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Ace Attorney (TV series)

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Ace Attorney
Key visual depicting the main cast
逆転裁判 ~その「真実」、異議あり!~
(Gyakuten Saiban: Sono "Shinjitsu", Igiari!)
GenreLegal drama[1][2]
Created byCapcom
Anime television series
Directed byAyumu Watanabe
Written byAtsuhiro Tomioka
Music byKaoru Wada
StudioA-1 Pictures (season 1)
CloverWorks (season 2)[a]
Licensed by
Original networkNNS (ytv)
Original run April 2, 2016 March 30, 2019
Episodes47 (List of episodes)
Manga
Written byNaoyuki Kageyama
Published byShueisha
MagazineV Jump
DemographicShōnen
Original runMarch 19, 2016July 21, 2017
Volumes3

Ace Attorney, known in Japan as Gyakuten Saiban: Sono "Shinjitsu", Igiari! (Japanese: 逆転裁判 ~その「真実」、異議あり!~, lit. "Turnabout Trial: I Object to That 'Truth'!"), is an anime series produced by A-1 Pictures, based on Capcom's video game series of the same name. It is directed by Ayumu Watanabe and written by Atsuhiro Tomioka, with Ace Attorney creator Shu Takumi serving as a script supervisor. The first season—which adapts the first two games of the franchise, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney and Justice for All—aired in Japan from April to September 2016, and was simulcast by Crunchyroll. A second season by CloverWorks aired from October 2018 to March 2019, adapting the third game, Trials and Tribulations.[a]

Premise

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Based on the first three video games in the series, Ace Attorney takes place in an alternate world where the court system has been changed to the point where trials held in first instance and courts must reach a verdict within three days. Phoenix Wright is a rookie defense lawyer who works under his mentor, Mia Fey. When Mia is murdered, Phoenix befriends her younger sister Maya, a spirit medium-in-training who can channel the spirits of the dead. Joined by Maya, Phoenix heads up the Wright & Co. Law Offices and stands up to defend his clients in court, often butting heads with several prosecutors, most notably his childhood friend Miles Edgeworth.

Production and release

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Ace Attorney's anime adaptation was first announced during a presentation at the 2015 Tokyo Game Show.[3] Production of the series was handled by A-1 Pictures, who had previously produced the animated cutscenes in the sixth main Ace Attorney game, Spirit of Justice, and was directed by Ayumu Watanabe with series composition by Atsuhiro Tomioka and character design by Keiko Ōta and Koji Watanabe. The first season adapts the first two video games in the franchise, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney and Justice for All, alongside an original episode, though the cases "Rise from the Ashes", added to the DS release of the former game, and "The Lost Turnabout", the opening case of the latter, are omitted.[4][5][6] Ace Attorney creator Shu Takumi also acted as a script supervisor for the series.[7]

The opening theme of the first 13 episodes is "Gyakuten Winner" (逆転Winner, lit. "Turnabout Winner") by Johnny's West[8] while the ending theme is "Message" by Rei Yasuda.[9] From episode 14–24, the opening theme is "Jinsei wa Subarashii" (人生は素晴らしい, lit. "Life Is Wonderful") by Johnny's West, while the ending theme is "Jun'ai Chaos" (純愛カオス, Jun'ai Kaosu, lit. "Pure Love Chaos") by Tokyo Performance Doll.[10]

The anime began airing on NNS across Japan from April 2, 2016, replacing Kindaichi Case Files R in its initial timeslot. The series was simulcast by Crunchyroll, with multiple subtitle tracks featuring both the original Japanese names and localized English names.[11][12][13][14] Funimation distributed the series in North America and released the first Blu-ray and DVD set on January 23, 2018.[15]

A second season by CloverWorks adapts the third game in the franchise, Trials and Tribulations, as well as "The Lost Turnabout", the only remaining case from the original games that was not adapted in the first season, alongside several original stories.[a] The season aired from October 6, 2018, to March 30, 2019, with many of the original production staff retained and Takumi returning as a collaborator.[16][19] For the first twelve episodes of the season, the opening theme is "Never Lose" by Tomohisa Yamashita, while the ending theme is "Starting Blue" (スターティングブルー) by Halca.[20][21] From episode thirteen onwards, the opening theme is "Reason" by Yamashita while the ending theme is "Beautiful Days" (ビューティフルデイズ) by Coalamode. A one-hour special aired on January 19, 2019.[22] Funimation produced an English dub as it aired.[23]

A manga adaptation by Naoyuki Kageyama was serialized in Shueisha's V-Jump magazine from March 2016 to July 2017. It has also been collected into three volumes.[24]

Reception

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Jacob Chapman of Anime News Network said that popular reception was "subdued at best and outraged at worst, in ways usually reserved for radically altered adaptations". Chapman was critical of the animation quality, calling it "constantly off-model and slideshow-minimal but still watchable at least", whilst being more receptive to the adaptation's faithful recreation of the game's events and removal of "extraneous gags and details". He added that while the adaptation "[does] its best to adapt in beneficial ways", it fails to replicate the "surprisingly powerful impact" of playing the games and experiencing the characters' intricacies firsthand.[1]

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c The second season was originally credited to A-1 Pictures.[16] However, the credit was transferred to CloverWorks after their separation from the studio in October 2018.[17][18]

References

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  1. ^ a b Chapman, Jacob (April 20, 2016). "Why We Love Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on May 22, 2016. Retrieved May 29, 2016.
  2. ^ "Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Review - Review". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on April 19, 2015. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  3. ^ "Ace Attorney Game Franchise Gets TV Anime in April 2016". Anime News Network. September 17, 2015. Archived from the original on September 17, 2015. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
  4. ^ "アニメ『逆転裁判』成歩堂龍一役は梶裕貴 制作はA-1". oriconstyle. December 19, 2015. Archived from the original on December 19, 2015. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
  5. ^ "「逆転裁判」アニメ化が決定 声優陣に梶裕貴や悠木碧など". livedoor. December 19, 2015. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
  6. ^ "Ace Attorney Anime's Cast, Staff Announced (Updated)". Anime News Network. December 19, 2015. Archived from the original on August 7, 2019. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
  7. ^ Sato (December 29, 2015). "Ace Attorney Creator Shu Takumi Is Readying Up For His Next Project In 2016". Siliconera. Curse, Inc. Archived from the original on December 29, 2015. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
  8. ^ "Johnny's West Idol Group Performs Ace Attorney Anime's Opening Song". Anime News Network. March 10, 2016. Archived from the original on April 10, 2016.
  9. ^ "音楽|逆転裁判|読売テレビ". Yomiuri Television. Archived from the original on April 28, 2016. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  10. ^ "音楽|逆転裁判|読売テレビ". Yomiuri Television. Archived from the original on October 27, 2016. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
  11. ^ "Spring 2016 Show Announcements!". Crunchyroll. Otter Media. Archived from the original on April 1, 2016. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
  12. ^ "Crunchyroll to Stream Ace Attorney Anime". Anime News Network. April 1, 2016. Archived from the original on September 28, 2016.
  13. ^ "Ace Attorney - The Spring 2016 Anime Preview Guide". Anime News Network. April 2, 2016. Archived from the original on April 4, 2016.
  14. ^ "Crunchyroll, Funimation Announce Partnership to Share Content Via Streaming, Home Video, EST". Anime News Network. September 8, 2016. Archived from the original on September 19, 2016. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
  15. ^ "Funimation Lists Releases for Morose Mononokean, Ace Attorney, Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on November 4, 2017. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
  16. ^ a b "Ace Attorney Anime Gets 2nd Season This Fall". Anime News Network. March 15, 2018. Archived from the original on March 16, 2018. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
  17. ^ "Ace Attorney Season2". CloverWorks. Archived from the original on September 3, 2022. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  18. ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (October 1, 2018). "CloverWorks Anime Studio Separates from A-1 Pictures, Remains Subsidiary of Aniplex". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on October 1, 2018. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  19. ^ "Ace Attorney Anime's 2nd Season Visual, October 6 Premiere Revealed". Anime News Network. July 6, 2018. Archived from the original on July 7, 2018. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
  20. ^ "Ace Attorney Anime's Season 2 Reveals Promo Video, Opening Theme Artist". Anime News Network. September 22, 2018. Archived from the original on August 29, 2021. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  21. ^ "Ace Attorney Anime's Season 2 Reveals New Visual". Anime News Network. August 25, 2018. Archived from the original on August 25, 2018. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
  22. ^ "Ace Attorney Season 2 Anime Gets 1-Hour Prequel Special in January". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on November 22, 2018. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
  23. ^ Anime News Network (August 8, 2023). "Funimation Announces Fall Simuldub Premiere Dates". Archived from the original on May 14, 2021. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
  24. ^ "Gyakuten Saiban: Sono 'Shinjitsu', Igi Ari! Manga Ends". Anime News Network. July 21, 2017. Archived from the original on October 17, 2017. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
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