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Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney #1
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney 1
Mystery and intrigue, crime and punishment, uncovering the truth—all in a day’s work for the ace defense attorney Phoenix Wright and his beautiful assistant Maya Fey. Based on the hit game series, Ace Attorney brings new adventures to the games’ colorful cast. Can Nick successfully swing the gavel of justice or will he be crushed by the weight of incriminating evidence?
208 pages, Paperback
First published April 6, 2007
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616 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
April 11, 2012
As an Ace Attorney fan from the English release of the first game, I think the best praise I can give this manga is that it feels like one of the games. It hits the right tone with the characters (for the most part). It even starts with Phoenix defending Larry in a murder trial prosecuted by Payne. There are two cases here, though the second ends the volume with a cliffhanger and isn't close to being resolved. That, and Edgeworth, will come in the next volume.
December 26, 2024
Merci Hannah pour ce cadeau de fou! Le manga est vraiment cool. La seule chose que je peux reprocher c'est que les scénarios ne sont pas écrit par les créateurs donc des fois ça se sent que l'auteur ne connait pas toujours bien les personnages ! Après ils ont quand même bien réussi à garder l'essence de l'histoire avec les personnages au nom loufoques et aux histoires impossibles à résoudre à première vue !
March 5, 2012
While this wasn't the perfect Phoenix Wright manga, it was a lot of fun and for me at least, the tone and atmosphere of the stories are very similar to those of the games :)
April 14, 2015
This is the first volume of a new series based on the hit Phoenix Wright video game series which gives us all new cases for Phoenix to discover the truth and defend the innocent. Regardless of death occurring in this book the scenes are not over the top gruesome and the unique style of humor shared in the Phoenix Wright games comes to life in this manga as well making it only rated Teen.
In chapter 1 the Turnabout with the Wind Phoenix's friend Larry Butz is in trouble because he has a special talent to be in the middle of the worst situations. Watch as Phoenix discovers the truth and uncovers the real murderer.
The next two chapters revolve around the case of Turnabout Gallows. It has spiders, murder, and a dinner party so look forward to the unusual circumstances as murder is on the menu. However if you wish to see the conclusion of this case you will have to look forward to the next volume. :)
My favorite part of the book is is in the first chapter when Phoenix uses the science of sound to prove it was possible for the suspect could have been the murderer. If you want more details you'll just have to get the book and read it for yourself.
In chapter 1 the Turnabout with the Wind Phoenix's friend Larry Butz is in trouble because he has a special talent to be in the middle of the worst situations. Watch as Phoenix discovers the truth and uncovers the real murderer.
The next two chapters revolve around the case of Turnabout Gallows. It has spiders, murder, and a dinner party so look forward to the unusual circumstances as murder is on the menu. However if you wish to see the conclusion of this case you will have to look forward to the next volume. :)
My favorite part of the book is is in the first chapter when Phoenix uses the science of sound to prove it was possible for the suspect could have been the murderer. If you want more details you'll just have to get the book and read it for yourself.
July 4, 2023
i love my silly husband phoenix wright and his husband miles edgeworth so very much!!!! in all seriousness, this manga was actually good and the cases mirrored the games quite well! i particularly liked the means of murder for the spider one cause wtf!
finally got to read this bc i accidentally stole it from a friend and idk when i’m gna see him again so! i acquired these ace attorney books through the means of a crime, which i think is fitting
finally got to read this bc i accidentally stole it from a friend and idk when i’m gna see him again so! i acquired these ace attorney books through the means of a crime, which i think is fitting
February 6, 2017
I've played the video game, which was so fun and the reason why I chose to read this book. Now I just want to read the next volume!!!!
November 26, 2022
Amazing Manga! Reads just like a chapter in the video games! Highly recommended for fans of Ace Attorney!
December 10, 2025
I'm finally getting around to importing the last few odds and ends from my old, deadname-y Goodreads account, which means it's time to dig these bad boys out of storage and give them a proper reappraisal. Sorry to the one person who liked my old review of this particular volume!
On the whole, I'd say this is an entertaining, if not necessarily spectacular, manga series. I do appreciate that it consists entirely of brand-new mysteries, often of the locked-room variety, thus saving me from seeing yet another adaptation of, let's say, Turnabout Samurai. And Kenji Kuroda is often scrupulously fair when it comes to planting clues, so you can in fact "play along" in a similar fashion to the video games, as long as you're paying close enough attention. Add in some wonderful art courtesy of Kazuo Maekawa, and you've got yourself a perfectly fine way to spend an afternoon or two.
As a side note, each volume begins with a page breaking down the concept of Japanese honorifics. This would be very helpful, if not for the fact that this translation markedly DOES NOT use them at any point, to maintain consistency with the English localization of the games. I can only assume this was a last-minute change brought about by a policy dispute between Kodansha Comics and Capcom, with the latter ultimately coming out on top thanks to their own ace attorneys.
Anyway, let's take a look at the contents of this volume, shall we?
Turnabout with the Wind: This seems to be the manga equivalent of the first game's tutorial case, complete with all that entails. Winston Payne as the prosecutor! Larry Butz as the defendant! A Bad Girlfriend! And a rather basic mystery that's wrapped up in record time! Even though it revolves around a familiar trick I've seen in multiple mystery programs (and this paragraph might contain a hint as to one of those), I will admit that this version has a particularly neat clue pointing to the solution. And, again, it's all completely fair, even if Phoenix's explanation requires him to suddenly possess a bit of absurdly specific specialty knowledge...
Also, he introduces Maya Fey to the reader by saying she's "not as attractive as you might expect from someone her age". What the heck, Nick???
Turnabout Gallows (Part One): Ah yes, the amazing and/or spectacular case of the "spider man". I remember it well! This volume ends in a cliffhanger, with the trial to come in the next one, but believe me when I say the solution is a real doozy. I should warn you, however, that this could be a rough read, and not just for arachnophobes (though, yes, there are plenty of detailed drawings of eight-legged friends here). There's also the matter of Bobby Wolfe, the spider-obsessed recluse, who lives under the abusive conservatorship of his older brother. It isn't outright stated, but Bobby is clearly meant to be autistic and, well, it's uncomfortable to have characters telling us it's good that his brother built a special chair that restrains his arms and legs, actually (even if Phoenix and Maya don't buy into it). Maybe this one would even warrant a trigger warning nowadays?
Should I also mention that this volume contains references to extramarital affairs (in the first story) and underage drinking (in the second)? It's such a shame that they'd put such UTTER FILTH in this otherwise wholesome manga about multiple violent, bloody murders!
On the whole, I'd say this is an entertaining, if not necessarily spectacular, manga series. I do appreciate that it consists entirely of brand-new mysteries, often of the locked-room variety, thus saving me from seeing yet another adaptation of, let's say, Turnabout Samurai. And Kenji Kuroda is often scrupulously fair when it comes to planting clues, so you can in fact "play along" in a similar fashion to the video games, as long as you're paying close enough attention. Add in some wonderful art courtesy of Kazuo Maekawa, and you've got yourself a perfectly fine way to spend an afternoon or two.
As a side note, each volume begins with a page breaking down the concept of Japanese honorifics. This would be very helpful, if not for the fact that this translation markedly DOES NOT use them at any point, to maintain consistency with the English localization of the games. I can only assume this was a last-minute change brought about by a policy dispute between Kodansha Comics and Capcom, with the latter ultimately coming out on top thanks to their own ace attorneys.
Anyway, let's take a look at the contents of this volume, shall we?
Turnabout with the Wind: This seems to be the manga equivalent of the first game's tutorial case, complete with all that entails. Winston Payne as the prosecutor! Larry Butz as the defendant! A Bad Girlfriend! And a rather basic mystery that's wrapped up in record time! Even though it revolves around a familiar trick I've seen in multiple mystery programs (and this paragraph might contain a hint as to one of those), I will admit that this version has a particularly neat clue pointing to the solution. And, again, it's all completely fair, even if Phoenix's explanation requires him to suddenly possess a bit of absurdly specific specialty knowledge...
Also, he introduces Maya Fey to the reader by saying she's "not as attractive as you might expect from someone her age". What the heck, Nick???
Turnabout Gallows (Part One): Ah yes, the amazing and/or spectacular case of the "spider man". I remember it well! This volume ends in a cliffhanger, with the trial to come in the next one, but believe me when I say the solution is a real doozy. I should warn you, however, that this could be a rough read, and not just for arachnophobes (though, yes, there are plenty of detailed drawings of eight-legged friends here). There's also the matter of Bobby Wolfe, the spider-obsessed recluse, who lives under the abusive conservatorship of his older brother. It isn't outright stated, but Bobby is clearly meant to be autistic and, well, it's uncomfortable to have characters telling us it's good that his brother built a special chair that restrains his arms and legs, actually (even if Phoenix and Maya don't buy into it). Maybe this one would even warrant a trigger warning nowadays?
Should I also mention that this volume contains references to extramarital affairs (in the first story) and underage drinking (in the second)? It's such a shame that they'd put such UTTER FILTH in this otherwise wholesome manga about multiple violent, bloody murders!
January 20, 2024
The elements and quality that make the game so good were not present in this book. Given the game is essentially a book read with a video game controller, I was expecting this to be much better than it was.
Was expecting it to be as good as the game in terms of the deduction, faulty information, character motivations and lying, irrational jury, and so on which is what makes the game so good. In the case of this story it was a murder mystery but with absolutely no way to reason out the answer, unlike the game where all the clues are there and the mystery is well designed.
Given it ends on a little bit of a cliffhanger, maybe this book was more about the information for the court case to now proceed in the next book. But I don’t see how given it’s only a cliffhanger in why the events happened, not in what happened and who did it.
I’m hoping this is the equivalent of the first bad level in the game where it’s more a follow along tutorial to learn the mechanics. But why do that in a book format? At any rate I think 2/5 is fair, but I also want to read a couple more just because I liked the game so much, and the game was also uninteresting at the start.
Was expecting it to be as good as the game in terms of the deduction, faulty information, character motivations and lying, irrational jury, and so on which is what makes the game so good. In the case of this story it was a murder mystery but with absolutely no way to reason out the answer, unlike the game where all the clues are there and the mystery is well designed.
Given it ends on a little bit of a cliffhanger, maybe this book was more about the information for the court case to now proceed in the next book. But I don’t see how given it’s only a cliffhanger in why the events happened, not in what happened and who did it.
I’m hoping this is the equivalent of the first bad level in the game where it’s more a follow along tutorial to learn the mechanics. But why do that in a book format? At any rate I think 2/5 is fair, but I also want to read a couple more just because I liked the game so much, and the game was also uninteresting at the start.
November 29, 2019
Really happy that I finally got to read this manga, but bummed that the second and third volume are so hard to come by. Especially since this volume ends on a cliffhanger. 😦
The first story in this volume, about the windchimes, was really good and got me very excited for this series. The second story, about a spiderman, didn't quite catch my attention - maybe because there are no courtroom shenanigans, just investigation. Regardless, very excite, much fangirl.
Also, what a tease to show Edgeworth at the beginning of the book as an important character and then later to devote an entire page to him, but to not have him actually show up in this volume. What a tease.
The first story in this volume, about the windchimes, was really good and got me very excited for this series. The second story, about a spiderman, didn't quite catch my attention - maybe because there are no courtroom shenanigans, just investigation. Regardless, very excite, much fangirl.
Also, what a tease to show Edgeworth at the beginning of the book as an important character and then later to devote an entire page to him, but to not have him actually show up in this volume. What a tease.
July 17, 2024
This is really fun! They managed to capture the vibes from the games and characters pretty well. It's also awesome to get more content from the time around the OG trilogy. The games after that are great too, but the first main trilogy will always have my heart <3
The first case felt like a tutorial case - quickly solved and poor Larry as the defendant.
The second case is much longer and more complex + it ended with a cliffhanger. I'm very intrigued by the mystery around the ominous "spider-man" they set up + I have strong feeling that we will meet my boy Edgeworth in the next volume.
The first case felt like a tutorial case - quickly solved and poor Larry as the defendant.
The second case is much longer and more complex + it ended with a cliffhanger. I'm very intrigued by the mystery around the ominous "spider-man" they set up + I have strong feeling that we will meet my boy Edgeworth in the next volume.
August 16, 2021
This was my first manga! I really enjoy the Phoenix Wright video game series, and this was a fun way to enjoy the characters and types of stories in another medium. The over-the-top murder trials translate well to the manga format. It was just fun and enjoyable (which seems like a weird thing to say about murder mysteries, but there you go).
December 20, 2021
After playing the Phoenix Wright trilogy in Switch over the past month or so, I realised that there is rather a popular series on it! Thankfully my library had it and I gotta say this first one was funny and featured a decent whodunit plot. Looking forwards to the other books in the series!
My Rating - 4/5
My Rating - 4/5
September 21, 2017
Right when it was getting good... it ended. First case is always kind of meh, but I'm glad that there's so much detail for the first official case. I need to get the next one ASAP. Ace Attorney is my favorite video game series so I will eat up anything that's based on the material.
December 30, 2019
Giselle loves the game series this is based on, so she bought these. I've never played it but she says I'll like them - so I thought I'd give this manga a try. This is not how a courtroom works at all but this was fairly entertaining. 3/5
January 17, 2021
The art style is really simple. Some scenes in the manga remind me of scenes in the games. The chapters have original cases, but they don't seem to have a lot of emotional build-up. It's probably because the cases are pretty short.
April 13, 2024
the entire second case in this book is INSANE. “the spider man” is a NIGHTMARE. tbh though… mr. wolfe kind deserved the way he died. after the way he’s treated his brother and then eddie johnson… woof.
also, phoenix saying “miles edgeworth. my best friend and greatest rival” … 🤭
also, phoenix saying “miles edgeworth. my best friend and greatest rival” … 🤭
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 21, 2017
Actual Rating: 4.5 stars
January 13, 2018
This one ends on a cliffhanger, so make sure you have Volume 2!
February 12, 2019
Es entretenido, aunque muy previsible.
March 2, 2019
It was a great manga just like on the game. And also it makes me bring back the old days in this year.
April 15, 2019
”He’s not much to look at, but he’s actually a lawyer”.
I love the game so I decided to borrow one of my brother’s mangas and yes it was as good as the game. Would recommend this already even though I just read 1.
I love the game so I decided to borrow one of my brother’s mangas and yes it was as good as the game. Would recommend this already even though I just read 1.
July 17, 2019
I got the manga, because my skill with the games isn’t so great. I enjoyed the sleuthing aspect that’s tied into the court cases.
March 10, 2020
Wow! This was really good! I'm into the story, and the interactions are fairly true to their characters. Definitely recommend to any fans of the main trilogy
April 14, 2020
A little unbelievable but quite fun and interesting.
July 15, 2020
I thought it was fun and if I see the second volume I'll buy it. One of the characters in the beginning seemed...iffy to me? I don't know how to explain it. Other than that, I really liked the art.
February 3, 2021
loved the first mystery and am really curious how the second one turns out
October 15, 2021
Really good short manga story read multiple times
December 20, 2021
now i am lawyer now haha
January 16, 2022
Great start to the series! I wish they had made a game out of these stories so we could interact with it, but it was fun to read regardless!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews