I just can't be convinced that the ending is earned, at least not executed in this way. Unless there is some cultural divide that is lost on me, the people around at the end of the school year do not seem fazed at all about your apparent losing battle to a terminal disease. Everyone saying something akin to "you look tired.." is really, really underselling the gravity of the situation, and it doesn't help that your best buds show up in the best of moods at the end. It was such a disconnect that I did actually have to look up what really happened. I get (and appreciate) the angle that death is simply a changing of the seasons, but that doesn't necessarily line up with an ending this...happy? Then again, maybe the fact I'm this put off by it is a testament to this message.

I commend the rest of the game, though, for being the strongest in the series at adhering to its central theme and exploring it with more nuance---at least when shit starts really happening about 30 hrs in. This story isn't "reject authority, change society, and oh, FIGHT GOD too!" (P5), it's "we all fear death, and you too must now reckon with it". If P4 has the best central cast and P5 the best world building and aesthetic, this is P3's biggest win in addition to its confidants. I was thoroughly entertained by every one.