After the disappearance of Chief Kanzato, things become quiet until the appearance of a Persona user with no control of his demonic alter ego. Soon after, two more Reverse Cases show up, along with an increase in the number of Apathy Cases, bringing the numbers to levels unseen since Persona 3. The increase is having an affect on humanity's collective psyche, indicating that things are about to get much worse.
If any of that made complete sense, consider yourself a candidate for viewership.
The first volume of Persona -trinity soul- came with a big disclaimer stating, "...unless you have a good understanding of Persona 3, -trinity soul- isn't for you." Persona -trinity soul- Volume 2 comes with the same warning, only now with the first volume attached as well. There's nothing here newcomers couldn't sort of figure out, but it would be the equivalent of jumping into the middle of the third season of Lost without any background.
Actually, Lost isn't a bad jumping off point. Similar to the island-and-time-jumping TV series, -trinity soul- is one mystery wrapped around another with that added hit of anime weirdness.
The real "heart" of the series, or at least its grounding point, is the relationship between brothers Jun, Shin and Ryou. In the first half of the series, Jun and Shin were forced to move in with their estranged brother. The three barely know each other, but are forced into the world of meta-physical warfare together. Much of the second arc focuses on Shin coping with a bit of family history and Jun learning to "get along" with his twin Yuki, whose brain was transplanted into his body. The brothers will also have to cope with yet another big loss and form a group of Persona users for the coming battle.
-trinity soul- delves into a lot of typically anime plot devices. There's Jun's "brain twin," as well as mysterious kids with creepy eyes, people summoning monsters and psychics. It's everything but giant robots. What's great is every component makes sense as an organic whole. Nothing is tossed in "just because;" every element pushes the story forward in some way. It's a natural cause-and-effect structure that helps clean up most of the first half's pacing and planning issues. It's not a complete fix, but there is a noticeable difference in the two.
As with the first set, a full color art book is included with the set. Similar to the first book, it's packed with artwork from the series as well as plot synopses and background information on most of the secondary characters. Also included are creator interviews as well as some four-panel comics.
Persona -trinity soul- Volume 2 is a good follow-up to an okay first half. The series' will still appeal mostly to Persona fans, but is still strong enough to pull in other anime fans willing to familiarize themselves with the series' background.
