Tuesday, February 12, 2019

SoJ Character Profiles

Just a reminder before I get into this one: Starting from this week, I will be reverting to a biweekly schedule as I previously stated. The school semester has begun and is starting to pile on the assignments, and I want to make sure I graduate already. Don't be alarmed if my posts don't consistently appear on Tuesdays. I just decided to pick this day since I'd usually be working on them on the weekends when I have more time and adding them to queue.


Anyway, as I introduced (or reminded) you all in the previous post about the official Ace Attorney site blogs for DD, they came around again in late 2015 and into early 2016 leading up to the release of SoJ and then afterward, revealing hidden details behind all the hard work that led up to polishing the 3D models since DD's debut on the 3DS and all the overtime that the staff kept constantly complaining about.

Director Fuse got to be promoted to lead art director and scenario co-director with Yamazaki this game, and they couldn't be happier. And then they left all the tough work they previously handled last game to their neighborhood friendly Planning Supervisor Daigo & his programmer buddies. It's no wonder that Mr. Daigo would eventually lead a revolution against the tyranny of Yamazaki... wait a sec, this sounds familiar. And weren't they out for Eshiro's blood?

So, yeah. I find it rather cute that Daigo wrote up a blog entry suspiciously similar to Yamazaki's earlier entry when he was complaining about Eshiro's "maddening" control during the wild drafting of SoJ's premise. (Imagine if they actually went ahead with the idea of a courtroom in the clouds.) But while Eshiro was still the big bad producer, as I said, Yamazaki and Fuse got promoted, so they only had to focus on scenario planning. And then they and their scenario team went wild with ideas, thus putting even more burden on the programming schedules and other matters... Thus, Daigo tried throwing his own revolution. Unfortunately, Yamazaki showed up at the end and threatened to sue him for copyright infringement. Over a blog entry.

And then at the end of the blog, they threw in a disclaimer assuring their younger audiences that they were just acting and things weren't that bad. However, the moral of the story is that overtime can be and definitely was hell. So it was probably based on a real story.

I don't think Yamazaki even went into all the characters he wanted to bring back in SoJ but couldn't... So unfortunately to fans of a certain lovable detective, all he could get was an unnamed reference. Oh, and same goes for the other lovable detective who couldn't make it in for obvious reasons. But at least we got Ema's smile back and it is beautiful.


Main cast
Rayfa Padma Khura’in (レイファ・パドマ・クライン)
rei is “spirit”; while the reibana (霊花) is an alternate name for the higanbana (彼岸花), aka the Lycoris Radiata, an ominous red flower that grows in Buddhist Hell and is said to guide spirits into the next reincarnation. It’s frequently seen in funerals.
Fyi, the higan refers to the “other side” of the Sanzu River, which is similar to the River Styx.
padma means “lotus” in Sanskrit. Khura’in was taken from the Kurain we know, which in turn has been taken from the Klein Bottle.
Trivia: Her Song of Ceremony is sung completely in Japanese. By that logic, we could have expected an English dub, but I guess Capcom US wasn’t interested, since they only gave us subtitles instead.
A few internal game files have given her name as “Honfa”. I can only guess it’s referring to how she’s the central (hon) character to this game. Also, she’s the kind of girl who would be pretty “serious” (honki) about her roles.
Nahyuta Sahdmadhi (ナユタ・サードマディ)
Previously, we thought nayuta was the Sanskrit word, meaning “myriad” (or in some East Asian languages, “10^26 or 27), but as it turned out, it’s just the name of someone Yamazaki knew from his university. It was originally a placeholder name, but Eshiro liked it so much it came to be.
His last name is based on the phrase hotoke no kao mo sando made, “Even the Buddha will get angry if you brush his face thrice,” or in other words, “Even the Buddha has limits.” It also may come from the Sanskrit word samadhi, a state of meditative consciousness.
Trivia: Throughout the game are scattered references to the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West, and he gives us three. Three times he gets to bind a defense attorney, referring to the three disciples of Monk Tang, the novel’s protagonist.
Apollo is bound on the head; Sun Wukong is restrained by a magical crown that shrinks when a certain sutra is chanted.
Athena’s arms are bound; Zhu Bajie has been bound several times throughout the story due to his big mouth and disrespectful behavior (especially being lewd with women, but I doubt Athena shares that much with him there, haha).
Phoenix’s favorite arm is bound. While I can't recall any particular instances of Sha Wujing’s arm being bound, he’s always been the most responsible and dutiful of the three. Then again, he's not exactly a disciple anymore... I think they just went with it because he was the odd one out.
Ahlbi Ur’gaid - Bokuto Tsuani (ボクト・ツアーニ)
His name comes to “boku to tsua- ni”, or “on a tour with me”.
Shah’do - Mitamaru (ミタマル)
mitama is “soul”; maru is a common ending to a boy’s (especially a little one's) name.
His English name, literally “shadow”, may refer to how he’s always tagging along by Ahlbi’s side.
Trivia: Shah’do is in fact the only non-human character in the entire series to play the part of the main cast in a game. He even got his own character entry, complete with quote, on the official site! (According to my Pomeranian ears, he says something along the lines of "Hey! It's Shah'do!" :D )

Episode 1
Pees’lubn Andistan’dhin - Potdino Nikawas (ポットディーノ・ニカワス)
pottode means “coming out of nowhere” and niwaka means “suddenly”, likely referring to how he appeared out of the blue to join this country’s religious practitioners. din in Arabic means “religion” or “way of life”. Also, DEEN, pronounced with a long e-sound, is the name of a well-known Japanese rock band.
Trivia: According to a tweet from Eshiro, this guy’s name is officially “Nikawas”, but for the longest time he and some others mistook it as “Niwakas”, which made it into the final release.
Paht Rohl - Miima Waruhito (ミーマ・ワルヒト)
mimawaru is “to patrol”, so his name becomes “patrolling person”. Aslo, waru can mean “bad”, so he’s also not such a good person as he seemed.

Episode 2
Bonny de Famme - Nanano Mimi (菜々野 美々)
If you flip the kanji in her last name, they make yasai (野菜), meaning “vegetable”. mimi is “ears”.
de Famme probably comes from “defame”, given her and her sisters’ machinations behind the scenes. 
Betty de Famme - Nanano Kiki (菜々野 輝々)
Kiki is named like her sister, though kikimimi means “ears poised for listening”. Also, the sound a bat makes is often romanized in Japanese as a ki sound.
Roger Retinz - Shinoyama Kanenari (志乃山 金成)
It’s custom in Japanese TV production slang to switch syllables of a name or saying around, so we switch his name around. Shinoyama becomes yamashino, and Kanenari becomes narikin (金 can be pronounced kin). Thus, yamashi no narikin means “a swindling nouveau riche”.
Mr. Reus - Mr. Menyo (Mr. メンヨー)
menyou (面妖) is “strange” or “suspicious”.
I’ve heard speculation from other fans that Reus can be switched around to make “ruse”, as he is a masterful magician.
His real name, Manov Mistree, is originally Fushigi Naohito (伏木 直人). fushigi na hito means “a mysterious person”.

Episode 3
Tahrust Inmee - Marmer Ahtam (マルメル・アータム)
marumeru is “to make bald” and atama is “head”.
Beh’leeb Inmee - Sahra Ahtam (サーラ・アータム)
sarasara is onom. for “silky” or “flowing”, in this case referring to her hair.
(Between these two, I can’t quite make out why they would choose these names, since they seem like very generic puns for witnesses in a case. Perhaps that’s the point?)
Puhray Zeh’lot - Ogam Mainiche (オガム・マイニーチェ)
ogamu is “to worship”, and mainichi is “every day”, so it’s “pray every day”.
His real name is Reehl Neh’mu, and its Japanese counterpart is Fon Myo, from honmyou, “real name”.
A’nohn Ihmus - Nanashiino Gonbe (Tent.) (ナナシーノ・ゴンビェ(仮))
Yes, the “tentative” is part of his name.
nanashi no gonbee (名無しの権兵衛) is an anonymous or unidentified name, like “John Doe”.
Datz Are’bal - Datz Dinigel (ダッツ・ディニゲル)
His complete name comes from datto de nigeru (脱兎で逃げる), or “fleeing as fast as I can”.
Interestingly, his English name gets to keep the same first name, thus making “that’s a rebel” or “that’s horrible” (the latter probably regarding how he first looks on his wanted poster, but I’m not as sure about this one).
Lady Kee’ra - Torihime-sama (鳥姫様)
It literally means “Bird Princess”, but it’s not an actual name. I was surprised to learn that she got a name in the English version.
Her real name is Ihmsan, which is the same in the JP version. It’s based on imu, 仏, in this case meaning, “a dead body” and the honorary suffix san. It’s referring to her killing spree. (The same kanji when pronounced hotoke is referring to the Buddha or someone with such imagery, though it doesn't quite apply to her. The Buddhist inspiration is pretty obvious, though.)
Plumed Punisher - Torisaman (トリサマン)
It’s an offshoot of Tonosaman, aka The Steel Samurai, but with tori for “bird”. Btw, Tonosaman comes from tono-sama, “lord”, and the word “man”.

Episode 4

Trivia Note: In an ironic twist, the saké is indeed real saké. When asked about it in an interview, Eshiro confirmed it. They originally considered sticking to tradition and going with grape juice, but that would have been silly. Their main concern, however, was how it would affect the rating of the game, but thankfully it still came out as CERO B (for ages 12+).
Bucky Whet - Uchidate Susuru (内舘 すする)
uchitate is “freshly kneaded”, while susuru is “to slurp”.
His English name is from “buckwheat”, the kind of dough commonly used to make soba noodles. Interestingly, the embroidery on his lapel reads 上戸, ueto, but pronounced as jougo, it means “hard drinker”.
Taifu Toneido - Senpuutei Bakufuu (旋風亭 獏風)
senpuu is “hurricane”; bakufuu is “blast”, like of wind or from an explosion. The tei (亭) is an honorary suffix that’s added to the pseudonym of a rakugo performer.
Geiru Toneido - Senpuutei Puuko (旋風亭 風子)
I think Puuko was just chosen for its cuteness. The first kanji in her name is the one for “wind”, and ko is a common ending for a girl’s name.
Uendo Toneido - Senpuutei Bifuu (旋風亭 美風)
bifuu, written as 微風, is “breeze”.
His other personalities are named after rakugo characters. Kisegawa is the same in both versions. Her name is from the story Omitate (”The Choice”). Patches is Ippachi, and Owen is Sadakichi. Both appear in various rakugo plays and are well known stock characters; Ippachi as taikomochi (a male geisha) and Sadakichi as an apprentice.
Trivia: Patches and Kisegawa speak in nonstandard dialects. I’m not quite sure which, though, so if someone could lend a hand, I’ll be happy.
Jugemu (ジュゲム)
He’s named after the titular character of the rakugo play, Jegemu.

Episode 5
Dhurke Sahdmadhi (ドゥルク・サードマディ)
It’s probably from Druk, the Bhutanese thunder dragon and their national symbol. There was even lightning behind him when we saw his silhouette in the anime prologue. Not to mention, Druk is also the “king” and “protector” of Bhutan; kinda like how this guy was nominal king of his country too.
Paul Atison - Kiyoki Masaharu (清木 政治)
kiyoki means “proper” or “clean”; the kanji in his given name, when read as seiji, mean “politics”. It’s also this alternate pronunciation that makes it into his email.
For comparison, in English, his full name is “Paul Atison Wimperson”, thus making his initials in his email “PAW”. (Coincidentally, he is kind of a “dog”, and not the kind I love. >:3c )
Archie Buff - Sanagi Fumiaki (佐奈樹 文明)
sanagi is “pupa”; and the kanji in his first name, read as bunmei, mean “civilization”.
Sergeant Buff - Sergeant Sanagi (佐奈樹 軍曹)
aka Armie Buff - Sanagi Philnelia (佐奈樹 ヒルネリア)
Her name is probably from hirune, for “afternoon nap”. She’s a shut-in and is seen wearing her pajamas even well into the afternoon. (The colors are actually based on the Japanese air self-defense force uniform, but they look like pajamas too.)
Ga’ran Sigatar Khura’in (ガラン・シガタール・クライン)
garan is a Buddhist temple; namely, the “seven halls” that make up temple grounds. Her middle name may come from shi, kataru (死、語る), meaning “death speaks”.
Inga Karkhuul Khura’in (インガ・カルクール・クライン)
inga means “karma” or “cause and effect”; karakuru is “to manipulate”. The rest of his name falls into the joke with Jugemu (wiki page linked above).
As much as we Western fans made fun of “How could this name be any longer and more pompous than it already is”, after finding the full name and searching tirelessly for hidden meanings in his name in the Japanese version, I have to conclude that I simply fell for the oldest trick in the book: The point is there is no point.
Nayna - Baaya (バアヤ)
Her name isn’t so much a name as it’s Rayfa calling her “granny”.
Amara Sigatar Khura’in (アマラ・シガタール・クライン)
amala (阿摩羅) is a number, 10^23, and also a Buddhist term: Amalavijñāna, the highest level of “consciousness”. amara also means “immortal” in Sanskrit, having survived two assassination attempts.
In her case, her middle name also refers to shi wo kataru (死を騙る), “faking a death”.
Jove Justice - Odoroki Sousuke (王泥喜 奏介)
It’s almost the same as Apollo’s name, but the hou replaced by sou (奏), for “play music”. So, “Surprise! Here’s a music boy!”

DLC Episode
Ellen Wyatt - Outsubu Shizuku (大津部 雫)
outsubu means “a large amount”, particularly of something small; shizuku is “a drop”. So, yeah, lots of tears.
Sorin Sprocket - Haguruma Raito (八久留間 来人)
haguruma is a “gear”. Raito sounds like “light” as well as “Wright”, as in the Wright Brothers. (It has nothing to do with Nick or Trucy. Nick is forever earth-bound anyway.)
Pierce Nichody - Juumonji Kazuharu (十文字 一治)
The kanji in his surname make up “character for ten”, which is 十, a cross. It’s likely referring to health organizations like the Red Cross. The kanji of his first name are “one” and “heal”, respectively; referring to his hard choice while he was still a surgeon.
Dumas Gloomsbury - Yonekura Seiji (米倉 静次)
nekura is “gloomy”, “dark”. As I mentioned above, seiji as 政治 is “politics”. I figure this is the best match, given how the Sprockets are indirectly tied into it and how he’s been made a scapegoat.
Selena Sprocket - Haguruma Hikari (八久留間 ひかり)
hikari is “light”, to match her brother’s name.

Extra: Locations
Tehm’pul Temple - Ji-in Temple (ジーイン寺院)
ji’in is “temple”, so the name is a repeat of the same word. Hence the English name. 
Penrose Theater - Trompe Theater (トロンプ劇場)
It’s from the French “trompe-l'œil​“, the art technique that creates 3D optical illusions from realistic 2D images.
Penrose is likely from the impossible triangle, popularized by mathematician Roger Penrose.
Take-2 TV - Nidomi TV (ニドミテレビ)
nidomi (二度見) is to “look twice” or “double take”, as in surprise. How convenient that in English, “take” has another appropriate definition.
Kurukurutei (来来亭)
It means “Come Come Place” (the tei actually means “pavilion” in other contexts). Incidentally, that tei is also a suffix to denote a place as a restaurant.
Trivia: Ash@C-R has noted that there’s a ramen restaurant chain in Japan with the same name but different pronunciation, but it’s probably a coincidence.


And that's it for the mainstream games to date, hooray! Now time to dig back into the game files once more and see where I've gone wrong or gone weird.

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