#fixy writes

"Ms. Maya Fey" when introducing her to the court. He's a professional, after all.

"Maya Fey" on a separate occasion.

Does he ever call her "Ms. Fey"?

No. He does address Mia as "Ms. Fey!"

As a matter of fact, Edgeworth uses "Ms. Fey" to only address Mia. He never addresses Maya as "Ms. Fey".

What about after this trial?

He just calls her Maya!

And to her face? Still "Maya".

And then in 3-5, still "Maya Fey"/"Maya".

Besides reserving "Ms. Fey" for just Mia, I think there's a really interesting reason he calls her "Maya" so informally considering his formal tendencies.

Yes, it involves the Japanese version of the game.

"Mayoi-kun...."

"A. Mitsurugi kenji." / "Oh. Prosecutor Mitsurugi."

In Japanese, Edgeworth calls her "Mayoi-kun" after 1-2, where he addresses her as "Ayasato Mayoi" during her trial. If you have a basic understanding of Japanese honorifics, you might be familiar that "-kun" is usually reserved for men and boys. Maya (and Mia) call Phoenix "Naruhodo-kun", as an example. They both use the honorific to imply that Phoenix is a subordinate (which is a touch scandalous coming from Maya, considering she's both younger than him and not even a practicing attorney, but Phoenix never corrects her.) It can also be used for male classmates in school.

There is a reason, however, that women are sometimes addressed as "-kun", and that's in the workplace! It's common for male coworkers to call their female subordinates "-kun", especially if they are a more familiar coworker.

(Edit, slight correction/addition: addressing a female coworker as "-kun" is more common and even seen as more polite than "-san" for a subordinate in settings like parliament and courts!)

As for Edgeworth, he certainly caught that Phoenix addresses Maya as "Mayoi-chan", but it's probably too familiar for him, so he wants to use a more respectful honorific for her, and something more familiar than "-san", which is similar to "Mr."/"Ms." So, he calls her "Mayoi-kun"! (He also calls Kay Faraday "Mikumo-kun", for similar reasons.)

When the mask slips, he speaks with a more rural dialect, just like in the localization.

"Onegaidaa! Tasukete kere! Ora, koroshi tenee yo?"

"Please help me! I didn't kill anyone, you know?"

(English Localization: "Please! Help me! I didn't kill nobody!")

He also uses the first person pronoun "Ora", which feels rural. Goku from Dragonball uses it!

When this comes out, Maya has to ask about his name.

"Honto no onamae wa ....nante?"

"What... is your real name?"

(EL: "What's your real name?")

"Yamada Kouhei (ya ma da ko u he i) dakendo?"

"It's Yamada Kouhei...?"

(EL: "It's Billy Bob Johns…")

"Yamada Kouhei" is a very average sounding name for a rural Japanese fellow, so "Billy Bob Johns" is a fantastic localized name.

"............tsu!"

This is supposed to represent a glottal stop.

(EL: "...Ugh…")

Phoenix/Naruhodo:

"D, doushitano? Mayoi-chan."

"W-what's wrong, Mayoi-chan?"

(EL: "What's the matter, Maya?")

"Nippon jin datta nda."

"He's Japanese."

(EL: "He's really just a country bumpkin!)

Phoenix/Naruhodo:

"............"

I think burgers is a fun localization! Ramen is considered a kind of "fast food" in Japan, and burgers is fun and casual in a similar way to ramen. Plus, burgers and ramen alike have roots in other cuisines, German and Chinese respectively.

Howeverrrrrr as someone born and raised in Southern California and spent most of her adulthood in Los Angeles, I often enjoy the thought, "What if the food Maya enjoyed in the English localization were tacos?" I made this drawing a while ago but never thought to post it.

The word Pearl uses for "Special Someone" is "大切なヒト", "tai setsu na hito".

"Ano. Mayoi-sama no.... taisetsu na hito." / "Um. Mayoi-sama's... "special someone".

(In the English localization, the line is "You're… You're Mystic Maya's… "special someone"…")

So let's look at that word!

It's a cute word, it's pretty much exactly the same in English. (Quick note, 人 is written as ヒト for flavor in Pearl's dialogue.)

Now! Do you remember the moment in 3-5 when you cross examine "Iris", and she says this?

Here's the line in Japanese.

"Mayoi-sama wa.... anata no tai setsu na kata, nano desu yo ne?" / "As for Mayoi-sama.... she's your "special someone", isn't she?"

Granted, she's using "方", "kata", a more honorific word for "someone" or "person" than "人", "hito", but the rest of the word is all the same. It's not a common word for girlfriend, that would be "彼女", "kano jyo".

Where did Dahlia hear "tai setsu na hito/kata" from? She wasn't around Pearl to hear her say it, so she only could have gotten it from one person: Morgan, while they were conspiring together in prison.

And Phoenix--or rather, Naruhodo--must've caught onto that.

"Aa. ....Aata* ga, ano."

"Aaah. ...You must be... that person."

(English Localization: "Oh… You must be that good sir…")

"("Aata*" tte... boku no koto ka?)"

"("You"... does she mean me?)"

(EL: "("Good sir"…? Is she talking about me?)")

*Real quick, "ああた"/"Aata" is interesting. It's a way of saying "あなた"/"Anata" which means "you". However, it sounds like "あーた"/"Aata", which is a way wives address their husbands and is a more common word out of the two (I had to find a pretty advanced dictionary to even find the "ああた" spelling). It's quite possible that's why Phoenix was confused here.

"Aata, bengoshi de go zaamasho?"

"You're a lawyer, right?"

(EL: "You are a lawyer, are you not, good sir?")

"Mayoi-sama kara ukagatte orimasu wa yo."

"I have heard about you from Mayoi-sama."

(EL: "I have heard much about you from Mystic Maya.")

Naruhodo/Phoenix:

"Sore wa doumo. (Mayoi "sama"....?)"

"Is that so? (Mayoi "sama"...?)" ("Sama" here is written in katakana, which gives the vibe that Phoenix is saying it funny, like he's not sure about it. It's sort of like how we use italics: "Mayoi-sama....?")

(EL: "Is that so? ("Mystic" Maya…?)")

So, Phoenix has spent an entire game calling her Mayoi-chan, with "-chan" being a casual honorific which, in this case, he's using to describe his close friendship with her (it can also be used toward young children, pets, and lovers).

Now, he's suddenly hit with someone calling her "Mayoi-sama", "-sama" being the most respectful honorific and reserved for people in positions of power and even gods (it's also used for customers and guests in a business setting).

Naruhodo/Phoenix:

"Mayoi-chan, "-sama" dzuke de yoba reru hodo erai ndesu ka?"

"Is Mayoi-chan so important that she's to be called "-sama"?"

(EL: "So why do you add "Mystic" to Maya's name. Isn't that a little… strange?")

"Aata!!"

"You!"

(EL: "Good sir!")

"Mayoi-sama ni mukatte, nante narenareshii!"

"How over-familiar you are toward Mayoi-sama!"

(EL: "How dare you be so rude and disrespectful towards Mystic Maya!)

""Mayoi-sama" to o yobi nasaimashi!"

"You are to address her as "Mayoi-sama"!"

(EL: "She must be addressed by her proper title, good sir. You must call her "Mystic Maya"!")

Naruhodo/Phoenix:

"A, ano. ...Sono, Mayoi-sama‥‥ no kotodesukedo?"

"Ah, um. ...So, Mayoi-sama... what is it about her?"

(EL: "Um, uh… So, about Mystic Maya… Uh…")

And like struggling to call Maya "Mystic Maya" in the localization, Phoenix has to be constantly corrected into calling her "Mayoi-sama".

And Pearl, like in the localization, has something to say about it:

"Futsuunara, Mayoi-sama wo "-chan" dzuke de yoba reru no wo kiku dake de, watakushi, hippataite shimau tokoro desu."

"Normally, if I hear someone address Mayoi-sama as "-chan", I slap them."

(EL: "Usually when people don't use Mystic Maya's title, I get mad.")

"Demo, Naruhodo-kun wa iino desu."

"But it's okay if Naruhodo-kun does."

(EL: "But if it's you, Mr. Nick, then it's OK.")

"Datte.... Mayoi-sama no.... omoware bito desu mono ne."

"After all... you're Mayoi-sama's... beloved, aren't you?"

(EL: Because… Because… you're "special" to her.")

Naruhodo/Phoenix:

"(Dakara, nande sou naru ndaa‥‥)"

"(Why would that be the case...)"

(EL: "(Where in the world did she get an idea like that??)")

Here's how Maya addresses Pearl in Japanese:

Phoenix/Naruhodo:

"Sou ieba, sakki no onnanoko‥‥ shiriai?"

"Come to think of it, that girl from earlier... are you acquainted with her?"

(English Localizaiton: "Oh yeah, I wanted to ask you about that girl I saw earlier. Do you know her?")

"Aa. Hami-chan."

"Ah! Hami-chan."

(EL: "Oh, you mean Pearly?")

Phoenix/Naruhodo:

"Hami-chan?"

(EL: "Pearly?")

"Ayasato Harumi (A Ya Sa To Ha Ru Mi). Atashi no itoko na nda yo."

"Ayasato Harumi (in the parenthesis is the furigana, characters from the hiragana alphabet showing how "綾里(Ayasato)春美(Harumi)" is pronounced) My cousin."

(EL: "Pearl Fey. She's my cousin.")

So Maya shortened "Harumi" to "Hami" and honestly that is just too cute, and very her.

Also, Phoenix calls "Pearl" just "Harumi-chan".

This addition to the localization is so very funny in an endearing kind of way.

"Ano.... Naruhodo-kun."

"Um... Naruhodo-kun."

(EL: "Um, Mr. Nick?")

Phoenix/Naruhodo:

"?"

Here's the English Localization for the "?"

The nod to Maya in AA4! It's! Pretty much the same in Japanese--but with a touch more nuance.

Apollo/Odoroki:

"Bideo disuku no keesu ga uzu takaku tsumiage rareteiru."

"Video disk cases are piled high."

(English Localization: "A swaying, spiraling stack of DVD cases.")

Apollo/Odoroki:

"「Oo Edo Senshi Tonosaman」 「Tonosaman・Hei!」"

"「Great Edo Warrior Tonosaman」 「Tonosaman・The Third!」"

(EL: ""The Steel Samurai", "The Nickel Samurai"…")

Apollo/Odoroki:

"「Koedo Kenshi Himesaman」 「Dendou Dendoushi Samansaman」"

"「Little Edo Swordsman Himesaman*」 「Electric Evangelist Samansaman」"

(EL: ""The Pink Princess", "The Zappy Samurai: Electric Bugaboo"…")

"Himesama" means princess, and adding an "n" makes it sound like a superhero. "Samansaman" does the same thing with "Sama," the most respectful title one can have. See my analysis for the Steel Samurai in Japanese for more on this.

Apollo/Odoroki:

"Kodomo muke no 《hiiroo mono》 de ume tsukusareteiru."

"It's nothing but 《hero stuff》 for children."

(EL: "They're all children's action hero shows…")

"Souiu no ga sukina ko ga ite ne. Dondon okutte kureru nda."

"There's this kid who likes this sort of thing. [She*] keeps sending these to me."

(EL: "This 'kid' I know keeps sending them to me.")

So, the word Phoenix uses to allude to Maya is "子", "Ko", and it has 11 definitions.

I'm not showing them all because they're not all relevant. But it's odd to call her a kid if she's 26 during the time this game takes place, right? Not in this case! "Ko" can mean different things in different contexts, and you can even see above that "Ko" can mean "young woman". It's not uncommon to hear adults addressed this way--as long as they are not older than the speaker, or a man of the same age if the speaker is a man as well. "Ko" also has the nuance of endearment. Endearment is why Phoenix addresses Maya with the "-chan" honorific, even when she's nearly thirty years old.

*And to address the asterisk, Japanese often omits subjects if it's clear from the context. With that quirk of the Japanese language, and the many meanings of "Ko", it helps Phoenix be vague about who he's talking about to Apollo.

Apollo/Odoroki:

"Heee‥‥. Shinrui no okosan desu ka?"

"Eeehh....? Are they the child of a relative?"

(EL: "Huh. Like a niece or nephew?")

"....Maa. Sonna youna mono ka na."

"....Well. I guess it's something like that."

(EL: "…Something like that.")

Apollo/Odoroki:

"Sugoi ryou desukedo‥‥ Kanemochi no ko nan desu ne."

"It's a huge amount... This kid must be rich."

(EL: "Quite the collection. This kid's parents must be really generous with their allowance.")

Apollo/Odoroki:

"(Naruhodou-san, kodomo ni sukareru you ni wa mienaikedo na)"

"(Naruhodou-san doesn't look like the type that children would like.)"

(EL: "(Funny, Mr. Wright doesn't seem the type that kids would like.)")

It's important to point out that Apollo uses the word, "子供", "Kodomo" here, which is the word that only means "child", so he's convinced that Phoenix is talking about a literal child.

Ooh I have not done it! Thanks!

"Nande Yuusaku-san, koko made kaijin ni narita garu no ka naa."

"Why does Yuusaku-san want to be Kaijin so badly anyway?"

(English Localization: "Why does Mr. DeLite want to be Mask☆DeMasque so badly anyway? It's kinda disturbing.")

Real quick, Kaijin is short for "怪人☆仮面マスク", "Kaijin☆Kamen Masuku", or "Mystery Person☆Mask Mask". Yes, Mask is said twice, once in Japanese and once in English, and it's not the only thing like this in this case. KB Security is called "KB警備", "KB Keibi", so it sounds like "Security Security" in Japanese.

Anyway, onto the famous line:

"Medachitagariya, tte wake demo nasasou nanoni."

"He doesn't seem like the type to be an attention seeker."

(EL: "He doesn't seem like your typical attention whore to me.")

This is the word Maya uses, "Medachitagariya".

Alas, it doesn't have the same crudeness or slangy-ness as "attention whore". From my own sleuthing, the word that would be closest to "attention whore" in Japanese would be "構ってちゃん" or "Kamatte-chan". "Kamatte" from "Kamau", meaning "to mind" or "to matter", and "-chan" being the cutesy (and in this case, maybe condescending) honorific. Even so, it's still not as crude, I think.

"....Naruhodo-kun to chigatte."

"....Unlike you, Naruhodo-kun."

(EL: "Unlike, say... you, Nick.")

Phoenix/Naruhodo:

"Boku wa medachitagariya janai zo. (Towaie‥‥)"

"I am not an attention seeker! (Although...)"

(EL: "I am nothing of the sort, thank you very much.")

Phoenix/Naruhodo:

"(Tashikani, doumo fushizen dayo na, Yuusaku-kun no taido wa....)"

"(Yuusaku-kun's demeanor is quite unnatural, isn't it?)"