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Maya Fey

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Maya Fey
'Ace Attorney' character
An illustration of Maya Fey, a young woman wearing a purple kimono and a magatama bead necklace
Maya as she appears in the video games
First gamePhoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
Created byShu Takumi

Maya Fey, known in Japan as Mayoi Ayasato (Japanese: 綾里 真宵, Hepburn: Ayasato Mayoi), is a fictional character from Capcom's Ace Attorney series of video games. She first appeared in 2001's Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, where she becomes the assistant of the player character, the defense attorney Phoenix Wright. She resumes this role in the following two games, investigating cases together with Phoenix; she does not appear in Apollo Justice and Dual Destinies, the fourth and fifth games, but returns in the sixth, Spirit of Justice. Being a spirit medium, she is able to channel the spirits of the dead, allowing Phoenix's former boss Mia Fey to posthumously give him advice.

Maya was created by Shu Takumi, the creator and director of the series, as he wanted the player character to have a partner to investigate with. For her design, she was given traditional clothing for Japanese spirit mediums, including a kimono and a magatama bead. When she was brought back for Spirit of Justice, she was at first written the same way as in her first appearances, but was then changed to be more mature at some points, to show that she had grown during the nine years that had passed within the games' story. Critics praised her character and her interactions with Phoenix, and her return in Spirit of Justice was well received, but her portrayal in the Ace Attorney film was criticized as off compared to her video game appearances.

Appearances

Maya Fey first appeared in 2001's Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, where she is introduced as the younger sister of Mia Fey, who is the boss of the player character, the defense attorney Phoenix Wright. After Mia is murdered, Maya is accused of the crime as she was the first on the scene, but is defended by Phoenix.[1] She becomes his assistant at the Fey & Co. Law Offices, renamed Wright & Co. Law Offices, and investigates cases together with him in the first three Ace Attorney games.[2][3] Described by the developers as a cheery person, Maya frequently exchanges banter with Phoenix during investigations.[4][5] Using her spirit channeling ability, she sometimes channels Mia's spirit when Phoenix needs her help.[6] She does not appear in the fourth and fifth games, Apollo Justice and Dual Destinies, but returns in the sixth game, Spirit of Justice, in which she has been training to become Master of the Kurain Channeling Technique and of her home of Kurain Village. As the game begins, she is preparing to complete her training after having spent two years in the Kingdom of Khura'in, the origin of spirit channeling, where she reunites with Phoenix.[2][5][7][8]

Maya appears together with Phoenix and the Professor Layton characters Professor Hershel Layton and Luke Triton in the crossover game Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney,[9] and cameos in the spin-off series Ace Attorney Investigations.[7] She also appears in the Ace Attorney manga, the film, and the anime series.[9][10][11] Outside the Ace Attorney series, she appears as part of Phoenix's attacks in the fighting game Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3,[12] as part of a "pair unit" with Phoenix in the tactical role-playing game Project X Zone 2,[13] and as a playable card in the card battle video game Onimusha Soul with a Sengoku period-themed redesign.[14][15]

Concept and development

A photo of Shu Takumi, a Japanese game director and writer
Maya was created by the series director, Shu Takumi.

Maya was created by the Ace Attorney series creator and director Shu Takumi as a partner for Phoenix, as a way of making it more fun for the player to investigate cases, the reasoning being that it would be more fun to do it together with someone who can give one advice than to do it alone.[16] While she was planned to be a partner from the start, she was initially planned to be a lawyer-in-training.[17] For Spirit of Justice, it was decided early on to bring Maya back, due to frequent requests for her return from Dual Destines players. The developers worried a lot about how she would be received, with the game's producer Motohide Eshiro saying that they were certain that people would criticize the use of the character regardless of what they did. At first she was written with the concept of having grown into an adult but still remaining the same inside; the game's director and writer, Takeshi Yamazaki, thought that this unchanged personality felt strange considering nine years had passed within the series' story since her last appearance, so it was decided to at some points have her act more maturely, to show that she had grown. To further this, her mastery of spirit channeling was written as improved compared to her last appearance. Yamazaki had problems with writing her dialogue, and said that he had to try his best to get her to sound right. They also had problems with getting the balance right between Maya's involvement in the story and the appearances of other characters; because of this, they decided to make her the defendant of the game's third case, thereby freeing up space for other characters during the investigation phase, and letting the player spend time with Maya during the trial itself.[18]

Along with the rest of the first game's characters, Maya was designed and drawn by Kumiko Suekane and Tatsuro Iwamoto.[17][19][20] She was originally designed with clothes typical for traditional Japanese spirit mediums, including a kimono and a magatama bead; the kimono design was altered compared to the source material, however, with the hem drastically shortened.[21] For situations when she channels Mia's spirit, her design changes: her hair and clothing remains, while her face and body change, looking like Mia's, with the intent of emphasizing the difference in their bust sizes.[6] She is given yet another alternative design for part of the third game, Trials and Tribulations, where she wears a waitress uniform, replacing all of her regular clothes and accessories save for the beads in her hair.[22] Because Takumi wanted the first three Ace Attorney games feel like three installments in one larger work, he wanted to avoid a situation where the first game looks outdated compared to the third: because of this, Maya and other major characters such as Miles Edgeworth and Phoenix retain the same character graphics throughout all their appearances in the first three games.[23] For Maya's reappearance in Spirit of Justice, she was given a renewed design; before settling on the final version, the development team considered using her mother, Misty Fey, as a motif and base for the redesign.[18]

A photo of Aoi Yūki, a Japanese actor
Aoi Yūki voiced Maya in the Ace Attorney anime.

Maya is portrayed by three different actors in Japanese-language media: Mirei Kiritani in the Ace Attorney film and Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney;[9] Satomi Hanamura in Project X Zone 2 and Spirit of Justice;[24][25] and Aoi Yūki in the anime series.[11] In the English release of Spirit of Justice, she is voiced by Abby Trott.[26] Kiritani was surprised when she was offered the role as Maya in the film, as she had been playing the games herself for a long time.[27] Yūki was anxious during the audition for the role, and said that she had her own idea of Maya's character at first, but learned to understand the character through directions from Ayumu Watanabe, the anime's director.[28]

Localization

When the first game was given an English localization, the localization writer Alexander O. Smith realized that they had to specify where the game takes place due to time zones being involved in the story; while the original version is set in Japan, they decided to set the localized version in the United States, something that became an issue in later games where the Japanese setting was more obvious.[29] Starting with the second game, the localization direction was handled by Janet Hsu; one of the first decisions she had to make was how to localize Maya's hometown and the Fey clan. She decided to localize it around the idea that Ace Attorney takes place in an alternative-universe United States where anti-Japanese laws like the California Alien Land Law of 1913 were not passed, anti-Japanese sentiments were not powerful, and Japanese culture flourished. Because of this, the Fey clan and things related to it, such as the Kurain channeling technique, were kept Japanese as it was seen as part of Maya's heritage.[17]

Reception

In 2014, Chris Reed of IGN called Maya one of the best sidekick characters of all time in video games, describing her as helpful and quick-thinking.[30] Geoff Thew and Marcus Estrada, both writing for Hardcore Gamer, enjoyed her character, with Thew calling the banter between her and Phoenix among the best in video games,[4] and Estrada calling them "the perfect leads" in the Ace Attorney manga due to their "goofiness" and how they are portrayed as close friends.[10] In a feature on character pairs in video games where Game Informer called Dual Destinies' Apollo Justice and Athena Cykes among the best of 2013, they commented that they were still only "almost as good" as Maya and Phoenix.[31] Lauren Orsini of Anime News Network called Maya her favorite character in the Ace Attorney anime, and said that her character benefited greatly from being animated, with her playfulness being well presented through her wide range of actions and expressions.[32] Kotaku's Richard Eisenbeis criticized her portrayal and casting in the Ace Attorney film, saying that while she felt like a child-like, innocent 17-year-old in the video games, the film version of her came across like "an emotionally unstable woman in her 20's".[33]

Toshi Nakamura at Kotaku considered Maya a staple of the series since its start, and said that it was shocking that she did not appear in Dual Destinies.[34] Similarly, John Walker of Eurogamer questioned the series' move to a new cast with Apollo Justice, saying that Maya's character arc had not yet been completed in Trials and Tribulations.[35] USgamer's Nadia Oxford described Maya's reappearance in Spirit of Justice as "catching up with an old pal", and as a reminder of why players "fell in love with" the series to begin with. Her reintroduction along with her new design as an adult was positively received by series fans, with a lot of excited discussion about her on social media.[36] Bob Mackey, also writing for USgamer, discussed Spirit of Justice's use of elements from previous games, and called Maya's return the most notable of them.[37] Steven Bogos of The Escapist called her a fan favorite, and said that her return was a treat for players.[7] Alexa Ray Corriea at GameSpot also liked her reappearance, and said that after playing one of the episodes set in the United States, she was "itching to get back to Khura'in" and spend time with Maya.[38]

References

  1. ^ Consalvo, Mia (2009). "Persistence meets performance: Phoenix Wright, Ace Attorney". In Davidson, Drew (ed.). Well Played 1.0: Video Games, Value and Meaning. Etc Press. p. 165. ISBN 9780557069750.
  2. ^ a b Casey (2016-08-19). "Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice Character Profiles Detail Maya Fey And Ahlbi Ur'gaid". Siliconera. Archived from the original on 2016-08-20. Retrieved 2016-12-11. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ Duwell, Ron (2016-03-21). "Ace Attorney 6's anime intro brings back many familiar faces". TechnoBuffalo. Archived from the original on 2016-04-30. Retrieved 2016-12-11. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ a b Thew, Geoff (2014-12-09). "Review: Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy". Hardcore Gamer. Archived from the original on 2016-06-30. Retrieved 2016-12-11. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ a b Haney, Kellen (2016-08-18). "Ace Attorney Character Profiles: Maya Fey and Ahlbi Ur'gaid". Capcom-Unity. Capcom. Retrieved 2016-12-12.
  6. ^ a b The Art of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. Udon Entertainment. 2009. p. 30. ISBN 9781897376195.
  7. ^ a b c Bogos, Steven (2016-07-03). "Fan-favorite Maya Fey Returns in Ace Attorney 6". The Escapist. Defy Media. Archived from the original on 2016-07-08. Retrieved 2016-12-11. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ Duwell, Ron (2016-05-12). "Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Spirit of Justice coming to North America in September". TechnoBuffalo. Archived from the original on 2016-05-16. Retrieved 2016-12-12. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  9. ^ a b c Eisenbeis, Richard (2012-12-07). "Check Out Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney's Heart-Pounding Intro Movie". Kotaku. Gizmodo Media Group. Archived from the original on 2016-08-24. Retrieved 2016-12-11. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ a b Estrada, Marcus (2013-09-07). "Retro Review: Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (Volumes 1-5)". Hardcore Gamer. Archived from the original on 2016-04-07. Retrieved 2016-12-11. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ a b "Crunchyroll to Stream Ace Attorney Anime". Anime News Network. 2016-04-01. Archived from the original on 2016-09-28. Retrieved 2016-12-11. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ Scott, Ryan (2011-11-02). "Cross-examining Phoenix Wright in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3". Engadget. AOL. Archived from the original on 2015-06-07. Retrieved 2016-12-11. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  13. ^ Romano, Sal (2015-05-13). "First look at Phoenix Wright, Axel Stone, and more in Project X Zone 2". Gematsu. Archived from the original on 2016-03-22. Retrieved 2016-12-11. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ Spencer (2013-03-24). "Capcom Heroines Have Their Biggest Crossover In Onimusha Soul". Siliconera. Archived from the original on 2016-05-17. Retrieved 2016-12-11. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  15. ^ Eisenbeis, Richard (2013-08-09). "Capcom's Heroes Look Awesome as Samurai". Kotaku. Gizmodo Media Group. Archived from the original on 2016-08-24. Retrieved 2016-12-11. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  16. ^ Castle, Matthew (2014-06-16). "Interview: Shu Takumi on the Phoenix Wright trilogy". Official Nintendo Magazine. p. 1. Archived from the original on 2014-10-09. Retrieved 2015-10-03. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  17. ^ a b c Hsu, Janet (2014-10-31). "Ace Attorney Trilogy - Surprising Tidbits You Never Knew!". Capcom-Unity. Capcom. Archived from the original on 2015-09-16. Retrieved 2015-10-02. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  18. ^ a b "『逆転裁判6』真宵の登場発表は不安しかなかった!? 南の島の設定や登場キャラの秘話を開発メンバーが語る". Dengeki Online (in Japanese). Kadokawa Corporation. 2016-07-20. Archived from the original on 2016-11-26. Retrieved 2016-12-13. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  19. ^ Brown, Andrew (2014-01-22). "Phoenix Wright Trilogy Coming to Japanese 3DS". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on 2015-10-11. Retrieved 2015-10-11. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  20. ^ Hsu, Janet (2014-09-11). "The Early Days of Ace Attorney". Capcom-Unity. Capcom. Archived from the original on 2015-02-08. Retrieved 2015-10-03. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  21. ^ The Art of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. Udon Entertainment. 2009. p. 36. ISBN 9781897376195.
  22. ^ The Art of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. Udon Entertainment. 2009. p. 42. ISBN 9781897376195.
  23. ^ Castle, Matthew (2014-06-16). "Interview: Shu Takumi on the Phoenix Wright trilogy". Official Nintendo Magazine. p. 2. Archived from the original on 2014-10-08. Retrieved 2015-10-03. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  24. ^ "『PROJECT X ZONE 2：BRAVE NEW WORLD（プロジェクト クロスゾーン2：ブレイブニューワールド）』新たな参戦キャラクターを公開!!". Famitsu (in Japanese). Enterbrain. 2015-05-13. Archived from the original on 2016-12-11. Retrieved 2016-12-11. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  25. ^ Taka (2016-04-07). "『逆転裁判6』に宝月茜や成歩堂みぬきが登場。第2話あらすじやキャラクターなどの情報が公開". Dengeki Online (in Japanese). Kadokawa Corporation. Archived from the original on 2016-11-23. Retrieved 2016-12-11. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  26. ^ Trott, Abby. "Resumé". Archived from the original on 2016-12-11. Retrieved 2016-12-11. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  27. ^ "Making of Ace Attorney". Ace Attorney (DVD) (in Japanese and English). Madman Entertainment. 2012. Event occurs at 04:19.
  28. ^ Maru (2016-03-29). "アニメ「逆転裁判」には成歩堂の過去のエピソードも。メインキャストと巧氏，渡辺監督にインタビュー". 4Gamer.net (in Japanese). Aetas. Archived from the original on 2016-03-22. Retrieved 2016-12-11. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 2016-04-26 suggested (help); Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  29. ^ Mackey, Bob (2015-06-23). "Expert Witness: An Interview with Alex Smith, the Writer Behind Ace Attorney's English Debut". USgamer. Archived from the original on 2015-09-05. Retrieved 2015-10-10. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  30. ^ Reed, Chris (2014-04-15). "The Best Video Game Wingmen Ever". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on 2016-01-25. Retrieved 2016-12-11. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  31. ^ Wallace, Kimberley (2013-12-28). "The Best Gaming Duos Of 2013". Game Informer. GameStop. p. 2. Archived from the original on 2015-12-06. Retrieved 2016-12-11. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  32. ^ Orsini, Lauren (2016-05-08). "Episode 6 - Ace Attorney". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 2016-06-08. Retrieved 2016-12-23. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  33. ^ Eisenbeis, Richard (2012-02-14). "Ace Attorney Is the Best Video Game Movie Ever (Take That, Hollywood!)". Kotaku. Gizmodo Media Group. Archived from the original on 2016-10-21. Retrieved 2016-12-29. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  34. ^ Nakamura, Toshi (2012-09-06). "Phoenix Wright Is Back For Ace Attorney 5, But Where's His Usual Cohort?". Kotaku. Gizmodo Media Group. Archived from the original on 2016-08-24. Retrieved 2016-12-11. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  35. ^ Walker, John (2008-03-03). "Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Review". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 2012-10-03. Retrieved 2009-02-16. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  36. ^ Oxford, Nadia (2016-12-10). "Maya Fey Returns in Ace Attorney 6, Fans Rejoice". USgamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 2016-07-29. Retrieved 2016-03-08. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  37. ^ Mackey, Bob (2016-08-15). "On September 8th, Court's in Session for Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice". USgamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 2016-11-08. Retrieved 2016-12-11. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  38. ^ Corriea, Alexa Ray (2016-09-08). "Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice Review". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 2016-12-13. Retrieved 2016-12-11. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
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