This is the second middle-grade chapter book written as extra content for the 逆転裁判 (Ace Attorney) video game series, but it's completely disconnected from the previous book and can be read stand-alone. This one likewise takes place after 逆転裁判 5 (Dual Destinies) and is written in a way that series newcomers can understand, but it contains more series references and would probably be more enjoyable for people who are familiar with at least 逆転裁判 1 (Phoenix Wright) and 4 (Apollo Justice). The story is told in first-person from Naruhodo's (Phoenix's) point-of-view, as he takes on the legal defence of his employee and fellow series protagonist Odoroki (Apollo), who stands accused of murdering a politician in an airport.
On pretty well all fronts, this was a more enjoyable book and a less frustrating mystery than the previous book, but it was also notably more difficult from a learner's perspective. Even after being familiarized with the writing style and vocab from the first book, reading this one went slower, and while アイドル had few-to-no advanced grammar points and no exaggerated speech patterns, 空港 uses quite a bit of N2 & N1 grammar throughout and has several characters with unique speech styles. There's a great deal of repetition, though, as the sequence of events around the murder and certain details get rehashed many times, and the writing style is still very direct and approachable as long as you're comfortable with the grammar.
This mystery had a better set-up in that it wasn't immediately obvious who committed the murder or how, and it was more compelling given that Odoroki finally gets to join the Ace-Attorney-protagonists-accused-of-murder club. The characters also feel a bit more fleshed out in this one compared to the previous book, and less like the book was just trying to remind you cast members existed when they came up. The repetition does grate a bit, though, and by the end, Naruhodo has failed to prove that Odoroki plausibly didn't do it and the judge has been on the verge of announcing a guilty verdict so many times that the eventual resolution feels like a fluke and not a hard-won triumph. But overall, I really enjoyed this one as an Ace Attorney fan, and most of the problems I have with it boil down to it being a kids' book and not a "real" case.
Definitely recommend picking this up if you're a fan interested in side content, and it's enough of an improvement that it's worth giving this one a chance even if you weren't impressed by the first book.
Better read than アイドル, but not as breezy
This is the second middle-grade chapter book written as extra content for the 逆転裁判 (Ace Attorney) video game series, but it's completely disconnected from the previous book and can be read stand-alone. This one likewise takes place after 逆転裁判 5 (Dual Destinies) and is written in a way that series newcomers can understand, but it contains more series references and would probably be more enjoyable for people who are familiar with at least 逆転裁判 1 (Phoenix Wright) and 4 (Apollo Justice). The story is told in first-person from Naruhodo's (Phoenix's) point-of-view, as he takes on the legal defence of his employee and fellow series protagonist Odoroki (Apollo), who stands accused of murdering a politician in an airport.
On pretty well all fronts, this was a more enjoyable book and a less frustrating mystery than the previous book, but it was also notably more difficult from a learner's perspective. Even after being familiarized with the writing style and vocab from the first book, reading this one went slower, and while アイドル had few-to-no advanced grammar points and no exaggerated speech patterns, 空港 uses quite a bit of N2 & N1 grammar throughout and has several characters with unique speech styles. There's a great deal of repetition, though, as the sequence of events around the murder and certain details get rehashed many times, and the writing style is still very direct and approachable as long as you're comfortable with the grammar.
This mystery had a better set-up in that it wasn't immediately obvious who committed the murder or how, and it was more compelling given that Odoroki finally gets to join the Ace-Attorney-protagonists-accused-of-murder club. The characters also feel a bit more fleshed out in this one compared to the previous book, and less like the book was just trying to remind you cast members existed when they came up. The repetition does grate a bit, though, and by the end, Naruhodo has failed to prove that Odoroki plausibly didn't do it and the judge has been on the verge of announcing a guilty verdict so many times that the eventual resolution feels like a fluke and not a hard-won triumph. But overall, I really enjoyed this one as an Ace Attorney fan, and most of the problems I have with it boil down to it being a kids' book and not a "real" case.
Definitely recommend picking this up if you're a fan interested in side content, and it's enough of an improvement that it's worth giving this one a chance even if you weren't impressed by the first book.