Note: This interview was held before the episode aired. Watanabe & Takumi share their thoughts after watching it.
Watanabe comes right out, saying he's impressed by the number of cuts in the episode, kinda like how a landlady does. Takumi replies about how busy the team was, thinking over how to set things up, kinda like how a landlady or the beautiful officer secretary who serves drinks does.
"The birth of a new attorney, like the sakura blooming season!" Takumi likes packing metaphors into moving pictures. Watanabe sometimes worried that they took it to the point their message wasn't so clear anymore.
Takumi was really impressed by the voice actors' performances and enjoyed them a lot. They surpassed his expectations of how the characters were meant to feel, especially with one "dark horse" of the cast who held the spotlight of the episode. That dark horse, of course, is Winston Payne.
[T/N: I kid you not. The interview on site says so.]
Takumi quite respects the differences between game and anime. While the game's focus is on Phoenix's point of view, the anime gives spotlight to all the rest. He offers as an example, the opening scene to the Turnabout Samurai case, and the Director suggested that they set the battle from Cody's view.
Watanabe mentions that because they're opting for a different perspective on the story, they have to take a few liberties. For example, while in the game, the player can visit sites in any order they so wish (or otherwise) at the pace they wish, the anime has to keep a steady progression from scene to scene, and as a result, they have to fit a lot of content in each.
Takumi comments that it's an everlasting battle against time. Watanabe replies that it's constant battle with the art too.
While the game simply uses text bleeps for speech, the anime needs its voices. Everyone on staff really enjoys their job on this anime, and thus feel quite responsible about what they do. The director himself doesn't need to apply extra pressure. Takumi comments on how it's similar with the actors in the stage plays and pays his respects to them.
Ace Attorney takes quite a lot of inspiration from the classic
Detective Columbo series, which is known for its howcatchem mysteries, as opposed to the whodunit. It's only expected that the culprit is revealed up front and center, even before the court drama starts.
Takumi jokes about how strange that the killer always somehow comes to court anyway. Watanabe enjoys it this way, though, to stir up those feelings of "unease" and "betrayal" in the drama. Naturally, as the anime takes plenty of influence from the game, which already has quite a few unrealistic things in it, they can have a bit of leeway for artistic license.
This court is one that brings quite a varied cast, and the voice actors deserve special mention. They're constantly undergoing fine tuning to make sure their lines are presented in the best way possible. I.e. given a comical character, what's the best way to bring out that comicality in these scarce lines? Like, "Oh, so it becomes like this kind of tone" at times or "This is surprisingly funny" at other times. Takumi takes his hat off to these hardworking actors.
The interviewer brings up a particular detail in the anime: when Larry brings up his "best couple of the century" line, it's a little different, and so is Nick's response. (In the localized ver., Larry brags about how they lined up with the greatest couples in history, and Nick points out that they all died. In the original script, Nick just wonders "where the heck did that come from!?")
Takumi explains that since the line was written back in 2001, it would have had a greater effect at the time, and now that it's already 2016, a little change had to be made. Because it's such a memorable line from Larry, they decided they had to keep it in, but renew the line somehow. Thus, it became "best couple of the 20th century" here. (And Nick responds with "That century already passed, Larry...")
Watanabe adds that the anime is itself a new product that is only inspired by the game. Those who knew the story from the game can look forward to what the anime does differently, and those who didn't play the games before can look forward to what the original was like.
Takumi restates it with a four-word idiom, "learning from the past". Watanabe restates it with "the same story, but with twice the fun!"
The interviewer then brings up a certain line that Mia is famous for. ("A lawyer is someone who smiles
no matter how bad it gets.") Takumi explains that it's a line that the original case didn't have, but one that developed from a conversation with the head scriptwriter Tomioka. They discussed how they could use such a line much earlier, and Takumi agreed to write it in. Since the script for the games were constructed in pieces, it was difficult to collect together all the relevant memorable quotes for characters like Mia, and he thanks the writing team for their extensive research.
Watanabe goes on to say that compiling all that research was what determined the direction the anime would come to take. And of course they could turn to no one else but Takumi for advice with these characters, and after much deliberation, they came to the finished product. He even says that this is one of his few experiences with the opportunity to perfect the quality.
Takumi asks why, pointing out that no person would dare be so intrusive like that. Rather, Watanabe thanks him for doing so. If it wasn't for his help, the alternative wouldn't have been nearly so precise or quick to arrive.
The interviewer then asks if all that praise seems excessive to the point of feeling ironic. Takumi handwaves it, saying that he's gotten used to being praised so much.
Still, Watanabe replies, it's what the actors say themselves. With their opinions flying around like a ball of catch, it was crucial Takumi personally spent time with them to make fine adjustments, and only good could have come of it. Now Takumi thanks him, feeling much more relieved that his small accomplishments weren't too intrusive.
Thanks to this production, Watanabe feels he understands the series creator a bit better. Takumi shared with him and the rest the story of when he was young, which inspired him to write the backstory to Phoenix. (Fyi, he once was accused of stealing a girl's lunch money when he just wanted to return it to its owner. There was no official "class trial", but the teacher did make him pay her back.) He was pleasantly surprised to find how everyone on staff sympathized with him.
Watanabe finishes it with how that story essentially created the character known as Phoenix Wright, he who fights for the people and protects them when no one else is on their side. Takumi then jokes how getting wrongly accused has its upsides too. Watanabe replies that what makes Phoenix Phoenix is Takumi himself.
A previous interview with the original character designer, Iwamoto, included his comments about how Nick = Takumi. Takumi says to that, back then, since he didn't have much of an idea for creating original characters, he just went with what felt natural to him. Watanabe goes on saying, the details are what really matter, and the Nick that lives in Takumi allows him to shout "Objection!" at this studio's crew.
T: "Oh, I see." (laugh)
W: "And if the studio is a courtroom, and Mr. Takumi is Nick, then I guess I'd be standing where Larry is." (laugh)
Regarding any feedback they've encountered, Watanabe claims he's got a few criticisms on his end, but with Takumi by his side, it's become a superbly wonderful thing they have. As of now, the entire scenario is complete, and previewing the final episode, he couldn't help but be moved. And now he's ever revved up to make this thing work.
Takumi was actually excited to show him and see how he'd react. Unfortunately, they couldn't get in touch directly, only via email, and by the time he found a chance to personally meet with him, this interview came up.
Watanabe closes with another thank you and stays confident that the anime team will cook up something delightful, especially with what they may add. Takumi is most pleased.
Takumi ends with a few comments on how the production has affected him. As the "unimportant creator" [sic], he's glad to have had the chance to work with everyone on staff. This has been an excellent opportunity for him to revisit his past self at the start of the franchise, and the "Gyakuten Project" has let him meet with many wonderful people. He awaits excitedly for the next episode, where Maya and Edgeworth officially make their appearances.
Watanabe can't stress enough of how everyone on the team loves Ace Attorney, maybe to the point that it's worrying in a way. In any case, the next episode is one to look forward to... just as he's looking forward to seeing how GS6 turns out.