When Ace Attorney’s first season released in 2016, it didn’t make much of a splash. Fans of the original series cited the animation and pacing as the biggest reasons for not liking the show as much as they wanted to. At the time, I remember liking the show well enough, though I acknowledge that it certainly wasn’t phenomenal.

Now, three years later, its second season has concluded. While the show is still by no means perfect, it has improved a lot and, if Capcom decides they wish to continue having adaptations of Ace Attorney made, I’ll rest easy with the belief that Cloverworks will have a formula that works.

Given that this is the second season to Ace Attorney, I’m not sure a synopsis is necessary, but here’s the lowdown. With a guilty-until-proven innocent legal system and defendants that make conviction all but assured, Phoenix Wright (Ryuuichi Naruhodou in the Japanese dub and non-localized subs) has his work cut out for him. Fortunately, he has a bit of help thanks to his assistant, Maya Fey, who can channel the spirit of her deceased sister, Mia Fey, a formidable attorney in her own right. With objections that summon gusts of wind and a colorful cast of characters, these legal proceedings are anything but dry. Added to the mix is Godot, a mysterious, masked prosecutor who has a bone to pick with Phoenix Wright.

Like the first season, Ace Attorney is adapted from the video game series of the same name. While I’d love to talk about the show purely from the perspective of someone who hadn’t played the games, I have and I’m a big fan of them, so a lot of my - and I imagine a great number viewers - critiques come from someone who adores the games and are keen on how the anime differs from them.

As someone who played the games, two big reasons for getting excited for this show were the animation and voice acting. I’d finally get to see the courtroom and locales of Ace Attorney come to life. Even more exciting for me was the prospect of hearing my favorite characters speak full sentences. While there may be one or two oddities (three years later and I’m just now getting used to Maya’s voice), Ace Attorney has once again delivered in the voice department. In particular, I loved Dahlia Hawthorne’s voice. Her sweet and innocent voice translated to the screen perfectly and her sourness is chilling. Luke Atmey’s voice is perfect for the vain and animated self-proclaimed “Ace Detective.” The excitement of many an Ace Attorney fan was dashed once they saw the first season’s animation which was oftentimes stilted and off-model. While these problems still loom their ugly heads at times, the animation was of a more consistent high-quality this time around. While I have my fingers crossed that the hypothetical third season has virtually no animation errors, they’re at least quite tolerable this time around. The music won’t knock your socks off, but fans will smile at a few familiar tunes and everyone can at least appreciate that the music is both fitting and pretty catchy at times. Tense moments are captured nigh-perfectly with the music.

The characters really do make this show what it is. Even in the less lighthearted cases (Bridge to the Turnabout, Turnabout Beginnings, Turnabout Memories, and to a lesser extent, Turnabout Express), the characters are an absolute riot. The meek Ron DeLite who wishes for everyone to know him as a cunning gentleman thief (thus giving Phoenix even more of a headache in court), the perpetually clumsy and energetic Maggie Byrd, the hilariously aggressive gangster that looks similar to our hero Furio Tigre, and the memetic loser Winston Payne are just a few of the people you’ll encounter during your watch. They’re the highlight of the series and they’re what will make you come back each week. I excitedly started watching the dub once I realized I’d be able to hear Luke Atmey’s voice.

My position as someone who played the source material probably also shows in my care about pacing. Now, all shows, movies, or games, whether adaptations or not can have pacing issues, but I feel those who only experience the court cases via the anime don’t have a problem with the pacing. Perhaps not. Either way, besides the animation, another large gripe people had with the first season was the pacing. The cases moved at a breakneck speed and not much happened in the investigation sections.I found myself quite disappointed that the cases I was so ready to see seemed to be rushed. Part of this problem was cramming two games in a two-cour show. While this might not seem that bad, Phoenix Wright games are of moderate length and the producers really pushed their luck in trying to squeeze them both in one season. Season 3 only adapts the third game and it shows, with the cases having a lot more breathing room and as a result, character motivations, investigations, cross-examinations, and the resolution to cases are all fleshed out. The depiction of Viola discovering that her fiance didn’t truly love her would have been glossed over in season one.

There’s even room for filler episodes which were actually quite good. They came in two flavours: expanding upon the characters’ pasts and an arc where there was a brand new trial. While non-canon “filler” arcs are usually met with derision, I loved the case here, and since it was made for the anime and not made for a game then compressed to fit with the anime, it lacked the pacing issues of some of the earlier cases. As far as the other category goes, kid Franziska von Karma is adorable. That is all.

One of my main critiques is actually something I realized after finishing the series. The last case is absolutely amazing in how it manages to tie everything together and surprises viewers with

Spoiler, click to view

Edgeworth making a return and channelling shenanigans.

However, it might seem to come out of nowhere. In the games, the two flashback court cases that precede it in the anime where positioned throughout Trials and Tribulations (the game that the second season adapts), laying the groundwork earlier. As is, having turnabout memories, beginnings, and bridge together in an arc format makes them feel too separate from the rest of the show. I can only assume this decision was made because they needed to adapt the Lost Turnabout which would have gone in the last season, otherwise.

But overall, I liked the show. A question I have however, is this: is it because it’s good on its own or because I liked the game? This is important to think of when thinking of recommendations because it ultimately answers the question of “who is this show for?” Would fans of the game or general anime watchers get something from this show? Ultimately, I think both, but fans of the game get a lot more out of it. Even with this true, the court cases don’t hold a candle to their game counterparts. For fans, the show’s novelty is seeing and hearing their favorite characters in a new medium, not necessarily seeing and hearing the cases in a new medium, though Bridge to Turnabout certainly comes very close to the excellence of its game counterpart.

For a hypothetical third season, adapting Apollo Justice (the fourth) game and that game alone would make for the best adaptation, since adding any more would make the season feel rushed. Going forward, I ultimately think old and new fans alike would get more of the show if it consisted of purely anime-only trials, providing new adventurers hand-crafted for the small screen.

Ace Attorney season 2 isn’t perfect. It’s not amazing, either. If I’m being honest, it’s probably only great for the last few episodes. The animation is still spotty and the pacing could be better. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy each episode. Season 2 improved on season 1’s formula and I’m hoping that Cloverworks continues learning from their and A-1’s mistakes in order to produce a phenomenal Ace Attorney show.

8.0

B-