Gyakuten Saiban (Or Ace Attorney, as it is known as in North America and Europe) is a series of visual novel/simulation video games developed by CAPCOM. The series has gotten pretty popular over the 10 years it has been around, so it makes a lot of sense to have a manga series to go along with the games. Even though this is not the manga series I am talking about, this is still an amazing collection of doujins in one nice manga volume, so if you are in any way a fan of Ace Attorney I would highly reccomend this to you.

If you are not a fan of Ace Attorney, I would recommend not reading this manga, due to it's several nods at the games' plotlines and "inside jokes" that could only be understood if you have played the first 3 Ace Attorney games.



Story: 7/10
There isn't really one specific plotline or story the flows through every chapter, since it is just a collection of doujins all written and drawn by different artists. However, the base premise of the Ace Attorney franchise will always be there; the story about a rookie Defense Attorney set on getting that guilty verdict. I think this is a good thing because it makes this manga that much more fun to read. Instead of finishing a chapter and feeling like you wished it went on more, a brand new chapter with refreshinly new art and such appears in front of you, which really gets you hooked to wonder exactly what the next author/artist has come up with for our favourite AA characters to be in. And that leads us into the next part of this review, the characters.

Characters: 10/10
The characters' personalities are almost exactly how they are portrayed in the video games, and that is a very important point when reading a manga based on a video game. They also keep the "who is buddies with who" matched up with the games. Of course, the series' protagonist, Naruhodou Ryuuichi (Phoenix Wright in the English translation) is portrayed perfectly, right down to his somewhat sarcastic tone of voice to his never-ending need to save people from injustice. Wright's lonetime rival and friend Mitsurugi Reiji (English Vers. Miles Edgeworth) is also very well shown, and the Ayasato women (Fey women; Mayoi (Maya), Harumi (Pearl) and Chihiro (Mia)) are as energetic and in character as they always are, even when Mia loses it at times because of a "certian problem" she has. Overall if you fell in love with the characters in the games, chances are you will fall in love with them all over again while reading this manga.

Art: 7/10
The art is definatly a mixed bag in this one; don't expect the clean art in the official games. However, every chapters art is unique and gives a nice spin to all the characters designs. Even though there are certian chapters' art styles that I did not like too much, overall the art is pretty well done and soft on the eyes.

Enjoyment: 9/10
I enjoyed this manga as much as I possibly could. From the full-out chapters to the hilarious 4-koma shorts included between chapters and at the end of the manga. A nice touch that I love was added was how the series' signature "OBJECTION!" bubbles are featured in every chapter, with "HOLD IT!" and "TAKE THAT!" making several appearances as well.

Overall Rating: 8/10
Overall, this collection of doujinshi is really nice and a must have for any Ace Attorney fan, as long as you've played the first 3 games (to avoid being spoiled). Put these facts together with enough "you had to play it to understand it" jokes for a lifetime and nice chapter plots and art throughout, and you've basically got one manga worth reading.