3ET: Wizard Barristers: Benmashi Cecil

She is supposed to be a lawyer. Really.

Studio: Arms

Director: Umetsu Yasuomi (Galilei Donna)

Writer: Umetsu Yasuomi

Main Cast:

Tanabe Rui as Sudou Cecil

Character Design: Umetsu Yasuomi

Music: Konishi Kayou and Kondou Yuikio (Elfen Lied, Hagure Yuusha no Aesthetica)

One thing Wizard Barristers: Benmashi Cecil has going for it is its premise. It takes place in an alternate world where magic is both real and criminalized, and those who commit crimes with magic are sent to the Magic Court, wher they are tried and sentenced. There are two opposing forces in this adversarial system. The prosecution is made up entirely of normal humans, since magic users can't hold public office. And the defense is largely Wizard Barristers, or magic users who are also lawyers. 

And all of that is wasted with the main character, because she is the definition of a Mary Sue. Sudou Cecil is the youngest Wizard Barrister in recorded history, she's cute, she can summon a giant robot, and most of the staff at her new job love her. She also has a perverted frog familiar voiced by Wakamoto Norio. And she has a super tragic past where her mother was wrongfully convicted of some crime. Worst of all, this show sticks a high school-aged girl in a world of adults. Those people who worked their entire lives to get to where they are only to see some child waltz in and do it better. That's depressing. Especially because some of them seem interesting, but they never get a chance to do anything with Magic Mary Sue Lawyer on the case.

Who are these people? Protagonists in a better show, that's who.

Although, to be fair, Magic Mary Sue Lawyer isn't the only reason this show is subpar. This show's direction is abominable. Two things really stand out. First, this show has no idea what it wants to be. Is it supposed to be a courtroom drama? Is it supposed to be an action show? Is it supposed to be a perverted comedy? I don't care what it chooses, but it can't go from life and death action to a frog massaging a teenager's ass to a guy getting sentenced to death. That throws everyone off. Second, finish a damn scene! Numerous times, almost always when Magic Mary Sue Lawyer is not on screen, characters would be about to have a conversation about something related to the plot. Only, they would never get there because the show would cut back and there would be a recap by a character to MMSL. It's all right to have thirty seconds without her on screen, guys. Your audience won't go anywhere. 

In the end, this was a disappointment. Not because I expected that much, but because if MMSL wasn't in this show, I think it could work. At least, none of the cops or the other lawyers seemed so obnoxious I can't see myself enjoying their story. Instead, I got this turd. Wizard Barristers: Benmashi Cecil gets a fail.