Episode 4
(Otherwise epic opening makes the poor decision of spoiling two key twists in the case-Vera's fainting and Kristoph's appearance-in the first minute. I thought this would be the first game to never show us who the culprit is and they ruin that in the finale of all cases. Seriously, game? You were almost on track to get ten sins removed! Instead, I'll just add them.)
"Okay…this was unexpected. This is the first time I've seen you start a fic with such a good argument. I don't know if I should count this as improvement on your part or a sign of how much of a letdown this finale is, so…" starts with minus one sin.
(Legal system lets a disbarred attorney with a reputation for evidence forging run the Jurist system with zero oversight whatsoever. I'll complain more about this later, but for now…let's just say I completely understand why the jurist system was scrapped from the main series and move on.)
"Okay…another good argument…I hope you don't keep doing this all the time, because…" minus two sins.
(I feel like I should wait before getting into this, but…Phoenix spent the last seven years preparing to clear his name once and for all in this case, yet the trial for Drew Misham's murder was made the test case a day beforehand, meaning they had a completely different case lined up. What would Phoenix have done if Misham died of a heart attack five years ago? What if the poison trap never sprang and Misham lived well into his eighties? Phoenix would have done all this work for nothing.)
"Look…I can't keep doing this. All of your arguments are perfectly justified here. This case had an amazing premise and could have expanded to an awesome ending if it correctly took advantage of its potential. But it is apparent the work done here was very sloppy, unrealistic to the point where it's offensive, and generally leaves a lot to be desired. I agree with you on this one. But all that aside…the point of this is for me to point out everything wrong with your fics. So I will remove one last sin here and not mention any more of your good points. Unless they are really egregious." Minus three sins.
[(Meeting Vera) Vera loves magic and especially the Gramaryes, but when a Gramarye-Trucy-does a magic trick in front of her she freaks out and faints.]
"Vera doesn't know Trucy is a Gramarye. She only saw them live once when she was a child. And she never saw Trucy. She saw Thalassa, Zak and Valant. And with one of them being "killed", one of them being on the run from the law and then killed and one being incarcerated for some time…everyone, including Vera, assumes the Gramaryes are done for. At best, she would think Trucy is a cosplayer who likes pretending to be one of the Gramaryes. And Vera would have been prepared to see magic tricks in the show she went to. But Trucy did one in front of her without warning. It's natural she would be scared, especially since she's a shut-in." minus two sins
(I'm really good with astrology! Tell me, what's your sing?) Apollo attempts at flirting.]
"Pierce points things out on the screen cliché." Minus one sin.
"Also, give the poor guy a break. He has been screwed up financially, professionally and personally…can't you let him have a win on the romantic side?" zero sins.
(Police allowed Vera to carry poisoned nail polish into detention with her. I know they did it to pacify her…)
"I'm gonna stop you right there. You answered your own question. Yes, Vera was having a mental breakdown for not having her lucky charm with her and the police gave it to her to calm her down. You suggest they could have taken her to the station by force, and they could have, but it wouldn't help if she kept having a breakdown in her cell, nor would it help their public image." One sin added.
(We can turn the coffee mug upside down while checking it, but no coffee spills out. I want coffee like that.)
"Yes…Pierce fails at realizing not everything in this game needs to apply to real-world logic yet again." One sin added.
(Poison testing fluid looks exactly like luminol. For some reason.)
"Okay…and why is that a sin? They are made from similar chemicals, so it's not that much of a stretch. This case has too many flaws, as we both ascertained above, you don't need to stick to minor details. You are unnecessarily padding the sin count right now." One sin added.
(Kristoph spend one-hundred thousand dollars on forged evidence? Why?! Game tries to convince us it's because he wanted to be known as a successful lawyer, but if he has that sort of money to throw around, he's clearly successful already. So what was the point?)
"Those things are unrelated. What evidence do you have to support Kristoph's fortune came from his lawyering. Maybe he had rich parents that died or won the lotto. I'm not saying there is a way to prove those either, but him being rich and yet not having the fame he wants as a lawyer is not as impossible as you make it out to be." One sin added.
(Game makes a big deal about the fact that Brushel came to interview Misham on the day of the murder, but it turns out to be a complete coincidence. Bad timing, huh?)
"Okay...and because of that very coincidence, this case happened the way it did. I thought we went through this in chapters one and two Without events happening in a specific order and way, there would be no story to tell. Or it would be a bunch of bullshit where nothing ever happens, because everything would seem "Convenient," as it serves the plot that happens because of those events in the first place. Believe me, even a ridiculous, nonsensical story is better than a story where nothing at all happens." One sin added.
[(Sunshine colosseum) More people can be seen outside Valant's show than the Gavinner's concert. Since when are magic shows more popular than rock concerts?]
"Since the most famous group of magicians in the country, that was broken up after the leader died and one of the members vanished, makes a return after seven years with the remaining member promising even greater magic tricks. This is a huge deal, especially for people who used to be fans of the original." One sin added.
[(Your father was a great man, Trucy) Hahahhahahha. No.]
"Pierce yells at the screen cliché." One sin added.
(If Zak was declared legally dead on April, why did Valant wait until October to do a big show? Why would he keep the rights to the Gramarye tricks for six months, but wait until the day it would be taken from him to use any? Was it a deal he made with the scriptwriter to maximize dramaticism?)
"Valant is ready to make his grand return. He wants to start off with a huge bang. So he takes those six months to perfectly arrange anything, ensure all details are in place and nothing at all will go wrong on his big chance. He has waited seven years. He can wait a bit longer, especially if it to ensure everything will go perfectly. Besides, he has no idea Zak left a will before being killed. He thinks he has all the time in the world." One sin added.
(Brushel attended the Diego Armando school of speaking in nonsensical metaphor. How large was its graduating class?)
"Look, Brushel has creepy, upsetting animations, but he is a funny character. And also pretty crucial to the plot. I can guarantee he would be far more enjoyable and loved if he wasn't so creepy-looking. And his way of speaking is the main reason why I and many others find him so amusing. If you look past the animations, you can actually see a good man with ethics and a big role in the overall story." One sin added.
[(Misham's rough sketches) These artistic depictions of Apollo's cases are cool and all, but they raise a lot more questions than they answer. Game gives us a half-assed explanation later as to why Misham is doing this, but the how is left a complete mystery.]
"Not if you are capable of thinking for yourself. Misham has been watching Phoenix and his agency for seven years. He was impressed by Phoenix at the flashback case, because his career had just been ruined and all he tried to do was protect his jerk of a client. Which is why he also got an interest in Apollo when he began working there and viewed his cases. He didn't need to leave the house or visit the crime scenes to do so. He could watch the basic case information through the TV news and draw his paintings accordingly. He doesn't get every detail right, like in the poker case, but he doesn't need to. He makes sketches of the cases' basic premise. Simple as that." One sin added.
(Apollo dismisses the possibility of Misham being his father as too ridiculous, but two games later, he compete accepts the premise his father was a world-traveling musician who dies on a queen's house on fire. What changed from now to spirit of justice? Aside from the writer I mean.)
"It could also have to do with the fact that this word-traveling musician died while being in Khu'rain, the place Apollo was raised at. It could also have to do with the fact that he was told so and given a photograph of the guy by his foster father. Or maybe, just maybe…it's because that guy's name is Jove Justice. Do I need to go on or are you thoroughly embarrassed?" one sin added.
([(In court) Trucy encourages a young shut-in to sell herself. Who wrote all those sexual jokes about-for a fifteen year old and why were they deemed appropriate?]
"Pierce thinks "selling yourself" to people only means throwing yourself at them. I pity every person who has ever interviewed Pierce for a job.
[(Murder is a simple business. Who would go to such lengths?) Your brother.]
"Pierce yells at the screen cliché. You know they can't hear you, right? Right?!" one sin added.
(Klavier is obsessed with playing his guitar in this trial. He does it, like, every two minutes. I like it too, but not this much.)
"Sinning Klavier's air guitar. That's worth…this many sins." Three sins added.
[(A poisoned stamp in this envelope? A stamp that then became the murder weapon? How do you intend to prove this seeming coincidence?) Through snooping in prison, stealing shit, recreating evidence and traveling through the barriers of time. How could you not get that?]
"I would have skipped this for making another astute point…but then I realized…Pierce just yelled at the screen again. Sigh…" one sin added.
[(Klavier points out flaws in the case's premise) Why is Klavier Gavin the only voice of reason in this trial? I mean, good on him, but sin on everyone else.]
"But…that literally happens in every game and every case. The defense making rash claims and presenting scenarios that seem to make sense based on the evidence, but are not perfect, the judge buying it, since it seems logical at first sight, the prosecutor jumping in and pointing out the holes in the story and all over again. Why is Klavier the only one you have called out on this since the first game?" one sin added.
[(Vera stares at Klavier) Foreshadowing.]
"Okay…and why is that a sin? Honestly, girl, why is it bad that a mystery story leaves tiny hints that the audience can put together to get to the solutions before the protagonists do? That's a cornerstone of mystery fiction, which apparently is a section of the library you have never been at." One sin added.
(Vera is in love with all things Gramarye, but still refers to Trucy, a Gramarye's, magic as gags. If she knows her dad has been watching Wright and co. law offices for seven years now and knows the contents of what he sees, why isn't Vera fangirling at this very moment? Does she really not know who Trucy is?)
"Yes. I already explained this above. The Gramaryes have dropped off the radar for seven years now. Trucy was never shown as being one of them and Vera doesn't know she is Zak's daughter. Her father didn't know that much about Apollo's cases either, so so much for that avenue. You think you can put on a costume of a famous group and people will fangirl for you as if you are the real deal? Grow up, Peter Pan!" one sin added.
(The "What's hard" exchange.) Apollo's hard for Klavier? That beats my fanfiction!]
"….out of all the cringey, disgusting sexual jokes you have made in this series…this one takes the fucking cake! And I hope it truly does, because if the fanfics for two games after this somehow have a joke tramping out this one…Good lord!" one sin added.
[(Vera kept the stamp because of the picture on it) And to think, If Kristoph had used any other kind of stamp, he would have gotten away with everything.]
"Again…for the umpteenth time, if this didn't happen, there wouldn't be a story to tell here. Seriously! What would the point of playing this game-or any other game-if there was no plot to follow. The plot happens because of the events we see happening in this game. The plot is not arranged to happen, it is affected by people's behaviour and actions, not unlike real life. Would a murderer being caught for killing his wife because he left evidence be convenient in a real-world setting? Because let me tell you convenient things happen in life all the time and we never question them. They happen far more often than fiction and they go unnoticed because people are aware convenient and impossible are not synonyms." One sin added.
[(Vera Misham faints) Fainting in court cliché.]
"A cliché is something that has been used so much that it has lost its original meaning. This is not the case for this. This is a thing that always happens in real life. If you get poisoned, you pass out before dying. What did you expect to happen? For her to just walk it off?" one sin added.
"Also, sinning this scene." Five sins added.
(Trucy was supposed to have her first magic show the day her daddy disappeared forever. This is both heartbreaking and skipped over entirely. Did Trucy get to perform? I need closure for Trucy's show, goddammit!)
"Your ignorance of Apollo justice lore is showing. When Trucy says she will make her first show, she means her part in Zak's plan. Zak escaping and Trucy distracting the bailiff with Mr. Hat was planned in advance. If he got declared guilty, Trucy would put on "the show" to help her father escape." One sin added.
(How did Trucy not recognize Kristoph as the person who gave her the evidence?)
"How do you know she didn't? She is never seen on-screen talking about it. Phoenix obviously trusted Kristoph, at least at first, when he voted against his disbarment. How do you think he got suspicious of him? Maybe he always was, but it is clear he has some strong reason to suspect him to go this far. Maybe Trucy described him and Phoenix put everything together." One sin added.
[(Zak tells Phoenix he won't be declared guilty) Foreshadowing.]
"Are you padding the sin count, sis? I think you are padding the sin count." One sin added.
[(Klavier as a teenager.) This character design. His fashion sense really improved over the years, didn't it?]
"No. It was always perfect. Sinning this amazing look." One sin added.
(Klavier read Phoenix's mind, but never once serves as the man's assistant or had a secret shared past with him. How is this possible?)
"You know, this has already happened quite a few times. Gumshoe in 3-3, Ema with Apollo in 4-2 and even the judge is some incorrect presenting in the original trilogy. That means this is a standard of the series by this point. A normal person would think there was a reason behind this and looked it up, but…not you! You just see something happening over and over again and assume there is no method to the madness." One sin added.
[(Today's the day, pal. Today I win and you lose!) I remove a sin for Gumshoe, then he wastes his time on the stand foreshadowing…]
"Skip!" one sin added.
[(Magnifi ordered his disciples to shoot him) Does killing under duress carry the same legal penalty as plain ol' murder in this universe? I ask because, under US law, defense of duress can lead to a full acquittal in some cases. I know it's not in Phoenix's style to believe their client did it…]
"Answering your own question cliché. Phoenix believes Zak is innocent and wants to establish that. Even if he struck defense of duress, Zak would still go to prison for a long time." One sin added.
[(Zak and Valant's quick draw shootem) Character is ignorant of well-known information so that the audience can be informed cliché.]
"Okay…so what's your point? That a character does not know everything about the world at any given time? How is that a sin? Phoenix is not omniscient." One sin added.
[(Phoenix asks Klavier to prove how Zak could have gotten a second bullet) Easy: the troupe had them on hand from when their shootem trick was popular. If Magnifi had one in each of he guns, they are clearly still lying around.]
"Yes, lying around in Magnifi's office. Since he kept both guns close to him. He probably did the same with the bullets. If Klavier went that way, he would then have to explain how Zak got into the office without the key and without breaking the lock." One sin added.
(Valant on the stand) Damn, young Valant was cute. Why did Thalassa pick Zak again?]
"Maybe he was nicer to her. I know this seems unlikely since he is a giant jerk, but there is no evidence he was the same way back then. And why do you assume Thalassa would also find young Valant more attractive? Stop injecting your opinion into here and dressing it up like a sin." One sin added.
[(And if it wasn't Zak, then the killer was you, Valant. And no disappearing act will get you out of this one.) Phoenix incorrectly foreshadows…]
"Skip!" one sin added.
(Valant's damage animation) have those doves and rabbits been on him this entire time?)
"Takes an ace attorney damage animation at face value. We don't do that here." One sin added.
(Drew Misham's hair.)
"This is an artistic choice. It was made to look like a paintbrush, while at the same time representing his double life as a painter and a forger. It serves a purpose is what I'm saying." One sin added.
(Phoenix is disbarred for unknowingly presenting forged evidence, but when Edgeworth did the same thing in SL-9, his only consequences were self-induced.)
"That's because Lana and Gant took full responsibility for it. They made it clear they did it behind Edgeworth's back and he had no idea. That would put him in the clear. Here everyone thinks Phoenix did it on his own for winning the case. In other words, the standards are different." One sin added.
(The MASON system.)
"Yes, I agree. This shit is ridiculous. Look, I get they were going for something original to make the case stand out. And you have to give them points for creativity in terms of presentation. But I wish it had been handled better and not presented in such a convoluted, unnecessarily confusing way. It's a shame, because the premise was promising, but it completely crashed and burnt because of the sloppy execution and failure to deliver." One sin removed
(Trucy claims she's now directly descended from the famous Phoenix Wright) That's…not quite how this works. Descend implies that you share blood with a person and Phoenix is only your adoptive parent. And yes, I am sinning an eight-year old for not understanding genetics.]
"Hmmm…who is more of an idiot actually? The eight-year old girl that doesn't understand genetics…or the person that shits on an eight-year old for not understanding genetics? Discuss." One sin added.
(Trucy was already working at the wonder bar at the age of eight? That…I'm sorry. That's gotta be violating child labor laws.)
"Hahahahaha! Pierce thinks the American government gives a fuck about enforcing child labor laws. Need I remind you it's one of the two countries in the whole world-the other being Somalia-that hasn't signed the UN's convention on the rights of the child?" one sin added.
(The great detective Guamshoe.)
"Says the girl that last chapter wrote "The process bride." Hypocrite much?" One sin added.
(Why is the borscht bowl club labeled under present day? The events there happened six months ago.)
"Because the distinction between past and present is made at whether it happened seven years ago or this year. The events at Borsht bowl happened within this year, ergo…do I even need to finish this sentence?" one sin added.
(Also, how has Zak been able to go unnoticed for all those years? He used to be famous on TV and it's not like he changed his appearance.)
"Maybe he moved to Europe or even South America where not that many people knew his face. Or maybe he did grow a beard or something, but shaved it to make sure Phoenix would recognize him." One sin added.
[(Solitary cell 13) I would sin Kristoph's lavish cell, but having played AAI2 now, I'm not as surprised by it as I used to be. I'm more impressed he managed to get that giant ass bookshelf into the cell. The cell door clearly isn't big enough, and Kristoph doesn't strike me as a talented furniture builder, so…how the fuck did this happen?]
"Maybe he brought the parts of the bookshelf in piece by piece and put them together on his own. And you cannot say he is not good with handiwork because you literally have no point of reference." One sin added.
(Where is Kristoph's bed in this cell? Or his toilet? He's in solitary confinement. Those cells should have those things.)
"We only see one wall of the cell. Maybe the bed and the toilet is on the other one behind us." One sin added.
(The black psyche-locks. The next game tries to come up with an explanation for them, but that doesn't change the fact they were just meant to be an unbreakable dead end in this one.)
"This is actually one of my favorite aspects of this case. Because, with all its flaws, it does a perfect job of portraying Kristoph as a terrifying villain. The fact he is so paranoid with hiding his crimes, to the point where he has convinced even himself that he did nothing wrong and has no motive for anything…is a sign of how much of a psychopath he is. If you haven't been scared of the guy so far…this will make you feel so. This sends a chill down your spine and makes Kristoph even more looming a villain." One sin added.
(Examining the bookshelf) What kind of bird is that? It looks like someone shrank Polly and painted her purple.]
"And…where's the sin? Even if that is a miniature depiction of a purple bird like Polly…how the hell is this a sin of the case?! Did this case need padding of the sin count? I don't think this case needed padding of the sin count." One sin added.
(Vongole sounds utterly adorable. Like, cuter than shoe adorable. So naturally, we never get to meet her.)
"Did we need to? Are you literally campaigning for this case to be longer? What is wrong with you?! And how would they even justify a cat being with Kristoph in prison? It may make sense in an AAI-2 setting, but it would be out of the blue here." one sin added.
[(Phoenix pretends to be a Gramarye fan) This act is so obviously fake, it's hilarious.]
"Pierce sins something she likes cliché." One sin added.
(Brushel claim's Thalassa's first husband died on an accident on stage.) You know, you'd think with re-releases made after Spirit of Justice, they'd be more inclined to clear up the retconning like they did in the original trilogy. Too bad they didn't consider it worth the effort.)
"Well, hang in there. Now that the Apollo justice trilogy is being released as one remastered collection of all three games, they might get some cleaning done." One sin added.
[(Phoenix says he needs to meet the one who helped give the Gramarye power to another generation with Thalassa.) Jove Justice? Sorry to tell you, Phoenix, but he's been dead a little while…oh, you meant Zak. Damn.]
"Pierce yells at the screen cliché." One sin added.
[(Explaining how perceiving works) Several minutes of pseudo-scientific bullshit. We have spirit channeling in this universe. We accept the existence of magic. Just call your superpower magic and get on with it.]
"I actually find it important they bothered to explain it in such depth. The magic is not generally accepted in this universe. It is only accepted in the Fey family and the kingdom of Khu'rain where spirit channeling originates from and determines everything. Apollo and Thalassa are not in any way connected to this family, so them having a magic power without any explanation as to how it works would seem to lazy and contrived. The fact they explain it in a way that makes sense in this universe is attention to detail that merits attention." One sin added.
(Of the eight portion of the MASON system, seven of them feature psyche-locks. One even features two: Drew and Vera's. That is way too many psyche-lock segments to cram into a short ass period of time. What, did they think we'd miss the feature so much for the rest of the game, we'd want a whole game's worth in the finale?)
"Yes. I did miss it a lot. Look, this is my favorite mechanic in the whole series. The perceive is kinda hard to figure out on a first playthrough, the mood matrix is interesting, but it is too complex for a mechanic that is used in both DD and SOJ, the divination séance was based on a good idea, but the execution was sloppy…this is the greatest mechanic in the whole mainline series. Because it combines both the supernatural elements of the series and the evidence and deductive reasoning a mystery story requires. That's why it is so amazing. And even more so for only being sued in investigations and not trials, since that's where logic and deductions triumph over the supernatural. And I really had a good time with this. So I appreciate the game doing this." One sin added.
(Phoenix presents evidence to the sort of villain aid surprised when it goes…wait, Valant doesn't just make the evidence disappear? Why the fuck not? It's what I'd do if I were him.)
"Because Valant is an honorable man. He only made the mistake of crossing the line once and he has been regretting it ever since. He felt bad for making Zak run away like that and framing him for murder. Sure, he is willing to take advantage of the magical rights, but only because he believes Zak is already dead and left no sign of inheriting them from Magnifi. Now that he sees that isn't the case, he realizes he has to come to terms with the reality. The fact he turns himself in for evidence tampering at the end of the case shows he wishes to be punished for what he did, showing clear regret and making him a fully fleshed-out character. And just asked for all of that to be destroyed in one line." One sin added.
(Even if Magnifi was going to kill himself…why did he have to make it look like Valant murdered him?)
"He…he literally did not! He shot himself in the head. It was an open-and-shut case of suicide. That would be clear as soon as the gun was found in his dead hand and his fingerprints all over it. Valant was in no danger. He removed the gun from his hand and wiped the prints to frame Zak out of revenge. The fact you even have to make shit up to sin this case shows a lot about your critical thinking." One sin added.
(Woo-hoo! The MASON system is over, I'm free, I can…wait, there's still a trial after this? Why?! The jury's seen the MASON footage Phoenix edited together. They have all the information they need to make the decision he wants them to, and nothing presented in the trial will change that. I don't hate playing as Apollo, and think he's actually a good lawyer in this game, but in the game's final chapter, he is written to be utterly useless! If you take even a second to think about it, there are zero stakes in the last part of this case. Apollo could show up on the second day of court dressed like Moe the clown, do nothing but tell bad jokes the entire time and nothing about the trial's result would change. And that is why Apollo got a bad reputation as a character from this case. Because this game did him dirty.)
"See?! That's what happens when you create a new protagonist, but still feel like including the old one in the game! Sure, I like Phenix in this game, and get his personal stakes in the case, but he still took the spotlight completely away from Apollo. The guy got overshadowed in his own game. And aside from the fact he is a fan of Phoenix and likes yelling he's fine, we don't get a single characteristic about the guy. We have zero reason to care about him, about his efforts in the trial, since Phoenix did all the work, and it all feels like he was a last minute addition in his own game. And you know what is a crying shame? That it didn't have to be this way. Phoenix could have played his own part and still left a bit of suspense to allow Apollo to put everything together. That way he would feel like he's a bit more competent in this case rather than a pawn in Phoenix and Kristoph's game of revenge. And they could still fix this…by making a sequel. Apollo justice 2, where he solves all the cases on his own, maybe gets a few personal stakes in the outcome and shows a bit more character growth. But no! We go straight to DD, where Phoenix takes the lead again and Apollo and Athena all end up as secondary characters." Five sins removed.
(And once again, the court feels no need to suspend their proceedings while their nineteen-year old criminal defendant faces near death after a long delayed murder attempt that ended up being a real close call, a la turnabout corner.)
"And both Apollo and Klavier explain this. If Vera dies, the case will be declared a mistrial and they will have nobody left to try. The case will remain open forever. Klavier is sensitive to a case ending with a verdict-it fees terrible and leaves a scar on your soul-and doesn't want it to happen again, especially to Apollo. Look, you would have me on this if it happened without a convincing explanation to advance the plot, but since it has a perfectly valid explanation…" one sin added.
(Brand name gavels are a thing that exist in this universe. Who knew?)
"The gavel market is actually quite big in our universe as well. Gavels are sold on amazon in different colors, materials and sizes. What's your point?" one sin added.
(Kristoph challenges the validity of perceive, asking if all tense witnesses are guilty.) Kristoph Gavin would be awesome at cinemasins.]
"I bet a lot of guys out there hate me and the Birdman for calling Pierce and Jeremy out on their bullshit. But Pierce just admitted one of the most despicable and evil characters in the entire ace attorney series would fit in at cinemasins. And Jeremy has done the same thing for Umbridge in Harry potter. We are the heroes here!" one sin added.
[(Or perhaps you'd like to suggest I can somehow manipulate coincidence?) Well, Phoenix is pretty good at it. It's not like it's much of a stretch.]
"Pierce yells at the screen cliché." One sin added.
(Apollo insists Phoenix couldn't have ordered the forgery) Nothing Apollo is saying is wrong here, but isn't there a much easier way to prove this? Just ask yourself one simple question: since when has Phoenix had one hundred grand in disposable income?}
"And you ask yourself one simple question: how could Apollo prove to the court Phoenix doesn't have a buttload of cash stashed under his mattress?" one sin added.
[(Kristoph insists the reproduction and MASON system shouldn't be considered evidence) I wanna be mad at the big bad for this, but he is completely correct. Even if they were holding a jurist trial instead of an initial trial, why would evidence law change? Phoenix Wright has clearly revealed himself to have a personal interest in the outcome of the trial, and has proven earlier this game he has no problem altering evidence and hiding inconvenient facts whenever it suits him. How do we know he didn't do that in the MASON system? He's known for forging evidence-even though the allegations were false, he embraces it in time for the first case-and only got his position as head of the jury through-likely-long contacts in law enforcements-implied to be Edgeworth, though I choose to believe Edgeworth didn't know the details, his moral code in DD is irreconcilable with this bullshit-He was given free reign over the jury to influence them however he wants and no one is overseeing his work to make sure the trial is fair.)
(Sure, you can defend Phoenix by saying this was all he could have done to bring Kristoph to justice, but this is where the sin I mentioned in the first case comes into play again: why should I care about taking down a man who's already in jail? Any victim we could have saved by doing so is dead or dying-she is saved for some unknown reason if declared not guilty. Don't ask me how. I don't know-and really, the only person that gets a practical benefit out of this…is Phoenix Wright himself. He get out from under the forgery accusations and can become a lawyer again. Through this warped lens…can we really believe Phoenix is telling us the truth? Or has he become an unreliable narrator we are just expected to believe in because of our past memories?]
"Wow…no, really, I am impressed. This whole rant may seem like overreacting at first sight…but literally nothing Pierce is saying here is wrong. She makes a bunch of great points. And they sum up the main reasons why this case is so hated. Because it was based on a great concept, had very original ideas, had great potential…and they threw it out the window. I usually avoid writing down Pierce's huge rats, but this time…I decided I would. Because I was amazed by this. Really, I can tell how much effort and appreciation Pierce puts into this series and I have to respect that. I am on my fourth fanfic sinning her series so far and I have said a lot of things about her. And I stand by those, make no mistake. This is my favorite fic in the series, mainly because she actually acts like a proper reviewer and points out the flaws of the game in an impressive way instead of being an arrogant, know-it-all who's actually kind of annoying. This is the proof Pierce can be great at doing this and it's a shame she chooses not to in every story. I know it probably seems like I hate her and her work after all my complaining…but I don't. I still like her content. And if you wonder why….it's because if you look beyond the initial stupidity and nitpickiness, you can see a lot of good ideas used here. And Pierce herself is actually kind of a cool girl…that does shit like this." Five sins removed.
[(Klavier and his Honor's speeches) it's at this moment I remembered that Japan was moving to a jurist system of its own while this game was being made. Nice as this speeches are, they sound like direct quotes from politicians. The sheer amount of corruption Phoenix's gets away with and our-the jury's-willingness to accept it…this game series started as a funhouse mirror of Japanese law and this entry is no different. On one side, you've got lawfully evil Kristoph Gavin. We agree he's guilty, but the current system can't prove it. One the other hand, we have morally grey Phoenix Wright, who manipulates the people around him and does every evil thing Kristoph does-bar murder-to take his opponent down. On the surface, this game seems to support the new system. But look deeper, and I think they were poking holes at it. Especially by 2015, when the jurist system in DGS is based on rash fits of emotion and little else. The argument made here for the jurist system is the same argument Ryu makes against the jurist in the first DGS-and I have to assume DGS2. Again: would be a lot more interesting if it didn't require time travel!]
"See?! That further illustrates the point I made above. That Pierce can be a wonderful critic, much better than actual cinemasins, and make a lot of great points. This is the Pierce we love and want to see more often. If only more of her fics were like this one." Five sins removed.
(Phoenix put the defense's mom on the jury.) You know what I bet the real reason Phoenix hasn't Apollo yet is? He doesn't want anyone to realize how biased his test trial was. If they did, they would do more than throw the system out. They would throw him out. For good this time.)
"Damn!" five sins removed.
Total sin tally: 42
Sentence: Zak and Valant's quick draw shootem