Drew's good buddy Adam Osborn, PhD-pursuer and self-described archnerd, stops by the discuss the Persona games in anticipation of Persona 5 finally coming out next week (but no, really for real this time).Starting at the Less importantly (but still not unimportantly, I know, nerds), heavy SPOILERS for Persona 3 and beyond begin at From Revelations: Persona, through Personas 2 (not a type-o), on through the series' breakout moment with Persona 3 and 4 and their numerous spin-offs, Adam walks us through the legacy of these literate, resonant, bizarre, and not-even-slightly-subtle creations. We read the latter-day Personas as psychologically rich coming-of-age tales, commentaries on JRPG and anime conventions, devastating simulations of social anxiety, and plenty else.If you've never played a Persona game (and especially if you're considering making Persona 5 your first), then consider this a primer. If you have, then consider this a retrospective—a bit like what Drew and Lucio recently did with the Dark Souls games—with, yes, some sketchy Jungian analysis thrown into the bargain.———• Adam wrote about Persona 3 FES at length a while back, and it's a fine, fine read.• Joseph Campbell is often called a "mythologist," which is about as badass a job title as one could ask for.• Here's that primer on Aleister Crowley by way of David Bowie.• And here's that excellent Persona 3 Let's Play by one Monsieur Schildkrote.———"All The People Say (Season 2)" by Carpe Demon. "巌戸台分寮" from the Persona 3 OST by Shoji Meguro.