In my opinion, Shiho should've become a phantom thief. She has the most vindication to do so of all the non-Confidant side-characters.
jalonshelton
can we get a wasted plotential of haru ? I think she is the phantom thief that the game writers dedicated less time so her entire arc is a big mess. But she is still my favorite
myhotdog
I'm still iffy on the "Anne slapping Ryuji around" deal throughout the whole game. I understand how it's their dynamic, since Ryuji is the butt-monkey, but it can still feel out of place with how hard she hits him. I think a light slap possibly followed by a friendly hug, or perhaps a playful punch on the shoulder would've communicated things better... though forget the hug bit because that's a strict no-no in Japan.
On a lighter note, think back to the animated scene on the beach, where Anne playfully punches Ryuji's side while teasing him over her giving him a boner. I feel their relationship is best on display in that moment, because they're basically bros, but one of them is airheaded and feminine. It's very easy to mess up that balance of tone, however, like they did after Ryuji's apparent "death, " where they leaned into the comedy angle slightly too hard in what should've been a scene focused solely on relief for his safety.
I always found the stripping thing really tasteless, too. It was just too soon. Perhaps if there was more time to slowly allow it to be a character moment, rather than a wacky comedic one. Comedy shouldn't really be the focus, and is only actually funny if it occurs naturally in a scene with other moving parts.
Oh well. The game is fantastic other that these few stumbles... and the one major stumble with the awful Morgana leaving arc. I really love the game overall now, what with the additions that Royal added.
Poet
I hated how her social link focused on her modeling career and not focused on the aftermath of Shiho trying to kill herself and them trying to reconcile.
samzilla
I think the painting scene COULD'VE worked, because the concept of Ann's inner rebel, the reason she wears a latex BDSM tiddy suit, is to show that even though she was sexually abused she's still comfortable in her own body. I feel like if the writers made her confidant and comfortable doing it, it wouldn't be uncomfortable, because I shouldn't have to explain this, but when she's uncomfortable I'm uncomfortable by extension
royalcass
The googling of her body right after her arc all about sexual abuse and innappriote conduct aside, I've always also had a problem with her confidant where she treats people like Ryuji, her friend, and Maya, who is basically her rival and is trying to get her fired, completely differently.
The end of her confidant feels tone deaf considering we don't get to see her development as an model, just the issues she had at the beginning and than the end where she has it seemly all figured out.
SSJ_EWGF
1:28 in yusukes defense ryuji and joker just invited themselves in when he only asked for ann, then proceeded to ask personal stuff about madarame so of course he would be "uncharacteristically" aggressive
SleepyDonnnn
A damn shame. I think they struggled too much with wanting her arc to feel realistic and powerful, but also wanting too much cheap fanservice scenes; Like in the car, or in the rain. I also think Shiho should have gotten her own Social Links, since helping someone deal with a two-part traumatic moment like she did would have made for better storytelling/a character arc rather than hearing updates about her from Ann occasionally... And also because Ann's social link feels oddly detached from the troubles she's faced in the story- Her being a model is an interesting concept, but the idea of her just wanting to put more work into it because other models do feels like an odd side-quest rather than a character defining Social Link.
TreWilder
Re: Yusuke
If it seems like Yusuke is a different person before and after his awakening as a Phantom Thief, it's because he is. Even moreso than Persona 4, characters in Persona 5 need to grasp a completely new perspective on life in order to awaken to their Persona. In the case of 5, a character needs to open their eyes to the idea that they are being abused, and that they have the power to fight back against their abuser. I often read Yusuke before his awakening as an artist without purpose. He does art in order to win Madarame's approval, his only source of validation as a person. He forces himself to be the perfect artist that he thinks Madarame would want him to be, and as a result, he starts seeing things as an "artist" would. In this instance, he doesn't see Ann as a person, he sees her as a thing of beauty, a piece of art (or at least, he *tells* himself that's what he sees. He's still a teenage boy, after all). Yusuke spends the rest of the game trying to define what art means to him, but years of conditioning under Madarame make it difficult for him to stop using that "artist lens", hence the lobster incident.
Re: Ann
Obviously Ann's part in the Yusuke chapter gets spotlighted as "the worst part of the game" and became a magnet for controversy, and while I wouldn't say that it's "fine" (it really isn't), I do understand at least that it has purpose. The entire journey of Ann awakening as a Phantom Thief and reclaiming her sexuality is a process that lasts the whole game. The only problem is that this scene is the first half of a joke that doesn't finish until near the end of the game, when Ann actually uses her looks and her charisma to seduce the Shadow on Shido's cruise ship. I do agree that Ann should have been the one taking initiative here, and the guys should be the ones encouraging her to stop. In fact, Ann should *still* be hesitant to go through with it, EVEN if it's her own idea, but is going through the trouble of putting on a strong face for the boys. This would also serve to uphold the visual power of Ann's phantom thief alter ego; as Panther she is a flawless femme fatale, but as Ann in the real world she's clumsy and awkward, even when it comes to wielding her "strongest assets". P5 does an amazing job drawing the distinction between "the invincible, perfect Phantom Thieves" versus "the group of awkward teenagers" that they really are, and I think just this small change would help to really cement that concept.
abadidea
The camera always lingering on the body of an attractive teen whose initial character arc involves her defying the exploitation and judgment thrust upon her never sat well with me. Especially considering the very first boss is defined by his lecherousness and depravity towards underaged girls. I feel like there's a serious lack of self-awareness going on on the part of the devs, and a lot of the fanbase.
Persona 5 is full of these weird plot idiosyncracies. I still think it's weird that a good chunk of Joker's romantic interests are adult women.
cherrycordiaI
I'm glad you found LadyVirgilia's videos to be interesting. I constantly rewatch those
Anon_wulf
"Ann Takamaki best Phantom girl, fight me"
Futaba is best girl. Bring in on Bro.
Ineedgames
You Know Who Else A wasted potential Is Me Not Having A Girlfriend.
LarryDaGoat
I'm still peeved about Okumura's palace being Hijacked from Haru to build up Morgana who left because he felt "useless".
Jester
A Wasted potential haven't seen them in a while
RyomaHoshi
Honestly I want to like Ann because she seems like an amazing character and her voice actor is one of the funniest voice actors I’ve seen but man Ann is basically 30% character and 70% fanservice
no_riginality
Wonderful wasted potential as always I I’m hooked on every single one you release mr snake
StudentOfKasumi
It’s the fact that you can date your teacher when having a character like Ann for me
blitzus
(I don't remember at the moment much about persona 5 so what I'm going to say is off the top of my head along side the footage that this video shows, if I have wrong info I'll edit and correct it)
Yusuke is uninterested in the opposite sex(or at the very least at the moment that he's going to paint Ann) he's being "aggressive" for the sake of painting as he is looking to paint beauty.
Yusuke is being aggressive because they(phantom Thieves) keep trying to pry for information while he will not give said info and defending madarame, that and the fact that they are technically causing a disturbance he threatens to call the police unless Ann poses nude.
The scene where they tell Ann that she has to pose nude isn't actually played for laughs(at least you didn't say it was the perverted anime trope like cvit), the way Ryuji says that she has to at first makes it seem as such but the rest of the dialog shows that they relate to Yusuke.
3:03 Joker's only option is to say:"good luck", he has the option put has the "hmm" option which implies that he is(possibly, not is definitely) thinking of alternatives and saying that there is no other way which, they don't as if they don't comply the will be reported to the police, also Ann does say that she will do it not only for justice but to help Yusuke, she's not doing it because they guys are forcing her(although the blackmail is still in effect it's still her accepting to do it,
she is still willing to some extent to help Yusuke).
I do agree to some extent the changes that you suggested for Yusuke though .
drakeredgrave
I was expecting a different Haru shapped wasted potential video about P5
