Visualive Persona 4: The Evolution is a stage play based on Persona 4, the fifth entry in the Persona series. It is a direct sequel to Visualive Persona 4. It saw a limited run at The Galaxy Theatre in Tokyo from October 3 to 9, 2012.[1]
The stage play covers from Naoto's dungeon to the true ending and includes some elements from Persona 4 Golden such as Shadow World playing during the opening. During the performance recorded for the DVD, the protagonist was named Hayato Asakawa. The characters are portrayed by actors on stage with Personas and other special effects projected on the screen behind them. Nanako Dojima also appears as an animated character on screen projection instead of being portrayed by a child actor. Additionally, Rise, who was only a voice over in Visualive Persona 4, is now portrayed by an actor.
Home Release
The DVD was released on February 15, 2013. It included a 2nd bonus disc with backstage footage and a cast discussion. Pre-orders came with a collectible ticket. The first printing of the DVD came with a pop-up desktop calendar.[2]
Although the story is adapted from the original game, it features elements from Persona 4 Golden (music, Adachi's Arcana, the bug catching net), which had been released only a few months prior.
As with the previous installment, the protagonist had a different name for every performance. People who purchased tickets could submit names, and attendees whose submissions were chosen received a gift at the venue.[3]
Certain performances were followed by a short live concert with Shihoko Hirata, the vocalist of the game's soundtrack. A recording was included among the DVD bonus features.[4]
Nomenclature
Names in Other Languages
Language
Name
Meaning
Japanese
舞台 VISUALIVE ペルソナ4 the EVOLUTION Butai VISUALIVE Perusona 4 the EVOLUTION
Japanese