The Other Side of the Fourth Wall

This episode of Ace Attorney Case Files will cover the first real case of the series, Turnabout Sisters. It's early enough that I won't bother giving a spoiler warning, although you should probably stop reading if you'd rather go in blind. Prologue Like with the first case, you see the crime in process, including the murderer's identity. The only other time a second case does this is the second case of Dual Destinies. As for the victim, she happens to be none other than Phoenix's mentor, Mia Fey. While this isn't quite the end of Mia's role in the game, it's still a bit disappointing that she was killed off so early on, since her death might have had more impact if it happened later. Investigation Day 1 Technically, this takes place over two nights and a day, and begins immediately after Mia's murder. You take the opportunity to examine the crime scene and speak with Mia's younger sister Maya, before a woman with pink hair calls the police from t

 You may have heard of the Bechdel Test, but for those who aren't familiar, it's a three-step test to determine how well a work represents women. To pass, a work of fiction must: Have at least two female characters... ....who talk with each other... ...about something other than men. It's a simple test, and one that doesn't account for many potentially problematic elements regarding women, but it's a quick and easy way to determine whether the creator of a work made a serious effort to include women. Step 1: Two Female Characters This is the most obvious step, but you may be surprised by how many works of fiction can't even manage this. Obviously, many works don't include any women at all in notable roles, albeit sometimes for understandable reason (for example, a war movie in a time in which females were prohibited from serving), but many others choose to have only the most basic representation of women, known as "The Smurfette Principle," which h

  Warning: This entry contains spoilers for My Hero Academia The Paranormal Liberation War arc of My Hero Academia, an epic clash between the Paranormal Liberation Front and all of hero society, undoubtedly major part of the story, recently ended, and I'd like to share my thoughts on it. I will look at certain aspects of the arc that the story did well, and things that it could have done better. Full disclosure: this was written when Chapter 297 was the newest chapter(the apparent start of a new arc), and things may change as the story progresses. Strength: The League of Villains The League of Villains was used remarkably well in this arc, with each member getting a significant amount of development. This is especially true for Dabi and Mr. Compress, whose backstories had not been revealed until now. The revelation that Dabi is Endeavor's eldest son Toya is hardly surprising, but it had a great impact, both in-universe and out. Mr. Compress's backstory as the descendant of

 They say that you never have a second chance to make a good first impression. I understand the power of a first impression can have when meeting new people, applying for jobs and other times when people must judge you based on limited information, but personally think that it isn't always accurate. There are times when a person may come off poorly due to bad luck or a minor mistake, or when people present themselves as more competent, trustworthy or benevolent than they actually are. Katsuki Bakugo's first scene in My Hero Academia is a good example of how a character's poor first impression can haunt them for the rest of the story. In all fairness, Bakugo is not exactly a good person. While he had been friends with the protagonist, Midoriya, since they were little, by the time the story begins and they're in their last year of middle school (9th grade in Japan), Bakugo mercilessly bullies Midoriya, mocking him for not having a Quirk(a genetic mutation that grants supe

The title may be a bit of an exaggeration, but Mario Kart 64 has always fascinated me by how people generally need to put more effort into a fourth place or worse finish than they do into a first place one. The Grand Prix mode, the main single-player story mode of the game, ranks drivers based on their scores, and awards points based on how you finish in each race of the four races. A first-place finish earns you 9 points, a second-place finish earns you 6 points, a third-place finish earns you 3 points, a fourth-place finish earns you 1 point and you get no points if you do worse than that. Of course, the latter only applies to the computer opponents, since human players must start the race over, with their starting position determined by where they finished in that race. Having to start over is a blessing in disguise, since it gives you a chance to try again and do better. Of course, winning isn't all that difficult, at least on the lower difficulty levels. This can lead to a few

Scenes get removed for a variety of reasons. Maybe there isn't space in the final work, maybe it doesn't fit the creators' vision for the work, or maybe it didn't turn out very well. Heart of The Woods' prologue sequence, a scene that was present in the demo but removed before the final release, is one of many scenes that suffered this fate, and I will look at what it might have added to the game. Context Heart of the Woods is a yuri fantasy visual novel about two best friends who take a trip to Eysenfeld in search of the supernatural, and find love in the process. One significant subplot is Madison's decision to quit Taranormal, the YouTube channel she helped Tara start. Madison announces her decision just before the two depart for Eysenfeld, resulting in friction between her and Tara. It isn't a decision Madison made lightly, since she played a large role in helping build Taranormal, but she wants to be able to take back her life. The game begins on the tr

 I often like reading various manga one-shots, some of which involve various romantic couples. They come in many varieties, whether original or based off a popular series; het, yuri or yaoi; tame or explicit; and heartwarming or depressing. That said, they do have a variety of pros and cons, mainly because of their brevity. Pros Many of these manga one-shots are short enough to read in a few minutes, free of charge. While some people may have to put serious thought into whether they're willing to pay hard-earned money for a manga volume, it's easy enough to take a quick look at a doujin. Since one-shots require a minimal time investment and a nonexistent monetary investment, you're unlikely to feel as though either was a wawste. Like with other fan or amateur projects that are published online rather than in commercial publications, they don't have to deal with various barriers to being published. In many cases, publishers may be hesitant to publish a one-shot that deal