I collect stuff that may be interesting and helpful about AA characters (and more). Feel free to send asks with your own insights on the matter.
To organise all of this, and for easy navigation through my blog, I plan to use the following tag system. As the blog is fairly new, the tag system is not final — I'm more than welcome to hear your thoughts on it.
Tag system
#character name — Everything about this character. I won't use Japanese names or the ones from fan translation (sorry, Sebastian) even when discussing Japanese versions or some other localisation changes.
#character name speech — Everything that can be said about how the character speaks. American/British English, specific swears, common phrases, and such. In some instances (like 'When this character speaks, they operate on emotions and often note how other people think'), may cross the line of #thoughts.
#character name behaviour — How the character expresses themself through anything but words. Mainly likes/dislikes, physical mannerisms (his thoughts' sprite is just like his mother's) but may include more complex responses (when she gets angry, she tends to physically push others out of her way).
#character name thoughts — Thought patterns and a bit of motivations. Basically, what we will find if we look through this character's POV. May bleed into the #backstory or #speech.
#character name personality — Stuff on a character that isn't easily deciphered through small numbers of words, thoughts, or actions. Should be supported with all of these, though. 'They are kind' is pretty meaningless but 'they tend unconsciously to draw people to themselves through charisma' isn't.
#character name backstory — Little known stuff about backstory, structural analysis, or new assumptions about character's life before main story.
#character name belongings — About literal stuff that characters own.
#character name abilities — What characters can do, physically and mentally. Mostly little details that easily get missed, or analysis of some gag situations in serious manner.
#character name relationships — Includes what certain character feels/thinks about someone else (but NOT vice versa). Both platonic and romantic. This tag is almost always followed with tag #character name1 & character name2, unless the 'relationships' cover all of the character's reactions to others (in which case it almost always falls under #behaviour).
#character name1 & character name2 — Subtag that specifies which characters are discussed. The order, for the sake of consistency, is alphabetical (aka 'Kazuma Asogi & Ryunosuke Naruhodo', but 'Iris Wilson & Kazuma Asogi').
#character name localisation — Stuff that depends on information from releases other than official English. Difference in characterisations between fan and official translations, cut info, mistranslation from Japanese and so on.
#aa worldbuilding — Covers stuff that are not characters. Specific of spirit channeling or legal system or such.
#aa extra — About personalities that are only implied to exist in AA universe.
#miscellaneous — Stuff that I was unable to properly place otherwise (or maybe I plan to revisit and retag the post).
Title tags in short form are included to signal from which source the information was taken:
fellow dgs fans, can anybody tell me if there's any official info on the origin of barok's scar? i've been wondering about it lately...
i think nuri's commentary in the barok section of the dgs2 artbook sheds some light on it, but i can't understand a smidge of japanese, so if anyone can do that, i'd be grateful if you let me know what it says!
・ Original illustration of Barok as a young man (concept art)
One thing I personally found disappointing about Barok in this work was that his forehead scar wasn’t mentioned. This is because the scar on Barok’s forehead was originally included at the request of the client during the design phase. As I recall, the explanation at the time was that it was a scar sustained during a past attack. Unfortunately, as it wasn’t mentioned in the story, I decided to at least illustrate it myself. As it’s a scar sustained during an incident that marked the turning point in his becoming the ‘Grim Reaper’, I believe it holds great significance.
Double checking key words here...
過去の襲撃事件の時についた傷 ~ A scar recieved from an attack somewhere in the past
A small study—which won’t really lead to anything—about the history of mousetraps in the real world and in TGAA, carried out by Nitpicker with a Japanese dictionary and a dream.
If you examine a mousetrap in TGAA:1-2, the characters will say the following:
And, to put it mildly, that bothered me.
These remarks raised two questions for me:
1. Were mousetraps of this kind actually in use in Japan for a time, such that Ryunosuke would have regarded them as so commonplace?
2. Why, in that case, is it not simply a ‘mousetrap’ but a ‘trap for catching mice’?
In this thesis, I have attempted to answer these two questions.
1. The History of Mousetraps
The game features a stylised, yet quite specific, model of a mousetrap, which the characters discuss:
It operates on what is known as a spring-loaded bar mechanism. It is highly recognisable, and there is a well-documented history of patents relating to it.
1. William C. Hooker (US), in 1894;
2. James Henry Atkinson (UK) patented the original model in 1898, and subsequently improved it in 1899;
3. John M. Mast (US) applied for a patent in 1899, and was granted it in 1903.
Since the events of TGAA:1-2 take place (according to the AA Wiki timeline) in Meiji 35, that is to say, in 1902, the third option is ruled out for chronological reasons. The remaining options are quite similar to one another, which is why I cannot say for certain which specific model is depicted in the game. However, if we consider the type of mousetrap that became widespread in Japan, both options are plausible. Historically, both the US and the UK interacted with Japan during that period (and England, moreover, directly, within the canon), and mousetraps themselves are a fairly simple product to transport, which is why, in theory, they could have been brought to and widely distributed in Japan (although the timing would have been slightly tighter for the English variant).
From this, it is impossible to say for certain which specific version it was, or exactly when it reached the Japanese market. The most important criterion here is that the mousetraps must have been in public view for long enough for Ryunosuke, who is not particularly knowledgeable about technology, to recognise them without difficulty.
As for the S.S. Burya, where this mousetrap is located, in the English version of the game, Strogenov says the following:
Hah! We are at sea for ONE YEAR! You want to be so long without close friend? Without someone who understands?!
Due to the somewhat clumsy sentence structure, the meaning here could be different: either Strogenov and Pirozhko HAVE ALREADY been at sea for a year, or it is customary on the steamship to work ‘shifts’ lasting a year, and Strogenov and Pirozhko are somewhere in the middle of this ‘shift’.
However, there is also another interpretation, one more closely based on the Japanese original, and as such, most likely the more accurate one. The same line, spoken by Strogenov in Japanese, goes like this:
In the official localisation, the phrase ‘１年のほとんど’ was translated as ‘ONE YEAR’; however, despite the presence of the number ‘1’ in the text, the phrase ‘１年’ can also be translated as ‘the whole year’, whilst ‘ほとんど’ roughly translates as ‘almost’. This means that here, most likely, Strogenov wanted to say that ‘during any year they spend at sea almost all of it’ — and this could have been going on for more than just one year.
...All this is to say that we cannot say for certain when Strogenov brought Pirozhko on board—and, therefore, when he set the mousetraps to feed his pet. Whether Pirozhko is a snake or a lizard (I’ll save that for another inquiry) — his lifespan can start from 10 years with good care (if the internet is to be believed) — which means he could have come on board with Strogenov even before the classic design of mousetraps was created in 1894. In that case, Strogenov would simply have used traps of a different design, before switching to the ones we later saw in the game.
It is worth noting that the S.S. Burya canonically docks in England, meaning it would have been easiest for Strogenov to stock up on mousetraps there, starting from 1899. It is difficult to say whether the Burya sailed to America — after all, Nikolina was planning to flee there, and the crew intended to help her, but does that mean they would have taken her there on their own ship, or did they plan to transfer her to another one? If the first scenario is correct, then Strogenov could have been buying these mousetraps as early as 1894.
In summary: mousetraps of the type featured in the game first appeared in America as early as 1894, and have likely spread gradually across the world ever since. A second wave of popularity may have been triggered by the invention of a similar design as early as 1899 in England. Both these countries had trade links with Japan, which increased the likelihood, year by year, that Ryunosuke and Susato would see the imported invention in action, and become accustomed to its existence.
2. The Etymology of Mousetraps
…But in that case, why ‘trap for catching mice’ and not ‘mousetrap’.
Perhaps it’s just a quirk of the English translation? The localised version is a bit wordier than the Japanese original, so perhaps they decided to expand on the very short sentence ‘It’s a mousetrap’ a little?
No, in the Japanese version, Susato says exactly the same thing:
ネズミを捕獲するための『ワナ』でございますね。(Close to a literal translation: ‘It’s a “trap” for catching mice, isn’t it?’)
Does this sort of conversation happen just once? Perhaps it’s simply a quirk of that particular moment?
No, that’s not the case either — in TGAA:2-5, when Yujin Mikotoba is exploring the ship, he also refers to a ‘trap for catching mice’, rather than a ‘mousetrap’… at least in the Japanese version; it’s likely that the English localisation might have overlooked a similar moment in TGAA:1-2, and translated it slightly differently. But even in the English version, Mikotoba shows some uncertainty when referring to the device as a ‘mousetrap’.
A similar phrase in Japanese:
コイツは、ネズミをつかまえる“ワナ”ですね。(Roughly translated: ‘This is a “trap” for catching mice, isn’t it?’)
Okay... So does the word ‘mousetrap’ (or ‘ネズミとり’) actually appear in the text at all, apart from the English localisation in TGAA:2-5? It does – just once! In TGAA:1-2, when Ryunosuke is talking to Strogenov, he directly says ‘mousetrap’ (‘ネズミとり’ in the Japanese version).
The same phrase in Japanese:
船室のソトの廊下にある あの《ネズミとり》は‥‥
However, the Japanese word is set in quotation marks and written in kana (phonetic characters), not kanji (ideograms). Whilst quotation marks are frequently used in Japanese by AA's characters to highlight a word in speech in general, the simultaneous use of kana (in my experience and knowledge) is employed, for example, when a character asks for clarification of an unfamiliar word. In this way, the text may be signalling once again that the word ‘ネズミとり’ (‘mousetrap’) is not the most natural choice for the character’s speech.
So what’s going on? Is there any pattern or logic to all this? And can we draw any definite conclusions for the AA world?
Well.
The following information and conclusions should be taken with a pinch of salt: these are not definitive statements, but rather assumptions I have made based on the data I managed to find in a short space of time. I think they are interesting in the context of reflecting on a fictional world, but a more thorough investigation would surely find flaws in them. After all, I am not a Master’s graduate in Japanese, but simply a user with internet access.
An attempt to find the word ‘鼠取り’ (a variant spelling of ‘ネズミとり’/‘mousetrap’, which appears in the text of the TGAA) in 19th-century Japanese books yielded no results — the instances where a match was found turned out to be false positives. Nevertheless, this word began to appear in 20th-century books. Based on this observation, it would be logical to assume that the word ‘鼠取り’ did not really exist in the 19th century, but appeared in the 20th.
This may sound strange, as in English ‘mousetrap’ is such a simple and commonplace word that it has existed since time immemorial. Could it really be that the Japanese had no name for such devices in their language for so long? Or did they not have mousetraps themselves?
I do not have a clear answer to this question, but it prompted me to look up the word ‘mousetrap’ in a Japanese dictionary.
It turns out that there are at least five ways to say ‘mousetrap’ in Japanese.
Interesting.
Armed with this knowledge, you can explore a Japanese service that has scanned a vast number of books and magazines, dating back to the 1800s, and track how the frequency of use of different variants of the word ‘mousetrap’ has changed over time.
This produces an interesting graph:
Here, the blue line represents the variant of the word ‘mousetrap’ used both in the TGAA and currently on Wikipedia. As can be seen (if the image quality permits...), this variant was not widely used until 1922, after which its usage began to rise until it eclipsed the others sometime in the 1970s or 1980s.
However, for our purposes, this is too late. Moreover, we will be far more interested in the red line, which effectively dominated all other variants from the 1890s to the 1970s.
(For reference, green, brown, and purple represent the remaining names for mousetraps.)
All this seems interesting, but for our purposes it is better to focus on the period under study. Firstly, let us narrow the period under study to 1890–1905, and secondly, we will exclude books from our analysis, retaining only journals — if the language changed due to any external factors, it is precisely periodicals that would reflect this change more quickly than books, which take much longer to write.
This will produce the following graph:
It turns out that the red variant of the mousetrap’s name was not only the most common, but its usage also began to rise precisely between 1897 and 1900! This was exactly the period when one of the mousetrap models might have entered the Japanese market!
What conclusion can we draw at this stage? Given that for the red word there are only data points for 1897 and, immediately after that, a sharp spike in 1900, it can be assumed that, in 1899–1900, there was a sharp increase in the appearance of the word ‘mousetrap’ in newspapers, which may be linked to the product’s arrival on the market and its advertising — which, in turn, suggests that it was precisely then that mousetraps arrived in Japan. Given that the first model from the US had already been in existence for six years by that point, it would be strange for it to have entered the country so suddenly and abruptly. It is therefore more likely that the model that arrived in Japan was, in fact, the Atkinson model from England (with which Japan, in the TGAA universe, apparently had closer ties).
Consequently, based on all this information, we can say that it was the Atkinson model that became widespread in Japan from 1899–1900, which led to extensive coverage of them in the press and would have given Susato, Ryunosuke and Yujin two to three years to get used to them.
...
By the way, what is this ‘red word’? It refers to the word ‘mousetrap’, so why didn’t the characters use it for the spring-loaded mousetrap?
Well.
For one reason or another, the most common variant of the word ‘mousetrap’ has become ‘捕鼠器’. It consists of three kanji (meaningful characters), and if we break it down into its components, we get:
catch + mouse + vessel
Literally, a vessel for catching mice. A mouse-catching bottle.
A vessel. A container.
A box.
Not a planch.
I hope you see where I’m getting at.
The word 捕鼠器 existed even before English-style mousetraps became widespread in Japan, because mousetraps themselves existed before this particular model was imported from the West. However, if we are to believe the etymology, this particular word referred to a box-shaped device that trapped mice inside — just one of many types of mouse traps.
Why this particular word came to be used, when other, more general terms existed, is something I dare not speculate on. Nevertheless, this is what happened (according to my assumption, which may be mistaken), and flat boards with a spring mechanism began to be referred to in advertising leaflets as ‘vessels for catching mice’. Perhaps the word itself was more familiar to the average person...
Yet a slight dissonance arose between the literal meaning of the word and what it came to denote. Perhaps to ordinary Japanese people this did not seem strange, and they used it out of habit. But what if those who had closer contact with English and knew that these things were called ‘mousetraps’ abroad subconsciously wondered why, in our language, it was a ‘vessel’ rather than a ‘trap’ in the general sense? And what if such people avoided saying ‘a mice-catching bottle’ directly in Japanese, resorting to a slightly longer but correct name, whilst in English they used ‘mousetrap’ without hesitation?
...What if we were to include Mikotobu and Ryunosuke Naruhodo’s family among such people?
Perhaps that is indeed the case.
Summing Up
To sum up
It turns out
In my opinion
In the context of the TGAA
It is possible that cage traps were historically more widespread in Japan, for which there was a specific term: 捕鼠器 (something like ‘mouse-trapping bottle’ or simply ‘mousebottle’). By 1900, spring-loaded mousetraps had been imported from England, and since the Japanese language already had a sort of historical name for them, they used ‘mousebottle’ when describing this mousetrap. However, obviously, a small board is not a vessel, and so the name sounded strange in relation to this design. No doubt other names were used for the trap, but they didn’t catch on (much like if, for some reason, ‘mousetrap’ were unsuitable, they would have sought alternatives, such as ‘mouse-catcher’, ‘mouse-trap’, ‘mouse-getter’, and so on, which convey the essence but are somehow not quite right).
Thus, since mousetraps were imported sometime around 1899/1900, Ryunosuke and Susato had had time to see plenty of them by 1901–1902, when they set sail; at the same time, since the existing term ‘mousebottle’ did not quite fit this contraption, they merely described what it was in their speech, to avoid confusion with their Japanese ‘mousebottle’. When Ryunosuke, later in the story, spoke to Strogenov using English, he calmly used the centuries-old term ‘mousetrap’. And Mikotoba Yujin, in the second game, finding himself in the same linguistic situation as Ryunosuke and Susato, thinks not of a ‘mousetrap’ or a ‘mousebottle’, but rather, ‘yes, that new contraption which has become widespread in Japan, but for which no proper name has yet been devised’.
TL;DR for fanfiction writers
In 1899/1900, a spring-loaded English mousetrap was introduced to Japan, where it became extremely popular.
Ordinary Japanese people refer to it as a ‘mousebottle’ (or another variant combining the meanings of ‘catch’, ‘mouse’ and ‘vessel’), just as they do with their own traditional cage traps.
Characters who are pedantic about language (i.e. for example, those who know English, such as Ryunosuke, Susato, and Yujin, as well as, in theory, those who might fight for the purity of the Japanese language) prefer to use the more elaborate term ‘trap for catching mice’ when referring to this device in Japanese; whereas in English, they have no problem at all saying ‘mousetrap’.
Wright Anything Agency trivia collected by yours truly. Warning: it's a lot.
• The other side of the office is inconsistently portrayed in the anime cutscenes.
• The cupboard with old case files and law books are slowly getting swapped with magic books thanks to Trucy. Phoenix didn't know about this secret swapping until Maya noticed. This cupboard is apparently deceptive, as Apollo mistook that it was filled with law books and case files only. (6-2, 6-SE)
• Every lawyer has their own desk. (5-3)
• Everyone's desks are messy, along with the office. Pearl cleans their office at times. (5-3, AA5 credits)
• Charley is the WAA's mascot.
• Apollo has decided to make himself the cleaner of the office, because apparently nobody else would do it. This gets to the point he almost automatically cleaned up Buff's coffee mess. (6-5)
• Trucy gets cookies out of her magic panties and hands them out to the others. (5-3)
• Athena and Apollo are kind of tired of cleaning the toilet at the office, and complain when a person starts suggesting them clean with something like "we do it enough at the office!" (5-3, 6-5)
• It's apparently normal for Apollo to cook for the others, as Phoenix asks Apollo if "[he] could whip [them] up a little meal" with the fish he got from Shipshape Aquarium, and it got a completely normal reaction from Apollo. This also confirms Apollo can cook. (5-SE)
• Apollo apparently has a lot things on his desk. Those items include crackers, instant noodles and manga about street fighting and "the funnies". (6-2)
• Phoenix's desk has been unused until after 5-2, as Athena commented the dust in a vent was like his desk. (5-2)
• Apollo admits he sometimes feels like he's "almost going to forget" that he's a lawyer when he's in the WAA because of Trucy's magic. (6-2)
• Phoenix never forgets to water Charley. (6-2)
• Phoenix explained to Athena and Apollo that Charley has been in the office since his early days as a lawyer, but he doesn't want to talk about it much. (6-2)
• In the same exact conversation it's revealed Phoenix sometimes stares at Charley and smiles. Apollo and Athena can tell Charley is important to Phoenix. (6-2)
• Apollo cannot say no to Trucy's whims, as apparently "Trucy's smile has some kind of magical power that makes it impossible to say no..." (6-2)
• Athena ate Trucy's pudding by mistake one time. (6-2)
• Athena suggested a race in 6-2, and if Apollo loses he would buy her orange juice. He immediately gives up because he doesn't want to run, and decides to skip to buying her juice. Apparently this happens a lot as Athena says "YES!!! That's the fourth free juice this month!" and Apollo "Athena is getting really good at sponging off of me" thereafter. (6-2)
• Trucy likes making Apollo's and Athena's attorney's badges dissappear, but especially Apollo's. She likes his reactions. (6-2)
• It's revealed Athena and Apollo report things to Phoenix, as after Apollo called Athena a kid she was going to report it to him. (5-2)
• When the WAA gets Eldoon's noodles after a trial it's apparently always on Phoenix's tab. (5-5)
• If Phoenix presents the pamphlet of the Cosmos Space Center to Pearl, it's revealed the office has a lot of pamphlets. (5-5)
• Trucy suggests that the WAA should visit Apollo in Khura'in. We don't know if they ended up doing it. (AA6 credits)
• Apollo calls out Athena two times for saying the judge won't have many years left. He scolds her by saying to keep it an inner monologue. (5-4, 6-2)
• Apollo said "That was just some good old-fashioned bluffing, courtesy of Mr. Wright's fine training" to Athena. Whether this training is literal bluff training is unclear. (6-2)
• The WAA always calls keeping watch of the office "holding down the fort."
• Trucy said Apollo always changes the subject when it comes to his past, which suggests that the WAA has asked about his past before. (6-2)
• Apollo's desk at the office has a lock. Trucy has phrased this fact like it has a compartment inside. (6-5)
• When you examine the piano with Trucy and Dhurke she says it has sentimental value, the office has financial issues, so after Apollo suggested selling it Trucy demands he shares the money with her. This suggests they are very welcome to giving up items (with sentimental value) for money. (6-5)
• Apollo has a journal, and Trucy bought it to the office with "her magic", Apollo is surprised that it's at the office. This suggests she somehow knows where it's always at, probably Apollo's home. And THAT suggests she knows where he lives. (6-5)
• Athena discovers Phoenix cross-examined an animal from Sasha. Athena says she'll get "the juicy details" from Apollo if Phoenix doesn't tell her. This suggests Athena would definitely go to Apollo for info on Phoenix's old cases. (5-SE)
• Pets are not allowed in the office (5-SE)
• Napping on the office sofa is apparently not allowed. When you present the fish to Athena she says she used to nap a lot, and Phoenix adds on to that by saying that she still does it a lot on the sofa. Athena is surprised he found out and she tries to get out of it by saying she was "sleep learning." (5-SE)
If you want a specific source you are very welcome to ask me. I know where all of this information comes from :^) (except for the Charley is WAA's mascot I know that from the fandom wiki and they don't cite the source for that....)
Athena Analysis complete! I started by stating the essential defining aspects of her character, pulled out some of the language she uses, and finally listed more in-depth relevant traits. I couldn’t fit them all on the document, but every point has a quote to back it up, so if you’d like to know what evidence I have for a certain point, just ask! Feel free to add to the last list, too. I’ve probably forgotten something and the more Athena info the better!!
On Athena's... everything, honestly. Seriously, if you want a guide for Athena's character — there you have it. The only thing I want to add is the transcription of the text, for easier reading. It'll be under the cut.
Psychoanalysis🌙
Defining traits
🌙Psychologist-turned-lawyer
🌙Multilinguist (German, French, Spanish, Italian)
🌙Enthusiastic and emotional
🌙Loves exercise — particularly fond of running (other forms mentioned off the top of my head are swimming, rock climbing, squats, and general 'work out')
🌙Widger blurts out her thoughts
🌙Prodigy — basically speedran her qualifications
🌙Superhuman hearing
🌙(Literal) Empath
Language
PHRASES THAT ARE Athesque:
"A girl" — "It's amazing what a girl can get used to!", "I still think a girl deserves her privacy", etc.
"Regular" — "I have the reflexes of a regular karate kid", "A regular ball of confusion!"
(Selective G-droppin') — "you'd be hoppin'!", "W-We got nothin'…", etc.
"Tsk" — "Tsk, being the new kid sure stinks.", "Tsk! You're so mean, Myriam!", etc. [NOTE: she says this a LOT in AA5, but not at all in AA6!]
"Stupid" — "Who put this stupid box here?" "Don't compare me to some stupid farm animal!"
"Heh heh heh/Heh heh" — "Heh heh. Myyy badge is shinier than yooours!", "Heh heh heh. Guess I showed you!"
(S-Stummering) — "O-Oh, I dunno!", "N-no problem! I-I mean, yes I'm ready… I think…"
(Grrowling) — "Grr! That does it!" "Grr! Now you ruined it!"
"Argh" — "Argh! She ignored me again!", "Argh! This arrogant jerk!"
"Buster" — "Not so fast there, buster!", "You look pretty hungry for a knuckle sandwich, buster!"
"Ooh" — "Ooh, I love animals too!", "Ooh! I can really feel her frustration!"
NOTE: Athena makes a whole bunch of distress sounds in the courtroom, but she generally tends to favour those with 'n' and 'gh' sounds such as "Nngh" and "Unnghh", the latter usually being reserved for breakdowns.
FINER POINTS
— She was very quiet & reserved as a child & couldn't go out often due to getting overwhelmed by other's emotions. She liked to paint and draw, too
— Grew up around robots in a space centre
— Likes animals (esp. dolphins), orange juice, meat (apparently) and "that feeling you get after you work really hard on something". Also weirdly enthusiastic about the idea of Apollo becoming a fisherman due to a suddenly-developed love of fish.
— Despite her energy, is prone to zoning out at inopportune times, even sometimes falling asleep completely. Makes you wonder how much effort it took for her to go from a quiet kid to borderline genki girl — or whether her entire enthusiastic persona is just carefully constructed armour after all. Anyway, I'm not here to speculate. I'm here to spit facts.
— Is also prone to getting lost, being late, and forgetting things
— She's no ditz, though. As much of a deadpan quipper as the boys of the WAA, occasionally even taking on a lightheartedly patronising tone for teasing (esp during 6-2). VERY good at taking control when she needs to, mostly with panicked witness, but also with other members of the firm. She can switch between informal and formal speech alarmingly fast, too. Sometimes her blue-bracketed thoughts are more eloquent than what she actually says. Sometimes it's the other way around. Basically she's a very complex character and I've given up trying to analyse her speech patterns.
— Will say something ridiculous with complete confidence, but said confidence is also extremely fragile (poor Theenie) and tends to leave her at vital moments.
— HATES being patronised and treated like a child, but pulls the childish card for fun sometimes.
— Not afraid to get physical. She would ACTUALLY fight someone, given the chance.
— You'd think she'd be good with kids, but then 'Auntie Athena' happened. She was trying her best in a VERY stressful situation, granted. 10/10 would let her babysit any day.
— Cringe-inducingly hammy when aching.
— Precious about her hair. It comes with the job.
— VERY STRONK
— Has a habit of getting flustered by famous people, even if she knows them personally or — on the contrary — has never heard of them at all (Trucy, Sasha, Klavier)
— Makes the occasional R-rated joke or comment. Sticks up for herself too. I'm so glad they didn't give her the baby treatment!!
— Uses humour to diffuse situations when she's scared (Apollo said so in 5-2)
— Surprisingly unsympathetic for an empath, according to Phoenix. I think she can well-meaningly tread on some toes in her enthusiasm, but she usually has good reason for it. (See next point)
— Very, VERY protective of her friends. Fiercely loyal. Her protectiveness usually manifests as hotheadedness
— Mommy issues
— Apollo notes in 6-5 that she expects to get accused of things and gets preemptively defensive as a result
— "Call(s) 'em as (she) see(s) 'em"
— Seems to enjoy using psychological tactics on people outside the courtroom too
— Very adaptable (the most obvious example of this is all the languages she's picked up). She also tries to understand people by relating to them (including an orca)
— Uses idioms, sometimes shortened if they're well-known. Also makes her own based on things she's heard and says them like they're real ('it would be like, "where's the beef?"')
— Snotty crier
— Laughs at her own jokes, unless she's in deadpan quipping mode
— Completely unrelenting if she's set her mind on something
— Tries to soothe herself and others with breathing exercises. Doesn't let people stay down for long. It seems like her gut instinct is to lift people up and keep moving. Also encourages people to let out their emotions (A. B., 6-5)… unless 'people' is her and the emotion is sadness. Basically, she's fine with crying in solidarity with others, but not for her own reasons.
— Represses memories as a trauma response. When she's in a bad place, she tends to go nonverbal, tremble uncontrollably, feel light-chested to the point of struggling to breathe — she's even passed out completely from this. Usually tries her hardest to keep it together in front of other people, even if it's obvious that she's not okay.
— Self-proclaimedly mentally stronger than she looks.
I first started this post in response to something, but it got so long I decided against inflicting it on OP. This is very long and very meandering and the form is kinda weird, as a warning. It's also kinda spoilery for Ace Attorney Investigations 2.
When we first start playing AAI2 and are introduced to "Ace Attorney Eddie Fender," it's true he doesn't come across as very likeable. The first thing he says to Miles is basically "Oh, look! Here comes Manfred von Karma," and the game happens three years after the truth about DL-6 came out. That's incredibly low, very petty, cruel even. He does start off as a dick to Miles, unfair on him until he gradually realises he isn't as bad as he thought, and as he starts warming up to Miles we start warming up to him.
But also... I kind of get it.
Like... Imagine you're 19 years old. Your boss just died in a sudden and shocking murder. You inherit the law firm even though you haven't even passed the bar yet. You're grieving as you keep working hard to become an attorney, now without the guidance you used to have. Maybe you even blame yourself a little - after all, you worked on that case too, you were likely there for the trial, you left both Edgeworths to take that elevator by themselves. Had things played out differently you would have been there, too.
Did you think of your boss's son, in the middle of this whirlwind? Probably a little, but you're a 19 year-old law student. You're nowhere near a suitable place in your life to even think about fostering a kid. Besides, Gregory Edgeworth was your boss. Someone you greatly admired and whose death you will never stop mourning, but still just your boss.
(It's unclear how well Eddie knew Miles. Enough for Miles to recognise him instantly, but certainly not as close as Miles and Phoenix were.)
You take it on yourself to continue the work he left behind, to help the clients Gregory can no longer help. For ten years you try your best to uphold the reputation and the values of his firm and name, and every day you witness a little more how corrupt the system really is.
Then, one day, you start hearing about this young new prosecuting upstart. Passed the bar at 20 and already has the legal world in his pocket. Rumours of forged evidence, backstreet deals, manipulated witnesses. Not only is that just like the whole lot of them, the tactics you became so familiar with over the years - no, it sounds painfully, specifically familiar to that one long, drawn-out case, the last one you worked with Gregory. It turns out the young prodigy is the student and protégé of Mr. Perfection himself, the man who never lost a case in thirty-five years, even though he should have lost against you ten years ago if the world was even a little fair. You would hate the boy for that alone, but on top of that he's also the son of the mentor you lost, the son of the man you both used to admire so very much.
And that hurts. That none of Gregory's legacy lived on in his son. That this sweet, kind boy, who Gregory always used to worry about not making any friends, became a parody of all they used to despise.
Perhaps you even get to see him. You catch a glance of him in the courthouse corridor as he passes you by without so much as a nod to acknowledge you, or you stumble upon a picture in the same paper that struck Phoenix Wright so deeply. You see that damn suit. That damn smirk. That damn waggly finger. His features may have something of Gregory but everything in him screams von Karma. He's spent a decade trying to shape himself into him, and it shows.
Prosecutors are a privileged bunch, and the Edgeworth kid grew up into a downright brat. Entitled. Rude. Arrogant. Obsessed with his fucking perfect record. You hear he goes around cutting the salaries of detectives that make a tenth of what he does and insulting the opposing counsel in court. He became the worst of them all, taught by the worst of them all, he is everything Gregory fought against and everything you hate.
Why would you want to associate with that? Why would you ever think he is not perfectly fine where he is, with his cushy office and his cushy sports car and his doubtlessly cushy pay?
A couple years later you hear he's been arrested for murder. Maybe you follow the trial, maybe you only see the headlines after everything, after DL-6 is finally solved. Honestly, that's when you start having a reason to reach out. When, had you been less embittered and jaded by the thanklessness of your job, you might have wondered what it was like for him to grow up in the shadow of his father's murderer. You might have been stricken with compassion and horror at the thought of fifteen years spent in crushing guilt, believing he killed the father he used to love so much. You might have empathised, despite your contempt for von Karma, with how his ward might feel to be so cruelly betrayed, thrice over, by the man who raised him since he was nine, who taught him everything before throwing him away like a piece of used junk.
But you still think of how he was like a son to von Karma, of how he got to spend fifteen years in wealth, following a shiny, easy, corrupt new path while you grieved and desperately tried to keep the pieces of your shared dream together. You think of how uneasy Gregory seemed with the idea of von Karma as a teacher, you think of how eager Miles seemed to follow in his footsteps and how much Gregory would have hated it. You think of the many defendants this boy callously condemned with barely a thought, just like his mentor. Of how he may not have his father's blood on his hands, but with the way he acts you'd think he had his murderer's in his veins. And you really, really don't want to deal with any of that.
You think, somewhat unfairly, that maybe Miles ought to have seen it coming. It's not like it's much of a secret that Manfred von Karma is a piece of shit, and good riddance to him.
Three years later, you actually have to interact with him again. It's been 18 years since you last saw him in his father's shadow, looking at him like he hung the stars in the sky, back when everything was so simple for the three of you. It's been 3 years since the truth about his oh-so-esteemed mentor was uncovered. He still wears the cravat. His brow is still furrowed, his eyes are still piercing.
But slowly, begrudgingly, you talk to him. You start realising he actually has some honour to him. That he's not really the Demon Prosecutor the papers made him out to be, that maybe you misjudged him a little bit, in you grief-stricken, angry bitterness. That maybe he can be trusted, after all, with his father's legacy.
Harley-Davidson, Inc. exists in Ace Attorney Canon and I can prove it
A lot of people know that Klavier Gavin has a motorcycle. Not as many people know what kind of motorcycle it is.
On the second day of Turnabout Corner, at People Park, he says something very telling:
Klavier: And I was on my way home… when my hog gave up the ghost.
Apollo: Your hog…?
Klavier: My motorcycle won’t start. A clogged exhaust pipe…
He clearly refers to his motorcycle as a hog. Now, whether or not he’s calling it that because he expects Apollo to know what he’s talking about, if he just wants to sound cool, or if it’s a genuine nickname is unclear—at least, on surface level.
See, something a lot of people who aren’t in motorcycling circles don’t know is that the nickname ‘hog’ is not a catch-all term for motorcycles, nor is it a name for a certain style of bike. It’s specific to Harley-Davidson brand motorcycles no matter what style, because it’s not just a nickname—it’s an acronym. As of 1983 H.O.G. stands for ‘Harley Owners Group’, but the nickname has been around for the past ~100 years or so, going all the way back to Harley’s racing fame during the Great Depression.
The nickname started from the claim that they ‘hogged’ all the wins from rival company/team Indian, as well as an infamous pet pig named Johnny that belonged to one of the racing team members. After a win, a member of the team would sit Johnny the pig in front of them on their bike and go for a victory lap, and as the nickname ‘Harley Hogs’ gained popularity, the brand accepted and embraced it.
(If you mistakenly call a different motorcycle brand a ‘hog’ in front of a motorcyclist they will know that you know nothing about bikes instantaneously. They may or may not make fun of you for it.)
So we have one piece of evidence in the nickname, but that could just be a mistranslation or a localization thing. However, we do get to briefly see Klavier’s bike at one point in the game, and that’s where I submit my second piece of evidence.
Harley-Davidson is the most famous and largest manufacturer of the ‘cruiser’ and ‘chopper’ style of motorcycle, though they do sell other styles like sport and adventure. Other brands sell cruiser and chopper bikes, but none are as well-known for it. Ergo, if Klavier’s bike is a cruiser or chopper, then we know he’s not just throwing around terms to sound cool.
And sure enough…
…It’s a cruiser! Specifically, that looks like a low-rider, with a ‘2-up’ or two-person seat allowing for a passenger. It isn’t a ‘touring’ style cruiser, though, meaning while you can seat two people on it, it’s not necessary comfortable for the passenger, especially for long rides and especially with what appears to be a convex passenger seat. Touring bikes are built with the passenger in mind throughout the design with handles, backrests, seat design, extra footrests, etc. This one is not.
(Speaking from experience, riding on the back of a motorcycle that isn’t a touring bike is also scary. Comparing the two, non-touring bikes are more likely to feel like they’re about to skid out around turns, or like you’re going to fall off. You have nothing to hold onto except the driver, usually with your hands on their shoulders (NOT around their neck) or around their waist. Eat your hearts out, klapollo shippers.)
Here’s a real Harley-Davidson low-rider 2-up (specifically, a 2006 FXDLI Dyna, to account for the difference in the game’s release date vs the game actually taking place in 2026) for reference. The biggest difference between them is that Klavier’s seems simplified for artistic purposes. It even has a Gavinners emblem in the exact same place the Harley-Davidson emblem would be on the side of the gas tank, and custom detailing is pretty damn common for motorcycles.
With that, I submit: Harley-Davidson Inc. exists in the Ace Attorney universe, and Klavier purchased his beloved hog, a low-rider 2-up cruiser, from a Harley-Davidson dealership.
Also, Klavier clearly doesn’t (know how to) care for his motorcycle the way he cares for his lovers guitars, but that’s a rant for another day.
barok knows that's not ryuu's armband originally, and by clutching klint's badge like that, he's obviously empathizing. you get him on his own like this and right away, he's ready to relate to ryuu's feelings.
how does barok know? has he been told ryuu was a substitute for a real law student that died? (i'm pretty sure that up to this point he hasn't been explicitly told that onscreen, but he may know from stronghart.) has he just... deduced it? because the band is too big for ryuu? is he projecting a bit to even arrive at this conclusion?
regardless, i might imagine that ryuu wearing someone else's lawyer armband would delegitimize ryuu further in barok's point of view, even if it's hypocritical. but it doesn't. barok isn't ready to talk about this - he shies away, he's uncomfortable being asked to go there by ryuu - but he can't help but understand ryuu's feelings. without being told a damn thing! he just gets it, and he's kind about it, for the five to six seconds that he can bear to think about it.
and why *does* ryuu show barok the band? (okay, because i forced him to. but the dialogue is right there so let's call it canon.) ryuu doesn't talk about his grief over kazuma much, and he doesn't initiate that here, barok does. i feel like ryuu was just trying to share a little bit about himself - he and iris have been rooting around in barok's room, after all. maybe he just wanted to make it a little more even, so they both know each other better after today. maybe he wanted to gently press barok to be open to something, anything, about japan. and it... worked a bit better than ryuu had bargained for.
i envision pre-speech contest kazuma to be very similar in personality to post-return kazuma - stoic, intense, and fixed on his goals. it makes sense - his life at this point revolves around avenging his father, and it's strongly implied he has little connections to others, despite growing up with the mikotobas.
meeting ryunosuke softens him in a sense - he has a presence in his life that is positive and significant. he has someone who makes him want to be better. he finally allows himself to have a human connection, and this grounds him.
without his memories, traveling to london, it's no wonder he regressed to his prior state. without ryunosuke's presence, he is back to being single-mindedly fixed on his goals. when they reunite, he intentionally puts distance between them (perhaps unconsciously), still blinded in pursuit of these goals. and then of course, ryunosuke is the one to bring him back to reality, and reminds him of the happier kazuma he so briefly was.
the boisterous, playful kazuma is a kazuma that only flourishes when he has his best friend in his life. when he ALLOWS himself to have that connection, and feel the joy of life, instead of obstinately marching towards vengeance.
Towards the end of TGAA1–5, if you select the incorrect answer, Barok will ask Ryunosuke if he understands what he is saying. Ryunosuke will then respond:
Assuming this is true, Ryunosuke's English proficiency stems not only from his university studies, but also from his childhood education. At the time of his birth, the borders had been open for around 25 years, so perhaps his parents were progressive and wanted to teach their child the languages of the United States and Great Britain.
At the same time, however, Ryunosuke himself repeatedly notes that he is not entirely confident in his English skills, although he rarely has problems understanding speech or expressing himself (Ryunosuke: 'I still can't express myself very well in English, you see. And I'm never sure what's acceptable to say and what isn't, so…' McGilded: 'Is that so? Because you sounded fluent enough when you were tellin' me what a blackguard I must be.'). Interestingly, he has not read any English literature ('I'm afraid I don't know any English literature at all.').
However, it is worth noting that the phrase 'since I was a child' is an addition to the English translation. The same line in Japanese — 'はい！ なにしろ英国語は、シッカリ勉強してきましたからね。' — says nothing about when he started learning English, only that he studied it シッカリ, 'thoroughly'.
“Uhm, Kazuma barely even SPOKE to Susato or Ryuunosuke when he regained his memories! Not one word to either of them!”
Oh I’m sorry when YOU come out of year-long amnesia and fog by seeing your beloved father’s memory being twisted into that of a despised serial killer and then have to start reeling as your memories crash back into your skull with the force of a semi-truck THENNN you can judge. Not to mention he’s got a shit ton of stuff to adjust to, being a prosecutor, being under Barok and Stronghart, the fact that his plan has spun massively out of control- instead of blaming him for not talking let’s blame him for STILL FUCKING CALLING SUSATO ‘judicial assistant Mikotoba” BECAUSE HOW ARE YOU GONNA CALL RYUUNOSUKE BY HIS FIRST NAME BUT NOT THE GIRL WHO CARRIED BOTH OF YALL HERE?? HELLO?? REF DO SOMETHING!!
I know that there's a lot about Phoenix disliking Klavier after the whole entire thing, but like are we sure that Phoenix "i-ate-a-glass-vial-for-my-girlfriend-and-then-got-put-on-trial-for-her" Wright is going to genuinely have hard core beef with him. Phoenix "my-childhood-bestfriend-became-a-shell-of-himself-and-took-on-his-evil-guardian-and-i-decided-that-id-fix-him" Wright is going to hold onto anger against what a 17 year old did?
if anything, Phoenix is the poster child for trusting someone that you should not have. NOT TO MENTION HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH KRISTOPH. like im sorry, but Kristoph was effective because he was so charming. my man is gender nonconforming so he can gaslight gatekeep girlboss and mansplain manipulate manwhore.
Hello again! Yes, it's been a challenging week, but we made it through, we survived, and I'm bringing you a continuation of the traditional Japanese cultural references presented by Gyakuten Saiban. Sorry for the old man again, but some equally wonderful ladies will be contributing to this installment. We'll be adding another equally interesting topic later.
いいか、若いの。この不景気で紋つきが売れると思うかッ!
Listen up, young’un. Do you really think traditional crested formal wear will sell in this recession?!
もんつき･････?
Mon-tsuki...?
ワシは職人なのだ! 和服に、家紋を描いておる。
紋章上絵師という、下町ジョウチョあふれる家業をいとなんでおる!
I am a craftsman! I draw kamon (family crests) onto wafuku (traditional japanese clothes). I run a trade full of downtown charm, called a monshō-uwaeshi (crest painter)!
Let's take things in order. The first thing you'll notice is how the old man addresses Naruhodō.
He uses the formal address 若い [wakai], which is usually translated as «young». It seems odd to use this form of address, which suggests age. However, coupled with the dismissive tone present in this sentence, it could be adapted to mean «youngster», «small fry», and other synonyms. «Kid» is too soft here, so a word expressing outright contempt is called for.
Next, that was mentioned, the folk art of 紋つき [montsuki] - applying family crests (mon) to clothing. There's no single method for applying a family crest to clothing - it's done both by embroidering the fabric and by rubbing paint into the fabric (using a stencil).
The word used here is つき [tsuki], which comes from 付く [tsuku], meaning: to be attached; to be connected with; to adhere; to stick; to cling. (although it's pronounced very similarly to «moon»).
Why is Naruhodō asking him about montsuki? Doesn't he know about this folk art?
No, that's not the point. This is a reference to the «Lost Decade» (失われた10年) - a period of long-term economic stagnation in Japan that began after the collapse of the Japanese financial bubble in the early 1990s. Since the game (specifically this part) was released in 2003, the events in it were intertwined with events in modern Japan.
The term originally included the period from 1991 to 2000, but then the period from 2001 to 2010 was added and became known as the «Lost Twenty Years» (失われた20年), and later also the period from 2011 to 2021, so the entire period from the 1990s to the 2020s is called the «Lost Thirty Years». (No matter how you look at it, any release is This protracted crisis encompasses everything from 2003 to 2019.
Montsuki sales are an indicator of prosperity and demand for expensive, unnecessary luxury/traditional items. A decline in demand for them is a sure sign of a deep crisis.
We remember that the old man shouts this phrase casually, breaking the flow of his testimony. He uses montsuki as a rhetorical symbol for an expensive, excessive commodity that will never sell, and therefore he, the heir to a great craft, has to work in a bisto. There's a sense of humiliation here. Naruhodō simply doesn't immediately grasp this train of thought, which is why he asks again. (He literally says, «HOW IS THIS CONNECTED?»)
Of course, for the sake of localization, the context of the dialogue was changed to make it irrelevant to Western audiences, so as not to touch on such a sensitive topic.
kamon (家紋) - family crest.
It's a synonym for mon (as part of monstuki), also monshō, mondokoro – and all of these mean emblems, family crest.
For each surname (each family), there may be several variations of the crest, each preserving a central element. For example, for the 佐藤 (Sato) family, there are over 90 variations of the crest (and crests may be repeated in different families). You can view the different crests here (there is a filter by surname, by element, by era, etc.).
We already talked about wafuku (和服) in the previous section, so I won't repeat myself.
紋章 上絵師 (monshō-uwaeshi) – where uwaeshi is a craftsman who paints on dyed fabric, and monshō is a synonym for «crest».
These are the tools used for this craft:
You can find more information about the art of crest painting here or, for example, here. There's plenty of information and interviews with artisans online.
Another interesting observation: the old man uses the personal pronounce 儂 [washi] - a formal/informal pronoun for males (mainly). Often used in fictional settings to stereotypically represent characters of the elderly.
Next, we'll move away from the artisans and come back to our lawyers. When Naruhodō asks the old man again if he's sure the victim flipped the newspaper with his right hand, he receives the following answer:
さっき言ったろうが。右手で新聞をめくってた、と!
I just told you, didn't I? He was turning the newspaper pages with his right hand!
右じゃなかったら、 どっちだコラッ!
If it wasn't the right hand, then which one was it, huh?!
おそらく、アンタには3本目のウデがあるんだろうぜ････
You probably have a third arm, don't you....
右 [migi] - right
手 [te] - a standard, general, neutral word for the hand or the entire arm up to the shoulder, often used to state a fact.
3本目のウデ [san-bon-me no ude] - third arm
Godot uses the word 腕 [ude] - the arm from the shoulder to the hand.
三本 [san-bon] - three (a counting suffix for long objects).
目 [me] - an order suffix (third).
With this joke, Godot reinforces his confidence and supports the witness, while also making Naruhodō's doubts look ridiculous. ウデ [ude] - with the anatomical meaning of limb, strength - for the third arm makes the joke more grotesque and exaggerated. And even though the lawyer isn't directly addressed by name (as in the localization), it still makes it clear that the prosecutor and the witness have united against their opponent.
We leave the courtroom for the pretrial detention center, where the fee for creating the computer virus the victim was counting on is being discussed.
じゃあ、1000万円というのは ヤッパリ････契約金ッスかねえ。
Well then, that 10 million yen must be... a contract fee, huh?
1000万円もらえるんなら、 あたしだって歌っちゃうよ!
If I could get 10 million yen, even I would sing!
《倉院音頭》とか《霊媒おけさ》 とか《マヨイ節》とか!
Like the «Kurain Ondo», the «Reibai Okesa», or the «Mayoi-bushi»!
So what are the ondo, okesa, and bushi that Mayoi is talking about? They are all genres of traditional Japanese music.
音頭 [ondo] is a type of Japanese folk music genre, distinctive swing 2/2 rhythm, traditionally used for traditional Obon dances. Ondo can be performed live during festivals, where a lead singer performs on a platform (hayashi) with dancers forming a circle around them. Commercial recordings are often played through loudspeakers alongside the live performance.
Traditional instruments: the shamisen, flute, and bell. Taiko drums are also a key component.
Famous examples: Tokyo Ondo, Kawachi Ondo, and Akita Ondo.
霊媒おけさ [Reibai Okesa]: Reibai (Channeling/Spiritual Medium) + Okesa, a type of Japanese folk song (min'yō).
«Okesa» or «Okesabushi» is a style of the Japanese folk songs that is said to have originated in Amakusa City, Kumamoto Prefecture. They typically describe the dialog between a man and a woman in love, and were sung there when the seamen drank sake together. You can read about it here.
The most famous okesa song - 佐渡おけさ [Sado Okesa] - originated in Sado Island, Niigata Prefecture. It is now also a favorite Obon festival dance music for the people in Niigata Prefecture and its neighboring prefectures.
The straw hat used in traditional Japanese folk dances such as Sado Okesa or Awa Odori is generally called a 笠 [kasa]
However, the type of hat characteristic of Okesa dances is often referred to by a more specific name: Okesa-gasa. It is a variation of the 編み笠 [amigasa], which literally means «woven/straw hat».
マヨイ節 [Mayoi-bushi]: the name Mayoi + 節 [bushi] - another type of Japanese folk music. These are songs with a more structured melody and lyrics. They are often related to work (fishing, farming) or historical events.
For example:
Sōran Bushi (fisherman's song) originates from Hokkaido. It is a song sung by fishermen during the hard work of hauling in their nets.
Kokiriko Bushi (Kokiriko Song) comes from the Toyama region. It is the oldest folk song in Japan, derived from the rice-field dance performed during farming. The kokiriko instrument is used in the song.
The kokiriko, or binzasara, is a traditional Japanese percussion instrument. Originating in Japan during the Edo period (1603-1868). The instrument features small wooden pieces held together by fabric or cotton cord, with handles on both sides for easy play (you can see it in the picture)
By the way, 10 million yen was roughly $85,000 (the exchange rate was about 115 yen to the dollar in 2003) and $91,000 (an average of 110 yen to the dollar in 2019).
I hope you enjoyed this long analysis! I hope I can do another one before Christmas/New Year's to give you a present. There's only one Christmas-related case in Ace Attorney, but it doesn't seem to have much in the way of holiday paraphernalia. Perhaps you'd like to see someone special? Narumitsu?
i love love love apollo falling back into this state of comfort with Datz and Dhurke in turnabout revolution where it becomes so normal for him to say stuff like "datz please stop getting caught it's hard to get you out of jail". like obviously, apollo is tired and focused on the trial, so he doesn't really compute this
but for athena i think it must be so weird to see her colleague go, within one day, from 'law nerd who is so easy to tease", to "jaded guy super comfortable rolling with some rebels / outlaws and is taking their boss on in court"
in the goodbye scenes, phoenix is uncharacteristically quiet and can't say out loud to apollo that he's going to miss him. but in addition, i noticed that while thinking "i'm going to miss you, but...", phoenix can't even look at apollo:
Translation: Phoenix: (....Odoroki-kun....I'm going to miss you, but....I look forward to the next time we meet)
usually, even during phoenix's inner monologues, the sprite of the last interlocutor (or someone whom phoenix focuses his eyesight on) will appear on the screen.
Example 1:
Translation: Phoenix: (Sigh...This guy doesn't change either)
Example 2 from AJ trilogy:
Translation: Phoenix: (Can I, just like Hoshinari-san, be someone worthy of his subordinates' respect?)
But in that goodbye scene in AA6? Only the background temple appears during his inner monologue about missing Apollo! It's only when he says "We'll be off" that Apollo's sprite comes back into vision:
Translation: Phoenix: Odoroki-kun. We'll be off.
meaning, he was turning away! he was not facing any of the other characters, while thinking those thoughts.... ough...it was affecting him! ! ! it really affects him to see this cookie leaving and he's being so brave about it
