#but one of von karma’s lines (at least in the translation i was watching) was straight up just ‘fuck it’???

[spacetrashpile]

also you guys were not joking when you said the live action movie is bleak. i didn’t think there was a way to make phoenix cross examining a parrot make me genuinely gasp and get upset but. wow they sure pulled it off.

[4ragon]

do u have any thoughts on engarde? I kinda struggle to understand his character tbh

Yeah, sure, I get that. I have plenty of thoughts on Matt Engarde!

Aside from being one of the few people able to trick the Magatama (and hoo boy do I have A LOT of thoughts about the Magatama mechanics I could probably write an entire essay on that alone), he’s also just a scummy dude. He’s the epitome of one of those rich famous assholes who has never experienced a single consequence in his life, always skating by on good looks and money. He doesn’t care about who gets hurt while stroking his own ego, and you know what? That’s not nearly as unbelievable as I wish it was.

Everything about him is a performance, but not in the way that we see with other villains. He’s not hiding to protect himself, he’s simply playing the world around him like a fiddle. He’s vain and conceited, and likes having the world catered to him. I think that’s part of why he puts on this airheaded surfer bro affect constantly. Part of it is so that people will underestimate him, part of it is that the people just sort of feel like they have to take care of him, part of it is that it helps make people like and trust him. He’s not dangerous, he’s just kind of stupid, he couldn’t possibly do any serious damage. And it’s easy to see why people just eat it up, he plays the role really well.

And I think he gets a kick out of it? Just given the way he did his big reveal, like “Oh let me just consult ‘myself’...time for you to meet him I guess’. Like, I’m sure it was at least partially a weird translation thing, because that’s a wild way to pull a “You haven’t even seen my final form,” but I think it also just is one big game to him. He’s just having fun! The world loves him. The world sees him as this dumb pretty boy who doesn’t have to think about anything other than one-upping Juan Corrida, and all he has to do is play along and he can get away with just about anything. He can destroy a woman’s life. He can hire someone to kill a man in cold blood. He’s untouchable as long as he can act the part.

And the worst part is? He doesn’t feel a single shred of guilt about any of it. That’s clear enough by how easily he could fool the Magatama. “I never lied. I didn’t kill anyone. My hands are clean.” He’s perfectly content with the fact that he orchestrated this whole murder thing, perfectly fine with blackmailing Phoenix to get him out of trouble. Again, he says these sorts of things gleefully. It’s a game to him! Why should he care about the fact that he’s gotten multiple people killed as long as he gets away with it scott free?

I think Matt Engarde makes for a really effective villain for two reasons. Reason one is that I think most people really do get caught up in his act. Even when the player starts to suspect him, it’s so much like “Him?? Really? Is he even capable of pulling something like this off?” And then, the reveal hits, and you realize you really have been played for a fool this whole time. And reason number two, after that big reveal, after all his cards are on the table, you realize this piece of shit still has you under his thumb! You know he’s playing you, and there’s not a fucking thing you can do to stop it!

I think I mentioned this before, but the fact of the matter is, Phoenix is playing the role of the bad guy in this case. He’s defending a murderer, accusing an innocent woman to get him off the hook. The case is less about Matt Engard as a villain, but more about “Am I willing to stick to my morals with Maya’s life on the line?” And Matt Engarde’s selfishness is what puts you in this position. 

And at the end, right before Franziska von Karma swoops in to save the day, you are given that choice. Do you let this smug bastard win? Do you save both him and Maya, condemning Adrian Andrews to a fate she absolutely doesn’t deserve? Or do you betray him, this smug, selfish, irritating monster who will take Maya down with him? Which is right? Saving the life of someone you care about, or doing the morally right thing? That shit sucks! I know everyone I’ve seen playing this game the first time had to pause to really think about what they wanted here. It’s a complicated moral choice.

The fact that you hate him so much by the end of it all really drives home how satisfying it is to watch that final meltdown. (And god, telling the judge you want a ‘not guilty’ verdict for Matt after you win is so satisfying holy shit. It’s so good. Take that you smug son of a bitch.) Maybe he’s not particularly deep of a character, but man is he effective at what he does. He’s shallow, vain, selfish, and soooo satisfying to be rid of.

[yayneloveart]

Okay... Turnabout Goodbyes time... part 1

Two guys just chilling in a boat, one meter apart because one is looking for revenge on the other

I've noticed that whenever hes outside, Nick always wears his backpack briefcase. Its kinda.... weird? It looks like hes a college student getting ready to go make an important presentation.

I love Nick calling Gumshoe 'Detective Gummy'. I know its because he cant remember his name but PBnT started calling him that in their playthrough so I feel like hes just calling him a very familiar nickname. +10 stars

'Butz Original Samurai Buns' sounds so much funnier than just 'Samurai Dogs'. Got some hot buns, Butz? (Side note, at work I once shipped a package to, no joke, 'The Butz Family'. The address? 420 Main St.) +100 stars

+10 stars for changing the confusing line 'I'm the little sister'/'no, im my big sisters little sister' to 'I'm the fucking boss of the office so Phoenix works for me'

+1,000 stars for animating Gourdy as a cute monster

Another +1,000 stars for the fantastic voice performance by Whitney Rodgers playing Lotta Hart.

GAH BLUE BADGER IT LOOKED INTO MY SOUL

SHOWING BABY MAYA AND TINY MIA BEHIND MISTY AS SHE CHANNELED GREGORY EDGEWORTH, +1 BILLION STARS

Von Karma calling Gumshoe 'Richard', fantastic, 100+ stars

Using the exact map of the lake from the game, +10 stars

EVEN GAME PHOENIX KNOW WHAT BALLISTIC MARKINGS WERE BUT ANIME PHOENIX IS CLUELESS. -10 STARS DO YOUR LAW HOMEWORK PHOENIX

LOTTA A MAN HAS BEEN MURDERED STOP GAWKING AT THE COURTROOM

To protest crunchy roll putting in 2 minute ad blocks I mute them and play minecraft until they pass. Fuck you, ads.

Everything looks so different when you can see Lotta looking straight at Edgeworth when she says she saw him...

Phoenix: Look at this photo!

Me: ...graph...

Hey Lotta, only Larry and Maya can call Phoenix 'Nick'!

Literally, the only reason why Von Karma 'won' any of his cases was by bullying everyone in court. At least Franziska did her own research and collected evidence.

Larry: well... those are my buns... (+10 stars to the translation team)

Lotta calling Larry a butthead is fucking fantastic, why didnt anyone call him that in any of the games???

POLLY IS FUCKING TERRIFYING.

WTF NO WONDER WES DECIDED TO MAKE HER THE HARBINGER OF THE APOCALYPSE (if you dont understand this, watch SaveDataTeam's Ace Attorney with an Actual Lawyer series)