Director Takumi and Producer Eshiro Were Also Present: A Report on A Store Signing and Handshake Event for The Nintendo 3DS Game Gyakuten Saiban 4 (2017)

Title: Director Takumi and Producer Eshiro Were Also Present: A Report on A Store Signing and Handshake Event for The Nintendo 3DS Game Gyakuten Saiban 4 / 「巧ディレクターと江城プロデューサーも来店した，ニンテンドー3DS「逆転裁判4」店頭サイン＆握手会をレポート」
Source: 4Gamer

Summary: On September 22, 2017, the Bic Camera Shinjuku West Exit Store held a special signing and handshake event to celebrate the release of the Nintendo 3DS version of Gyakuten Saiban 4 (Ace Attorney 4 - Apollo Justice). The event started at 18:30 and lasted for an hour. 4Gamer reported on this event two days later, noting that despite the rain, there were many fans to see Takumi Shū, who supervised the original Nintendo DS game released in 2007, and Eshiro Motohide, who was an assistant-producer on the original title. 4Gamer also got do a very short interview with the two men to reminiscence about the development of the original 2007 game.

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Interviewer: Thank you for today. How was it to come in contact in fans?

Takumi: The Nintendo DS version of Gyakuten Saiban 4 (Ace Attorney 4 - Apollo Justice) is a game that was released ten years ago. We didn’t have events like these yet back then, but I remember that on the release day, we’d secretly go check out the stores. It’s heart-warming to know we can now hold these kinds of events. I am very glad I got to talk with the people who have been supporting the series the last decade.

Interviewer: Is there something about the development of the game ten years ago that has left an impression on you?

Takumi: The development of the game started after the first three Gyakuten Saiban games had ended, so I am glad I got to work on a full game with art director Nuri. At the time, I could feel a kind of hot sensation, as if something was awaiting us in the future, and that might be what has brought us Dai Gyakuten Saiban – Naruhodō Ryūnosuke no Bōken (The Great Ace Attorney 1 – Adventure).

Eshiro: Tne years ago, I worked on the series as the assistant producer of Gyakuten Saiban 4. That was the first time I got to work on the series, so in that sense, it’s a very memorable game to me.

Interviewer: And now all six of the mainline games are available on the Nintendo 3DS.

Takumi: Actually, I moved away from the series for a period after 4. So it feels a bit strange to know there are already six games now. But knowing that while I was gone, Yamazaki and others took over the series and continued the story further, is very touching.

Eshiro:  Now all the mainline titles are available on the 3DS, I hope people who haven’t played the older games now use this opportunity to visit those games and enjoy the stories of both Naruhodo-kun (Phoenix Wright) and Odoroki-kun (Apollo Justice).

Interviewer: Did you have interesting talks with the fans?

Takumi: There were surprisingly many people who first started the series with 4. There were also foreign fans. There were also Asian fans who told me they had played the complete series. That really made me realize how widespread the series is now. I have a cold, but I feel a lot better now thanks to them.

Interviewer: The protagonist of 4 is Odoroki-kun. Do you have any special memories concerning him?

Takumi: It took quite some time to decide on his name. With Naruhodo-kun’s name, I wanted to convey a feeling of “surprise” (TN: Naruhodo means “I see”), so that is why I then suggested Odoroki (TN: Odoroki means “surprise”), but it wasn’t approved of, because people weren’t keen on the word “doro” (mud) in the name (laugh). Oh, and because he was a new protagonist, I remember I wanted him to be more a heated person. So that’s why he uses the first person pronoun “ore”.

And we focused a lot on his design. Nuri and I thought a lot about Naruhodo-kun’s spiky hairstyle and his silhouette. So ultimately, the focal point because those pointy horns. We worked a lot to find a design that could instantly leave an impression on the viewer.

Interviewer: There were a lot of women at today’s event. What are your thoughts on that?

Takumi: We never specifically tried to target women. Because we want to make a game that can be played by as many people as possible, regardless of gender. However, there were already relatively many women among the players of the games ten years ago. I don’t really know why (laugh). I suppose because the characters are charming. The prosecutors are especially popular among women.

Interviewer: Thank you for today's event.