i was actually thinking about this last night so getting this question was kinda spooky but i do have a lot of thoughts. so forgive me this one will be long.

i think the linked episode system being only 5 episodes long kinda hampers it quite a bit. i do like the system and ideally i'd hope it returns for future games as a replacement for social links for the main cast, but i do feel in P3R that they're not spread out enough, not numerous enough, and that none of the linked episodes in P3R, aside maybe ken's, really live up to their potential.

to best explain my issue with it i have to mention a writing maxim about prioritizing the time you do have to effectively communicate as much as you can. this isn't a "overload your reader with information" thing, it's a philosophy where no line needs to be devoid of content and intent. anything that is said or done is an opportunity to communicate something about that character or the story. when you have something like the linked episodes, which are generally much longer than individual social link ranks but are half as numerous, you have to be more careful in not putting too much emphasis on one thing, and branching out to try and encompass as much about the character even within the condensed plotline. that being said, you also get a good opportunity to delve deeper in each particular instance whereas social links tend feel like they end pretty abruptly to save the continuation of the story to the next rank.

with that maxim in mind though, i think it's valuable to ask - and is something i think about when i considering game writing - what do you honestly get to see through akihiko's linked episodes? this isn't me saying "lmao there's nothing there", it is a genuine question. in my opinion, a lot of isn't bad, and i'd genuinely argue that there are numerous good moments in it that reveal more insight into akihiko's character, which i'll talk about in a moment. the problem with it lies in a recurrent issue i feel with the other linked episodes. for me, too much of it is redundant in showing a particular 'brand' of akihiko is and - while that might be more forgivable when you have a full 10 rank social link - when it's just 5 episodes it starts to feel like there are wasted opportunities and a lot of unexplored nuance.

in my opinion, these secondary moments with the main team beyond the main story, whether that be social links or linked episodes, should prioritize revealing a side of or simply more about the character's main arc that the player is not going to get through the main story interactions. for instance, while you know already that mitsuru is a wealthy woman, you don't really get to see her truly sheltered nature until you do her social link, where the 3 first ranks focus on how little of a normal life she's gotten to live. you also know that she's struggling with the fallout of her father's death, which you only know about when halfway through when she reveals her betrothal as well as her conflicted feelings about it. mitsuru's social link compacts a lot into its small timeframe, and while i much prefer the femc version of the route where they add even more onto her character, the point is is that you learn so much more about the breadth of mitsuru's character through her link. aigis' is the same but in a different approach wherein her social link has a single recurrent theme throughout and instead dedicates itself to delving deeply very into aigis' emotional nuances. akihiko's linked episode in my opinion fails to really effectively accomplish either of these - you don't learn the breadth of akihiko's character, nor do you get a good in-depth look of what makes him tick.

a lot of what irks me about akihiko's linked episodes (besides its conclusion. we're not talking about the conclusion but god i hope he gets run over by a snowplow) is how it doesn't effectively use its time to highlight akihiko's hidden nuances, the stuff you don't get to see through the main story. that isn't to say it doesn't have anything of value - it does. this is going to be annoying and isn't entirely necessary but i'm going to do a rundown of each episode, as well as my general thoughts on each specifically and what how it relates to akihiko's character.

1: i think the first one is actually one of akihiko's best written ones.
- it's after he joins into sees operations again, where he invites you out to eat to thank you for allowing him to prioritize his training better since you've stepped up as leader. i like akihiko's humility here and i don't mind the focus on his training stuff here (or in any of the earlier elements) because pre-october is supposed to be akihiko as immature and compulsively obsessed. this includes parts where he talks about wanting to test his strength, and then running back to the dorm.
- he is being noticed and pestered by a couple of fans, which he is noticeably made uncomfortable by and then runs off, reaffirming that his motivations are "just to become stronger" and notably that he isn't doing it to get noticed (and that he dislikes being noticed).
- i really like akihiko's passing advices to makoto, telling him not to push himself, emphasizing his support, and the line "we only have so many hours left in the day" (moments where akihiko's restlessness is shown are some of my favourites, him mentioning time is part of it).
- i like how akihiko's principled idealism and overconfident naivete become apparent with him intervening as the girls from earlier are harassed, mentioning the police (this will get nauseating however akihiko having a strong trust in the police makes logical sense for his character, especially given how close he is with kurosawa, which i also like being apparent in this episode).
- i also like how akihiko doesn't really know how to respond to the gang, but shows an overconfidence in his abilities and/or a feeling of having to do something to protect himself/others with how he agrees to fighting them. that being said, i don't really like the framing of this being "yes he feels he will beat them and he probably would" - i like the interpreting it as him showing overconfidence, and becoming reckless due to the presence of a challenge. i don't think the writing does enough to emphasize this idea and tries too hard to make akihiko look cool.
- reemphasizing akihiko's protective nature, especially of underclassmen, is also done here and is generally nice. i like these parts
- i know i mentioned kurosawa dialogue earlier but. i'm very glad he's there, and that they interact! kurosawa and akihiko's dynamic isn't something that goes particularly well-established outside of a few dorm dialogues and a drama CD, but he does have a pre-established history with kurosawa and trusts him greatly. i'm glad they put him in the link, and that he knows akihiko well enough to advise makoto to be wary of akihiko's faults.

2:
- starting off the bat with saying i do not like the flashback. for how episode 2 starts off with mentioning yukari's blowout pre-yakushima it really does absolutely nothing. his musing about it is interrupted and never brought up again that made me question well why was that even there - to show him thinking about the future, and/or reconsidering his motivations? if that was the intent, they don't do nearly enough to emphasize that point. it's literally one lines where he's just musing to himself "our future battles..." and nothing is done with it.
- look, i'm going to have general thoughts about this overall part later as i generally dislike the recurrent presence of the gang (it's just not necessary past episode 1), but i do like that they are used to reinforce akihiko's narrow-minded perception - with how he thought that they challenged him as a way to test each other's strength - and his protectiveness over others.
- i'm a bit more conflicted on them using the gang to show akihiko's recklessness. he is willing to fight them because they threatened his friend, but makoto suggests they run away and he's like "good call. that's why you're the leader". it's weird to me because literally almost to a T, this scene plays out in character vol. 5 of the drama CDs, where he, junpei, and makoto are challenged by a group of (idk what word to use so i'm using a comical one) ruffians in the alley, but akihiko is the one to propose that they run away. seeing it flipped in P3R as if it doesn't even occur to akihiko that he'd be better off avoiding a fight between himself and like, twelve ddues, is strange with that context in mind. he has self-preservation and good combat sense, and even agrees afterwards that fighting would've turned out poorly. i think him just going into fight mode is to show his hot-headedness, but i don't think it's a good application of the character. akihiko is hot-headed, but he's also very logical. to me it's a pretty minor but still there example of a renewed emphasis on one trait overshadowing the other.
- moving on to the part of this episode that i actually do like akihiko's parents. look personally my hc was that he had a distant and more strained relationship with his parents because of the timing of his adoption and their absence from mention across 92% of media that akihiko is in, but i am really glad that they at least mentioned them. i also think it's sweet that he has a very good opinion of them. so while i think a more distant, supportive-in-the-background-but-strained-in-the-foreground relationship would've made more sense, i don't have too many complaints about it. ermm cool to see SEES interacting :D i don't know why mitsuru says "at least you know how to behave in front of your parents" since it's not like his behaviour to his parents was ever shown or mentioned but it's whatever
- mmm i think i like akihiko being surprised at the idea that the remainder of the dorm would be happy about him sharing his uav care package. it's not really as elucidated in P3R, but in P3P he has established issues letting people be close to him emotionally pre-october, and the idea that akihiko only really knows how to show he cares in the form of protecting others (and more blind to the idea that he could just. bond with them normally) is very in character for him. i overall like the end dialogue quite a bit, especially with him reminiscing about the orphanage. parts where akihiko slips up and starts thinking about the past are nifty, you see it in the 7/12 interaction with shinjiro where he gets defensive when shinjiro calls him sappy
- i also think it's cool that he acknowledges the protagonist's strength but doesn't want to just be jealous :^) the line shows personal initiative. fun!

3: time for my opinions to begin to get radically more negative hope you're prepared
- starting off with something positive. he doesn't know how to cook. fun! aligns with established character traits. i don't really agree with them giving akihiko cooking hangouts in P3R because it gives off the idea that he knows at least something (whereas this linked event shows that he's kinda helpless in the kitchen comparatively) but whatever it's minor
- overall, i quite like the whole pancake party thing. at least the idea of it. it's sweet for akihiko to feel nostalgic post-10/4, and wanting to cheer up the people in the dorm. and also himself. and i don't think it's intentional but mentally i'm delusion and like to see it as him cooking as a way to feel connected to his past and to shinjiro specifically, who like, yeah, was good at cooking. sidenote the whole thing about eating pancakes at the orphanage was mentioned in the 2009 P3P fanbook, which is interesting that they had it here at all
- i also like that he plays it off as him just as having had a craving and making too much. deflecting from the idea that he just wanted to do something nice for people (baby steps at least hes trying to show he cares). furthermore the connection with food as a way to bond with his friends in the context of the link also feels like a product of link 2 where he's surprised at people being happy about him sharing his uav care package
- not the biggest fan of the 2 protein drops here but it's not the biggest deal who gaf
- shinjiro reference yayyy. not by name and i don't really know why that that is. "a certain someone" "someone else" "He". just say his name ?
- miki reference yay. reminiscing in the wake of his friend's death yay. using something that made her happy to try and make others happy is nice.
- overall the lore drops are nice. it begins a pattern that i'm going to mention later, but overall in rank 3 i think the miki focus is neat, and having him talk about the medal as if ever since receiving it he's been thinking a lot about what it means is really sweet.
- pertinently, i really like this scene as showing him first as having realized his own faults, his difficulty in navigating what it means to be strong and how to show people he cares about that he does. that's really good for akihiko's character, especially in highlighting how trying to be that reliable protector figure is one of the only ways he's known how to show people he cares about them, and rectifying with the idea that maybe that just isn't enough
- that being said, it feels ... kinda contradictory for him to end his speech off with "from now on, i'm gonna protect it all", because so much of his character to this point has been that already, and in this scene in particular shows him reconsidering what that even means and how he can actually show people his concern and care. this dissonance comes to be a recurrent issue for the remainder of the link. it's like - they have these parts where akihiko feels like he's really maturing in how he views others and himself, interrupted with moments that feel out of place and more along the lines of his previous mentality. while it makes sense to him to still be resolved to protect the others in SEES (it's something he sees as his duty), the point is that it feels really weird to place a remark reinforcing his aspiration to protect others in a moment where he's expresses doubt on whether or not that's enough, and a desire to branch out with how he cooks pancakes for everyone to try and make them feel better. i do know this whole tangent ends up being connected to shinjiro with their promise to become stronger together, but i feel like if they wanted to have shinjiro referenced in this episode, it would've made more sense to have akihiko devote his efforts in showing others he cares by using shinjiro as an example. hell it literally makes no sense why it wasn't because shinjiro was also in the same orphanage and attended the same pancake parties that akihiko and miki would've attended - that 2009 fanbook interaction i mentioned earlier has akihiko and shinjiro both remark about it - and again was a good cook, so i don't have a clue why they framed this reference as a protection thing here. we already know akihiko has resolved to see sees' operations through to the end.
- lastly fuck the gang storyline at this point like it just SNORE MIMIMIMIMI

4:
- SNOREE MIMIMIIMIMIMI HONK SHOO HONK SHOO WHO GIVES A FUCK ABOUT THIS STORYLINE GOD WE GET IT ALREADY HE LIKES PROTECTING OTHERS i literally eyerolled so hard at this fucking scene like. remember how i was talking about how it's redundant. it's so fucking redundant. it's impossibly redundant. anyway
- to be honest this is just the second worst one easily. he just kinda dumps his feelings which is like cool awesome i would like this in most other contexts but there was like no pretext here. a lot of it is about the nyx reveal specifically and how he felt about it but the game doesn't really do much to even show any significant reaction on his part like they do with junpei, so him voicing his thoughts now, in the past tense, feels lacking in context. i genuinely like these kind of wordier scenes when characters open up and explore the complexities of their feelings but out of everyone in sees i'd say akihiko is the one that takes the reveal the best. having him now be like "it was a moment of weakness - i felt fear, i lost my way" is kind of confusing when he really has little indication of that. there's two notable dorm dialogue where he muses about the nature of death and reminisces about loss (i don't actually know if one made it into P3R, i didn't see it) but story-wise? he admits he's afraid in one line when they're all talking about it and that's kind of literally it as for the pretext to this entire dialogue. i like that he's showing his perseverance and demonstrating his tenacity, but when that demonstration comes without any visible stumbling, it doesn't feel like he really had much of a struggle to overcome? and it lacks impact as a consequence? i like him trying to use himself as an example to help bolster makoto's resolve, i think that's very mentor figure big brother core of him, but like. that's the only thing i like about it otherwise. maybe it would be better if he was still indecisive, still in this alleged "weak point" that he's opening up to you about first-hand and showing that ability to confide in others as part of his maturation. but i also don't think that'd be entirely fitting, because akihiko wants to a role model to others and knowing makoto has been saddled with the decision making, i don't think it'd be logical for him to vent here either. i have mentioned before a distaste for the apparent necessity in persona's writing to include the protagonist. if they gave foreground to this scene with showing akihiko perhaps by himself trying to parse through how he felt about the appriser reveal before dumping his conclusions on makoto to try and motivate him, that'd be better.
- okay medal sequence time ignore the 3 random protein mentions in this scene. this is something i also think would've just been more impactful if it was him alone rather than with the protagonist. i think about it a lot how like i don't really feel much of an impact with makoto being there while akihiko's like "man i dunno..." and then putting it on him, and think it'd be more meaningful if it was a shot of him alone thinking about his past loss ones and putting it on himself to signify that renewed sense of confidence as he resolves to face nyx. especially because he says "i did it miki" (in context, this line doesn't make sense to me and i'm still confused why he says it, but it was nice i guess? i don't know what he did).
- also really hate how his takeaway at the end of this scene is "i might not be good at like words and showing i care and stuff but i will be there when you need backup" self-improvement is for chumps actually and trying to be better to voice your care and concern for others is lame LOL! who would've guessed that fighting and protecting people was all they'd ever need! (THIS IS LITERALLY HIS PHILOSOPHY FROM BEFORE SHINJIRO'S DEATH? HOW IS THIS MATURATION?). could they not have just said like. "i'll keep trying". something?? i feel like i'm going insane
- key item being dumbbells is the most snork mimimi thing of all time by the way. he literally already admits makoto is stronger than him like 3 times throughout the link and they play it off like "uhhh what can i get you to show my thanks" like dawg. who even are you. why are you like this. get out of my house. i hate y

i need to make a necessary tangent here and talk about something that disappointed me especially, but a complaint that i can't make a fair judgement to its actual veracity because i'm naturally biased. this being the absence of shinjiro mentions in akihiko's linked episode. to be honest i'm very surprised they didn't have an episode for akihiko during september? i assume it's because september is a very packed month, but it's something i would change if i could (ep 2 being moved to like early sept). anyways, to me it was very disappointing how little shinjiro is mentioned by akihiko across the linked episode, particular from 3 onwards. in fact, there's only two times he's referenced at all, and it's never by name. the only time that his name is spoken in relation to the linked episodes is in akihiko's 3/3 dialogue (that they nabbed from P3P anyway). the remaining dialogues about shinjiro are unvoiced dorm dialogues that the majority of players likely aren't going to see, as well as like 3 or so tartarus dialogues. it kinda blows and feels confusing how like. fucked up about it they want you want to see akihiko.

but personally, it's always been very disappointing to me how little akihiko's grief post-10/05 is emphasized compared to literally everyone else in the cast, it's something i had hoped P3R would help fix. sadly it is made doubly disappointing by how he does reminisce about the past, just not his past with shinjiro (even though 5 out of the 9 years that akihiko knew miki he was also knew shinjiro and we know that all three were friends, as shinjiro remarks several times about miki too). i've made posts about this before, and i often get comments that either "akihiko's character is about moving on" or "he knows shinjiro wouldn't want him to be hung up on it" but that has never made sense to me. akihiko's character has focus on the past in both the beginning and the end of his arc, it's the way he views that past that is the problem. he has an unhealthy relationship with the past where he distorts his sister's death as the result of his own failing and weakness and develops an obsession with atonement through 1) gaining strength and 2) devoting himself to protecting others in order to prevent loss again. i agree that shinjiro likely wouldn't want akihiko to be hung up about his death, as he discourages him on 7/12 and in episode rain from his reminiscing about the past, but shinjiro's view on the past isn't healthy either nor is it necessarily relevant to akihiko's journey here. akihiko's story presents very interesting opportunities to explore grief but it really doesn't feel like atlus want you to feel like he's in grief past 10/4 at all. is he really that built different that he loses a friend he's known for 14 years and just walks it off. mitsuru is out of commission for like 2 weeks when her dad dies and is still very fucked up about it to kyoto. akihiko took a day to get over it. you could say "well, he doesn't mention shinjiro because it's so recent, it'd be difficult for him" and i would agree if not for the several dorm dialogues and occasional tartarus dialogues where akihiko does mention him by name and seems entirely unbothered by doing so.

if i could change it, i wouldn't have that interactions with the gang akihiko fights be more than a single link at the start. one that shows akihiko's staunch principles, his recklessness, as well as his narrow view of the world. i'd also change episode 2 to be after shinjiro's return. akihiko has a koromaru walk dialogue where he says that ever since shinjiro came back, he's been thinking a lot about the past. having him reminisce more after shinjiro's return, but showing that reminiscence with a conflicted demeanour. akihiko's relationship with the past should be more emphasized - it's what haunts and drives him to be the way he is, and while you get glimpses of this in how he opens up more about miki in the last bit of episode 3, nothing to me really affirms that he's really moved on or is even working on it. does he want to change or does he not. anyways, moving on, i am getting sleepy from writing so much about this so i'll try to wrap it up lol.

a lot of what i mean when i say "reload has bad writing" isn't just in how the characters are literally written and my overall sentiment of "well the personality they emphasize here overshadow traits and nuances of the characters that i wish more time was spent exploring instead of minimizing" (which i definitely feel was done here, there is such a profound emphasis on akihiko wanting to protect people that it waters down his development and his less apparent qualities), its goes down to the approach and intent. wada stated in an interview for the game that the added backstories in P3R were intended to connect them better to their stories in P4AU, and even just akihiko's linked episode having a lot to do with tensions with a random gang relates back to 1) how his end career goal is eventually to be a cop and 2) how he's seen chasing after south american cartels to introduce his story.

the entire dialogue with kurosawa at the end, even disregarding the part where akihiko says he wants to go "travel the world and see where his fists take him" connects him very literally to P4AU, because his epilogue there shows him and kurosawa again, now getting drinks together and discussing akihiko's future collaboration with the police. him telling kurosawa that he'll want to meet up with him again sometime in the future is a very literal "hey, this is an arena ultimax reference. this happens in the post-canon story arena ultimax. have you played persona 4 arena ultimax", and overall the entire last rank was essentially just hastily-done-and-not-very-subtle set-up to lead in towards his arena ultimax self (and doing it terribly, because even just that conclusion "it'd be cool to travel the world and see where my fists take me" contradicts how the established story in P4AU is that he did go to college for a semester and THEN dropped out to pursue training but whatever).

the point here, before i let myself get too off topic, is that these choices don't feel like they were made to elucidate anything about akihiko's character nuances during the timeline of P3, but simply rather out of a desire to have something that would connect him to where he is in P4AU. they affirm his drive to protect others again and again, even in situations where it doesn't make sense to be, and undermine the scope of akihiko's personality to repeatedly hammer in this point. a point that you don't actually have to play akihiko's linked episode to even glean. little in the link emphasizes what is not already very emphasized aspects of akihiko's character, and it feels sad how little they actually did despite the occasional good moments. anyways i will be ending this here, if you read this i am so sorry. this isn't even all i could feasibly say on it, but i'm just getting tired at this rate lol