The Phantom Thieves are here to steal your heart again!
Creative Staff
Original Content: ATLUS
Story & Art: Hisato Murasaki
Translation: Adrienne Beck
What They Say:
After successfully changing Kamoshida’s heart, Akira and his friends decide to continue operating as the Phantom Thieves. Not long after, they meet famous Japanese artist Ichiryusai Madarame and his student Yusuke Kitagawa. The Phantom Thieves hear rumors that Madarame might be up to some shady stuff. Ann accepts Yusuke’s request to model for him in the hopes that she can get some information out of him, but Yusuke refuses to hear it! Will the Phantom Thieves be able to expose Madarame’s crimes? And what is the startling truth about Yusuke’s past?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
The Phantom Thieves need to go after bigger targets. The famous Japanese artist, Ichiryusai Madarame, would be a good start. Ann is invited to his exhibit by Yusuke. This is the perfect chance to get some information! Akira, Morgana, and Ryuji are on standby outside. Ann’s first impression of Madarame is that he’s not as bad as people made him out to be. He seems like a humble guy. However, she does notice that Yusuke seems a bit off. Afterward, Ann meets up with the others and reports that she didn’t really learn anything new. Still, there’s got to be something going on with Madarame. Why would so many people accuse him of abusing his students and stealing their artwork? They still have another chance to get some information. They all head over to Yusuke’s place because he eagerly wants to paint Ann. Also, Yusuke’s place is also Madarame’s place. They immediately ask him about the rumors surrounding Madarame. Yusuke doesn’t want to talk about them. Madarame shows up and tells the group that the rumors are simply rumors, nothing more. I don’t know if I believe that coming from such an evil-looking dude. Morgana sneaks into the house and locates a weird door that’s locked. What could be in there?
Next step, finding the word that describes Madarame’s palace. My personal guess would have been “gallery” but it turns out to be “museum.” Close enough. A few moments later, the Phantom Thieves are exploring his palace. They come across a whole bunch of portraits of Madarame’s students. He thinks of them as objects to be displayed in his museum. Well, Madarame is definitely an a-hole. This should be enough evidence for them, right? Madarame is definitely their next target. While the evidence is pretty damning, Akira suggests waiting until they talk to Yusuke one more time. He wants to make sure there are no mistakes. I can respect that. That means Ann will have to model for Yusuke after all! While modeling, she asks him about Madarame. Yusuke describes him as a kind and gentle soul who took him in when no one else would. What about the rumors of abusing students and stealing their artwork? Preposterous! Although, it’s true that some of Madarame’s students didn’t get along with him. But they were all good people dedicated to art. One of them even treated Yusuke as a little brother.
Speaking of the guy that treated Yusuke as a little brother, the Phantom Thieves actually changed his heart in Mementos. His name is Natsuhiko. The others meet up with him and he pretty much confirms that the rumors are true. Madarame does abuse his students and steal their artwork. He even drove one student to their death. I knew he was evil. Madarame made Natsuhiko’s life a living hell after he left the studio. It led him to become the stalker that he was. He wants the Phantom Thieves to change Madarame’s heart so nobody has to end up like him, especially Yusuke who he thought of as a little brother. I think that’s enough evidence for them to move onto the next phase. The others go back to tell Ann what they learned. They discuss their next course of action which is getting Madarame to change his cognition. They need Madarame to open that locked door in front of someone so that it also opens up in his palace. Well, it looks like Ann is going to have to entertain Yusuke’s request to model nude. Oh my! Akira and Ryuji will be waiting at the palace.
Ann convinces Yusuke that she can only go au naturel if a room she feels safe in. Hey, that locked room seems like a safe place! She should change in there. Yusuke says no one else is allowed in that room and refuses. Doesn’t he want to paint her naked though? Yusuke is being tested! Morgana is trying to open the door while he’s distracted. He better work fast because Madarame just got home. He gets it open in the knick of time and Madarame witnesses the locked door being opened. Success! The door in his palace also opens. Inside the room, Yusuke discovers numerous forgeries of the painting Sayuri which has been his life’s inspiration. Madarame claims that he’s been selling counterfeits for profit. How could he!? Obviously, it’s because he’s a terrible person. But wait, what’s that over there!? Yusuke spots the real Sayuri. Wasn’t it supposed to be stolen? Looks like Madarame is busted. His response? Call the police on Yusuke and Ann. It’s probably a good time to bail and that’s exactly what they do. To Madarame’s palace!
Everyone is reunited inside the palace. Yusuke is also there with them and he discovers the ugly truth about Madarame. He has trouble accepting it but he knows that Madarame is a monster. They’re soon confronted by Shadow Madarame. He admits that he treated all of his students as tools. He also claims that he had every right to do so. What a jerk, am I right? Shadow Madarame has a bunch of guards attack the group and that’s when Yusuke awakens his Persona, Goemon. He freezes those guards in ice and it gives the group a chance to escape. They know where the treasure is. They’ll be back for it another time! Everyone welcomes Yusuke to the group. His Phantom Thief’s name is now Fox. One calling card later and they’re back inside Madarame’s palace. The Phantom Thieves work together to steal the treasure. The alarms are sound and they have to escape. Morgana, unable to resist shiny things, has to see what the treasure is and discovers that it’s a fake. They’ve been bamboozled! Madarame catches up to the group and arrogantly shows them the real treasure which happens to be the actual Sayuri. The woman in the painting is holding a baby! That’s new. As a parting gift before he eliminates everyone, he tells Yusuke that the baby in the painting is actually him. Gasp! Now that’s a cliffhanger.
In Summary:
You’ve got to really feel for Yusuke in this volume. The person that he admired and looked up to his entire life turned out to be a scumbag. The man that raised him only wanted to use him as a tool for his own gain. It’s a sad story. At least he found out before it was too late. And hey, the Phantom Thieves got his back! The more allies you have, the better. Keep on fighting the good fight! As was the case with the previous volumes, you’re not missing out on much if you’ve played the game or watched the anime. It’s still faithfully following the game’s story which isn’t a bad thing. You’re not getting anything new but I don’t mind reliving the story again in manga form. The pacing has gotten a little better and that’s always good. I can’t wait to see the Phantom Thieves give Madarame a beatdown in the next volume!
Content Grade: B
Art Grade: B+
Packaging Grade: B+
Text/Translation Grade: A
Age Rating: T
Released By: VIZ Media
Release Date: July 14th, 2020
MSRP: $9.99 (US), $12.99 (CAN)
