

As everyone has dealt with various repressed identities, but a lot of them revolve around a variety of things with focuses on one particular issue or thing. That ends up being central to what their Shadows go after and feed on.
In this case, just a few mutterings overheard from Kanji gives us a hint of the type of person he is - for all his bluster and anger, he's obviously insecure and lashes out at either misunderstandings or when confronted by the implication that he's 'odd' or 'different'. He goes after the four at least twice over misunderstandings, After Kanji's disappearance and his Shadow's appearance on the Midnight Channel, you once again run into the slender detective, who admits that Kanji seems to have issues with being called 'odd'.

A lot of this has to do with Kanji's gender and sexual identity, though most of it is focused on his sexual identity. Kanji is a tough guy - you don't beat up bikers while in middle school without having been a tough guy. However, there are certain things you see in the anime and game that give him away as having some non-masculine gender focuses - his family, and thus Kanji himself, work in a textile shop. Mostly, his mother sells the textiles, but Kanji has a lot of love for her and probably has done his best to learn the trade as well, despite his new ways of dealing with noise and the like (which is to say "beat it until it leaves"). In the anime, Kanji first meets the Protagonist when he drops a small, cute keychain that he created himself, and the group quickly learns that while Kanji presents an outwardly tough exterior, a lot of that is a defense against how he feels towards some others, and that he's not always sure how to approach girls or guys because of his outside-of-gender interests.

The main point, though, is that gender-wise, Kanji identifies as a male. Sexuality-wise, Kanji is very confused and dislikes talking about it. The 'guy' he is meeting with who's 'interested' in him is a slender, young man who appears to be have a very androgynous look to him. Around him, Kanji is very flustered and obviously has no idea what to say. He's hardly any better around Yosuke and Chie, despite being told they were in a relationship.

Based on what we see of Kanji, even before his Shadow appears, it's heavily implied he's not sure what he likes and seems concerned about how to deal with a guy being 'interested' in him. While it seems like Kanji could be gay, I'm going to say it's also possible he could be bisexual or from a possible combination of various romantic/sexual groupings. He might also be mostly romantic towards guys but bisexual in general - while he is very awkward with the slender man he talks to, he's quick to fall back on his normal annoyance and anger with Chie asking possibly similar questions.

Sexuality in Japan is complex, just from what I managed to look up briefly. LGBT+ culture is around in Japan, not only through yaoi and yuri, but also with many celebrities who have come out as homosexual. The overall thought with the military is "it's allowed, so long as it doesn't start fights", so a slightly more relaxed version of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" that the US had, and while in some cases it's accepted, homosexual couples are not completely given the same rights as heterosexual couples. However, it's only recently that areas of Japan have started to consider allowing same-sex marriage and giving equal rights, but it is not yet a country-wide thing.

But then again, Kanji is just starting high school, and with a reputation already. No matter what he does, he's bound to not get into areas that will make him less socially awkward, but actually more. Coupled with his confusion as to what he likes and possibly people making fun of him for his ability to sew and such, he has a few things to work through. When his Shadow does manifest after Kanji is thrown in, we have it becoming very stereotypical of homosexual men (in the English version, he has a lisp and talks in a way that most men who are coded homosexual talk like) and he's going into a "steamy bathhouse". Bathhouses have been associated with homosexual romances, especially homosexual males. Basically...he's one big bara stereotype (bara = muscular gay man...not quite a bear but some are close)

(No, he is not naked, but he's close. Yes, roses are a thing for him. Yes, I found every part in the anime where the Protagonist and Yosuke was nervous or overly "do not want" to be freakin' hilarious because of later stuff they pull. And despite his look, Shadow Kanji is one of the first major fights you have that ends up being hard no matter what.)

Personal Head Canon: Kanji

If I have to pin down a full label on Kanji, it would go like this - cis male, bisexual, possibly homo or biromantic. Again, I used the "Chasing Amy" reference because Kanji shows that he finds girls attractive, but he seems more inclined (due to how his Shadow acts) towards possibly going out with a guy and that is a main focus of his confusion. He is attracted (sexually) towards both sexes but he is probably more drawn towards guys as far as if he thinks about a long-term relationships. This doesn't mean he won't be able to find a girl attractive in both a sexual and a romantic way. I do think that is his main source of confusion.

In relation to Kanji doing 'girly' things, a lot of this seems to come from him working around people who sew and do such things all the time, meaning that until he got into school, he probably thought that was 'normal'. It's only upon interactions with others of his age that he finds it abnormal, and tries to do his best to hide it. I don't know why sewing is a 'girly' task, though...I've tried to sew, it's time-consuming and hard, depending on what you do. And textiles (i.e weaving and the like) were often masculine tasks until the early 19th centuries - the original Luddites were protesting their jobs being taken over by machines and women.

So now it's time to run in and save Kanji from the Shadows, and to see if he might give us any new information about the kidnapper and killer.

Next up: Steamy Bathhouse Analysis

"Trapped In A Maze of Relationships" - Social Links In Inaba (April-May)

CLOSER TO THE TRUTH

During your time at Yasoinaba High School and in Inaba, the Protagonist gets a chance to create various new Social Links, mostly by becoming more involved in the school and in groups within the school. A majority of these are created during 'down time' or between major events. In this case, between the time the Protagonist arrives in April, and the beginning of May, after saving Yukiko. Each new link allows for a great potential in the creation of new Personas for the Protagonist - as the Zero Card, the Protagonist's special power allows him to hold multiple Personas. If he has a Rank or multiple ranks in that specific Link, the card's power and potential grows beyond what there already is, allowing for very powerful cards, or for the Protagonist to take any role in the group as-needed, from support to defensive to power-hitter. It also allows for access to some elements that the others don't have - for example, Zio (Lightning), Hama (Light), or Mudo (Darkness) that some Shadows are weak against. It also means that, if a character is not in the group, that the Protagonist can use their element just in case it's needed. Between the time you start getting S.Links and you rescue Yukiko, three new S.Links appear.

The Fool Card (0): The Investigation Team

Shortly after saving Chie and Yosuke, this bond is formed. The Investigation Team covers anyone who is saved or joins the team to help figure out who murdered Yamano and Saki. At the end of May, the team consists of Yosuke, Chie, Yukiko, and the Protagonist.
The Fool Card is known as the Zero Card, and technically this represents the Protagonist. Based off the anime and the game itself, my personal headcannon for the Protagonist is that he dislikes being alone because of his family's continual moving and leaving for their jobs. Because of this, he makes friends easily, and interacts with people easily as well. This allows him to make multiple friends and connections, and no matter how you play him (arrogant to shy), he manages to win people over simply by being himself and by showing his ability to help others out. However, when he does make a connection or befriend someone, his main focus is that he's strongly dependent on them, and thus will do all he can to defend them. In both the anime and game, his Persona only shows up when his friend or friends are in danger.
The Fool Card is a card that is very much up for interpretation in some cases, but often represents someone going forward on a journey or someone starting something, though they are walking in a bit blind. Often, the Fool is shown so amazed by the world that he doesn't realize the dangers ahead, and is often warned by at least one traveling companion. The Investigation Team being part of the Fool Rank seems to indicate this of everyone, but I believe it mostly indicates this of the Protagonist and his role as their leader. The Protagonist is new to the area, doesn't know everyone or everything going on, and has to walk through and lead the team while 'blind' - not knowing everything that goes on and having to rely on others to stop him from dangerous situations. Right now, the team as a whole don't trust the police, mostly because of the supernatural nature of the crimes, and while not always knowing the danger ahead, will still work to find out what is going on and to fight whatever they come across.

The Strength Card (VIII): Fellow Athletes

During the Protagonist's time in working to save Yukiko, the school Sports Teams begin to meet. In this case, because it's a small town, the two teams you can join are the Soccer or Basketball teams. Both are captained by two secondary characters who are lifelong friends - Kou Ichijo and Daisuke Nagase. Both have their own issues and both are happy to help out the other with cleaning up or with their respective teams.
The Strength Card is one that refers to both physical strength, but also mental and spiritual. It often shows a woman taming a snarling lion. The idea being that, despite her meek appearance, the woman is strong in every way - mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually - that she can overcome any anger or fears that present themselves. While some have her closing the lion's mouth, it's never shown in her forcing the lion's mouth closed, but rather slowly holding it and easing it shut. This does show for the Athletes - while both are physically strong in the beginning, as captains of their respective teams, both have to grow into the other aspects, and are helped by one another, as well as by the Protagonist.

The Sun Card (XIX): Ayane Matsunaga/Yumi Ozawa

A week or so after the start of the sports club, two different cultural clubs - Music and Drama. In both, you meet a young woman who becomes the focus of the Sun card. In both cases, the girls want to help something or someone out, but are not quite sure how to do so. The Sun tends to denote clarity and success, while in reverse position it means a lack of success or a temporary depression. Of the two girls, Ayane most personifies the Sun reversed - she wants to help out the band however she can, but cannot help out in the capacity she would like to (that is, playing trombone). Very shy and prone to apologizing, Ayane still does her best and manages to get a lot done, even if she might slip up a few times.
Yumi, in contrast, is one of the best actresses in the Drama club but is quick to say that she enjoys pretending to be 'someone else'. Her home life is not the best, and a serious incident results in her trying to figure out her feelings for someone she normally would try to not think about. Both slowly work through to figure out what they need, and with the help of the Protagonist, reach the conclusion that helps them not only grow, but gain more maturity as well.

After rescuing Yukiko, there is a lull, both in the actions as well as in the weather. As the rain doesn't fall for some time, this allows for the Protagonist to quickly make other S.Links, or to work on the ones he has before break, and after the midterms (yes, you have to take a test. Most is stuff you'll know if you paid attention to the questions asked or the lectures). However, these S.Links are also important, and not only add to your ability to create Personas, but get you closer to two others around you.

Justice (XI): Nanako Dojima

Nanako is a precious ball of cuteness and the personification of the cinnamon bun that is too pure for this world. She is also your six-year-old niece who is far too grown up for her own good, and she enjoys singing the Junes jingle.

Now that I have that out there...the reason for most of Nanako's way of acting and her ability to take care of herself is because of her father's job, which demands long or unusual hours, and her mother's tragic death. Her tarot card is interesting as well - Nanako represents what her father strives for (as a police officer) and also is a major reason for the characters to push forward in saving anyone they can. Nanako represents an innocent, but she is also one who vaguely understands that something is going on and how important it is. Justice in tarot is just that - balance, fairness, truth, and law. While Nanako doesn't quite have it reversed for herself - she is very truthful- she does have it on the side, leaning more towards that, because she is told things she believes to be the truth but that are shown to be lies. Her S.Link opens up after her father is forced to work during the week off, and as such she spends most of her time with the Protagonist and his friends, who all take a shine to her and proceed to spoil her as much as possible. This will never change, and will be for all of your friends you get.

As Nanako realizes she has someone she can confide in and begins to view the Protagonist as her 'big brother', she begins to open up more about her fears and wishes. Though she's shy early on, Nanako's ability to open up to the Protagonist, as well as his friends, makes it so that they seek out justice in order to live up to what Nanako represents.

Also her meaning this card will not end well, I just know it.

The Hierophant/Pope (V): Ryotaro Dojima

Ryotaro Dojima, Nanako's father and the Protagonist's uncle, is a police officer who is charged with solving a murder in a small, sleepy town. He is not Andy Griffith by a long shot, but he is close enough (widower with bumbling deputy/sidekick and small child? Small town? That's close enough). Dojima trusts his gut about the case, but the oddness of the deaths he has to deal with means that he's also at a loss on who caused the deaths or how they died.

As Nanako represents Justice in the sense of her prompting others to seek it out, Dojima's role as the Hierophant seems to focus on his status and the fact that he is a detective, thus granting him power and the ability to lead. The secondary name for the card, as Pope (the High Priestess as it's feminine equal, the Popess) seems to denote his power to bless or curse what he sees fit. Dojima spends much of the game trying to figure out the odd deaths that occurred in his town. Just as much, he's unable to stop himself from noticing the odd way the Protagonist or his friends act in certain ways (to be fair, you're hanging out at Junes a lot, in the electronics department with the manager's son, who has changed a bit, not to mention a girl who disappeared for days on end but has no idea where she was, and you were nearly arrested because your dumbass friend was playing with imitation weapons in a public area). Dojima being Nanako's father, and therefore the father-figure for the Protagonist while he's in Inaba, also plays into that card being given to him. Dojima is older and is charged with helping others grow, and acts as a very strict parent, but one who understands that most of it comes from tragedy as well as his inability to really talk to children or teenagers outside of an investigation. He seeks the same thing as the Protagonist and his friends, but his inability to realize what is really going on, due to his lack of knowledge about the 'other world', means he can act as a guide to the group on what's going on, helping or hindering their investigation.

The Hermit (IX): Fox

There is not a lot to say about this S.Link, other than yes, you read right, you befriend a fox. The fox lives in the shrine within Inaba's Central Shopping District, and appears to you during your break. With the shrine in disrepair due to a lack of funds, the Fox mostly asks you to help make wishes come true, as written on 'ema'. This leads to more money for the shrine, and the fox helping out by charging you to heal your SP during the time in the other world.

Considering the Fox is annoyed in the Other World, I think that's why it charges you for the healing.

The Hermit tends to denote a state of being alone or introspective, but close enough to watch over or see others. The Fox is isolated and spends most of it's time alone, but will come out to help others and aid them in their needs as well. It seems to do this so it can gain from it, but also so that it can help out those it's watched for so long to finally have their wishes fulfilled.

The days between the end of April and the middle of May are fairly quiet and with little going on beyond school and waiting for some sign of whoever will be taken next. The lack of rain means that the Midnight Channel is not operating, and thus no strange disappearances or deaths are given.

Revised Analysis 2: The Midnight Channel and Weather

Periods of calm and chances to relax or review what happened occurs a lot after Saki Konishi's death and as you stagger out the time it takes to rescue Yukiko Amagi. While the weather does have some instances of clouds or rain, it doesn't always occur for a long time or suddenly, instead slowly creeping up. But during these calms, no one is attacked or mentioned a great deal, though the news might bring up one or two people. As all of the victims thus far have been on TV in some case, or connected to the first killing, the next may still be connected to Yamano in that capacity, or might simply appear on TV.

Weather, for a long time, has effected TV reception before the invention of HD. As the TVs in the area are mostly from 2011, most are analog in some cases, meaning weather can still effect them in some cases. Antennas in general can be effected, but that has gone down as technology grew. The fact that the opposite weather appears in the TV World (foggy when it's clear, clear when it's foggy) means that figuring out the best way to deal with fog and to protect whoever is next shown is key to discovering the killer, as well as stopping the attacks.

Next: Repressed Selves and Sexual Identity 

More on the Persona (Elements, Folklore, and Transformation) - Konohana Sakura the Priestess

PERSONAS: The Dungeon

In Yukiko's Castle, the higher up the Protagonist and others go, slowly gets more and more dark, covered more in red fog over the white fog that covered the lower four floors. From floor 5 up, the shade is a dark red, and Yukiko's inner thoughts play more and more when you reach each floor, as does some of what she says when greeting people who come to the Inn. The voice soon turns into her real thoughts, yelling at the reporter and demanding he leave her alone. The monsters here are stronger, often mixing with the theme of castles (Knights and Kings are included). Floor 5 turns into a maze of sorts - while it's circular, getting close to a door will mean being sent to another part of the floor, and having to figure out how to get to where you need to go before you face the Avenging Knight.

Yukiko's Castle - Floor 8

Reaching the top, we find a large open area leading to a throne, behind which is a red flag with two wings that spread out behind the Shadow, making it look like a bird ready to take off or in flight. Much of the idea of escaping, of 'getting away' from the 'cage', is played on at this level, as is her need for a Prince to protect her. The Charming Prince, who is summoned to aid Shadow Yukiko, is a bit of a pain to fight against, and will heal Shadow Yukiko as much as he attacks or incapacitates the group.
It's here that Yukiko's Shadow announces that the group are her 'princes', including Chie in the statement and when she begins to complain about her own inability to leave, as well as the fact that she's trapped at the Inn and no one has been able to help her. Like the other Shadows, her dialogue shows not only her darker feelings, but also shows Yukiko's shyness to be partly due to her own self-doubt and fears, as well as her dislike of the Inn and the time it takes up in her life, not to mention the idea of having her 'destiny' planned for her.

The Priestess: Konohana Sakura

The third massive Shadow you face, this is the first one to have 'underlings' or to summon other Shadows to attack you before or during the main attack. The Shadow itself is a large, red bird that often spreads it's larger-than-the-cage wings out while casting spells or summoning her Prince. The continued motif of a caged bird, who has outgrown her cage and needs to escape, is still played here, as is the fear of leaving the cage as well - for all that Shadow Yukiko does her best to escape the cage, she never fully leaves it. If anything, she simply uses it as part of her attack and reason to continually fight, never leaving despite the fact that the door is open and she has the means to escape. The Prince, summoned often after a bit, will do his best to attack the three there to save Yukiko, but once he is defeated, he cannot be summoned back. If anything, he only serves to show the possible toxic thinking that added to Yukiko's suppressed self. The Prince comes when she summons, and does help, but he is not eternal and will not remain by Yukiko's side when 'defeated'.

After Yukiko accepts her dark self and what she felt about her family's Inn, as well as her own position, the Shadow transforms into Konohana Sakura. One of the few Personas who's called by her full name, Konohana Sakura is based on a Japanese Goddess, the wife of the god Ninigi and a symbol of delicate earthly life, especially that of the cherry blossom. After her marriage, when she became pregnant, the god believed she'd been unfaithful. Angry, Konohana entered a door-less hut and set it on fire, declaring any child that survived to be the son of her husband. Considering her triplets survived, the god was showed to be the father.

While Shadow Yukiko is all red, with only her head showing any human part to herself, keeping the black hair and features of Yukiko despite being red and almost unrecognizable. It also lives in a golden cage, one atop a chandelier. All of these things show that the prestige and privilege of living in a 'historic inn' has only served to trap Yukiko, and her red color, the heart-shape on the breast of both Shadow Yukiko and Konohana Sakura also adding to her search for love of some sort, or someone to help her as well. I believe as Konohana, though, this represents various types of love, such as friendly or even familial love, instead of just the idealized love of a 'prince'. 

Once transformed to a Persona, Konohana looks more like a female hero than Chie's own Persona - with flowers and the pink and white color that often are connected to sakura blossoms or with feminine things. Konohana Sakura, unlike Chie's ability to cause massive damage, also ends up with powerful healing and offensive powers. As with the Protagonist and Yosuke, Chie and Yukiko end up with powers that can defeat the others - Chie's Ice against Yukiko's Fire.

The Priestess Card is one of hidden knowledge, of intuition and mystical, hidden knowledge. The ability to heal (as in REALLY heal) has always been put to mystical knowledge. Fire itself could also be part of a mystical or important journey into hidden knowledge - in the Western World, the Virgins of Hestia were said to keep a sacred flame alive for centuries, protecting Rome. Though not the strongest physically, Yukiko and Konohana Sakura are a great one who protects and heals the group, as well as showing her ability to also defend or help in a fight with a great deal of power.

ELEMENT

Element: Agi (Fire)

             Weakness: Bufu (Ice)

Fire is an element that has had a huge impact on humanity and on what humans can do or where humans can survive. It's associated in the classical Greek and Roman traditions with passion and energy. One philosopher, Heraclitius, believed Fire gave rise to all other elements, Fire is often split into various types - Hindu belief splits Fire into that of actual fire, lightning, and the sun. {source: Wikipedia}

In many cases, fire is also considered both a creative and destructive force - like water, it can take any form, but unlike water or many other elements, it's not one that exists on it's own. Fire can only come about if it's created and given something to transform.{Source: The White Goddess}

Yukiko, for her work and being able to deal with school and helping out at the Inn, shows a great deal of energy and ability to work anywhere. Her facing her self results in her beginning her transformation and change, and her work at a hot springs and Inn also ties her to the element of Fire, more in the Hearth sense. The fires that associated with family and home seem to be what helps out Yukiko the most, and what she associates with the most, though her anger and how she channels it to fighting or standing up for herself as she goes from shy to bolder also begins to show. She is passionate about what she wants to do, and after the events in the castle, she begins to show that even more. The association with hot springs, another thing that connects to fire, also adds to her control over fire as her element.

Though Yukiko's element is not as strong against water, there is still that chance of coming into a harmony - once again, hot springs - and as she grows closer to the Protagonist, she begins to show more of her passion and determination, as well as her transformation from someone who is too timid to speak for what she wants to someone who is ready to learn more about herself and to use her intuition to push for what she really wants and what she believes she needs in her life. Though she is still feminine and appears delicate, she is also ready to ignite a firestorm as needed.

One more story to mention...well, also a link.

At one point on Mythbusters, they created a Sawdust Cannon, in order to see about proving something in a viral video. A family member, who worked in a sawmill once during his life, mentioned that it would work, before it did. The reason being that while sawdust and wood chips are small and, compared to bigger pieces, fragile, they have the scary ability of catching fire and spreading among all of them, really quickly. As such, when there was a fire near the sawmill, the fire department was on-call to that area nearly every day for months afterwards, because a small spark had the chance to set fire to more of the sawdust that the mill produced. With Yukiko's focus on fire and cherry blossoms, I believe you have the same idea - the small things that can, with the right spark, turn very dangerous.

Next: Social Links In Inaba (April-May)

"Abound with So Much Information" - Yukiko's Castle Analysis Finale

Returning to Yukiko's Castle, there are 8 Floors, during which you face one major Shadow before the final boss. In this case, Yukiko's Shadow continues the theme of the Locked Away Princess, as someone who needs to be rescued. Many of the Shadows at this point are harder to really analyze - some appear in many other locations or in different forms, but some are more in-tune with the Castle's theme. This is also the first dungeon in which you face a sub-boss, the Avenging Knight, who works to protect the "Princess" and test her "Princes".

Reaching the top of the Castle, the group finds Yukiko and her "Princess"/Shadow self. The Shadow calls Chie and the others her "Princes", and is quick to push for one of them to 'take her away' from the Inn and Inaba itself, feeling herself trapped but needing someone else to let her free, to 'save' her.

[I am a Shadow, the true self...]

Yukiko Amagi: The High Priestess Konohana Sakura

Met on the first day of school but not really spoken to by the Protagonist or others due to a high demand at the Inn, Yukiko is soft-spoken and is asked out by a male student from another school (more on him later). The gossip overheard is about the "Amagi Challenge", possibly on asking her out and Yukiko failing to understand or simply outright rejecting people. She is often seen with Chie, who seems to dominate the conversation or try to bring Yukiko out a bit by talking about the Inn her family runs or by praising her looks, which Yukiko isn't always comfortable with.
Yukiko starts to open up after this, and show off a side of her that before, only Chie had seen, especially when it comes to her odd sense of humor and overall ability to help and support others. She still remains shy but also begins to realize and do things she wants, over what has been expected of her. Though soft-spoken, she works her best to help out, both as support but also as a counter to Chie. Like the Protagonist and Yosuke, Chie and Yukiko are strong in their attacks against each other, but also most vulnerable. Yukiko also begins to stop trying to hold in all of her emotions, especially towards her perceived 'destiny' of running the Amagi Inn. It's her old attempt to hold in her feelings, of being 'trapped' in a situation she cannot (or will not) get out of herself that results in her attempting to get the idea of being 'saved' by a 'prince'. Her calling Chie her 'prince' means she views Chie in a status as someone who 'saves' her and that, perhaps, she feels obliged to return a 'favor' towards for that.
One noted thing about the Shadows after this is how they begin to appear after this. Yosuke and Chie's Shadows looked like themselves, save with the yellow eyes. Princess Yukiko, the Shadow, ends up dressed up and powerful enough to control at least two sub-bosses during a battle. It's also interesting to notice the motif of Yukiko's ideal and how it manifests. Her clothing and the castle itself is Western in design, very different from the traditional Eastern that Yukiko possibly views as more of her own trappings. The dress, as opposed to the kimono that Yukiko is wearing when kidnapped, is also Western in design, and though revealing in some cases (showing shoulders), it's not too revealing either. A Princess to be rescued from the place that trapped her, though, fits well into Yukiko's wish to escape her life, but her fear of how to do it without help.

TAROT ANALYSIS

The High Priestess (II), Reversed

Also called the Popess, the High Priestess, or Priestess, often holds wisdom or is in a place where wisdom, especially about the feminine side, can be found. She has and shows knowledge as well as intuition, and will often sit before the entrance to a sacred temple. The Priestess is often dressed in Pagan or Christian symbols of a high authority - the Popess has the Papal Crown, the Priestess has a curved moon or horns that often represent the Goddess or the Moon. She is often seated and waits with esoteric knowledge in the area. The card is often representing the person asking for information, a person they will meet, or a secret or mystery of the feminine, including intuition, wisdom, or even sexuality.

Reversed, the High Priestess becomes associated with an inability to hear or listen to your own intuition or power. The message is not getting across, or something is missing from the information given to you, and while others might even find you appealing, either you cannot hear them, or don't understand what they want{Source: Psychic Revelation}. In the Fool's Journey, the High Priestess represents the mysterious unconscious and unrealized potential, and paired with the Magician, represents the unconscious, inactive power while the Magician represents the more active drawing of energy {Source: Learn Tarot}.

Yukiko's inability to see herself as powerful in her own right, as well as able to do what she wants, over what is told to her, has resulted in her being uncertain of her own power and beauty. She feels the need for someone else to pull her out of the situation, and doesn't realize how powerful she can be on her own, or how much she can do to start on her own before she might need that help. 

THEME: Escape and Inner Strength

Yukiko's Shadow tends to point out the lack of strength Yukiko feels towards escaping what she believes as her 'trap' on her own, and her inability to ask for help. Yukiko's focus on her own problems and Chie's own focus on her own problems as well also tie them together. They both lack the inner strength to really move forward and understand themselves, but after the two hard lessons in who they might really be, and how important the other is to them, it's obvious the two have become closer and wish to continue growing. The two connected cards of the dungeon - the Chariot and the Priestess - show their growth and what they will both focus on. Chie's movement-driven card and one that focuses on controlling the elements within yourself, as well as being able to know when and how to move forward, compliments Yukiko's intuition-driven card. The two need to focus on who they are and how they can grow, as well as realize what they need to move forward. Instinctively, both knew that something had to change and that they needed to be the ones to do so on their own, as well as be the ones who initiated their own transformations. In Chie's case, she had to admit that she did have the darker feelings about Yukiko as a friend, and for Yukiko, she had to admit that she hated working at the Inn and having her life dictated, but also that she can't just wait for someone to swoop in and save her. Both needed to escape their darker self and realize their own power, as well as realize how they worked off each other and how they could better improve their friendship. 

Rescuing Yukiko, sadly, only gives us little to nothing to go on for finding the culprit. She doesn't know who attacked her or how she got into the Midnight Channel. However, upon returning to school after her ordeal, Yukiko shows herself willing to become part of the investigation team and to help find whoever it is that wanted to kill her.

Information about the Killer - April to May 2011

- The Killer is targeting people in Inaba
   - Up to this point, the Killer has only targeted women
   - Each female was connected to the first victim, Mayumi Yamano
     - Saki Konishi found Yamano's body after her death
     - Yukiko Amagi possibly had interactions with Yamano at the Amagi Inn
       - Yukiko's mother collapsed due to stress, possibly while dealing with Yamano
- Yukiko remembers a doorbell and someone calling to her
- Each victim appeared on TV and on the Midnight Channel shortly afterwards
   - Mayumi Yamano reported her affair with a council member and was later suspended due to the attention the story had gotten, as well as pressure from the council member's wife, a famous enki ballad singer
      - A classmate was overheard saying that his 'soulmate' was Yamano shortly before her death, meaning she appeared on the Midnight Channel
   - Saki Konishi was interviewed due to her finding the body, though her face was obscured and her voice changed, the Protagonist vaguely recognizes her after meeting her once
      - The Protagonist first sees Konishi when he watches the Midnight Channel and his ability to go into TVs, showing his ability to call on a Persona. She is confirmed by Yosuke and Chie as having been on the Channel, then again by Yosuke as on a second time before her death
    - Yukiko was interviewed after the news learns that Yamano stayed at their Inn, but the interview changed quickly from about Yamano to about Yukiko
       - The day before, Yukiko is shown in her kimono on the Midnight Channel. The next day, her Shadow begins the 'show', changing the way the Midnight Channel operates

Questions:
    - Why change the format?
    - Why focus on women?
       - Why Yamano?
    - Who else has the ability to enter the TV and do they enter with their victims?


Next Up: More on the Persona - Konohana Sakura

More on the Persona (Elements, Folklore, and Transformation) - Tomoe the Chariot

PERSONAS: The Dungeon

The second floor of the dungeon in Yukiko's Castle is an open area with room for seating. The middle is huge, and no matter how often you go through that part of the castle, you never encounter anything besides Shadows - Chie's or Yukiko's. The two advance the plot in some way, or pause it before things can move forward.

Yukiko's Castle - Floor 2

This is the second dungeon in which two people who are connected in some way end up within the same dungeon and facing their Shadows. In this case, both are girls who are unhappy with an aspect of their life, and feel the need to either 'escape' or to be 'freed' in some other way. Chie's focus is on her external looks and her envy of Yukiko, while missing Yukiko's needs. What prompts Chie's Shadow to arrive is Chie hearing Yukiko's voice, talking about how she hated her name, but how Chie's compliments end up giving her courage, or at least more confidence while wearing a certain color.
As explained in the last blog, Chie and Yukiko both are two people 'trapped' in the castle that Yukiko's repressed side created. In some ways, both want a way 'out' and are looking for the easiest way, but Chie's issue is a lack of movement, or movement in a dangerous way that can result in self-destruction. Chie's views on her feminine side, or a lack of one based on her 'prettier' friend, has lead to a great deal of envy and self-hate over that. The result is her being overly protective of Yukiko, to the point of feeling like she needs to control every aspect or have Yukiko feel bad about herself in order for Chie to feel better by acting as the "protector".
Going with the Prince theme and the theme of being 'rescued', Chie being the 'prince' with the Protagonist and Yosuke, Chie is facing down a great evil before dealing with the main antagonist/evil that is guarding and holding the 'Princess' hostage. Most of the myths dealing with a princess in a castle leaves the Prince having to overcome multiple obstacles, especially personal ones, in order to save or even regain the ultimate goal. Chie, as the 'prince', must overcome her personal demon and darkness in order to move forward and help Yukiko with hers.

The Chariot: Tomoe

The second massive Shadow you have to defeat, Chie's Persona transforms first into the massive and starts to show off more of how the repressed feelings, especially deep ones, can change the original Shadow into something showing more of issues or darker beliefs that they have. After it's defeat and Chie's acceptance, the Shadow transforms into the Persona called Tomoe.

The Persona is based off the female samurai Tomoe Gozen, a tough and beautiful warrior who is known for going into battle with an over-sized sword and is spoken about in The Tale of Heike and was said to have fought during the Genpai War (1180-1185). A woman who took multiple heads of her opponents and was proclaimed both beautiful and deadly, and who is one of the well-known female warriors in Japan. 

Shadow Chie has long, dark hair, with pale skin and a lot of yellow on it, as well as the smiling face over the pointed, full-head cover it wears (like the pin Chie wears). She wears mostly a a BDSM outfit and carries a whip, held up by struggling girls in outfits who look like Yukiko. She holds chains attached to the Yukiko's, and will use her hair and whip against anyone she turns her gaze to, especially against Yosuke (who has a strong element against her Shadow). Afterwards, while the long black hair stays, the outfit becomes more like a female version of the Bruce Lee tracksuit, with armor and a double-edged spear she uses to attack her enemies.

The Chariot, which works on movement and belief in one's self, is exemplified in Tomoe as she is often the one who attacks with a strong physical attack, and has to level up before she gains her element attack. While not the leader, she is one of the strongest members of the team, especially against many of the earlier Shadows that you face off against.

ELEMENT

Element: Bufu (Ice)

              Weakness: Agi (Fire)

Ice is often an element used to distinguish a variety of water elements in fiction. Ice is a transformation of water, created in extreme temperatures (as opposed to steam, created at the other extreme). Water is considered a powerful element in many cultures, and often it is in or near water that something is created or destroyed. Perhaps the most famous quote about water that works for Chie and that exemplifies her and her card is one by Bruce Lee:

         [Don't get set in one form, adapt it and build your own, let it grow, be like water. Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless - like water. Now you put water in a cup, it becomes the cup; you put water in a bottle it becomes the bottle; you put water in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.] {Source: Wikiquote}

Chie has to build herself up and adapt to the situations she's in. The Chariot is about movement and continuing forward with confidence. To move and be 'like water', Chie has to change and adapt to her new role and to her new opinion about herself. Through this and with the Protagonist's help, she begins to see that she does have a feminine side and admirers in her own right. She becomes who she needs to be, and adapts to what she needs to be.

Ice, though frozen, can sometimes have water flowing underneath. Huge pieces of ice, such as glaciers, often are much larger underneath the surface and are used to show the difference between what people see versus who you really are. Ice can, if thick enough, be safe to cross and create new landscapes, but if weak in any point, it can become extremely dangerous. Not only that, but depending on how well you're able to deal with such a cold element, you can create beautiful things like ice sculptures, castles, or even huge icicles that capture the light amazingly. But because of the way it's formed - with such cold - ice is also a dangerous element as well, just as water can be. 

Chie shows herself to be more than simply a girl who enjoys fighting movies and who practices what she sees on the shows. She proves to have feminine qualities, but also manages to show herself as more than just the tomboy she attempts to be, and shows all that she can be and how good she is.

Next Time: Yukiko's Castle - Finale