Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Official Casebook: Vol. 1: The Phoenix Wright Files (Phoenix Wright)

This is something a lot of Phoenix Wright (or just Ace Attorny fans in general) have been wanting. More of Phoenix, Maya, and the others. However, don't be fooled by the title. While it is apparently an official collection of manga stories, it's not exactly written by anyone involved with the games themselves. In that same vein, each story tends to have a different art style, and some of them don't always portray beloved characters (such as Mia or Edgeworth) quite as nicely as they were in games. It's not the best in the world (that would have been something made by the people at Capcom), but for us starving fans who are waiting endlessly for the new Edgeworth game, it certainly helps pass the time.

I'm fourteen and I've completed all games in the Ace Attorney series. I've enjoyed every one very much, and I got all my friends hooked on this franchise. One of my friends found this 'manga' at Borders one day, and let me borrow it. And I for one, found it very amusing! The book doesn't have a storyline, but is a kind of collage of mini stories all put in one. The many different art styles are fun, and it was nice to read all the artist notes at the end. They all were Ace Attorney fans who gladly contributed to this book. Some of the stories in this book are serious, but others were VERY funny. Especially when Maya finds a cat. I'm not going to spoil, but that was just one of the stories I thoroughly enjoyed. Anyway, all in all, I thought this was great, coming from a huge fan. You should be able to just find this at a local book store in the manga section, like my friend did.

This manga was well worth the wait! I am a devout fan of the Ace Attorney video game series by Capcom; other fans of the series like myself will definitely love this manga. The manga picks up after Ace Attorney 3: Phoenix Wright Trials and Tribulations. It keeps the storyline of the video games in various mini chapters and events. It is NOT a retelling of the video games, but rather a continuation of sorts. Don't expect a full blown drawn out crime investigation like you would in the video games; this manga does however have some crime investigations although they are brief. The main purpose of this manga in my opinion, is to bring out the life and personalities of all the beloved characters in the Phoenix Wright series. You will get to know your favorite characters even more and find out small little details about their past and background. The characters' quirks and personalities are akin to those of the games. Being familiar with the series will come in handy when references are made to the video games, as well as the ever enjoyable inside jokes. I found myself laughing out loud quite a few times. It is full of subtleties that a lot of Phoenix Wright fans would pick up on. This manga does the video game series justice! For those that are not familiar with the Ace Attorney video game series, I would still recommend that you check this manga out. This manga follows Phoenix Wright, a rookie defense attorney and his friends in his journey to defend his clients in court. It is packed with humor and the mysteries of crime scene investigations. You will also get to know the characters on more light-hearted chapters as well. By the time you have finished reading this manga, you will most definitely be intrigued enough to pick up a game or two. However, be warned that if you are in fact curious about the Ace Attorney video game series, this manga does have a few spoilers since it does deal with the storyline of the first three games in the series. Now, the art is definitely interesting in this manga. You will find different art styles from various artists; it is actually quite intriguing to see Phoenix Wright and company drawn in each artist's personal style. If you are a fan of the original video game art style, you will find a couple of chapters that ressemble it as well. All in all, I highly recommend this book for anyone curious or interested in the Ace Attorney video game series. It is a refreshing read packed with humor. I found that the short chapters make it easy to pick up and read anywhere and anytime. I have yet to find a flaw in this book, other than the fact that I was so hooked I wish it had been longer.

For those familiar with the video game from Capcom, you will recognize many of the stories in this 20 segment anthology. For those first timers, you will encounter the full cast of Phoenix Wright. Phoenix Wright, Maya, MIles Edweworth, Detective Gumshoe, Franziska Von Karma and a cast of miscreants and malligned inhabit this world of lawyer turned inside out and outside in. If any of the TV lawyers had their origins in Japanese culture and the supporting cast of Supernatural Law, you would then have Phoenix Wright. As manga, it is a breath of fresh air into a format dominated by magic/feminine oriented storylines. The art is pretty darn good too!

Being a big fan of the Ace Attorney series, I was excited about the manga. I at first thought it was going to be a big, manga-ized novelization of the first three games. While that would be cool, I was then worried as to whether or not it stuck with the game's storyline. And it didn't. In fact, as I started reading it, I soon realize that it was an anthology of some sort of different cases and situations with our favorite characters, Phoenix, Maya, Edgeworth et al. That's something I've never seen a franchise do before and quite frankly, it's awesome. It's better than reading fanfics. A few of the cases were quite interesting, but left me in disappointment because they were so short. There were some where the art looked pretty bad but the stories made up for them and then neither the art nor the story were good at all. There are 20 stories by different manga-kas which will keep you occupied when you're on the bus/train, etc. I felt refreshed after reading this manga as this is probably the only franchise so far that came up with something this cool. Some franchises should follow this example. I recommend this to everyone, including those who are new to Ace Attorney. You won't be disappointed.