Previously on Persona 4:

Pop idol Rise Kujikawa left show business and came back her home town of Inaba, little did she know she would be the next star of the Midnight Channel. Spoiler’s Ahead.

Yu (Johnny Yong Bosch) & the gang once again find themselves in the TV world, this time their target is Idol Rise Kujikawa (Laura Bailey). However when they reach Rise they find out that her shadow maybe more than they can handle, and if that wasn’t enough; there is more than one person who also has to face their inner self.

This episode is a bit rushed as the Investigation has to deal with two shadows instead of the usual one, so the resolutions can feel a bit forced rather than being fully fleshed out like they usually are. This is probably due to video game seeing as how you fight two shadows in Rise’s dungeon. Speaking of her dungeon, it is certainly more…exotic than the previous ones; it’s a strip club. Her shadow also is more harrowing than everyone elses due to her fame as a celebrity. Her main shadow is the one on the stripper pole, but there are other ones modeled after her various roles on TV. This really hammers home Rise’s identity problem as she doesn’t know who she is.

Rise’s Shadows

Teddie also gets some more development this episode, seeing as how his shadow is the second one the group faces. He still has trouble figuring out who he is and where he comes from, which is sort of the same identity problem that Rise suffers from. He does have one BA a moment in this episode as he saves the gang from Rise’s shadow when it goes out of control. Kanji also lets loose like a badass this episode when he summons his behemoth Persona, Take-Mikazuchi, for the first time. We also get so see Rise’s Persona, Himiko, in action when she helps the gang defeat Teddie’s shadow.

While a bit rushed, “Real Me Doesn’t Exist” is still a pretty decent episode. With more character moments and some good action scenes. A new member joins the Investigation team and another life is saved. The case continues next week as the kids grow closer to catching the killer.

3.5/5