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| Turnabout Storyteller |
Transcript |
| Simon Blackquill |
| So neither one of them are here? ...Leaving you to take this on alone? |
Episode 4: Turnabout Storyteller is the fourth episode of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice. Athena Cykes takes on the case of Bucky Whet, a soba shop worker and an acquaintance of Simon Blackquill. He is accused of murdering Taifu Toneido at a yose, a theatre for performing rakugo. However, for the first time, she is alone, since Apollo Justice is busy helping Trucy Wright's magic act and Phoenix Wright is still out of the country. Similar to Mia Fey's two cases, it is a trial only case with no investigation chapters.
May 12
A shadowy figure approaches...
During the midday, inside a theater, an elderly man was practicing his rakugo performance. Behind him, a shadowed figure walked up to him, grinning. Later, a man and a woman discovered the body face-first in a bowl of noodles. The woman wondered if "he" was responsible, and the man panicked on what they should do. The woman replied that she had an idea.
May 13
- 9:45 AM
The Wright Anything Agency was hastily called to handle a murder case. Athena Cykes ended up hurrying to Defendant Lobby No. 6 at the last minute, alone. Simon Blackquill arrived afterward and was shocked to find out that both Apollo Justice and Phoenix Wright were too busy to handle the trial. Cykes tried to reassure him that she was perfectly capable of doing the job, to no avail.
Blackquill had brought the defendant, Bucky Whet, who appeared to be drunk. He managed to pull himself together and introduced himself as the fourth-generation head chef of Whet Soba. Whet had been arrested for the murder of master rakugo storyteller Taifu Toneido, with whom Whet didn't have the best relationship, as Taifu always critiqued his soba harshly. This animosity was the motive in his arrest. Cykes assured that she would defend Whet to the very end. Though she suggested for Whet to rest, he protested that he was not like udon dough but like soba dough, which was supposed to be prepared while fresh, and not made to rest. Nonetheless, he blacked out, having to be brought to the court's infirmary as the trial began.
Opening statements
- 9:50 AM
The photo of the crime scene.
Cykes found herself once again in the newly restored Courtroom No. 4. Prosecutor Nahyuta Sahdmadhi was on the opposite bench, at the request of Chief Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth. For his opening statement, Sadhmadhi explained that the victim, Taifu Toniedo, had been found dead in the dressing room at Kurukuru Tei, a rakugo theater. The estimated time of death was between 2 PM and 5 PM, and the cause was suffocation, but the means and murder weapon had yet to be found, and nothing unusual had been found in the victim's lungs or stomach. Nonetheless, Whet was the only one with opportunity and motive, the motive being that the victim had the title deed to Whet Soba, which was supposed to belong to Whet. Sahdmadhi's first witness was Blackquill himself, who questioned if Sahdmadhi had enough knowledge of rakugo to adequately handle this case. To prove the fruits of his research on the subject, Sahdmadhi proceeded to give a long-winded primer about the basics of rakugo.
"Cross-Examining Simon"
Blackquill, Geiru and Uendo watching as Taifu Toneido's body is taken away.
Blackquill testified that he had arrived at the theater around 4 PM, having been invited to a special show to commemorate Taifu's junior disciple's promotion and name succession. The invitation held a brief letter and the performance schedule. Blackquill had never actually met up with the victim prior to the murder, due to hearing rakugo being performed within the dressing room and not wanting to disturb a rehearsal. Afterwards, Whet had entered the room, but had had an argument with the victim, and stormed out around ten minutes later. Soon after, Taifu's junior disciple, Uendo, entered the room, and after a few minutes, let out a loud scream, causing Blackquill and another witness to rush into the room to see the body. Sahdmadhi judged that Blackquill was sympathizing with the defense despite his testimony, and dismissed him to summon the other witness.
"Cross-Examining Geiru"
Geiru feeding her dog outside.
Geiru Toneido was the victim's senior disciple and a balloon artist, whose father had also been a rakugo performer. She evidently was not on good terms with the defendant and was glad to see Whet arrested for the crime. Geiru told the court that Whet would always yell at her, saying that her perfume would get caught in the soba, ruining it.
Geiru testified that she had been in the hallway with Blackquill between 4 PM and 4:20 PM, and that Whet had been the only one to enter the dressing room prior to the discovery of the body. Geiru also mentioned that her dog, Jugemu, was barking loudly, so she had gone into the yard to feed him. Blackquill corroborated this statement, though he noted that she had given the dog a large amount of what looked like dumplings, far too many for him to handle. Geiru claimed that she had had a clear view of the hallway from the yard, but Cykes examined a diagram of the area and pointed out that the door to the yard would have blocked her view. Along with the fact that Blackquill could not see the dressing room door from his position, Cykes concluded that someone else could have entered the room without being noticed.
Sahdmadhi argued that Geiru was simply not remembering things correctly due to her grief over Taifu's death. He accused Cykes of being too harsh on the witness, and exploited the fact that she could hear the emotions of the people in the gallery to discourage her further. Claiming that Cykes's resolve could be broken with a single push, he presented a photo of karuta cards that had been found at the crime scene, which spelled out "WHET NO 4", clearly implicating the defendant. In response, Blackquill appeared at the defense's bench, calling out Sahdmadhi for using such cheap manipulation tactics for a supposed holy man and the gallery for believing in said tricks. He claimed that he had grown bored from watching in the stands, and was not willing to let Cykes lose his favorite soba shop. Undeterred, Sahdmadhi called Geiru down from the stand, and called his next witness, Uendo Toneido, the aforementioned junior disciple. Uendo had a peculiar habit of switching between his normal persona and two of his characters that he would use for his rakugo performances.
"Cross-Examining Uendo"
Uendo testified that he had seen Taifu's message right away, saying that his master must have left it as he was being drowned in the soba broth. Cykes pointed out that the victim had nothing usual in his lungs, so his face must have been thrust into the bowl after his murder, after which the broth had spilled onto the cards. Sahdmadhi argued that whoever had done this must have held a great contempt towards the victim, someone like the defendant. Blackquill retorted that this did not explain why Whet had not done anything about the incriminating message. With Uendo unable to shed much light on the matter, Sahdmadhi decided to present a photo of the cards as found at the crime scene.
The karuta cards true message.
Blackquill and Cykes noticed that the soba broth stains on the cards did not match up with the larger stain on the table. The cards were rearranged to fix this, resulting in a different message, "OWEN 4TH." Uendo denied any knowledge of this "Owen", but even so, the cards no longer pointed to Whet as the culprit. Cykes and Blackquill suggested Uendo had rearranged the cards, during the few minutes alone Uendo had had with the body prior to screaming. Sahdmadhi told Uendo to plead his right to remain silent, but Blackquill appealed to the showman inside Uendo, getting the gallery to join along in convincing him to testify.
"Uendo's Mood Matrix"
Uendo testified that he had gone to visit Taifu after his performance, calling out from outside the room to no reply. Upon entering the room, Uendo had noticed his master slumped over the table, motionless. Sensing discord in Uendo's emotions, Cykes fired up her Mood Matrix and noticed that no shock was registered at the last statement, as if Uendo had anticipated what he had found. Uendo claimed that he had initially thought the victim was just sleeping, due to a note that read, "Resting. Do not disturb."
Uendo continued that he had noticed that something was off and rushed toward Taifu. Cykes noticed a hint of anger at this statement, to which Uendo explained that he had stubbed his toe. Cykes said that he must have stubbed his toe on a CRT TV in the room, and saw in the photo that the TV had been dragged through the floor from the doorway to the back wall, as revealed by tracks in the flour scattered all over the floor. Uendo explained that it must have been so that Taifu could watch him perform, stating that the TV broadcasts performances onstage. Uendo had moved the TV back, bumping into the table in the process and realizing that Taifu was dead.
Cykes then noticed that Uendo exhibited even more shock after the initial shock of learning that Taifu was dead. Struggling to explain himself, Uendo's emotions began to overload. In an unprecedented reaction, the dominant emotion would change whenever Uendo switched characters during his testimony. Cykes concluded from this development that the message on the karuta cards must mean something to Uendo, and that he had dissociative identity disorder. Uendo admitted that his characters were actually separate personalities called Patches the jester and Kisegawa the courtesan, both of whom shared his memories. However, when Cykes suggested the existence of a secret fourth personality named Owen, Uendo denied it.
Regardless of this revelation, Uendo had a compelling alibi, since he had been on stage performing during the murder. He had performed horribly and received no applause, despite it being such a special day for him. Cykes found this suspicious and asked about what he had performed, to which he replied that he had performed the show "Tokisoba" or "Time Soba." However, the schedule listed Uendo performing "Soba Glutton," while the victim was to perform "Time Soba." Cykes accused Uendo of trying to obfuscate the time of the victim's death. Uendo had used the TV broadcast of his performance to trick Blackquill and Geiru into believing that the victim was practicing so that they wouldn't enter when, in reality, he had already died. He had intentionally performed awfully so that the audience would remain silent to pull off this act of trickery.
Uendo confessed to manipulating the crime scene but refused to explain why. Sahdmadhi questioned Cykes about Uendo's motive, but she had nothing, and, laying on the heat, he revealed that Whet had also visited the crime scene prior to 4 PM to make soba with the victim. Whet, who had entered the courtroom, explained that Taifu had ordered uncooked soba because he had only one serving left. Whet had arrived outside the dressing room to confirm his delivery, but Taifu had continued practicing rakugo, ignoring Whet completely, causing him to become frustrated and storm away. Whet subsequently passed out and was sent to the infirmary once more, and Sahdmadhi dismissed his testimony as dubious.
With no other leads, Blackquill and Cykes reminded the court that the issue of "Owen" was still a mystery, suggesting that, should Owen exist within Uendo, then he could possibly be the culprit. Cykes stated that, although Uendo, Patches and Kisegawa have no motive, Owen might. Patches denied that he knew any "Owen", but Blackquill convinced him to plead silence instead, which only made him seem more suspicious. Cykes believed that the only way to resolve the issue is to have Uendo testify about it.
The saké-infused manju buns.
Uendo stated that he had never met a personality named Owen, Kisegawa stated that Patches was just overreacting, and Patches testified that the three are always aware of one another, so they would notice if another personality appeared. Cykes questioned what would happen if the three of them were unavailable, for whatever reason, but Uendo did not know how to respond to it. She stated that, if Uendo, Patches and Kisegawa shared memories, that maybe Owen was different. Maybe Owen did not share his memories with the others, somewhat like a fail-safe mode. Cykes pointed at the bottle of saké at the crime scene may have been what caused Uendo to pass out, however, Uendo retorted that they do not drink saké, because they dislike it and that they are extremely weak to alcohol, and that they only ate a sweet manju bun. However, Cykes noted that Taifu's note bore the same brand logo as the wrapping on the box of manju buns, as well as the bottle of saké. Cykes proposed that Uendo did not drink the saké, but instead ate it via the manju bun, which was specially prepared to retain as much alcoholic content as possible. In order to test the theory, Blackquill sent Taka to retrieve some manju buns, and court went into recess until he returned.
"The Fourth One"
Taka returned with the sweet buns, and court was called back into session. Uendo Toneido consumed the sweet bun, and soon passed out, waking up, not as Uendo, but rather as Owen, his fourth personality! Owen was only a five-year old boy, incapable of murdering the victim. Despite the fact that Owen was not the real killer, Cykes and Blackquill stumbled upon a realization. If the karuta cards were rearranged by Uendo, but none of his personalities had a motive to murder Taifu, and if Taifu did not do it himself, then whoever laid out the cards in the first place was the real murderer. Since Owen could not have killed the victim, he must have been framed by the real murderer. Sahdmadhi tried to dissuade the court from hearing Owen's testimony, but the boy spoke up, stating that he did see what happened.
Owen testified that the victim had a knife in his hand, and blood was dripping onto his face. Owen was frozen in fear, and ended up passing out. Cykes noticed that the murder sent Owen's emotions out of control, and proceeded to perform a therapy session on him. She pointed out that the blood on Taifu's face must be the cause, but didn't remember any blood on the victim, nor was there any way for it to fall onto him. Cykes was stumped, and Blackquill told her to "rotate her thinking around." Cykes noted that wasn't the correct phrase, but nonetheless it led her to a realization. She stated that Owen must have been on the floor during the murder, and Owen added that someone was sitting on top of the victim, who fought back against his assailant. Sahdmadhi suggested that, if true, the culprit must have an injury on their face, around their forehead. With this new information, Sahdmadhi believed that Whet's newly-bandaged wound was conclusive evidence to the defendant's guilt.
Blackquill trying to snap Cykes out of her depression.
Cykes froze, her own findings having been used against her. Cykes didn't know where to go, knowing that the situation was looking grim, as Whet has both opportunity and motive to kill, as well as the injury. Blackquill asked her if she was doubting Whet's innocence, to which Cykes could not form a reply to. He reminded her of her words earlier in the lobby, where Cykes stated she would believe in Whet no matter what, until the very end. Blackquill asked if they were empty promises. She said she meant them, but, with the cards stacked against them she didn't know where to go from there. Blackquill pulled her close, stating that if that's all that made her stop believing in her client, then what? He reminded her that she was his lawyer, and that she needed to pick herself up and do her duty and believe in Whet until the very end.
| Simon Blackquill |
| Motive, opportunity, and an injury to his forehead -- Is that all it takes for you to stop believing in your client?! Tell me again, who are you to Bucky?! |
| Athena Cykes |
| Uh... I'm... I'm his "Miz Chickadee" lawyer! |
| Simon Blackquill |
| Then do your duty, and believe in him until the very end! |
Cykes, with a newfound vigor, continued with Owen's therapy session. Owen stated that, whoever the killer was, they were pressing something into the victim's face, that something being unprepared soba dough. Sahdmadhi theorized that the defendant, after murdering the victim with the dough, cut it into noodles and used the broth to wipe away the blood that dripped onto his face. The judge asked about the karuta cards, since the defendant wouldn't have known Owen, but Sahdmadhi countered by saying that the victim must have done it in jest, and the judge agreed, seeing as the victim cared a lot about for Owen. Cykes pleaded with Owen to see if he could remember more, and he stated that the killer was standing over him, but he could not remember their face. Despite Sahdmadhi's objections, Owen agreed to continue the therapy.
Upon waking up, Owen felt relief towards the killer, despite witnessing the gruesome murder of his Shisho. Owen stated that the person was giving off a pleasant smell of perfume, but upon trying to remember what type, Owen passed out. Sahdmadhi explained that the smell could have been hair product used by the defendant, but Whet countered by saying he never uses smelly products, as the scent would get into the soba. To prove his point, he delivered to the court dishes of soba, which were deemed perfume-free by the members of the court. His nausea soon set in once more, and he was sent to the infirmary again.
With no one else that smells of perfume, Cykes remembered that Geiru Toneido was particularly proud of her own perfume. Sahdmadhi didn't believe that scent alone warranted enough to have suspicion cast onto her, but Cykes convinced the judge to call her back to the stand, given the newfound circumstances of the case.
"The Final Cross-Examination"
Geiru returned to the stand, but denied any further involvement in the case. She tried to step down from the stand, but Blackquill got to her first, slicing the balloon she held, revealing a forehead wound under her bangs! With all this, Cykes formally indicted Geiru Toneido for the murder of Taifu Toneido. Cykes noted that Geiru had no alibi prior to 4 PM, and that she had absolutely no eye for balloon art. Geiru acknowledged this, stating that she wanted to be a rakugo performer instead. Cykes didn't back down, so Geiru, with her buttons pushed far enough, decided to fight back to the end, until one of them pops under the pressure.
Geiru testified that she made a courtesy call after her performance, but the victim and Owen were fast asleep. She noticed the note that the victim left, but left as she didn't want to disturb them, believing that the perfume was a leftover scent from her visit. Cykes questioned where she found the note, but Geiru didn't remember, not noticing anything out of the ordinary, nor did she touch nor see anything else abnormal. Cykes questioned if she truly didn't notice anything or do anything abnormal, and she presented the karuta cards, wondering that, if Whet couldn't have left it, as he didn't know about Owen, it must have been her, and if she was the one who placed the cards, then she would have to be the murderer!
Sahdmadhi objected, stating that there was another reason Geiru must have left early, she had an allergy to buckwheat, the main ingredient in soba. With this fact brought to light, it must have been impossible for her to murder him with the soba dough.
Geiru testified about her allergy to buckwheat, stating that even the slightest amount can make her swell up or send her into shock. However, Cykes couldn't find a single hole in her testimony to crack.
"Conclusive Evidence"
Geiru attacking Taifu with the dough.
Despite the odds, Cykes continued to smile, remembered that the worst of times are when lawyers have to force their biggest smiles. Cykes decided to turn her thinking around, instead of trying to figure out how Geiru could commit the crime, she should focus on how Geiru was able to stay in the room instead. She thought back onto all the important points on the case, coming to the realization that Taifu's note does not mean what they originally believed. She believed that, if Geiru was the true killer, then the answer was held within the true meaning of the note. She stated that the note actually meant that the dough was resting, and not the victim and Owen. With all these points, Cykes pointed out that the victim was not making soba, but udon instead! If the victim was making udon, then her allergy wouldn't trigger. However, Sahdmadhi recovered, stating that, even if the victim was making udon, soba was still found in the bowl, and Geiru would still have had a fatal reaction to it since the soba dough was the murder weapon.
Cykes decided to take a moment to rethink the case. She knew that the victim was making udon in his room, even though soba was found in the bowl. She realised that the soba must have come from Taifu's soba stock, and that Geiru must have used the soba to hide the fact that udon had been prepared. To this end, Cykes realised that the true murder weapon wasn't the soba dough as previously thought, but rather, the udon dough, and that it must have been disposed of somehow. Sahdmadhi retorted that, even if the udon dough was found, it would still wouldn't prove Geiru to be the murderer. Cykes objected, stating that, according to Owen, the culprit bled onto udon dough, making it conclusive evidence. The judge asked her to present evidence as to where the dough must be, and Cykes presented the testimony Blackquill gave earlier, where he stated that Geiru fed her dog dumplings. She deduced that the dumplings were really made of the udon dough with her blood on it, believing that the dumplings should still be buried in the yard around the dog's house, and that an investigation should be held to find them. With all these facts in place, the truth had been revealed, and Geiru popped under the pressure.
Geiru breaking down on the witness stand.
Geiru started to cry, removing her wig and revealing her true hair. Geiru only entered the world of rakugo because she wanted to follow in her father's footsteps, and inherit his name. She knew she wasn't a particularly skilled performer, but she felt that, if she continued to do her balloon art like Taifu wanted, she would inherit the name one day. But when she was passed the title for the current Uendo Toneido, she decided to plan revenge against them during the naming ceremony. Geiru didn't know if the others could understand, but she knew that inheriting her father's name was everything to her. It was her entire reason for living. She wanted to pin the blame on Uendo; she never wanted Whet to get suspected for the murder. Blackquill asked if she knew Taifu was making udon, but Geiru did not. Upon entering the dressing room, she noticed the soba tools, but decided to go along with the plan anyway. She ended up receiving the allergy reaction during the preparation of the crime scene, but she was too far gone to even think of her allergy at the time. Cykes stated that she understood her feelings about inheriting her father's name, but that's not what she should have inherited, not his name, but rather, his heart.
Sahdmadhi addressed Cykes by her full name, stating that he will be sure to remember it, finally recognizing her as a proper adversary. With that, Bucky Whet was declared not guilty, and court was adjourned.
"Post-Trial Wrap-Up"
- 11:55 AM
In the defendant lobby, Cykes congratulated Whet on his verdict, but wondered why Uendo accused him of murder. Blackquill told her that is was a spur-of-the-moment idea. Cykes was curious as to why Geiru wasn't allowed to inherit her father's name by Taifu, and Whet revealed that Taifu didn't want Geiru to be bound by her father's name, and wanted her to find her own calling in life. The fact that he was preparing udon despite preferring soba was proof of this. Cykes noted that the entire incident was one huge misunderstanding that spiralled out of control.
Blackquill tried to convince Whet that Geiru wasn't the only one Taifu was encouraging, but Whet denied it. Cykes presented the title deed to Whet, showing that, even though the victim had it, the deed itself was still under Whet's name. Whet was crushed, but in the end, decided to keep working hard to make him proud. Whet prepared to leave, but Cykes asked for an order, a bowl of udon to be delivered to Geiru on behalf of Taifu. With that, Whet left, and Cykes and Blackquill bantered a bit about law, psychology and rakugo, before heading out to get soba together.
| Athena Cykes |
| (I may still have a ways to go as a lawyer... but just like Mr. Wright, Apollo, and Simon before me...I'm going to get there someday! After all, I've inherited their passion for our courts, and the law!) |
References to other cases
- If incorrect evidence is presented during a cross-examination, the Judge notes learning the phrase "reckgiven" once. This was originally said by Lotta Hart in Turnabout Goodbyes.
- This case shares many key similarities with Turnabout from Heaven, a case from the Phoenix Wright manga published by Kodansha. Both cases revolve around a particular company's noodle products, both victims' deaths are related to ingredients used in preparing noodles, a soba/buckwheat allergy becomes a major factor in both cases, both cases involve a person or person(s) whose existences are called into question (Diana Wheatley's "deceased" mother in Turnabout from Heaven and Owen in Turnabout Storyteller), and the murder weapon is even hidden some manner by a family pet (the flour in Chocolan's fur in Turnabout from Heaven and Geiru's dog Jugemu burying the udon dough in Turnabout Storyteller).
- This case also bears some similarities with Turnabout Big Top. Both cases revolve around a form of entertainment, and both involve a murder weapon that was previously hidden by the culprit of the case. Said murder weapons were also transported between the culprit and an animal at one point (prior to the murder in Turnabout Big Top and after the murder in Turnabout Storyteller).
References to popular culture
- In the defendant lobby at the beginning of the case, Widget says "He's late, he's late, for a very important date!" when talking about Whet. This is a reference to the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland.
- When presenting wrong evidence during Blackquill's testimony, Cykes will ask Widget, "Et tu, Widget?" This is a reference to the phrase "Et tu, Brute?," a line from the Shakespeare play Julius Caesar.
- After Geiru makes the balloon cake, Cykes compares her balloon art to a Rorschach test, a psychological test.
- Sahdmadhi, upon pointing out a flaw in Athena's reasoning, says, "Allow me... to cut that holy thread from the heavens, and bring you back down to earth." This is reference to the short story "The Spider's Thread" by Ryunosuke Akutagawa in which a man in hell is given a tiny spider's thread to be saved and escape to heaven, but eventually it breaks and he falls back down.
- Various popular rakugo stories are referenced in this case, including: Jugemu, a story about a boy with an overly-long name; Tokisoba, a story about a man tricking a soba vendor by using the time; and Soba Sei, or Soba Glutton.
Notes
- This is the only episode in the Ace Attorney main series in which Phoenix Wright does not appear in any form (although he is mentioned).
- This is the second non-introductory episode in the main Ace Attorney series to not have any investigation chapters, with the other one being Turnabout Beginnings. Perhaps unintentionally, both cases are the fourth case in their respective games, both have a female protagonist, with a male close friend also working in law for a co-council, both have a male defendant and female culprit who wears a pink dress, both take place in Courtroom No. 4 and in both Phoenix Wright does not appear as a lead or supporting character.
- The story Tokisoba and rakugo in general being featured prominently in this case is based on a Japanese pun where 感情 (emotions) and 勘定 (counting/calculations) have the same pronounciation (kanjou). The former is a reference to Cykes' ability to hear emotions. This is referenced in the Japanese version of the case, where Cykes states that there's something interesting about Tokisoba and that she and Blackquill will find out in her therapy session. She chides Blackquill for not entering in with his line, to which he questions why he would do that. Cykes states that they can't leave it up to kanjou (emotions or calculation). In the Western version this was translated as a "seven ate nine" joke, to keep in line with the food-based theme of the joke.[1]
- The difference in time between the end of The Rite of Turnabout and the start of Turnabout Storyteller (roughly 33-34 hours) is the shortest amount of time between two non-related cases within the main series of the game.
Name
- Japanese - 逆転寄席 (Gyakuten Yose; lit. "Turnabout Vaudeville Theatre")
References
- ↑ Hsu, Janet. One Grand Finale – Weddings, Rakugo, and Succession. Retrieved 2016, October 5.
