Persona 3: the Weird Masquerade -Gunjou no Meikyuu-

Persona 3: the Weird Masquerade -Gunjou no Meikyuu- is a stage play based on Persona 3 and the sequel to Persona 3: the Weird Masquerade -Ao no Kakusei-.

Release

 * Japan: September 16-23, 2014 (Performance)
 * Japan: January 28, 2015 (DVD Release)

Profile
Gunjou no Meikyuu is a stageplay sequel to Persona 3's original stageplay, -Aoi no Kakusei-. Jun Kumagai returned as the script writer with Kotora Kagurazawa, while Shoji Meguro returned as the composer. It saw a limited release during September 16-23, 2014 in Theater 1010.

Like the previous installment, both the male and female protagonists appear, but are featured in separate performances.

Male Route
The play starts off on July 7th at the love hotel, where SEES battles the Arcana Hierophant and Arcana Lovers. The Arcana Hierophant manages to escape to the Naganaki Shrine, where a young boy, Ken Amada, is praying, unaware of the Dark Hour or the events going on around him. As the Arcana Hierophant prepares to attack Ken, Shinjiro comes in time and defeats it. SEES takes Ken and an injured dog, Koromaru, to the dorm with them, explaining the nature of the Dark Hour and Shadows. Though found to have the potential, they decide to give Ken time on whether or not to decide to join them.

July passes, and the group takes a vacation to Yakushima. After the boys' attempt to pick up girls - "Operation Babe Hunt" - ends in failure, they encounter a mysterious girl on the beach who quickly runs off. In the evening, Takeharu Kirijo, the current head of the Kirijo Group and Mitsuru's father, shows SEES a video about the conception of the Dark Hour. It is here that Yukari discovers the truth about her own father's death, and that he is responsible for releasing the Shadows that SEES have been fighting. Distraught, Yukari runs off, Sakuya running after her at Mitsuru's insistence. As Sakuya comforts Yukari, Shadows appear. As both are helpless without their Evokers, the mysterious girl from before appears and saves them, introducing herself as Aigis, the Seventh Generation Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon - a robot.

After the trip ends, Junpei meets a young woman named Chidori and takes an interest in her, and Ken officially joins SEES.

In September, Akihiko asks Shinjiro to rejoin SEES. He initially refuses, but relents when Akihiko mentions that Ken is now fighting with them.

During their operation on September 5, they encounter Strega. As they wish for the Dark Hour to continue existing, they lock SEES in a weapons depot. Despite this, SEES fights on, taking out the Arcana Chariot and Arcana Justice Shadows. They manage to find a way out, taking out Arcana Hermit in the process. During the Dark Hour, Pharos visits Sakuya, speaking to him about how much he has changed since his ordeal began.

The next day, a softer side of Shinjiro is exposed when Fuuka catches him feeding Koromaru, much to his embarrassment. He initially refuses Ken's request to come with them to the Naganaki Shrine summer festival, only relenting when he tries and enjoys his homemade food. The festival is enjoyed by all.

The following day at Port Island Station, as Junpei and Chidori speak, Chidori's Persona goes berserk and attempts to kill her. Sakuya and the others who witness this don't know how to help her. Luckily, Shinjiro is in the area and saves her by force-feeding her a suppressant. After Junpei carries Chidori to the hospital, Akihiko discovers that Shinjiro had been taking drugs in order suppress his Persona, which is his form of atonement for accidentally killing Ken's mother. Shinjiro runs off to Akihiko's dismay. Ken overhears the conversation, shocked and saddened that the man he admired is his mother's killer. As revenge for her death was his reason for fighting, he holds it to himself to kill Shinjiro.

On October 4, SEES, with Ken and Shinjiro absent, has difficulty fighting Arcana Strength and Arcana Fortune. During the battle, Mitsuru and Akihiko realize, to their horror, that October 4 is the day that Ken's mother died. They beg Sakuya to find both of them and he agrees. Sakuya manages to find Ken and Shinjiro at Tatsumi Port Island Station, imploring Ken to reconsider revenge. However, their conversation is interrupted by Takaya and Jin, where they reveal that Shinjiro doesn't have much time left due to the debilitating side effects of the suppressants he takes. Ken loses hope for revenge, and subsequently, a reason to live at all. As Takaya prepares to shoot Ken, Shinjiro sacrifices himself in order to protect him. Blinded by rage, Sakuya attacks Takaya, but Jin blocks him and they escape. As Shinjiro lies dying, he tells Ken to live on and tells Akihiko to take care of Ken. Ken cries in anguish after Shinjiro dies.

On October 5th, Akihiko, after grieving during Shinjiro's funeral, finds his resolve to fight for the future, allowing his Persona to transform into Caesar. Ken finds a similar resolve after Sakuya comforts him, deciding to live on for his mother and Shinjiro's sake; Nemesis gives rise to Kala-Nemi. Every member of SEES finds the resolve to keep going within themselves, with Ikutsuki laughing menacingly as they finish.

On November 3, SEES splits into two groups, one battling Takaya and Jin, and the other battling the Arcana Hanged Man. By combining all of their powers, it is destroyed in one blow. Pharos visits Sakuya one last time, where he tells him that he has recovered all of his memories and knows what his role is. He then bids him farewell.

With all of the Shadows defeated, the members of SEES return to a normal life.

Female Route
The play starts off on July 7th at the love hotel, where SEES battles the Arcana Hierophant and Arcana Lovers. The Arcana Hierophant manages to escape to the Naganaki Shrine, where a young boy, Ken Amada, is praying, unaware of the Dark Hour or the events going on around him. As the Arcana Hierophant prepares to attack Ken, Shinjiro comes in time and defeats it. After Shinjiro leaves, the others questioned who was he and how they know him; Akihiko reveals he used to be member of SEES. As they take Koromaru and Ken to the dorm, a shadowy trio is seen observing them. SEES takes Ken and an injured dog, Koromaru, to the dorm with them, explaining the nature of the Dark Hour and Shadows. Though found to have the potential, they decide to give Ken time on whether or not to decide to join them.

During SEES' vacation to Yakushima, Mitsuru receives a call from Ikutsuki, where he explains that a machine has escaped from a lab on the island; he assigns them to secure it. The girls decide to separate and search for it; Kotone becomes separated from them, and before meeting up again with everyone, winds up meeting a mysterious girl deep in the woods. In the evening, Takeharu Kirijo, the current head of the Kirijo group and Mitsuru's father, shows SEES a video about the conception of the Dark Hour. It is here that Yukari discovers the truth about her own father's death, and that he is responsible for releasing the Shadows that SEES have been fighting. Distraught, Yukari runs off, Kotone running after her at Mitsuru's insistence. As Kotone cheers Yukari up, Shadows appear. As both are helpless without their Evokers, the mysterious girl from before appears and saves them, introducing herself as Aigis, the Seventh Generation Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon - a robot.

After the trip ends, Junpei meets a young woman named Chidori and takes an interest in her, and Ken officially joins SEES.

In September, Akihiko asks Shinjiro to rejoin SEES. He initially refuses, but relents when Akihiko mentions that Ken is now fighting with them.

During their operation on September 5, they encounter Strega. As they wish for the Dark Hour to continue existing, they lock SEES in a weapons depot. Despite this, SEES fights on, taking out the Arcana Chariot and Arcana Justice Shadows. They manage to find a way out, taking out Arcana Hermit in the process. During the Dark Hour, Pharos visits Kotone, speaking to her about how much she has changed since her ordeal began.

The next day, a softer side of Shinjiro is exposed when Fuuka catches him feeding Koromaru, much to his embarrassment. He initially refuses Ken's request to come with them to the Naganaki Shrine summer festival, only relenting when he tries and enjoys his homemade food. As everyone enjoys the festival, Shinjiro mentions to Kotone that he lost a pocket watch a long time ago.

The following day, Kotone visits Officer Kurosawa and retrieves Shinjiro's pocket watch. Meanwhile, as Junpei and Chidori speak, Chidori's Persona goes berserk and attempts to kill her. Kotone and others witness this don't know what do to help her. Luckily, Shinjiro is in the area and saves her by force-feeding her a suppressant. After Junpei carries Chidori to the hospital, Akihiko discovers that Shinjiro had been taking drugs in order suppress his Persona, which is his form of atonement for accidentally killing Ken's mother. Shinjiro runs off to Akihiko's dismay. Ken overhears the conversation, shocked and saddened that the man he admired is his mother's killer. As revenge for her death was his reason for fighting, he holds it to himself to kill Shinjiro.

In the beginning of October during the typhoon, Kotone decides to return Shinjiro's pocket watch. Shinjiro is in his room, gasping in pain as his Persona flies in a rage. She panics and questions him, but he refuses and takes a suppressant. He discovers that she found his pocket watch; he takes it back and leaves, much to Kotone's discomfort.

On October 4, SEES, with Ken and Shinjiro absent, has difficulty fighting Arcana Strength and Arcana Fortune. During the battle, Mitsuru and Akihiko realize, to their horror, that October 4 is the day that Ken's mother died. They beg with Kotone to find both of them, and she agrees. Kotone manages to found Ken and Shinjiro at Tatsumi Port Island Station, imploring Ken to reconsider revenge. However, their conversation is interrupted by Takaya and Jin, where they reveal that Shinjiro doesn't have much time left due to the debilitating side effects of the suppressants he takes. Ken loses hope for revenge, and subsequently, a reason to live at all. As Takaya prepares to shoot Ken, Shinjiro sacrifices himself in order to protect him. Blinded by rage, Kotone attacks Takaya, but Jin blocks her and they escape. As Shinjiro lies in pain, he tells Ken to live on and tells Akihiko to take care of Ken. Kotone goes to his side, tearful; he holds out his hand to her, telling her not to cry. Ken sobs in anguish after Shinjiro loses consciousness.

In October 5, at Gekkoukan High School, Mitsuru informs Yukari, Junpei, Fuuka, and Kotone that even though the doctors were able to save Shinjiro, he is stuck in a coma. Akihiko, after grieving for a now-comatose Shinjiro, finds his resolve to fight for the future, allowing his Persona to transform into Caesar. Ken finds a similar resolve after Kotone comforts him, deciding to live on for his mother and Shinjiro's sake; Nemesis gives rise to Kala-Nemi. Every member of SEES finds a resolve to keep going within themselves, with Ikutsuki laughing menacingly as they finish.

On November 3, SEES splits into two groups, one battling Takaya and Jin, and the other battling the Arcana Hanged Man. By combining all of their powers, it is destroyed in one blow. Pharos visits Kotone one last time, where he tells her that he has recovered all of his memories and knows what his role is. He then bids her farewell.

With all of the Shadows defeated, the members of SEES return to a normal life.

Both Routes
After the play ends, Tartarus suddenly emerges in the Dark Hour, with Ikutsuki appearing and laughing menacingly before entering Tartarus.

Music
Here are the list of songs/tracks that were used during the stage play:
 * Burn My Dread (-P3 the Weird Masquerade ver- (Male version)) sung by Shouta Aoi (Sakuya Shiomi)
 * On The Night Of Nemesis sung by Tomonori Suzuki (Ken Amada)
 * Touch My Heartstrings sung by Zaq and Shouta Aoi (Aigis and Sakuya Shiomi)
 * Strega Theme sung by Takeya Nishiyama, Yuuichi Matsumoto and Haneyuri (Takaya Sakaki, Jin Shirato and Chidori Yoshino)
 * Twin Souls sung by Ray Fujita and Yuuki Fujiwara (Shinjiro Aragaki and Akihiko Sanada)
 * Twin Souls (Solo) sung by Yuuki Fujiwara (Akihiko Sanada)
 * Brand New Days (P3 the Weird Masquerade -Gunjou no Meikyuu ver- (Male version)) sung by Shouta Aoi (Sakuya Shiomi) and rest of the cast.
 * Soul Phrase (-P3 the Weird Masquerade ver- (Male version)) sung by Shouta Aoi (Sakuya Shiomi) and the rest of the cast.
 * Burn My Dread (-P3 the Weird Masquerade ver- (Female Version)) sung by Kana Asumi (Kotone Shiomi)
 * On The Night Of Nemesis sung by Waku Sakaguchi (Ken Amada)
 * Touch My Heartstrings sung by Zaq and Kana Asumi (Aigis and Kotone Shiomi)
 * Brand New Days (P3 the Weird Masquerade -Gunjou no Meikyuu ver- (Female version)) sung by Kana Asumi (Kotone Shiomi) and the rest of the cast
 * Soul Phrase (-P3 the Weird Masquerade ver- (Female version)) sung by Kana Asumi (Kotone Asumi) and the rest of the cast.
 * The Poem for Everyone's Souls (-P3 the Weird Masquerade ver-) performed by Zaq (Aigis)
 * Deep Breath Deep Breath (-P3 the Weird Masquerade (short ver)-) performed by Ray Fujita (Shinjiro Aragaki)
 * The Battle for Everyone's Souls (-P3 the Weird Masquerade ver-) sung by Zaq and Marina Tanoue (Aigis and Fuuka Yamagishi)

Cast

 * Male protagonist (汐見朔也, Shiomi Sakuya):
 * Female protagonist (汐見琴音, Shiomi Kotone):
 * Yukari Takeba:
 * Junpei Iori:
 * Mitsuru Kirijo:
 * Akihiko Sanada:
 * Fuuka Yamagishi:
 * Shuji Ikutsuki: Mitsuru Karahashi
 * Pharos:
 * Aigis:
 * Takaya Sakaki:
 * Jin Shirato:
 * Chidori Yoshino:
 * Ken Amada: (female protagonist),  (male protagonist)
 * Shinjiro Aragaki:

Adaptation Differences
There are difference between the game and stage play:
 * Members of SEES do not wear summer school uniforms throughout July to September.
 * Koromaru does not join SEES at all, only appearing in two scenes.
 * Ken and Shinjiro's relationship is similar to how it acts out in Persona 3 The Movie; while they meet under different circumstances, Ken initially admires Shinjiro until discovering that he is his mother's (accidental) killer.
 * During the July full moon battle, Arcana Hierophant escapes from the love hotel into Naganaki Shrine. Shinjiro is introduced by saving Ken from its attack.
 * The Arcana Chariot, Arcana Justice and Arcana Hermit Shadows all appear at the same time in September.
 * The summer festival takes place during September instead of August.
 * In both versions of the play, the protagonist (Sakuya/Kotone) comforts Ken after Shinjiro's death (or coma) instead of Akihiko.
 * Fuuka's Persona, Lucia, does not evolve into Juno.

Male Route

 * The male version takes a number of cues from the second of the Persona 3 The Movie series.
 * After they defeated the Arcana Hierophant, Arcana Lovers charmed Junpei similar to the movie except by slapping and rendering him unconscious, Sakuya kicked him in the stomach and he comes back to his senses.
 * The July mission is toned down heavily compared to both the film and the original game. Instead of the shower scene, the Arcana Lovers Shadow charms Yukari and Mitsuru into acting flirtatious with all three of the guys.
 * Sakuya is shown wearing his casual wear during Operation Babe Hunt.
 * Instead of fighting with SEES during the fight against Arcana Fortune and Arcana Strength, Sakuya pursues Ken and Shinjiro in an attempt to prevent the former from killing the latter.
 * Shadows appear while Sakuya and Yukari are at the beach, and Aigis comes to their rescue.

Female Route

 * The same as the male version of the play except in the female version, Yukari gets charmed instead, but enters into a berserk-like state.
 * The July mission is the same as the male version of the play (flirting instead of the shower scene). In the female version, Junpei and Akihiko are charmed instead.
 * There are hints of Kotone becoming smitten with Shinjiro, as she returns his pocket watch to him. However, nothing comes of it. It is uncertain if Shinjiro has feelings for her as well.
 * "On the Night of Nemesis" is sung in a lower key in Kotone's route, due to Sakaguchi having a lower voice range than Suzuki. This is one of the occasions where a song is modified to cater to a different voice range. However, in the version sung in the medley in Heikikuu no Kanata e, both actors sing in the same key due to changes in their voices.

Gallery

 * General

Trivia

 * The scene with Akihiko holding Junpei so he can feel the breeze while the group is sailing to Yakushima references the film .