So, I’m back in part two with even more Ace Attorney fan goodness during what I’ve dubbed Ace Attorney Week here on Royal Jelly. (By the way, it all started with an insanely cool Mystery Skulls song, “Money” set against a really good fan-made video of Phoenix and Miles arguing in the courtroom.)

Soon after becoming obsessed with that music video, I discovered an anime of the Ace Attorney video game had been created. I also highly recommend the musical I watched, so focusing on these for today! Hours and hours of enjoyment coming your way…

I swear, YouTube keeps changing my life… In a week or two, I think I wolfed down two seasons’ worth of Ace Attorney on YouTube. According to Wikipedia, the anime wasn’t well-received by fans because it didn’t show enough of the characters’ inner struggles, which are apparent in the game. (For example, Wright and Edgeworth have a complex relationship, and Edgeworth himself experienced a great deal of trauma as a child… I will try hard not to spoil you on what happened to him.)

But I honestly do not know why people didn’t like it… I LOVED it. It was so hilarious and awkward, and I really, really enjoyed shouting at the screen, “That would never hold up in court!” or “That is clearly leading the witness!” while still thoroughly enjoying the twists and turns. The point, I do believe, is that it is so outlandish. The colorful witnesses like the elder, chattering, strangely super-fit Wendy Oldbag, and the fiery clients that break down when their guilt is discovered, are so fun to watch just… snap under pressure when the lawyers pile it on. And, that the lawyers seem to have something like superpowers at points… I mean Fraziska Von Karma was cracking a whip at people, I mean constantly, even the judge! It was madness… then again, she also had the most awesomest mint-colored hair… But I digress.

The musicals and movies… about lawyers

And if you like the idea of watching an awkwardly hilarious Perry Mason-meets anime…uh… anime… you will really love the Ace Attorney Musical too. Then again, the one I ended up watching wasn’t the official one. It parodied the video game with very many laugh out loud moments…

How is the musical? Should you take the time to watch? I winced, at first. I always wince when fans make things because they can go very, very well, or very, very, miserably… but these guys nailed it. My favorite character re-creation was Franziska Von Karma. That girl completely had it down. I was genuinely afraid of her seeming like a real person, brandishing that whip constantly and shouting. It was almost too much. Indeed, it was the perfect amount of yelling ‘Foolish fools!’ Lots of great quotes, too! One of my favorites, “You know, if you keep ending up here… they’re gonna name a wing after you” (Phoenix to Maya after he finds her in jail, yet again.)

And there were some great songs. My favorite was ‘You’re a Loser’ from Winston Payne, believe it or not. Edgeworth’s song ‘Wright is Wrong’ is very clever, and you find yourself singing along every time Franziska comes in with “This trial is going down in flames…Don’t play this game.” Oh, and let’s not forget Oldbag’s sleazy jazz number. That was really great.

My only complaint would be that The Judge was far more clever that he was in the game simulation I watched… but that was actually just refreshing for once, so I can’t really be unhappy about it.

Thereshhhh even more! A live-action movie was also made. I’ve seen a few minutes of it so far, and it is really funny.

Believe it or not, there’s even more awesome out there for Ace Attorney fans. Imma talkin’ ’bout the reddit! The reddit page for Ace Attorney is all kinds of fun, and I’ll go into that on Thursday. Fan art and more leads into the wonderful world of lawyers using super powers await you, this week.

Stay tuned!