Persona 3 The Answer & Japan's đÏ ĂđČĂá·ÒŒ Epidemic (The Mental Health Taboo & P3's "answer")
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- Äas pĆidĂĄn 2. 07. 2024
- Erebus in P3 The Answer says a lot more about Japan's view of đÏ
ĂđČĂá·ÒŒ & life insurance payouts than you might think! The depiction of the grieving process is remarkable as well, considering how taboo discussion of mental health is in Japan. It's time to dissect Persona 3's setting in Japanese context.
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro & Briefly Recalling Pt 1
1:22 Mental Health Stigma in Japan
4:17 The Answer & The Grieving Process
11:53 Erebus & JP View of đÏ ĂđČĂá·ÒŒ
15:11 Finding Purpose & Hopeful Conclusions
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Sources:
Mental Health Stigma & Societal Attitudes
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/1...
Mental Care Tasked to Family (Kin-based Responsibility)
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
NHK 2021 Hikikomori Documentary
âą Video
"Five Stages" of Grief Misconceptions & Importance of Addressing Past
www.psychologytoday.com/us/bl...
www.psychologytoday.com/us/bl...
Japan's "Idealized" View of Suicide (Historically & Currently)
www.bbc.com/news/world-33362387
JP Life Insurance Policies Paying out for Suicide...
www.fihs.org/volume10_2/articl... (ENG translation at very bottom)
High Profile Government Figures Taking Own Lives...
www.theguardian.com/world/200... (2007)
www.theatlantic.com/internati... (2012) & High Suicide Rate for 14-years
www.nytimes.com/2021/06/24/wo... (2018)
#Persona3Analysis - Hry
Erebus as a concept takes on additional personal meaning whenever I remember that from my mom's side (she being native Japanese), one of her cousins took her own life...
Also to Kubler Ross's credit, when she first came up with the concept of the Five Stages of Grief, she was referring to the terminally-ill patients she was seeing and how they eventually came to terms with their fate. It was only until later that she saw some overlap with the grieving family/friends that were left behind.
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Messy and alternative forms of grieving are something that media needs to focus on more. It would definitely help those who donât feel like theyâre grieving correctly or prevent others from judging them.
For example, when I was in middle school, I lost my brother to brain cancer. When my parents came back from the hospital and told me, I sat by the fridge and shut down for a while. Then I got up, ate my cereal, and went to school. Please note that they gave me the option to skip, my parents did not force me to go. I just felt like I was needed to be there for the other students. I wanted to support them. I even sang at the funeral mass. Flash forward a few more years and I learn that one of my beloved teachers died from breast cancer. I shut down, then move on with what I was doing. I donât know why, but I skip to acceptance extremely quickly. I was grieving, but it was just softer. Unfortunately, my parents canât read minds.
Very recently I was talking to my mom and something reminded me of my brother, and I started to cry. My mom said that was the first time she had seen me cry over my brother, and she sounded a bit shocked. (I have cried. I even cried into my cereal the day of. I just donât like doing it in front of others). That day I learned that my parents were super concerned about me because I didnât cry. When the teacher died, they thought âwell, she didnât even cry when her brother died.â
In hindsight, maybe I shouldâve done something performative, but why would I need to fake my grieving process? At the end of the day, grieving is messy and I love that the Answer shows atypical, ugly, and irrational forms of grieving.
This was longer than I expected to write. The video just got me thinking.
(I think this is also why I like the Twin Protagonists AU so much. Processing my own thoughts through fandom and all that).
On a side note, I just want to add that your analysis and research are always very interesting. Your videos never fail to bring a smile to my face, even ones with tough concepts like this one. I always love learning new perspectives, and you are a great instructor in that regard. đ
The quote "As long as we are alive, we have the power to change" is something I always try to keep in mind, and to subtly remind some of my friends who I know are struggling in a way that won't feel too overbearing or anything. It's so incredibly important to keep in mind that life is fluid, not stagnant. Just as the positive things are not permanent, the negative things are not as well, and we can always get through them. And when they are permanent or out of our control, we are resilient enough to adapt and still find joy in life.
Well said!
Thanks for the thoughtful comment and wishing the best to you and your friends on this life rollercoaster!
Not going to lie, in regards to the Yukari section, I tend to greatly prefer regressive characters or characters who fluctuate in their progression to characters who are just consistently steadily improving. I always found them more relatable and more inspiring because they clearly have difficulty that not only keeps them from moving forward, yet also drags them backwards. Their moments of regression make their eventual success much more powerful because it was not a linear path. On the flip side, regressive characters who are unable to overcome I often find interesting cautionary tales because not everyone can muster up the strength they need to overcome their problems, whether of their own fault or not. The P3 cast has been especially empowering to me lately because I have been struggling with a personal dilemma that is taking a terrible toil on me. Rewatching the P3 movies, listening to the gameâs soundtrack, or just watching memes or analysis (like this one) keep me going. The journey (heh pun) these characters go through is probably the most impactful story I have ever experienced and I am so glad I randomly decided one day to watch these movies just because I was bored heh.
Wonderful video. I absolutely love hearing you deep dive into P3âs themes and contextualize them, whether it be in a Japanese context or a universal one. Amazing work as always.
Glad P3 can be some source of comfort for you during difficult times. Wishing you the best and thanks for watching!!
What I find interesting is that in the west, thereâs shame in committing suicide, but in Japan, shame can result in suicide. Both are really negative ways to view suicide, but they all come from a place of shame.
Persona 3 is a game that is really important to me because I played it in a very dark moment of my life, I was struggling with depression and burn out during the pandemic due to how my faculty reacted to it and even if it was med school much of the professors didn't care about the student body physical and mental health, I take the decision to not continue my studies because I no longer see me capable of pursuing my dream of becoming a psychiatrist or neurologist...
After I left med school I felt lost because I didn't enjoy the things that I liked before I wasn't able to enjoy games for a while, the food had no taste etc. But at that moment I took the division to study culinary arts because I thought "I used to like cooking and it won't take a lot of time to study this".
One of my first lessons was about all the different ways to cook an egg so I thought "is just an egg "t has nothing special in it" but when I taste the scrambled eggs that the chef cook I felt something that I thought I lost and my thoughts radically change from "I'm doings this because it won't take too much time to I certainly want to make other people feel the same joy".
I started to recover that joy that I felt I lost and the first game that I played during that time was p3p and it's message really hit close to me. Even if I didn't play the answer bu watched on CZcams I really see myself In how Yukari and aegis reacted to the MC dead because during that time I was apathetic then I just want to move forward I soon as possible but then the reality hit me hard when in the new of my country was that a senior year med student committed suic*de after being bullied by the doctors that were her "professors" during her practices and thought that she could be me because I was near to that point. Even now I feel that I carry a big weight because study medicine was something that make me feel connected to my late grandpa who was a great psychiatrist and I really respected and loved him a lot.
And sorry for this too much text but I felt I need to take out this from my system anonymously and this video really hit that tender spot.
Eveb though P3 has themes that resonate with people around the world throughout the years, it does feel that knowing the context it was created in really makes the story and themes shine.
As for Yukari, while I get why people would be annoyed by her, I couldn't help but to... Relate to her. While I haven't had to go through grief or depression myself, I met people that has, some being close friends, and that's how I learned that stress and depression can blind anyone's reason and make them react in extreme ways. What really connected with me tho was her desire to move on, to finally rest from all the tribulations that she endured the last year, only to get dragged once again to desl with shadows AND grief
I feel like I wanna talk to my mom after thisâŠ
I felt grief and pain from her when she found out that her mom passed away years ago⊠she couldnât bear to be by herself and was grieving in tears that she had to move away from home with my sister for a week to prepare for the funeral.
Sorry for telling you this⊠I was just looking back to something I couldnât process then when I was still in high school. After watching this, I am ready to talk to my mom regarding my grandmaâs death.
Even though I donât know my grandma from momâs side of the family on a personal level, my mom must have had happy memories with her.
If I hurt anyone regarding this comment, I am sorry, I donât know how to word this gently.
I think it's very touching that you shared something so personal on such a video as this one.
I hope the loss of your grandma is something that has dulled with time. And best to you and your mom. I hope you're able to have a fulfilling chat~
@@LadyVirgilia
Thank you. I wanted to get that out of my chest because even though I have yet to experience grief of this magnitude on a personal level⊠I know that someone else will and that I may experience it eventually, when I least expect it.
1:58 Oh hey, a study involving Australia!
Quote unquote keep it in the family. Coincidentally I just recorded the part of P5R where Ann, after finding out Sojiro doesn't have a Palace, says the whole deal with Sojiro and Futaba should be left to their family.
Woah I forgot how weird "Jr Years" Mitsuru's portrait looked. It feels almost unfinished compared to the present-day ones.
In my opinion, the whole "civil war" sequence is just a metaphor for relatives acting out at a funeral. That happens a lot. I know when my grandfather died everyone reacted differently, some got very emotional, one came home incredibly drunk.
That's a good point. We're used to the idea in stories that characters we're supposed to sympathize need to develop in an upward trajectory, and only villains or other unlikable characters are allowed to get worse as the plot goes on. In real life, a major blow CAN set you back, and I like that Yukari goes through this. It's making me also re-think the supposed "out-of-character" moment Dojima has in P4. You know the one.
I love the ending of The Answer so much. Yukari asking Aigis to be her roommate is the perfect redeeming moment for her.
Your description of "taking responsibility" makes Kamoshida's words after his change of heart, and Ann stopping him, make a lot of sense. I know a lot of business workers and politicians have either killed themselves or attempted to, and even though who don't will often martyr themselves for failure in other ways, like I think some of Nintendo's execs slashed their own salaries when the Wii U underperformed. I think there's a general martyrdom culture that goes beyond a lack of religious taboos, but I'd need more research to pinpoint exactly where it started.
Great video as usual. Erebus is a lot more interesting with this context, I used to find "humanity subconsciously wishes for death" hard to believe but within the context of Japan it makes more sense.
Yeah I also see the "civil war" boss battles as something they needed to add to a video game, since such a large part of gameplay is actual combat lol.
The Answer is just... SO MANY FEELS!! đ„Č
And yes the "taking responsibility" thing seems like such a JP thing, since think about how many scandals are unearthed about Western leaders all the time, yet it's basically unheard of that any of them resign, let alone "atone" to such an extreme...
So glad to hear the added context hits!
The "taking responsibility" thing, sorry to bring it back to Trails ranting, reminds me of CS4's, in my opinion, nearly callously casual attitude towards suicide. Georg sort of worked, but Claire and Lechter just casually try to kill themselves after their boss fight and the party reacts to it like they're being naughty children. It felt so bizarre to me in a series that's usually respectful with dark themes.
Even without the Japanese context I feel like most ppl who deal with mental health concerns or genuinely difficult lives like those with financial, social, etc. issues (considering how bad it can easily be for ppl, anything could fit) would understand the âhumanity subconsciously wishes for deathâ. For those whoâve suffered, death is a way out of a hopeless life. And for those who have it good, they likely have little care for the lives of others and make light of death cuz they donât know how good they have it.
I was lately sorta stressing out about how to approach grief, trying to "do it the right way" but thanks for reminding me that I'm not in this alone since everyone is different in their emotional processing and have the right to grief on their own pace
I very recently lost my only grandfather and during this time have found myself playing through p3 and really getting into it. Once I got to the part where shinji died and saw akihiko' s reaction, I took great comfort in it, it was nice to have a character who at least in some way reacts similar to yourself, it removes that feeling of loneliness and gives some sort of hope in a way.
Hang in there.
true lol
This is beautiful. I almost shed a tear. Keep on going Lady. God has given you a mission and a spark in your heart that will never go away.
Aww thank you!~
I love the answer and Aigis especially in her arc
She is the most desperate at the beginning and then through essentially group therapy she developed a determination to find a new purpose in life
Aigis a former machine only able to fight who just became a person only to lost the reason she lived and failing to protect the one person she vowed to always stay next to
Her past is a black hole of grief, her purpose is gone and sheâs a superfluous being no one wants as the shadow emergency is no more. She also despise her human side as that brings her suffering.
If she can keep her head up and find something to live for so can I and everyone else who thought theyâre future is hopeless.
We can all stand up as long as we live, change and find a reason to live life at its fullest just like she chose to
We can all even become important to others (so they want us around)
We can all lead the brand new days
(The days since we chose to get back on our feet and work to make our life better)
Itâs outstanding the reason she gains back her strength is because she supported her comrades and people wanted her to recover too so she could stay alive with them. She became important to them. Yukari genuinely wants her by her side while Aigis didnât expect it.
The answer is the true epilogue of P3 and its best part to me. I enjoyed it much more as Aigis did a better job as a protagonist than the original MC.
I love it when video essays defy what I think about a piece of art. I still have some issues with The Answer but I like that I can view it with a new and different light. So, nice video
I love it when video essays do that for me too haha. Thanks for giving this video a shot!
Very well made deep video.
The fact that I watched it just about 2-3 days before it became known that my friend has died (he was missing for weeks) made me think about it in advance and prepare myself. Feels like perheps it is making the friefing somewhat easier.
Watching this was really really moving to me in a deep way. Thank you for making this, seriously.
Honestly, this video touched my heart.
Thank you for reaching out to us with this.
Much love to you! Thank you for this thought provoking video about this irreplicable game!
This was a really nice video, and it makes me want to finish P3 and experience the story myself after the movies and watching retrospectives over the years.
Out of curiosity, would you ever make, or has there been, a video on P4's Naoki since he also goes through grief of his own?
Thank you
Stay strong always. While I am currently dealing with personal life challenges, I find myself succumbing to hopelessness. With news of my dear relatives passing away, it just added a whole nother level of grief. You are right, people have their own version to overcome grief. In my case, I think I have not fully overcome grief after losing my ć Źć Ź/grandpa. I probably will after I visit his grave soon. While these struggles challenge my mentality, I always ask myself: "To whom do I offer my successes to?" and by doing so, I get a brain reset to tackle life challenges again
On the aspect of P3FES, while I have enjoyed playing the full game I still refuse to accept the death of P3MC even after the events of The Answer. There is still hope due to Elizabeth, game script writers do not just add random lines to tease fans' heartstrings. I wish the story is still in progress because there are still lots of opportunities for the game. I still look forward to P3 remake. đ«đ«
đ€ after playing persona 3 fes about a decade ago and watching and reading anime and manga like tokyo ghoul as one that dealt with mental health and reading up on how Japan treats mental health. I wonder is there some parallel or similarities with how the African American community treats mental health that the mental and generational trauma goes way back to slavery. Itâs something thatâs I have always thought about with how at least growing up in the earlier 2000s when I was going thru mental health issues and when I talked to family members the response I get was âsuck it up/ignore itâ and that Im 27 realizing that my family members wasnât taught how to deal with mental health issues growing too and it impacted how they went about things in life. I would love to see somebody do a deep dive research in African American mental health and how Japan treats mental health have some parallels.
There actually are many similarities in the social structures of the "minority" communities in America! African, Latino, and Asian cultures lean more collectivist than modern Eruopean-heritage counterparts. Lots more kin-ship/family ties, as well as a stronger leaning towards shame culture vs. guilt culture of Judeo-Christian West (so yeah, our cultures both tend to lean on the "keep it in the family" and sucking it up mentality). These are mostly just based on the observations/experiences of social workers, therapists, psychologists, etc. have noticed when working with these different populations in the U.S though. There definitely should be more research carried out on the different groups in conjunction!
But yeah really cool that you picked up on this trend!
A video that might be worth checking out (a collaboration between a black and JP American church explaining shared solidarity) czcams.com/video/mDiN9o1eUwk/video.html
Anyway hope someday things can look up for your family and their willingness to seek out mental health resources~
@@LadyVirgilia thanks for the video link. I spent countless of times trying to get my parents to open up about there mental health trauma that they have experienced growing up and going thru but itâs a tough nut to crack. Whenever me or my two siblings go thru mental health problems we all talk it out and push thru together. It hard to get them share in order to help push thru and acknowledge theyâre mental health battle and issues so it would hold them back as they get older. Not just my family but the friends and classmates I grew up with was almost all going thru it but we was all told to ignore it some was able to make it out okay and make strides for the better and other didnât.
The genetic part of mental illness _definitely_ hit home for me. A large part of my family has mental illness. This is so prevalent on my mom's side that it's been passed along every generation from my great great grandmother to me. That's 5 generations of mental illness in a row babyyyy. It's so common to the point that I've heard stories about how mental illnesses were treated back in the day, early 1900s, all the way up to now with me and my mom. It's so long running in fact that there's been a transition through each generation from having schizophrenia and mood disorders to just mood disorders. It is nice to some degree to have a mom who understands what I'm going through though since we share all of the same mental illnesses but it can be hard as well, especially for anxiety since we can trigger each other accidentally through our anxiety disorders. Very fun đ
Im new to you channel with these persona 3 analysis videos, I dont know if openly discussed this but I was wondering what chronic illness you have? My illness causes me depression almost on a daily basis, so I feel like I can relate everytime you reference your own illness.
I have neurological illness called transverse myelitis. Sorry to hear about your chronic suffering as well. Take care of yourself đ
The best part about Aigis (best character in the series) is that through P3 through the Arena games we see how she changes and grows and becomes more and more human with the passage of time which is why i kinda want to see her show up in a P5 spin off at some point
My favorite is yukari but I love aigis too the whole p3 cast in general is great
P3's story feels incomplete to me without 'The Answer'. I truly hope it's worked into the remake in some way.
a c*ncer is what the answer is.
When I played P3 I didn't give it much thought from an artistic angle, but when I look back at it I always get the feeling that the entire game was about people who, erm, "played sudoku" to use a CZcams friendly term. As if the moment the characters awoke to the dark hour was when they tried. I mean, the way Mitsuru is so stressed about living up to her high status, or the way Junpei always feels like a screw-up, or the way Fuka gets bullied (especially with that gym prank that triggers her awakening). The dark hour could be seen as that empty terrifying loneliness when you're curled up in bed trying to sleep, just thinking about your problems, and the only visible answer is death.
Despite my retroactive theory, I haven't played the game since Fes came out. I was pretty hyped for it and burned through it quickly, but the Persona games are such a commitment that I haven't replayed them, except P3 since I had the vanilla release and loved it enough to immediately jump on Fes. So I would need to go back and really examine the idea as I played. This video makes me think maybe I'm not too far off with my theory.
But if I am right, what the heck happened to poor Koromaru? What terrible crap would make a dog that depressed? Best not to dwell on it.
And for what it's worth, I always loved the Answer. Even on hard mode, I thought the Journey was too easy, and the Answer finally gave me the chance to sink my teeth into the combat system in a way I just couldn't in the Journey.
IIRC all we get for Koromaru was that his original owner was killed by Shadows and he was subsequently abandoned at the temple.
I think Junpei and Fuuka contradict me, but I think just having a profound encounter with death is enough to awaken you during the Dark Hour. Like, it's probably not the only thing that could, or the only thing necessary, but I think that's why Koromaru awakened: the shrine priest died and poor doggo was living out a life retracing his steps and replaying the same day over and over again like a ghost.
Why censor the title?
CZcams's algorithm and policies. Its very possible this video could get age-restricted.
trigger warning lol