English Dub Review: Ace Attorney “Bridge to the Turnabout-Last Trial”

Secrets within secrets. The true killer is revealed.

Overview (Spoilers Below)

Phoenix has come so far in this case, discovering the secrets of the Kurain family, and of Dahlia Hawthorne’s fiendish plot to destroy his partner Maia’s life with the hapless aid of little Pearl. Yet, despite all the justice that has been done, Misty Fey’s killer has yet to be revealed, and if Phoenix can’t figure out who it is, then an innocent woman will go to jail. Maya is summoned to the stand to testify who the killer actually is, but for some reason, she’s covering for the killer.

Maya’s testimony leads Phoenix to realize that even though it was incredibly dark, Maya was able to recognize the killer, meaning it had to be someone who could be seen in pitch darkness. In a bold move, Phoenix has the court turn off all the lights, allowing only Godot’s bright red visor to be seen. Phoenix then links Godot’s inability to see the color red to his visor and accuses Godot of killing Misty, not out of malice, but in defense of Maya’s life. Phoenix pieces the puzzle together, that Godot is actually Diego Armando, Mia’s former mentor, and near-lover. Godot explains how he went into a coma and how he blames Phoenix for letting Mia die.

Godot had found out Dahlia’s plan from the beginning, and coordinating his efforts with Iris and Misty Fey to set a trap to defeat Dahlia once and for all. Godot reviews the entire case, and how Misty Fey channeled Dahlia Hawthorne so that Pearl wouldn’t be able to. However, despite this, Godot isn’t willing to give himself up. Rather, he wants Phoenix to prove he was the killer once and for all. Maya, with tears in her eyes, begs Phoenix not to do it, but he continues to press the issue. Godot tells Phoenix he’ll never be able to defeat him, but Phoenix is able to prove Godot’s guilt by asking him to remove his mask, where the telltale wound the killer took is hidden.

Godot finally accepts his fate and acknowledges Phoenix’s skill. He thanks Phoenix for finally becoming a true defense attorney, and Iris tells Phoenix that she really does have a feeling for Phoenix after all, despite her taking part on Dahlia’s plan. All ends well, and Phoenix reaffirms the bonds he has with his friends and allies.

Our Take:

Well, the finale to this case is finally here, and so marks the end of the “Trials and Tribulations” saga of the Ace Attorney anime. It’s been a long, problematic run, but now this show has finally burned through all the story that the original games have to offer. It should come as no surprise to anyone who has stuck with this episode so far that it isn’t exactly a satisfying conclusion, marred by poor pacing and too much story crammed into too little space. Once again, the Ace Attorney anime fails to understand the pivotal storytelling rule, “Show, don’t tell”, and relies far too heavily on long, boring exposition to tell its story instead of immersing the viewer at the moment.

When I say this show goes hard on the exposition, I mean it goes really gosh darn hard. I would say a good 12 to 15 minutes is nothing but explanations and flashbacks to what happened during the case. I can understand the need for the show explain the complexities of this story through flashbacks, but it needs to do so in a visually compelling way. Doing it in this flat, matter-of-fact style doesn’t do anything except ruin a story that’s incredibly well designed.

And that’s really the most frustrating thing about this case and this series as a whole. The story itself is rock solid, and the mystery of this case hits that perfect balance. Complex, but not indecipherable, heartfelt, but not cheesy. It’s one of the defining cases of this series for people who have played the games. For many young nerds, myself included, this was the case that cemented Phoenix Wright as our Sherlock Holmes. So, this show’s inability to shoot straight has nothing to do with the story, but everything to do with direction. Making a story like this in animated form is no small challenge, meaning one needs to throw everything they have into it to capture the essential power that this story holds. But this episode and this anime don’t even come close.

There isn’t much more to be said here. You might feel something if you’re new to this story and didn’t already know the tragedy of Godot and his trying to save Maya Fey, but I wouldn’t be surprised if you find this story completely off-putting because of how rushed its execution is. What’s done is done, and it’s some consolation that this case is finally put to rest, but it will still remain as a black mark on an otherwise sterling series.