Breaking down symbolism in the new 20th Anniversary Ace Attorney art
art by Japanese illustrator Yusuke Nakamura
(my way too long analysis below the cut!)
there's a lot! but I saw it and I got so excited and I wanted to try and break it down, so here's my attempt for y'all: (and if any of you see a mistake or have an alternative theory, please add down below - I did a bit of research, but a lot of this is from a Western perspective, which may not take into account certain Japanese associations with the symbols, so I'd love to hear the ones I missed!!)
∙ The scales - the scales of justice! But what's inside of them, and what's around them?
- Phoenix's scale is filled with 2 pink hearts - suggesting that he leads his defense, every "objection", and his life with his heart. (it's also currently being debated if those are peaches, which if so, changes the meaning!)
- Sitting on top of it is some form of small mammal - reddit user kuffyruff thinks it's a mongoose - saying that the mongoose and the snake "have a somewhat notorious rivalry in nature that’s frequently used as imagery to portray the struggle between two evenly-matched adversaries—Phoenix and Edgeworth, in this case" (source: here)
- Edgeworth's is filled with two apples. on top of it is a green snake. this is an allusion to the Bible story of Adam and Eve, where they were tempted by the snake to eat from the tree of good and evil, and learn wisdom. the apple has generally come to represent knowledge (especially as a choice over ignorance). it also suggests that edgeworth makes his decisions using knowledge. snakes, in Japanese culture, are also associated with the duality of good and evil - very apt for a prosecutor who has learned how to hold to truth (see - apple) in a world of corruption.
∙ the top middle is a statue of the blind Lady Justice - representing impartiality in applying justice. her statue also commonly carries scales and a sword. I'll break down the blindfold, the scales, and the sword below:
- the scales themself represent impartiality, and looking at all sides of a case
- the sword (which is given even deeper meaning in this art, and I'll go into it) - symbolizing justice's transparency, and how it should not be used as an instrument of fear (which, in Ace Attorney's Dark Age of the Law, is exactly what it is used for by people like Von Karma). it also means enforcement will stand by its ruling, and protect or defend the innocent party. it's a double edged sword, meaning justice could rule against the side of the defense or the prosecution, when the evidence is thoroughly examined. with this, I think of von Karma's 40 year winning streak, with Edgeworth's early obsession with winning, even with Franziska's: Edgeworth's obsession eventually corrected, Franziska's eventually altered (and Von Karma gets the karma he deserves, does not pass go, does not collect $200, and goes straight to jail.)
- the blindfolds originally represented the justice system's tolerance of abuse and ignorance - now it adds to the impartiality of the law, and how it "doesn't let outside factors, such as politics, wealth or fame, influence it's decisions" (source: here) - so again, think of the contrast of the Dark Side of the Law in Ace Attorney games 1-3, and how that changes in 2027 during Ace Attorney: Apollo Justice
∙ encircling the sword (lady justice appears on the hilt) is a pink ribbon. I think this is is some allusion to caduceus, which is a symbol of a staff with two serpents entertaining around it - a prominent symbol in medicine, originally belonging to the Greek god Hermes. HOWEVER! it could also be referring to the rod of Asclepius, the Greek god of healing and Apollo's son. Both have been confused for each other over the centuries, but it's safe to say it's related to Medicine. The original Hippocratic oath ("do no harm") includes a reference to the Greek god Apollo and to Asclepius.
What could this mean here? Perhaps it's an added meaning to the dedication both Phoenix and Edgeworth have in serving justice without harming the innocent? I'd love to hear thoughts!
∙ now the red cord connecting the two of them obviously connects to the gold stands on either side of the page - one of those fancy dividers, I don't know.
hehehe but!!!! I am a sneaky human, and I love reading deeper meaning.
so. the red cord could ALSO symbolize the red string of fate, a popular belief in Japanese (and other Asian cultures) that those tied together by the string of fate are destined to be lovers across all of time. so heheheheh, Yusuke Nakamura, if you intended this, Narumitsu for the win babey.
∙ I love that they're both holding the "objection" - it shows that they are committed to working together in order to find the truth!
∙ the top corners also seem to represent duality, just as the mongoose and snake do - Phoenix's day, Edgeworth's night. Mia and Gumshoe are trusted aides to Phoenix and Edgeworth, respectively. Larry and Godot, I think, were included because of their popularity, but Larry particularly perhaps because of how he is, in a roundabout way, so essential to some of Phoenix's cases through his testimony, thus serving justice in a similar 'illogical' manner to Phoenix and even Maya. Mia and Godot are almost always together if one of them is featured in official art, so it makes sense to see both of them (at least miego and gumbutz shippers win today, I guess!)
∙ on the topic of most trusted aides in the art, how could I forget Maya and Franziska? I love that they get panels of their own, and that their individual stories are important enough to warrant both the separate panels and different colors from phoenix and edgeworth - and, as @awarmbowlofhomemadesoup points out in a reblog of this post, serve as sister figures to our duo (how could I literally forget, so thank you! source: here) and furthermore, their core nature acts as mirrors of each other - faith in the mystical and therefore, 'un-reasonable', a whip-crackingly strong dedication to reason (yay franmaya!). These values are so similar to how their brother figures enact justice. Phoenix, leading with his heart, making deductions so off-the-wall they are the farthest thing from logical (but are still often the truth), putting so much faith in his client it could be seen as mystical; Edgeworth, re-cementing his dedication to truth during his time away as evidenced by his return in 2-4, who 'battles opponents' in Investigations using the literal mechanic of Logic
∙ the bottom left, of course, is kurain, maya's home-village, and perhaps the other is London, Germany, or the US? uncertain there. It depends on what geographical context we’re talking about - if we’re saying things take place in Los Angeles, CA, or in Japan! since the artist is Japanese, the context here is also Japan-based: so, the background on Franziska's side is the United States (or another non-Japanese country).
∙ color-wise: Phoenix & maya - red & green, edgeworth & franziska - blue and yellow - mia & larry - orange, gumshoe & godot - purple. Alongside the background colors of red and blue, creating contrast for the 'rival' character illustrated against it. together, they create the primary & secondary color wheel, or the rainbow! I think it symbolizes the group depicted's harmony (again, Godot is a different matter, but I rarely see him without Mia) - and with the center symbol being the gavel, it represents how all of their strengths work together to enact justice!
in conclusion, isn't that right, wright, narumitsu, franmaya, miego and gumbutz shippers win today.
if anyone has anything to add or potentially correct, I'd love to hear it!
Here’s my Ace Attorney Hot Take: Miles, Phoenix, Gumshoe, Larry, and Lang are all in a relationship. there’s no “he is dating this one but not that one” No. It is all 5 of them, and yes they have all had people try to break the unfortunate news to them that they are being cheated on. (Most amusing was when someone tried to tell Phoenix that Miles was cheating on him with Gumshoe, but Gumshoe interrupted to drop off a file to Phoenix and they kissed before Gumshoe left and the one trying to break the news was like “…what?”). but no they all communicate and love each other, and that is never more evident than when Larry interrupts an investigation because “No, You are taking a break for lunch, no arguments.”
