Persona 3: about "personas"

Hi guys, I was wondering if anybody here has played Persona 3? If you have, my question is, is the whole creating and customizing Personas easy to get into?
Also, can you get by in the game without getting too much into the whole creating and customizing Personas thing?
I have played Revelations: Persona and Persona 2: Eternal Punishment. I just could not get into the whole creating and customizing Personas in Persona 2.
So therefore, the mature storyline of Persona 3 is intriguing to me, but if the personas system is too complex, it would be a big turnoff for me.
Also, can you get by in the game without getting too much into the whole creating and customizing Personas thing?
I have played Revelations: Persona and Persona 2: Eternal Punishment. I just could not get into the whole creating and customizing Personas in Persona 2.
So therefore, the mature storyline of Persona 3 is intriguing to me, but if the personas system is too complex, it would be a big turnoff for me.