Haru Okumura
Haru Okumura | |
---|---|
Persona character | |
First appearance | Persona 5 (2016) |
Designed by | Shigenori Soejima |
Voiced by | EN: Xanthe Huynh JA Haruka Tomatsu |
Motion capture | Smile Saki[a] |
Portrayed by | Riko Sugahara (stage play) |
In-universe information | |
Affiliation | Phantom Thieves of Hearts |
Nationality | Japanese |
Haru Okumura (奥村 春, Okumura Haru) is a character in the 2016
She has received generally positive reception, though she ranked low on popularity polls of the main cast.
Concept and creation
Haru Okumura is a female teenager designed
Haru has a Persona named Milady; this Persona eventually awakens and becomes Astarte. The designers wanted to emphasize how her Persona, like Haru, became organic after being artificial. They also reflected how Haru and her Persona bore similarities with Makoto and her Persona; they cited their similar grade and gender, as well as having controlling adults in their life and no father as a reason for why their Persona come from similar roots.[5]
Haru was voiced in Japanese by Haruka Tomatsu and in English by Xanthe Huynh.[6] When she was given the role, the latter was only told that she would be voicing a character in a video game without specifying who she was voicing or the game she'd be working on. Only after signing non-disclosure agreements did she find out she was working on Persona 5. This was atypical for her, as she did not audition for the role. She was then given a description of Haru and an image of her.[7][8] When performing Haru, the only thing Huynh found tricky was "going beyond certain constraints," trying to balance this so that even if it goes out of character, it's still justified in her character.[3] The recording process was spread out over a year, and Huynh considered it very long, longer than most anime projects.[8] She considered it one of her most-known roles.[8] She reprised her role in the Persona 5 anime adaptation.[8]
Haru's room in
In Dancing Star Night, Haru's dancing is performed by motion actor dancer Smile Saki. Kobayashi discovered her while she was doing a ballet dance, and she was asked to do it for this game, to which she accepted. She did not feel comfortable with her level of ballet skill at the time, so she took lessons and practiced her choreography, only to be informed that the emphasis on ballet was too strong. She was asked to do a kind of ballet that normal people would appreciate, and not worry too much about the rules of ballet. This was difficult for Saki, who had these rules ingrained in her due to her long history of doing ballet. Kobayashi noted that his reasoning was that too great a focus on dancing beautifully would take away from Haru's personality.[10]
Appearances
Haru first appeared in the 2016
Promotion and reception
Haru Okumura has received multiple pieces of merchandise since her appearance in Persona 5. The candle company Wick & Skull, in collaboration with Atlus and Sega, produced a candle based on Haru that has scents of freesia, lilac, and peach.[11]
Haru has been generally well-received; despite this, she was the lowest-ranked on a poll of playable Persona 5 characters, which Rock Paper Shotgun writer Kaan Serin attributed to the fact that she had little time for players to get to know her compared to the rest.[12] The A.V. Club writer Clayton Purdom, while criticizing how long Persona 5 is, felt Haru's story was "entirely disposable."[13] Kotaku writer Luke Plunkett similarly felt Haru was unnecessary, stating what while her story was tragic, it and her personality were not compelling to anyone besides people who are "really into knitwear."[14] Despite Plunkett's initial disinterest in Haru, he felt that being away from Persona 5's "latter-stages grind" improved her considerably in Persona 5 Strikers, making her one of his favorite characters. Part of the appeal for Plunkett was how Haru's experience caused her to dislike police.[15] The Gamer writer Stacey Henley noted that her line criticizing the police was her most memorable line in the series.[16] Fellow The Gamer writer Cian Maher similarly found himself enjoying her more thanks to Strikers, calling her "quick, witty, and genuinely funny" while still having a warm personality. He speculated that her shift away from pleasing others has led to her being more critical of the police.[17]
The Mary Sue writer Madeline Carpou criticized the execution of other girls in the game, such as Ann, stating that Ann did not develop much beyond the first act. She initially did not care about Haru since she seemed like a typical "soft sweet yet secretly murderous" girl, but grew to enjoy her more, considering her "surprisingly cool" and praising her character development while regretting pursuing romance with Ann instead of Haru. She felt frustrated that Persona 5 introduced Haru so late into the game.[18] IGN writer Izzatul Razali considered her one of the best female characters in the series, saying that she represents "independence and strength" and that her "kind-hearted and socially awkward" nature makes her "lovable."[19] GameSpot writer Jess Howard was initially not as interested in Haru in Persona 5, but grew to like her more in Persona 5 Tactica.[20]
Stacey Henley felt that she was an underrated romance option in the game, saying that Makoto and Ann are the positioned as the "obvious choices" due to being complementary designs, with Ann being "blond, beautiful, and feminine" and Makoto having an "aggressive take-charge attitude" with "boyish mousey hair." She felt that Haru missed out due to being introduced much later, at which point players likely already chose a romance route. She also felt that the location she was found in, the vegetable garden, was so out of the way, and thus players would only go there for the sake of finding her, unlike others, who are easily found. Henley, however, felt this fit her character, discussing how her outfit and body language suggested she was an "incredibly shy" character. She felt that this shyness made it more difficult to pursue her romance, finding that hers was rewarding.[16]
Writer Melissa Jane Lewis discussed the Snake archetype, which has its origins in a woman spurned by a dishonest man in a tale meant to warn "pious young men of the dangers of interacting with men." She discussed how Haru has similar themes to this archetype, citing how she is initially pressured into an arranged marriage by her father, only for the Phantom Thieves to save her, leading her to go from someone who is "obedient and meek" to someone who is "confident" and "somewhat sadistic." She noted that while the roles of Haru and the Snake are "slightly reversed," discussing how both are deceived by men, and are then "admonished for acting in a deviant manner" when their "grief and rage" cause them to transform, going against gender norms and embracing a more assertive, bold, and sexually free side of themselves.
Notes
- Persona 5: Dancing Star Night
References
- ^ Bondakji, Jouanna (November 18, 2022). "Persona 5: Royal - Every Phantom Thief's Concept Art Vs. Their Official Art". The Gamer. Archived from the original on June 19, 2023. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
- ^ Shigenori Soejima P-STUDIO Art Unit ART WORKS 2010-2017.
- ^ a b "Persona 5 Official Xanthe Huynh Haru Interview". IGN. December 13, 2016. Archived from the original on January 3, 2024. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
- ^ Sato (May 11, 2016). "Persona 5 Shares More Background Info On Makoto, Futaba, Haru, And Their Personas". Siliconera. Archived from the original on January 5, 2024. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
- ^ a b Persona 5 Maniacus.
- ^ "Haru Okumura". Behind the Voice Actors. Archived from the original on January 5, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
- ^ "Xanthe Huynh (Voice of Haru Okumura of Persona 5) Interview - Behind the Voice". ANIME Impulse アニメ インパルス. August 22, 2018. Archived from the original on January 5, 2024. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Voice of Haru Okumura - Xanthe Huynh Interview - Persona 5". sackchief. January 8, 2021. Archived from the original on January 5, 2024. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
- ^ "Artwork". Persona official magazine #2018 dancing!. Kadokawa. 2018.
- ^ a b Persona 3 Dancing Moon Night / Persona 5 Dancing Star Night Official Visual Book.
- ^ Makar, Connor (July 26, 2023). "You can now experience the aroma of Ryuji and Haru with new Persona 5 candles". VG247. Archived from the original on January 3, 2024. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
- ^ Serin, Kaan (January 5, 2023). "Ryuji fans won't be pleased with this Persona 5 Royal character poll". Rock Paper Shotgun. Archived from the original on August 24, 2023. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
- ^ Purdom, Clayton (May 23, 2017). "Persona 5 is too damn long". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on January 3, 2024. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
- ^ Plunkett, Luke (May 15, 2017). "Persona 5 Confidants, Ranked". Kotaku. Archived from the original on January 3, 2024. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
- ^ Plunkett, Luke (March 14, 2021). ""We Just Despise The Police": Persona 5 Strikers Is OK". Kotaku. Archived from the original on January 3, 2024. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
- ^ a b Henley, Stacey (October 15, 2022). "Haru Is Persona 5 Royal's Most Underrated Romance". The Gamer. Archived from the original on June 3, 2023. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
- ^ Maher, Cian (January 15, 2021). "Haru Said ACAB In Persona 5 Strikers". The Gamer. Archived from the original on June 3, 2023. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
- ^ Carpou, Madeline (July 30, 2018). "'Persona 5,' I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down". The Mary Sue. Archived from the original on January 3, 2024. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
- ^ Razali, Izzatul (June 30, 2023). "The Best Female Characters in The Persona Franchise". IGN. Archived from the original on August 12, 2023. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
- ^ Howard, Jess (November 17, 2023). "Persona 5 Tactica Review - Vive La Persona". GameSpot. Archived from the original on January 3, 2024. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
- ^ Jane Lewis, Melissa (March 2020). "Beneath The Mask: Schoolgirls, Identity, and Procedural Revolution in Persona 5". University of Cambridge. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 5, 2023. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
- ^ Ivančić, Martin (2023). "A Multimodal Analysis of Immersion in Persona 5 Royal". University of Zagreb. Archived from the original on January 3, 2024. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
- Vice. Archivedfrom the original on January 6, 2024. Retrieved January 6, 2024.