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Persona 3 The Movie #1 Spring of Birth's 2nd Promo Unveiled

The official website for the Persona 3 the Movie #1 Spring of Birth film updated at midnight on the Tuesday (the night of the full moon), and added a new promotional video, character designs, and a new piece of key visual art (seen above). The voiced promo introduces the protagonist as he learns about the "Midnight Hour", a mysterious hour hidden between midnight in which all action stops. In order to fight the monsters called Shadows that wander this time, Makoto Yūki must awaken to his Persona within him, and summon it to defeat the menace. The video features the song "More Than One Heart" by Yumi Kawamura.

The cast remains the same as the original PlayStation 2 video game:

Akira Ishida (Slayers Next, Neon Genesis Evangelion) as Makoto Yūki, the protagonist. He has the wildcard Persona, meaning he can use various Personas and not just one.

Megumi Toyoguchi (The Sacred Blacksmith, Danganronpa The Animation) as Yukari Takeba, Makoto's female classmate who is on the archery team. Her persona is Io.

Kōsuke Toriumi (Hakuouki, Prétear) as Junpei Iori, Makoto's classmate and close friend. He likes cracking jokes in almost any situation. His Persona is Hermes.

Rie Tanaka (Hyperdimension Neptunia The Animation, Chobits) as Mitsuru Kirijō, Makoto's upperclassman and the president of the student council. She is close friends with Akihiko, and they have known each other since middle school. Her Persona is Penthesilea.

Hikaru Midorikawa (Majestic Prince, Slayers Next) as Akihiko Sanada, the captain of the school boxing team. He is obsessed with training, and often gets scolded by Mitsuru for overdoing it. His Persona is Caesar.

Mamiko Noto (Hell Girl, Arcana Famiglia) as Fūka Yamagishi, a girl in a different class than Makoto and the others. Although very shy, she is extremely kind. Her Persona is Lucia.

Voice recordings from the late Isamu Tanonaka will voice Igor, the master of the Velvet Room. A very mysterious old man who has the ability to read destinies and fuse Personas.

Miyuki Sawashiro (Galaxy Angel, K) plays Elisabeth, a guide of the Velvet Room who is a bit eccentric and curious about the outside world.

In addition, it was also announced that Kazuya Nakai (One Piece, Gintama) will play Shinjirō Aragaki, an upperclassman and friend of Akihiko and Mitsuru's who left the school and Iwatodai dorm for reasons unknown.

Cast and staff comments are also available to read on the website.

The film will open in Japanese theaters on November 23. Those who pre-order tickets beginning on August 10 will receive a character clear file with a Persona leaflet matching the character on the folder (designs with Makoto, Yukari, and Junpei are available at random). Tickets bundled with original goods are also planned, and can be purchased from Family Mart.

Noriaki Akitaya (three Bakuman. series) is directing the first film at AIC A.S.T.A. with Seiji Kishi (Persona 4 The Animation, Devil Survivor 2 The Animation, Angel Beats!) supervising. Jun Kumagai (Aura: Maryūinkōga Saigo no Tatakai, episodes of Persona 4 The Animation) wrote the screenplay, and Keisuke Watabe (Crest of the Stars, Banner of the Stars) is serving as character designer and animation director. Shoji Meguro (Persona 4 The Animation) is composing the music.

In the game's story, there is a hidden time known as the "Dark Hour" that exists between one day and the next when all movement in the town stops. During this time, terrible creatures called Shadows roam, and a group of high school students in the city of Iwatodai are drawn into the Dark Hour to fight these creatures and explore the mysterious tower of Tartarus. This group uses weapons called Evokers that are used to summon Personas.

Images © Index Corporation/Persona 3 the Movie Production Committee

Embedded video via Gematsu