Elements of Justice

[Silly Druid 6,964]

This thread is about the Elements of Justice series.

But first, thanks to @raykv423, who made me watch Turnabout Storm in the first place, to @Dynamo Pad, who shares my love of the series, and to all who watched my streams of it on Discord, including (but not limited to) @Astral Soul and @Cagey.

So what is Elements of Justice? It's a sequel (made by different people) to Turnabout Storm, and both are a crossover between My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and a game series called Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. It's in the form of a series of videos that look like gameplay of an Ace Attorney game. It consists of investigation and courtroom episodes. The judge and defense attorneys are characters from the Ace Attorney series, and the rest of the characters (including the defense co-counsel) are ponies, both canon characters and OCs. The idea may seem strange at first, but it's incredibly well made, and actually it's the only MLP crossover I really like (and I didn't even know anything about the Ace Attorney games before watching it).

Here are some links for those who want to watch the series:

Turnabout Storm playlist (I really recommend watching it, it's a very good story. Sometimes funny, sometimes emotional, and very satisfying to watch.)

Elements of Justice playlist (The series is in progress, and the playlist will be updated when new content comes out.)

Elements of Justice Discord server

Feel free to discuss anything related to the series here, but use spoilers if you talk about things that happen in the latest episodes, this thread is intended for people new to the series too.

Edited May 17, 2023 by Silly Druid

[Silly Druid 6,964]

So, to start the discussion, here are some of my speculation/theories about the current case.

Spoiler

Case 2 is a really complicated one. I don't really know what to think here. It seems there is a big conspiracy involving Fair Devotion, Sugar Stamp, and Private Eye. For some reason they really don't want the truth to come out, to the degree that Sugar Stamp was willing to confess to committing the crime herself. Why would she want to do that? One of the possibilities is that otherwise she would suffer even worse fate, but I'm not sure what it would be. Another idea I had is that she is mind-controlled somehow, probably by Fair Devotion. In case of Fair Devotion herself, who confessed to kill her husband as well, it is more understandable, because she could do it to protect her soon.

As for Turning Page, it seems like he had something to do with the murder, although this seems really strange considering how righteous he is, and how he admired his father. So the motive here would be a complete mystery.

There are some facts that we need to take into account here:

1. Sweetie Belle said she overheard something about Turning Page being the killer when she was hiding behind the statue. She didn't say who she overheard it from, and for some reason Athena didn't ask her about it. It's probably going to be important in the next episode.

2. The traces on the trees suggest that the blood was moved using telekinesis, which means a unicorn (or alicorn) was involved. It could be Turning Page, Fair Devotion, or some new character we don't know about yet.

3. The mysterious letter to Zecora (probably from Celestia) could be important here.

4. The fact that Royal Order was going to be the next Captain of the Royal Guard seems to be important as well, the motive could be somepony wanting to take the position for themselves.

The role of Princess Luna and Lawkeeper Equity in all this is unclear.

And about the short video that was released recently:

Spoiler

The conclusion of case 1 is rather unsatisfying, with many questions still unanswered. So it's not a surprise that there is more to it. At the beginning there is some talk about using clothes, as if there was a masquerade involved, by which I mean somepony pretending to be somepony else. The character Coco is talking to seems to be based on "Herlock Sholmes" from Ace Attorney Chronicles. Also Playwright was mentioned, and the way the detective talks is similar to Playwright, so perhaps there is some connection here.

 

Edited May 17, 2023 by Silly Druid

[Misty Shadow 7,862]

This series just absolutely rules. I love Ace Attorney, I love murder mysteries, I loved the original Turnabout Storm, and I honestly feel this series has already surpassed its predecessor. That plot twist at the end of the latest part honestly shocked me more than anything I've seen in a story lately. The effort the team behind it puts into the side content is incredible too, I loved that animated short implying there is more to what happened in Case 1 than we initially believed. 

[Astralshy 26,595]

12 hours ago, Silly Druid said:

This thread is about the Elements of Justice series.

But first, thanks to @raykv423, who made me watch Turnabout Storm in the first place, to @Dynamo Pad, who shares my love of the series, and to all who watched my streams of it on Discord, including (but not limited to) @Astral Soul and @Cagey.

So what is Elements of Justice? It's a sequel (made by different people) to Turnabout Storm, and both are a crossover between My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and a game series called Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. It's in the form of a series of videos that look like gameplay of an Ace Attorney game. It consists of investigation and courtroom episodes. The judge and defense attorneys are characters from the Ace Attorney series, and the rest of the characters (including the defense co-counsel) are ponies, both canon characters and OCs. The idea may seem strange at first, but it's incredibly well made, and actually it's the only MLP crossover I really like (and I didn't even know anything about the Ace Attorney games before watching it).

Here are some links for those who want to watch the series:

Turnabout Storm playlist (I really recommend watching it, it's a very good story. Sometimes funny, sometimes emotional, and very satisfying to watch.)

Elements of Justice playlist (The series is in progress, and the playlist will be updated when new content comes out.)

Elements of Justice Discord server

Feel free to discuss anything related to the series here, but use spoilers if you talk about things that happen in the latest episodes, this thread is intended for people new to the series too.

You are very welcome. I knew  this series was out there, but I haven't seen it before your streams.

Apparently there was a lot of work put into this series, like a very lot. Definitely something to check out for fans

There is quite a list of things I like in this series. I just mentioned here the voice acting which is really good. Some voices are really close to the original once like Sweetie Belle's voice for example. 

[Ice Princess Silky <3 13,862]

Oooooh I love the idea of this being a discussion post! I'm looking forward to your streaming the series @Silly Druid ! And anyone else interested in joining is free to do so <3

[Silly Druid 6,964]

On 2023-05-18 at 8:06 PM, Princess Silky said:

Oooooh I love the idea of this being a discussion post! I'm looking forward to your streaming the series @Silly Druid ! And anyone else interested in joining is free to do so <3

Well, I already streamed all the episodes released so far, and I'll stream any new content that is released. Speaking of which, episode 2-9 will premiere on Saturday, May 27!

I'll post my thoughts about it here afterwards.

Edited May 20, 2023 by Silly Druid

[Silly Druid 6,964]

My thoughts about the last episode of case 2:

Spoiler

So it was an accident. Turning got angry and attacked his father with the wooden sword, and due to some unfortunate circumstances, in resulted in death. I haven't expected this kind of conclusion, actually I thought there was some dark secret in all this. As for Sugar Stamp and Private Eye's involvement, I underestimated their connection to Royal Order's family, and I didn't expect they would be willing to put their lives at the stake to protect Turning Page. Overall, case 2 seems to be properly concluded now, unlike case 1. There's no more secrets related to it, at least not obvious ones. Maybe the letter to Zecora, but it can be unrelated to this particular case.

About some of the Mane Six keeping secrets, my initial thought was that they are planning a surprise party or something like that. But the way it is presented suggests there is something more to it.

The most interesting part for me was when Lawkeeper Equity appeared. The things she says suggest that for some reason she wants to cause distrust between the Mane Six and some other important characters. So perhaps she has some evil plans here...

It seems case 3, called "Turnabout Discharge", will be a continuation of case 1. The accusation of Rarity was totally unexpected, there was nothing that suggested her involvement in that case earlier. Now I understand why there was a scene in one of the episodes where Apollo and Rarity were on good terms with each other, this suggests that Apollo will probably defend Rarity there.

Overall it was a good episode. It got highly emotional near the end, and I admit I cried when watching it.

 

Edited May 28, 2023 by Silly Druid

[Silly Druid 6,964]

And now, my thoughts about the first episode of case 3. Thanks to @Dynamo Pad for giving me some ideas.

Spoiler

We learned that Overall Concept was accused of killing one of the Pantomimia sisters. It looks like Sonata got him acquitted, but I have a feeling that case had some kind of lasting effect on him. Perhaps he still felt somehow responsible for the death, which caused his depression we learned about in case 1, and ultimately led to his suicide. We got some hints earlier that he met someone before the incident, and it could be the other sister, who could remind him of things that happened half a year earlier. Rarity and Rainbow Dash's cases probably have something to do with all this, but we don't know what it is yet.

Also, there are lots of interesting things going on during the end credits, including the return of one of the characters from Turnabout Storm...

[Samurai Equine 51,349]

I didn't realize we had a discussion topic for this! Awesome! 

I've watched both Turnabout Storm and Elements of Justice since Day 1.

The latest EoJ episode was great, though it was mostly just setting up things to come. Mostly just got me even more excited for what's next.
But the timing could not have been more perfect. Two or three days ago, I was just thinking about how I miss the EoJ series and was hoping another episode would drop soon. And then BOOM! There it is. 

[Silly Druid 6,964]

We didn't get a lot of new information in the new episode, so instead of my thoughts I will post some pictures. What's your favorite EoJ ship?

[Samurai Equine 51,349]

Was not expecting another episode so soon~! I'm on pins and needles. 

[Stancet 688]

I am about to see Episode 3-2 but it takes time to watch an hour long video. Does the series seem to be improving, because I’ve not enjoying the melodramatic and humorless tone of Case 2.

[Silly Druid 6,964]

1 hour ago, Stancet said:

I am about to see Episode 3-2 but it takes time to watch an hour long video. Does the series seem to be improving, because I’ve not enjoying the melodramatic and humorless tone of Case 2.

I can't answer this question, because I liked case 2, so I don't see a need for improvement here. Case 3 does feel different though, they changed the way they narrate the story, and the animation quality is better too.

[Misty Shadow 7,862]

Watch out, "cakewalk", you might have some competition now. 

"Rude to ask a stallion for his assets before a first date."

It's about his assets, not for his assets. I've heard of "gold digging", but that's ridiculous! 

[Stancet 688]

2 hours ago, Silly Druid said:

I can't answer this question, because I liked case 2, so I don't see a need for improvement here. Case 3 does feel different though, they changed the way they narrate the story, and the animation quality is better too.

I kind of understood what the story was amounting to when episode 9 of Case 2 finally revealed everything, but up until that point everything felt like wild goose chases and red herring. 

But that’s okay. If you enjoyed Case 2 that’s perfectly fine. 

[Samurai Equine 51,349]

20 hours ago, Stancet said:

I am about to see Episode 3-2 but it takes time to watch an hour long video. Does the series seem to be improving, because I’ve not enjoying the melodramatic and humorless tone of Case 2.

I kind of understand where you are coming from. Admittedly, the melodramatic stuff seems to clash with the tone of the show. For example, if anything dared to challenge the bonds the mane six had or if anything shattered a character's confidence, it would usually be resolved by the end of the episode. At most, it would last two, if the story was a two-parter. But unlike Turnabout Storm, death is a real thing with real consequences now. Can't talk about these issues without it having bigger-than-normal impacts on the characters.

Personally, I'm just waiting to see how this series ends. They are clearly trying to set up a really big story that can't be contained in one case. Who knows how it'll end! But I want to believe the mane six and their closest friends will all reaffirm their bonds.  They are trying to work with the canon of the show, after all, not against it. At least not too much. So there is only so far they can go with the melodrama and mane characters feeling emotionally distant with each other.

[Stancet 688]

10 hours ago, Samurai Equine said:

I kind of understand where you are coming from. Admittedly, the melodramatic stuff seems to clash with the tone of the show. For example, if anything dared to challenge the bonds the mane six had or if anything shattered a character's confidence, it would usually be resolved by the end of the episode. At most, it would last two, if the story was a two-parter. But unlike Turnabout Storm, death is a real thing with real consequences now. Can't talk about these issues without it having bigger-than-normal impacts on the characters.

Personally, I'm just waiting to see how this series ends. They are clearly trying to set up a really big story that can't be contained in one case. Who knows how it'll end! But I want to believe the mane six and their closest friends will all reaffirm their bonds.  They are trying to work with the canon of the show, after all, not against it. At least not too much. So there is only so far they can go with the melodrama and mane characters feeling emotionally distant with each other.

One of my biggest complaints is that the personal stakes are too high. Sweetie Belle’s friendship with the other Cutie Mark Crusaders has been tarnished to a degree that I don’t believe can never go back to normal. Also, when Athena uncovered the truth and ruined Fare Devotion’s relationship with her son, I was upset when Apollo and everybody else ganged up on her without explaining how it should have been handled differently, as if she shouldn’t been doing her job.

And I don’t mean to contradict you but I’m not sure how the continuity of this series will be compatible with FiM by the end when so many characters already hate each other this much.

[Silly Druid 6,964]

53 minutes ago, Stancet said:

One of my biggest complaints is that the personal stakes are too high. Sweetie Belle’s friendship with the other Cutie Mark Crusaders has been tarnished to a degree that I don’t believe can never go back to normal. Also, when Athena uncovered the truth and ruined Fare Devotion’s relationship with her son, I was upset when Apollo and everybody else ganged up on her without explaining how it should have been handled differently, as if she shouldn’t been doing her job.

And I don’t mean to contradict you but I’m not sure how the continuity of this series will be compatible with FiM by the end when so many characters already hate each other this much.

As Pinkie Pie said in Mirror Magic: "Wow! We are a really forgiving group!"

Edited February 22 by Silly Druid

[Samurai Equine 51,349]

9 hours ago, Stancet said:

And I don’t mean to contradict you but I’m not sure how the continuity of this series will be compatible with FiM by the end when so many characters already hate each other this much.

Fair, but like I said, let's just wait and see how it ends. For all the crazy events they've build up and the rifts they've made with the characters, I have a hard time believing that they won't find a satisfying way to repair these friendships. That's just a classic trope of story telling; tear down the bonds between the main characters just to build them back up in the end. Even the G4 movie did that. If this series has a tragic end where the ponies can never go back to being friends, I know for a fact a lot fans will feel pretty cheated, as if their time had been completely wasted. It'd be a very brave ending, but not exactly what everyone wants.

[Stancet 688]

6 hours ago, Samurai Equine said:

Fair, but like I said, let's just wait and see how it ends. For all the crazy events they've build up and the rifts they've made with the characters, I have a hard time believing that they won't find a satisfying way to repair these friendships. That's just a classic trope of story telling; tear down the bonds between the main characters just to build them back up in the end. Even the G4 movie did that. If this series has a tragic end where the ponies can never go back to being friends, I know for a fact a lot fans will feel pretty cheated, as if their time had been completely wasted. It'd be a very brave ending, but not exactly what everyone wants.

I agree. Turnabout Storm almost crossed that line when Rainbow Dash rejected Fluttershy but I am constantly amazed how well NeoArtemis resolved it. Just good writing.

Part of me thinks EoJ does have a plan for its ultimate concussion  but we’ll see.

[Stancet 688]

Okay. Episode 3-2 is making the series better. I hope they stay on this path.

[Silly Druid 6,964]

Here's a theory of mine (contains spoilers for case 3):

Spoiler

I thought Stream Line is Cruise Control's sister, but it's not the case because Stream Line's portrait is in the Court Record, and the doesn't look like the one who is with Cruise Control in the end credits.

But another thing from the end credits is pretty interesting: One of the Pantomimia sisters is shown in a place that looks like some strange cave. I think it could be the Mirror Pool, which could mean one of them is actually a clone. Espie's cutie mark is never visible in the material we have, which makes it even more suspicious...

@Dynamo Pad What do you think?

[Stancet 688]

I have a fan theory that none of the murders are actually done by their respected suspects and that somepony far more dubious than any villain is behind all of them. 

[Silly Druid 6,964]

My current theory about Rainbow Dash's case:

Spoiler

Why did Rainbow Dash call Stream Line a cheater? I think it's because she was using an illegal substance to boost her performance at the Wonderbolts Academy. And that substance was in her juice boxes. Which means Rainbow Dash swapped the boxes to prevent her from using it. So the question where are the original boxes is very valid, and the answer can shed some light on this case. Considering that Stream Line could be addicted to that substance, her collapse would be caused by no longer using it. This would line up with what Luna said, that the cause is "chemical in nature". And with the fact that no poison or magic has been detected.

Edited May 19 by Silly Druid

[Samurai Equine 51,349]

Just happy to finally see a trial under way.  I am not sure how to feel about seeing Luna as the prosecution again. There are things I liked, things I didn't like. But this is just the beginning, so I'll reserve my judgement.