Gyakuten Saiban Blog Entry 19: Tonosaman (1) (2001)

Title: Tonosaman (1) / 「トノサマン(1)」
Source: Gyakuten Saiban official site (down)

Summary: In the nineteenth blog entry for the original Game Boy Advance version of Gyakuten Saiban (Ace Attorney GBA), Takumi Shū talks about the third episode of the game, Turnabout Tonosaman (Turnabout Samurai). It is revealed that this was actually the first story he worked on for the game, some time before the Gyakuten Saiban development team was actually formed and while he still had to finish work on Dino Crisis. The original plans for this story however were very different from the final product.

Tonosaman (1)

Turnabout Tonosaman (Turnabout Samurai)… there is a bit of history to this scenario. Let’s go back in time again, to June 2000. About three months before the Gyakuten team was formed. I was still working desperately on a game called Dino Crisis 2 back then. One day, I was told I could make a detective game as my next game. As I worked on getting Dino Crisis finished, I started thinking about the story for my new game, secretly in a corner of my mind.

• A funny atmosphere.
• A setting that sounds interesting.
• Cases that weren’t realistic or graphic, but like set in a fairy-tale world.

This was the image I had of my ideal story. I am bad with realistic cases. They don’t offer you any relief, any closure and only leave you with dark feelings. I tried not to watch the news at all as I worked on the scenario.

So I thought about a setting that would fit my image of the game, and I thought of one situation of which I knew it would be great. A film studio for a hero action program for children. A story where a hero of justice really kills the villain. Yes, I was onto something. No, no, this was the perfect setting!

There was a reason I was so convinced of this idea. While working on Dino Crisis 2, I got a lot of help from a certain TV director. He was slim and tall, and the words "dandy" and "deep" fitted him perfectly. He is a famous director who used to work on drama series and nowadays, he mostly works on children’s action programs.

I was really impressed by the enthusiastic attitude and ideas he had towards creative work. I wanted to return the favor to him. That’s when it came to me. It might be cool to do something like: ‘Dedicated to the director.’

And that is how “The Hero Murder (Tentative)” was born. The first version was an elegant, mature story about a nihilistic, dandy, cool, slim and handsome director. A furious battle of the brains between him and the detective protagonist. The sad and painful past that was revealed at the end. And the light and shadows of love and hate blending in the studio…

…We then entered the climax of Dino Crisis, so I put my story in the drawer for a while. It was several months later when I pulled out my idea notebook from the drawer again. I had just finished working on Turnabout Sisters, and I was in a desperate situation, as I had only two months left.

I just didn’t had any time anymore. I started writing as if there was no tomorrow, with my idea notebook as my guide… but that nihilistic, dandy, cool, slim and handsome director suddenly said things like: “It’s a hit with me, I think (sweat).” And my cool and sad story had suddenly become very surreal.

…And so my idea of dedicating the story to that director has become impossible. That is my only regret. Why did it turn out like this? The truth of that, will be revealed next time.