When Persona 4 was released, I was extremely excited to play. Persona 3 was one of my favorite games of all time, and I was looking forward to another emotionally deep, riveting story with a cast of relatable characters. What I got instead was mild disappointment; it was still a solid Persona game mechanically, but it lacked the character depth and dark story that I had grown fond of in its predecessor. Still, the game did what it was 'supposed to' I suppose, and improved on the battle system, having dungeons improved over Tartarus; so despite how I felt about it emotionally, it was hard to say it was a 'worse' game objectively.
Persona 5 fixed this love/hate relationship with the series' new direction. In essence, it's what I wished Persona 4 was. I was worried when I first saw Morgana, and worried it would be another intolerable, annoying plague like Teddie; to much delight, I actually found him to be quite likable, in a similar way that Aigis was. This was already a huge step in the right direction; the rest of Persona 5's cast did not disappoint. A certain air of maturity and personal relatability for an older audience that Persona 3's cast also had, had returned.
The story is also rather good. No more (**spoilers for P4 incoming) ad-hoc evil gas station attendant. Whereas P4 felt like it was trying to be a P3 clone, Persona 5 branches out and attempts a new avenue with its story-telling altogether, and succeeds amazingly.
Persona 5 was really a fantastic and memorable experience. I haven't even mentioned the myriad of improvements P5 made with regards to Persona-series' gameplay. It is, by far, the least grindy of all the Persona games I've played, with a variety of side activities, including meaningful social links, and enjoyable dungeons. The game also has a new-game-plus option, which I was equally eager to utilize as my first playthrough.
A solid game and the experience that I wished Persona 4 to be and more, Persona 5 was a pure delight.