#posterotp

[theoneprecioustome]

Aikoto shown in PlayStation's Valentine's Day Feature for the second year in a row!

Just like last year, an Aikoto screenshot was among the six chosen to represent romance in Play Station games ❤️

We love one iconic ship!

[theoneprecioustome]

We just got an Aikoto + Koro family picture to celebrate P3R's 1st anniversary! 🥰

Illustrator: Azusa Shimada

[theoneprecioustome]

Aikoto in the P5X x P3R Collab Opening

The collab between P5X and P3R started a couple of days ago, and Aikoto got a really cool sequence in its opening / PV.

I've made an edit with the Aikoto-relevant bits for archiving purposes, but the full Opening can be watched here.

To follow the tradition, let's break it down!

First thing of notice is that Makoto turns and looks up right in the direction where Aigis eventually appears later in the opening. This feels pretty deliberate to me, because it happens right as we hear the lyrics: "Til you see me on the other side of stars".

And what do we see reflected in Aigis' eyes?

Makoto, alone during the Dark Hour.

It's also worth noting that when Aigis first appears, she takes a battle stance, almost as if she's getting ready to shoot an enemy. It's only a couple of frames later that we see her expression change to one of realization and worry, and her stance shifts into reaching out for Makoto.

This contrast between Aigis' nature as a weapon and her growing humanity is also shown in the way her eyes are drawn.

While the P3R opening focuses on the machinery inside her eyes, in this new opening we focus on the emotions reflected in her eyes and in the object of said emotions: Makoto.

During this sequence, we hear these lyrics: "No matter how far (no matter how far), How you go (how you go)" which perfectly fit the visuals of Aigis reaching out for Makoto.

Lastly, once we pan to Makoto, we hear: "How long it may last." He is on his own and when he summons his Persona, the one to come is Thanatos, symbolizing that he is getting closer and closer to Death.

So through the lyrics and the visuals, the opening not only seems to perfectly showcase Makoto's and Aigis' connection, but also foreshadows Aigis being able to sense that she will lose Makoto and being terrified of it 😭

[theoneprecioustome]

Sea Paradise Aikoto!

Earlier this year Sea Paradise had a P3R collab featuring Makoto on the key visual. Today they announced that there will be a second collab, and this time the key visual features Aigis!

Not only are they complementary, matching artworks. If you overlay the artworks, you realize that they're meant to be sitting together 😭

So I made a wallpaper featuring them together!

Here's another one with the sunset-theme, courtesy of Jurawings1:

Famitsu also wrote an article about the collab, and they dedicated a paragraph to Aikoto:

[theoneprecioustome]

New Visual for this year's Persona Concert!

[theoneprecioustome]

Aikoto in the P3R Switch 2 Trailer

Aigis: I understand what my purpose is now.

I love the way the music just stops as Makoto turns to look at Aigis 😭 The best part is that this sequence directly follows a Ryoji voice-over that goes: "Something bad is happening right now. But, for some reason, I feel at peace."

I feel like that, alongside the music stopping, is meant to carry the implication that Makoto felt at peace during that moment where he turned to take one last look at Aigis before going up to fight Nyx.

Speaking about Nyx, there is also this really neat sequence at the very end of the trailer. We hear Pharos say "Let's go", then we see Aigis jumping up to fight, Makoto looking up, and then Nyx is revealed to be up in the sky.

Love the Moonlight Bridge Trio crumbs! The set up also makes me think of Aigis' scene during the final fight, where she tells Makoto that she will fight by his side to the very end.

Coincidentally, Atlus' West seems to have gone for a similar vibe in their tweet lol

Full Trailer in English HERE

[theoneprecioustome]

Aikoto Findings

I shared the first two in the Aikoto Server last year, but I forgot to archive them here 😭

The Blue Butterfly

In the Persona 3 Club Book, the staff reveals that the blue butterfly is meant to symbolize Aigis' Papillon Heart (which translates to Butterfly Heart).

Knowing this gives a whole new layer of meaning to P3's opening cinematic!

We see the butterfly flapping its wings, almost as if it were waiting, and Makoto seemingly sensing it.

So right from the beginning of the game, the devs teased Aikoto and their connection to each other.

One Single Word

This lovely edit to One Single Word, the insert song used for the moment when Aigis finds Makoto in the 2nd Persona 3 movie, made me realize this should also be considered an Aikoto Song thanks to its lyrics:

A cloudscape of dreams As you exhale The cold morning weaves Mist and old tales And threads of a new Hope for love in our world Rising from your mouth Into the morning mist One single word

When Aigis appears during that scene, she starts off by saying one single word before approaching Makoto: 見つけました (I've found you).

It's really sweet that the song that properly introduces Aigis into Makoto's world talks about there now being "hope for love in our world" 😭

Never-Ending Night

Speaking about songs, someone recently translated the song used for the old Persona 3 Pachinko Game in Japan. Turns out that the lyrics are pretty Aikoto-coded! What's more, the song seems to include quite a few references to Memories of You.

The best part is that since the song is sung using Makoto's pronoun, boku, it could be seen as his reply to Aigis.

Never-Ending Night:

Even if time passes by, I will find you

Memories of You:

Even if I lose you, I will find you again

Never-Ending Night:

Ah, don't forget You're not alone

Memories of You:

I remember you were at my side at that moment You were always, always, always there, smiling right next tome I will never leave you (This part of the song is in English, but we can hear the Japanese translation in Aigis S-Link: 一人にわしません, its literal translation being I won't leave you all alone.)

Never-Ending Night:

The stars in the moonlight are calling you I'm sure my voice will reach you, would you notice it?

Memories of You:

At a crosswalk, I heard a voice much like yours I turned around, then looked up at the sky to hold back my tears

Never-Ending Night:

Ah, we'll meet again (in Japanese: Ah, meguri aeru yo)

Memories of You:

In my dreams (when I wake up), I'll see you again (in Japanese: Mata aeru yo)

There are also some bits that seem to reference the aftermath of the fight against Nyx and the rooftop scene. Namely "You can't see me with your tear-stained eyes" and "My hands are there to wipe away your tears".

Lastly, just like Memories of You talks about "eternity", Never-Ending Night uses "everlasting" and "never-ending".

While these could all be dismissed as coincidences, it so happens that the lyricist who wrote Memories of You is the same who wrote Never-Ending Night. So if you ask me, it is pretty likely that both songs are meant to be connected.

Source

Speaking about Memories of You...

Extra: Famitsu

I've been meaning to archive this since March, but I keep forgetting. Famitsu always writes an article to celebrate March 5, and this year Aikoto & Memories of You got a paragraph!

Source

[theoneprecioustome]

Aikoto at the 1st Anniversary Radio Show

I wanted to gather everything in one place for easy access and easier archiving!

Two Aikoto Comments Chosen

A couple of weeks ago, the Atlus JP Account asked us to send comments that we'd like Lotus Juice, Wada and Yamaguchi to reply to during the radio show. Seven comments were hand-picked, and two of them were my Aikoto comments!

They were used to introduce the discussion about Disconnected & Don't. Here is what Lotus Juice had to say about both songs:

Disconnected

"What we wanted to represent with that is Aigis' feelings. After what happened with the Protagonist, she was left behind." He also reveals that during the rap, Aigis is meant to be talking to Makoto, wondering what would he do if he were in her place.

Don't

Lotus Juice confirms the chorus is meant to be about Aigis' feelings for Makoto 😭

The last thing he saw

They got a question about this scene! Yamaguchi revealed that scene was something he really wanted to add, so he was the one who suggested it. "The final view... I wanted the players, who are his alter-ego, to see that final view too. So that's why I added that scene, and it was a cut that we paid a lot of attention to."

The scene received high praise from Wada and Lotus Juice, which made Yamaguchi happy that people were paying attention to it. He went on to add: "That's right. That part is the end, the last view he sees at the moment when his life truly ends, and I added it because I really wanted everyone to see it, so I'm glad that it has reached the players."

The rooftop scene

Lastly, they briefly discussed the rooftop scene before playing Memories of You. Wada commented that the rooftop scene was so carefully crafted that he was amazed when he first saw it, which prompted Yamaguchi to confirm it was the scene they put the most effort into. "I believe that everyone spent 100 hours playing the game in order to see that scene, so we were absolutely determined to create the best thing we could, with absolutely no compromises."

As far as Wada is concerned, the rooftop scene was so amazing that it raised the overall quality of the game by at least one level (I agree) 😂

Extra

The Aikoto + Koro illustration was used as cover for the radio show! Also, out of the 5 songs played, 3 were Aikoto (Disconnected, Don't and Memories of You).