Ace Attorney Episodes 1-3 Review

Court is in session

(This review is spoiler-free!)

I’ve only played the first game in the Ace Attorney series (the one this anime is based on) and while I enjoyed my time with it, it didn’t stick with me like a lot of other games did. I enjoyed the high-energy feel, some of the cases were interesting, and the music was good, but ask me to recite one line of dialogue or give a character’s full name on the spot, I couldn’t tell you.

So I was going into this anime sort of a mixed bag. I wasn’t a huge fan of the series, per say, but I certainly didn’t dislike them. Plus, since it was based on the sole game I’d played, I figured I’d enjoy it more.

It sure didn’t start off well. Episode 1 is a mess by anyone’s standards, and it was clear the showrunners were trying to get through retelling the tutorial section of the game as quickly as possible. For some reason the characters all are listed by their Japanese names in the subtitles instead of the English (which was corrected in Episode 2). Finally, I really didn’t feel the stakes that I remember the case having back in the games.

Thankfully, as we moved onto the second case in Episodes 2 and 3, it’s clear that this was where the main work was put into. Although some things still don’t quite work (namely the witnesses April May and the purple suit guy who’s name escapes me), the show does a much better job of capturing the fast paced courtroom action from the games.

Still, sometimes the show goes a little too fast. Whereas the games gave you (as Phoenix) time to carefully figure out contradictions and plot out which evidence to use, this Phoenix needs to keep the show moving, so he has the deduction skills of a master investigator. It can be a little unbelievable at times, but still, this show makes little effort to be taken seriously. Confetti falls at the end of a successful case, after all.

As for the characters, they all behave pretty much as you remember them. Phoenix is the goofy lawyer, Maya is cute and perky, Edgeworth is the dark, brooding guy who’s really good at his job, and so on and so forth. I don’t consider them as fantastic and memorable as other people seem to, but I don’t mind spending time with them. It’s clear that the showrunners know that people love these characters, and are doing their best to portray them accurately.

So, all in all, is Ace Attorney worth your time? Right now, unfortunately, I’d say no. Unless you’re a fan of the games, all you’ll get is a sadly bland and dull court show. Hopefully it’ll pick itself up off the ground and I can change my recommendation in my end-season review, but for now, I’d say wait.

FINAL SCORE

5/10

Average