LOS ANGELES, Calif. (February 15, 2012) ­ The ever popular ACE ATTORNEY (Gyakuten Saiban-2012/Mystery, Drama/Approx. 130 min) manga and video game comes alive in this live action feature film to be screened EXCLUSIVELY at this summer¹s most anticipated Anime, Manga and Music event AM2. Two screenings will be available-one EXCLUSIVELY for Passport holders ONLY and the second for Passport holders preferred (with general attendees as seating permits). More info and attendee registration can be found at www.am2con.org
First released in 2001 for the Nintendo ³GAME BOY², ACE ATTORNEY was ported for the DS, PC, Wii. With four games in the series, Ace Attorney has sold over 4.2 million copies worldwide. The series has been further popularized and continues to build a new fan base via the advent of spinoff series Ace Prosecutor (gyakuten-kenji in Japanese) to the game appearing on GREE, Japan¹s leading social networking service and in comic book form. In 2008, the Tokyo Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra performed a concert based on the game, and the following year, the Takarazuka Revue Company started their live musical performance of the series.

Set in a futuristic, fictional Japan courtroom where ³bench trials² have been implemented to fight rising crime, the appealing amusement of Ace Attorney has to be its leading character, hot-blooded, sometimes 4th-down-and-long-Hail-Mary rookie defense lawyer, Phoenix Wright. The speedy storyline, filled with twists and turns of sheer enjoyment, unfolds as Phoenix finds the truth and wins his case. Rising from the ashes when the chips are down, he challenges the court with ³evidence² collected through his own investigations and exposes the actual criminals and their pack of lies.

The story structure of the film is based on the characters and amusing story twists from the first work in the series. Penning the screenplay are none other than the cop and courtroom drama master Takeshi Iida (writer for SHINZANMONO and PARTNERS) as well as Sachiko Oguchi (KAIJI 2) who is popular for her fast paced scripts. The director is hit-maker Takashi Miike, world-renowned for his talent and the pride of the Japan filmmaking world whose latest works always attract attention. In this film, Miike depicts a heated courtroom battle by evoking his novel visual sense with VFX and CG and his unique ³Miike magic² directing of actors from films like YATTERMAN, the CROWS ­ Episod 0, CROWS and Thirteens Assassins. While most films set in courtrooms tend to offer low-key, pedestrian visuals, the courtroom scenes in this film are amazingly attractive for audiences.

Read the rest of the story...