Anime adaptations and movies for Japanese role-playing games are not uncommon, especially with the “Persona” video games, a popular role-playing series. “Persona 3” has had movies and “Persona 4” spawned into an anime series adaptation based off the game. “Persona 5” is no exception, as the first two episodes of “Persona 5: The Animation” have just been released. Sadly, they are not that good.

“Persona 5” was one of the best games of 2017. Gamers played as student Ren Amamiya as they traveled through metaverse with his friends Ryuji, Ann and Morgana. The game was praised for its great level design, great story, compelling side characters as well as well-done combat and boss fights.

The anime has the same overall story as the game, but unfortunately, cuts the bits and pieces from it that made it great. Conversation that built character development and relationship between Ren and many of the side characters are gone, making the story feel rushed.

Additionally, certain events in the first two episodes are confusing to people that are unfamiliar with the game. Things are added to the anime that feel weird to the story and take away the mystery to certain plot points that are introduced in the game’s story.

Thankfully, the animation and voice acting in the anime is top notch; the animation looks just as good as the game’s animated cutscenes. The only aspect in which the animation was not up-to-par was the fighting scene. The fighting with the persona was rushed and awkward. The all-out attack—which is the special attack you can use in the game once all the enemies are knocked out—looked horrible and unfaithful to the game.

The soundtrack is the same soundtrack as the game—with the exception of the OP and ending theme—so it is just as spectacular. That said, “Persona 5: The Animation” is not off to a great start judging from the first two episodes. As with most anime adaptations, this is not a good sign for the entire series. Watching it is only recommended if you have no way or no incentive to play the game. “Persona 5: The Animation” is available to stream on Hulu.