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Speech bubbles, also known as speech balloons, dialogue balloons, or word balloons, are a graphic convention used to represent the speech or thoughts of characters in graphical fictional works, most commonly in comic books, comic strips, and cartoons. The Ace Attorney series predominantly uses labeled text boxes on the top or bottom of a screen to convey speech and thoughts, but also uses spiky "scream balloons" to convey certain exclamations. These scream balloons use stylized letters for over-the-top emphasis, albeit not in all capital letters. These speech bubbles are an iconic element of the series, especially the "Objection!" bubble, which is used whenever a major character is about to interrupt or counter an argument or a witness's testimony. The bubbles are usually white with red letters, the sole exceptions being some variations in the anime adaptation and in The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles. In the latter, the balloons themselves are colored gold while keeping the red text, with the exception of Barok van Zieks, who uses dark blue text with a unique look on gray-colored balloons to make him seem more "English". [1]
Original speech bubbles[]
The "Objection!" speech bubble; an iconic part of the Ace Attorney series.
"Objection!" is one of the three original bubbles alongside "Hold it!" and "Take that!". In the original trilogy on the Game Boy Advance, these bubbles are much smaller and appear on the left or right side of the screen depending on the speaker. In subsequent releases and titles, they take up an entire screen. More bubbles have been made over time, beginning with "Gotcha!" in Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, though they tend to be derivatives of the original three in usage, applied to specific characters or gameplay mechanics. In particular, "Take that!" is used when evidence from the court record or organizer is used to answer a question at hand. Consequently, although "Objection!" is the most famous bubble, "Take that!" tends to be the one most associated with climactic moments in the games, due to the flow of the narratives.
"Objection!" and "Hold it!" are mainly used during cross-examinations of witness testimonies or rebuttals to arguments. Presenting evidence to counter a statement results in the protagonist yelling "Objection!" before giving their counterargument. Pressing a witness for clarification on a statement results in the protagonist yelling "Hold it!" to interrupt the testimony or argument. The other usages of these bubbles reflect their use in gameplay; "Objection!" is generally used to interrupt for the sake of giving a counterargument, while "Hold it!" is usually employed to interrupt for other reasons. However, this is not a hard distinction, as both can be used to interrupt courtroom proceedings, though "Objection!" tends to be used by attorneys when the judge is about to hand down a verdict.
Although many characters use these bubbles, only a handful have corresponding voice clips for them in most of the games, with the main protagonists being the only ones to have clips for "Hold it!" and "Take that!" at all. This largely stems from the fact that professional voice actors were not used until the Nintendo 3DS games introduced anime cutscenes. In fact, the voice clips were only added at the insistence of the sound engineer working on Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney.[2] In Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney and the anime series, all speech bubbles are voiced.
Other speech bubbles[]
Many speech bubbles are associated with game mechanics other than cross-examinations and rebuttals:
- "Take that!" when using the magatama
- "Gotcha!" when finding a witness's tell using the bracelet
- "Eureka!" when finding a relationship between a scene being investigated and a piece of evidence
- "Hang on!" and "'Scuse me!" when noticing a witness reacting to another witness's testimony
- "Got it!" when finding an emotion of interest in the Mood Matrix or pointing out specific details in evidence
- "Objection!" when indicating a contradictory sense during a Divination Séance
Some characters use signature bubbles in place of the traditional bubbles:
- Shi-Long Lang uses "Not so fast!" in place of "Objection!"
- Verity Gavèlle uses "Overruled!" in place of "Objection!"
- Hershel Layton uses "Have a look!" in place of "Take that!" in Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. In the Japanese version, "Eureka!" and "Have a look!" are the same speech bubble "Kore da!"
- Simon Blackquill uses "Silence!" interchangeably with "Objection!"
- Ryunosuke Naruhodo primarily uses "Yes!" in the first two episodes of The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures, and intermittently thereafter.
- Jezaille Brett uses "Shut up!"
- Rayfa Padma Khura'in uses "That's enough!"
- Nahyuta Sahdmadhi uses "Satorha!" interchangeably with "Objection!"
- Ga'ran Sigatar Khura'in uses "Such insolence!" interchangeably with "Objection!"
There are two speech bubbles exclusive to Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, which are not used during the dramatic events of trials:
- "Welcome!" is comically used by Phoenix Wright (as well as Zacharias Barnham in the special episode Flour Everywhere) for the rather more mundane task of welcoming visitors to Patty Eclaire's bakery.
- "Thanks a bunch!" is an unused speech bubble, possibly meant to express gratitude to customers in said bakery.
The Ace Attorney anime adaptation has a few unique speech bubbles:
- "Wait!", used by Regina Berry when Acro is being escorted out of the courtroom.
- "Please waiiiit!", used by Matt Engarde at the climax of his own trial.
- "Gyaaah!" when Bikini discovers Elise Deauxnim's body.
- "No objections!", used by Phoenix Wright during Iris' trial.
- In the first opening of the second season, with the song called "Never Lose", there is a speech bubble called "LOSE" alongside the Judge.
References[]
- ↑ Bolt Storm. DGS in Famitsu 4/2: Full Scans. Court Records Forums. Retrieved 2015-04-05.
- ↑ Ash (2022-05-21). "[Mari-Detective Brimming with memory-filled stories the fans had longed to hear! A report of the Gyakuten Saiban 10th Anniversary Special Court, where the new title Gyakuten Saiban 5 was also announced! (2012)]". Gyakuten Saiban Library. Retrieved 2022-10-11.