Last week, ATLUS released episode 2 of their behind-the-scenes series Reloaded for Persona 3 Reload. The first episode they released was about the Hero’s Aleks Le, Yukari Takeba’s Heather Gonalez, and Junpei Iori’s Zeno Robinson with a special appearance from Michelle Ruff, Yukari’s original voice actor. This time we have even more.
In this episode, we hear from Suzie Yeung for Fuuka Yamagishi, Dawn M. Bennett for Aigis, and Justine Lee for Ken Amada. We also get an appearance from prior and original voice actors for these characters. Cindy Robinson voiced Ken during Persona 4 Arean Ultimax. And the original voice for Aigis, Karen Strassmen.
We first see Cindy Robinson introduce herself as the current voice for Ken Amada in the Persona franchise. The original actor back in 2006 was never credited. She shares that the cast knows each other and it plays into the performance. Of how they can resonate with each other and match a certain note and speech in the game. We then hear from Justine Lee as Ken Amada. Justine wanted to be heard and wished for anonymity during the video. Justine understands the role of Ken, knowing he wants to be viewed as older even though he is a kid. Wants to be viewed as mature instead of looked down upon. Cindy added the context that is due to an incident with his mother that sets him on the path to what he is now. A slight spoiler for the game. Because of the incident, it robbed Ken of his childhood and forced him to grow up.
Next is Suzie Yeung, the voice for Fuuka Yamagishi. She says the role of Fuuka is that of a very reserved girl who is insecure about her place in the world. A girl who wants to do good and support those who would support her in return. While laking in self-confidence, she does have the drive to improve and is thankful for being a part of SEES.
Then we see Dawn M. Bennett and Karen Strassman. They share the details of how while Aigis is an andrioid made to combat Shadows, she wants to be more. Wants to be more Human and form a connection. To feel human emotions like they can. To feel a sense of purpose outside of what was given or programmed into her. Karen shared that the role back then was very important to her and that she wanted to touch people’s souls. And to her credit, I think she did.
They gave their final thoughts, like how Cindy’s sessions always left her in tears and full of emotion. Dawn shared that she looks up to these veteran actors, and to make relations with them is fulfilling for her. Karen shares being thankful for the love from the Persona fans. How Suzie was amazed that the fans were chanting Fuuka’s name during the Anime Expo. She feels a deep connection to this game as the cast contains many of her closest friends. Like Fuuka, surrounded by friends and support. Overall, the cast understands the weight of this entry and what it means for the fans and themselves.
