Ace Attorney Case Files: Turnabout Samurai

 This post will contain Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney spoilers

When the second case of the first Ace Attorney game has the protagonist investigating his mentor's murder and eventually defending himself when he's accused of the crime, how do you top that?

Surprisingly enough, while the series has managed to top that, it doesn't in this case. The third case is the only one to have nothing to do with the DL-6 Incident or the overarching theme of this game- Phoenix trying to redeem his old friend Edgeworth. That said, it's still a significant part of the game's storyline, and arguably more complex and enjoyable than the first two cases.

Investigation Day 1

A month has passed since the trial for Mia's murder ended, and Phoenix realizes that he doesn't have much work. During their downtime, Maya watches a Toku show, known as Steel Samurai. Not long after, the office gets a phone call by Will Powers, the actor who plays the Steel Samurai, requesting Phoenix's help in defending him from a murder charge. Despite Powers' hulking and seemingly brutish appearance, he's one of the nicest characters in the series.

The investigation quickly shows that Phoenix has an uphill battle ahead of him. The only people present besides Powers and the victim are Wendy Oldbag, a crotchety old security guard; Penny Nichols, a production assistant; and an unknown elementary schooler who snuck in. Powers has no alibi, and the automated security cameras show that only one person, the one wearing the Steel Samurai costume, headed toward the crime scene. It almost seems like an open-and-shut case.

Most of the other information gathered is seemingly extraneous, such as Powers spraining his ankle or a loose grate, but as usual, it's Phoenix's job to piece these apparently unrelated bits of information together in order to find the truth.

Trial Day 1

The first day of the trial starts with relatively little fanfare.

Oldbag is the only witness who takes the stand at the trial today, and much of Phoenix's efforts center around disproving her claim that Powers was the only possible person who could have passed by the gate. Eventually, he manages to prove that Oldbag knew about Powers' injury and could have impersonated him. Oldbag has no motive for the murder, but, as Phoenix points out, neither does Powers.

Backed into a corner, Oldbag reveals that two other people were at the studio that day- the director and the producer- who ordered her to silence, and that she's testifying now that she's a suspect. Phoenix is a bit surprised that Edgeworth wasn't the one responsible for the coverup this time .With the revelation of additional suspects, the judge suspends the trial for the day and tells Phoenix and Edgeworth to investigate.

Investigation Day 2

Phoenix resumes where he left off, and sets out to investigate the producer and director

Dee Vasquez, the producer, is in the trailer, and demands that you get a script from Manella before she's willing to talk with you. Unfortunately, he doesn't have it, so you have to head back to the Studio 1 to retrieve it from the director's chair.

In exchange for the script, Vasquez discloses what she knows- the higher-ups were busy with a meeting at the time of the murder, and the Mr. Monkey head had fallen, cutting Studio 2 off from Studio 1 and giving her and Manella an alibi. Things start looking rather grim.

At the office, Maya becomes desperate enough to inadvertently channel Mia, who urges you to seek out the boy. Incidentally, this is the only time you can talk with Mia in the office. Mia complains about Maya not properly taking care of her plant and doesn't remember what movie is on the poster on her wall, 

Mia tracks down the boy, whose name is Cody Hackins, convinces him to cooperate. After another brief fetch quest in which you trade his Ultra-Rare card for Penny's Ultra-Rare Premium, Cody testifies, and claims that he saw the Steel Samurai win against a villain. This is almost as good as admitting that Powers is guilty, so Phoenix and Mia know that him taking the stand would be disastrous for them. Unfortunately, Gumshoe shows up and takes Cody in.

Trial Day 2

The prosecution then brings Cody to the stand, intent on proving Powers' guilt. Luckily for Phoenix, Cody's testimony is a bit less decisive than Edgeworth thought, since he's a bit vague about what he saw. After some pressing and evidence presentation, he reveals that the Steel Samurai didn't actually win the fight, revealing that the person in the costume was the victim- Jack Hammer. What's more, the crime scene took place in Studio 2, meaning that only someone there- namely, Vasquez or Manella- could have been the killer.

The judge concludes proceedings for the day, and asks Phoenix to look into the crime more. As for Edgeworth, the judge tells him to reconsider whether Powers is guilty. Somewhat amazingly, while Powers is all but proven innocent at this point, the trial continues on the next day, and making too many mistakes will get Powers a wrongful Guilty verdict.

Investigation Day 3

Phoenix and Maya investigate the actions Hammer took before his death, and with Gumshoe's help, confirm that he had drugged Powers to steal his costume. Nichols reveals that Global Studios is cancelling the Steel Samurai, but after being pressed, reveals that Hammer was involved in an accident that claimed a co-star's life five years ago.

Phoenix confronts Oldbag with this evidence, and she, overwhelmed by the realization that the star she admired attempted murder, confesses the truth. She reveals that Vasquez was able to prevent the public from learning of the incident by using her mafia goons to silence the paparazzo who took a picture of the incident, but used it to blackmail Hammer into playing supporting roles in children's movies for a pittance. At this point, it becomes clear that Hammer was targeting Vasquez for revenge.

Phoenix then repeats his mistake from the previous case, and confronts Vasquez over blackmailing Hammer. She grows indignant when Maya asserts that what happened was an accident, claiming Hammer wouldn't have submitted to her for five years if that were the case, then summons her henchmen to dispose of Phoenix and Maya. Luckily, Detective Gumshoe arrives and insists that Vasquez come to the station, preventing her or her flunkies from harming anyone.

Back at the office, Phoenix tells Maya that because of an overload of court cases, the law has instituted a three-day limit on trials, so they must end the case tomorrow. In fact, it's noted that it's unusual for trials to take longer than a day, which may be why only three cases- this case, Turnabout Goodbyes and Rise from the Ashes- last the full three days.

Trial Day 3

Vasquez takes the stand, and the confrontation with her begins. Much of the early trial involves proving that Studio 2 is the crime scene, and she had the opportunity to kill Hammer and move his body. Oddly enough, Manella is never mentioned again after Phoenix accuses him of being Vasquez's accomplice, and he is never seen again in the credits, leaving his fate ambiguous.

Surprisingly, Edgeworth comes to Phoenix's aid, demanding that Vasquez stay and continue her testimony, enabling the case to continue. This is a rather surprising moment, but a significant step in Edgeworth's character development toward becoming a more honest prosecutor and a better man.

With Vasquez cornered, Phoenix proves that she saw Hammer when Vasquez mistakenly claims that Hammer, not Powers, was the one who'd been injured and caused the rehearsal to be canceled- a mistake Vasquez could only have made if she'd seen Hammer wearing Powers' costume. He then proves that Vasquez killed Hammer in self-defense when Hammer arrived to take revenge on Vasquez for blackmailing him.

Vasquez's breakdown is rather subdued, with her snapping her pipe in half (although it's still visible in the sprite showing her from behind), and she admits defeat. Edgeworth also accepts the outcome gracefully, declaring that since Powers is innocent, the result is only natural.

In the lobby, Powers is grateful for his acquittal, but is disappointed to hear about the Steel Samurai's cancellation, and is distraught that his senior colleague Hammer would try to frame him. Phoenix can then show Powers the "Path To Glory" scrapbook to demonstrate how much the kids love the Steel Samurai, and how jealous Hammer was of Powers.

Edgeworth arrives and claims to be a fan of Powers. While Phoenix bluntly claims Edgeworth is a liar, the spinoffs and sequels reveal that Edgeworth is indeed a big fan of the Steel Samurai.

Edgeworth then turns serious, demanding that Phoenix never show his face in front of him again, leaving Maya and Powers confused as to what their relationship is and setting the stage for the fourth case, which finally reveals that relationship.

Conclusion

This case is a step up from the previous two in some ways. The mystery is more complex, there's more of a backstory and the motive for murder is less clear-cut.

While many other third cases are extraneous to the plot, this helps develop Edgeworth, showing how his first loss affected him and how he reacts to realizing that the defendant is innocent. It also shows Maya in a happier mood, and helps establish her partnership with Phoenix.

I have mixed feelings about the changes made in the anime adaptation. On the one hand, the producers of the anime greatly streamlined the case, removing the more extraneous parts of the investigation, as well as the second day of the trial. On the other hand, they also removed some of the moral ambiguity by removing the implication that Hammer might have murdered his costar.

In the end, while this case doesn't do much to advance the plot in and of itself, it's an effective bridge between the second and fourth cases, as well as the part when the series' quality of writing begins to significantly improve.