Persona 3 The Movie: Chapter 1, Spring of Birth

Persona 3 The Movie: Chapter 1, Spring of Birth (劇場版「ペルソナ3」第１章 Gekijō Ban Perusona 3 Dai Ichi Shō^?) is a 2013 Japanese animated film based on the Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 video game by Atlus. The film is directed by Noriaki Akitaya, written by Jun Kumagai, based on the original story by Atlus and distributed by Aniplex. It stars voice actors Akira Ishida, Megumi Toyoguchi, Kōsuke Toriumi, Rie Tanaka, Hikaru Midorikawa and Mamiko Noto. The story begins when orphaned teenager Makoto Yūki transfers to Gekkoukan High School in Iwatodai City and discovers a phenomenon called the Dark Hour during which supernatural entities called Shadows roam freely. After awakening to an ability called Persona, Yūki finds himself intertwined in the ongoing struggle against the Shadows with his new schoolmates. In the process, Makoto and his friends unearth terrifying truths while unaware of the destiny which lies ahead.
Development of the film project began in 2012 when it was first teased during the limited theatrical release of the Persona 4 The Animation: The Factor of Hope feature film on June 9, 2012. Aniplex later announced a Fall 2013 release date and that the main voice acting cast of the original PlayStation 2 game would reprise their roles in the film. Renowned anime director Seiji Kishi was hired to supervise Anime International Company's overall production using a modified production team that worked on Persona 4: The Animation. The team also featured Persona 4: The Animation script writer, Jun Kumagai and the Megami Tensei franchise's music composer, Shōji Meguro.
Aniplex constructed a promotional website, released four trailers and launched an advertising campaign which also made use of various mechanisms of the Persona 3 game as they applied to the real world. The film received an advanced screening at the Wald 9 Cinema in Shinjuku, Tokyo on November 16, 2013 followed by its release in theaters across Japan on November 23, 2013. It is the first installment in a film series based on Atlus' Persona 3 story. A sequel titled Persona 3 The Movie: Chapter 2, Early Summer is slated to be released in Summer 2014.