Von Karma cometh. Now I am going to be honest, Franziska von Karma (Name spelling subject to spell check) has always been my favorite prosecutor from the Ace Attourney Series. In this case, she makes her glorious return as the lawyer that wants to crush Phoenix Wright under her cruel whip. But more importantly is that unlike Volumes 1&2, which eac have a short case, and an incomplete longer one, Volume 3 has a definitive begginin, middle and end, which makes it a strong stand alone volume and if you want to see wether or not the series is to your taste, this is the one you should pick up.
The story starts when Maya drags Phoenix to get their fortune read in the middle of a storm at a mall. We get to know each and every psychic or medium and before we know it, a murder has been committed. Not only that, but the suspect beleives that she was possessed by Lord Death to commit the crime.
First off, the case is good, you can see some of the plot twists coming but it starts off with a mysterious setup, complete with the Agatha Christie style multiple suspects, anyone could have done it, and then we get a cast of interesting original characters worthy of the game franchise. As I said, the solution may be obvious but the fun of it is getting to the solution and the novelty of the personalities. Ei. You have a fortune teller who uses ice cream to read fortune, and a hand fortune teller who is germaphobic.
The trial itself is kind of a disapointment. It still works and we get alot of witnessess, it just lacks the turnabout nature until the latter parts. Don't get me wrong, the solution to this crime is actually pretty clever, original, and memorable. Not to forget thatwith Franziska von Karma in charge of the prosecution, the whips will fly!
You get a case that will fill the entire volume and while there are no previews, the ending comic (only 2 pages), 100% tongue in cheek, is hysterical. So with a strong mystery, a complete story, and good characters, this provides almost a standard to the rest of the series, as such feel free to pick it up if you have liked the previous 2 volumes or if you want to know what the Ace Attourney series is about.
On a final personal note: I wonder if the cases will get longer or will continue to vary in pace to nonsequitor natures. I ask this because a part of me wants longer cases that fit with the pace of the games, but at the same time, with the price and size of a manga volume, that is asking alot on the consumer, while short cases can pack more stories and so forth.