Ace Attorney First Impressions

The Opening

First off I must say I’m not usually a huge fan of openings, this one is an exception so far. I watch them once and then tend to skip through them after the first episode or a change in opening mid-season. However the opening to Ace Attorney made me pumped for the show. It starts off with 80’s-esque music moving into a modern style introducing guitars. The intro starts off with off with the sun rising over a large city with skyscrapers at its center. Then as the music builds the scene transitions into a courtroom as the sun rises and travels through the sky casting moving shadows over different areas of the courtroom such as the gavel and podiums. This was where the intro hooked me, that rush and opening scenery started to raise my blood pressure and I was on the edge of my seat for the rest of the opening. Then as the music comes to a culmination and moves into the first verse the sun shines on the scale that is associated with law as from this the background of the screen bursts into fire and the title of the show appears distorted and completely blacked out, quickly brightening and fading into the title of the show in blue lettering against a fiery, golden background. Seriously everyone, I’m getting goose pimples thinking about this. Then the scene transitions to Phoenix Wright running through a city in a field and slowly tripping a bit because of his attempt to dodge some child’s chalk drawings. From here the scene transitions show Phoenix struggling with different characters and what appears to be his rival. Then as they battle the dreary beach that they’re on burst into a field of sunflowers. The scene transitions back to Phoenix running with his friends and once again the scene changes to Phoenix in the courtroom battling against his rival, blue energy emitting from him and a maroon energy emitting from the rival. Still have those goose bumps. Then for the finale the scene changes to Phoenix pointing at the viewer with a building as a backdrop and the intro ends moving into the episode abruptly. I must say that I wasn’t the biggest fan of the abrupt end but it did keep me interested and held me. Opening Rating 8/10

The Story

Alright the flow of the story in this episode is a bit different from what I'm used to for mystery animes, granted I haven't watched a whole lot, it still was different to my experience. Right off the bat we are shown who the murderer is and the defendant (sort of). This was really interesting because now that we know who did it we get to see the process that Phoenix takes to prove the defendant innocent. As the episode progresses we meet some of the main characters. The studio brings them in one by one and they do so by right away tying them to Phoenix. This was interesting because although they each are brought in under different circumstances we are able to feel the connection between the characters and the importance they each play in Phoenix's life. When we get to the trial it's a roller coaster of emotions between the characters. The show really focused on making sure the story made sense as well because if you pay attention to the show and the little bits of information that are presented you can actually solve the case along with or before Phoenix. Then at the end we are shown a clue of what will happen in the next episode. Over all the story was great and was able to show the gravity of each character immediately and I love that I can tag along with Phoenix throughout the case not just as a viewer but as an attorney. Story Rating 10/10 The Characters (Order of Appearance)

Naruhodo Ryuichi (Phoenix Wright): He is the main character. He is a young male in his mid to late 20’s possibly. He’s a new lawyer and he’s ambitious. We see that he can be clumsy and silly. Despite his silliness he truly wants to be a lawyer and once he is engaged in a courtroom battle he takes matters very seriously. Although he may not seem as the brightest lawyer he is actually quite intelligent. He not only proves the innocence of his best friend he also proves that the witness is actually the murderer. He is the archetypal main character who is ambitious and is a quick learner. Ayasato Chihiro (Mia Fey): Is the chief of the firm Phoenix works for, making her his boss. She is must be in her late 20’s early 30’s judging by her youthful appearance and the fact that she runs his own law firm. Ayasato is a serious person most of the time however it doesn’t mean she is grumpy. Rather, she shows herself to be very encouraging and somewhat protective. When the trial almost ends with Phoenix losing his first case and seeing his best friend sent to jail she steps in and provides him with motivation to continue. She is an experienced lawyer as the viewers can tell from her tips. Auchi Takefumi: He is Phoenix’s opponent in the first episode. He’s a middle-aged man who we find out wears a toupee. He is a serious man showing little emotion until the end of the episode when he loses and is shown shouting while his toupee comes loose. He sounds like a goblin when upset. Yahari Masashi (Larry Butz): He is a young male in the same age range, if not the same age as Phoenix. He is Phoenix’s best friend and the reason why Phoenix became an attorney. He is loud and can be annoying leading to the nickname “Yapari” given by Ayasato. Although he is emotional he seems to be a good friend as witnessed in the flashback sequences.Judge: The judge is an older man, most likely in his 60’s judging by his grey beard. He is a generally stern-looking man who takes no side during the trial. He has no hair and a long beard. He is not without emotion however when at the end of the episode bursts out for the police to arrest the murderer and his show of surprise to Phoenix for the way he finishes the case. Yamano Hoshio: He is the middle aged male witness that Auchi calls to the stand. He seems to be overly eager to blame Yahari for the murder. He is evil and has some knowledge of law. He appears to be happy but slowly becomes more energetic and rude towards Phoenix. Character Rating 8/10

The Sound

The music in the show serves it's purpose. It's heavily used to adjust the emotion of a scene by adding tension or speeding up and causing your adrenaline to pump. Outside of that the music is very standard. The voice acting on the other hand is done well. Yahari is loud, whiney, happy, and thoughtful throughout the episode. The villain is two-faced in regards to the voice acting. He starts off sweet and nice then slowly becomes more aggressive and rough sounding trying to really pin the fault on the defendant. Chihiro's voice is generally calm and reassuring where Phoenix's is hopeful and full of energy. Finally the Judge's voice is generally steady and does not really expose much emotion, but rather sets the character up as a neutral party. Sound Rating: 7/10 The Setting

The anime is located in a large city. Most of the scenes in the first episode were either in the victim's apartment, in the court, or outside on random streets. Generally there isn't a lot of scenery, and there shouldn't be. This is an anime about a lawyer in court. So for the setting there can't be a whole lot of innovation with the scenery. Setting 7/10 The Animation

The animation is a little above average. The character designs are a bit funny and look like they were taken straight out of the video games. Which I understand that this is an anime from a game but it still feels a bit unpolished. The scenery however is very nice. It's well detailed and the lighting is fantastic in the show. Animation Rating 7/10 Enjoyment

Overall I love the show so far. What really pulled me in was the story. I love when a show pulls a viewer in like this one. The tension and emotion in the show can be overdone, but not to the point of excess. Each scene fits perfectly with the ones before and after it. The character interactions are great as well. The little banter, support, pleas, etc. are just enjoyable to watch and listen to. Two of my favorites added details of this show are the dialogues boxes that pop up to establish a new location and new characters. Even the sound of the typewriter is fantastic, making it feel like a stenographer is typing the descriptions up for the viewer on the spot. The next little detail I like is the visuals and sound during the court case. When Phoenix is presented with a new bit of evidence a little bell sounds and the information kind of floats over to him and disappears showing the collection of the new piece of evidence. Enjoyment Rating 10/10 In the end... So I really like this anime so far. The studio did a great job pulling me in and keeping me there. I can't wait for the next episode. The characters and interactions were great and the setting, although limited were well paired. This is an anime about Phoenix Wright solving cases and the studio has delivered. I wholeheartedly recommend watching this anime and sticking along with it. Even if you haven't played the games (sorry everyone, I'm one of those people) you will really like this show if you're into the the recent string of occupation/hobby anime or into mystery and crime solving.

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