Because posting an independent thread would be against current policy, and it's insanely difficult to discuss anything in this thread without being off-topic, I may as well go ahead and post my thoughts on Ema Skye and Miles Edgeworth.
These writings were first posted on the old forums of CR during the recent downtime. - Link
The Fangirl Factor
When it comes to pairing characters, fans have a tendency to "imprint" somewhat on their chosen protagonists, if not go so far as to create a self-insertion. Ema is distinct in being something of an embodiment of fan sentiments towards Miles. Some people enjoy this sense of fulfillment-by-proxy, especially when it is perpetrated by a canon character.
Even those who don't like the self-fulfillment so much, there is something to be said for the fairy tale elements of Ema being able to follow and even join with her idol and role model in the world of law.
Scared Straight
Ema also deserves some recognition as being one of the few relatively viable heterosexual pairings for Miles. It's quite established that Miles is more than a little reserved in personal relationships, with either gender. There is, however, something in Ema's demeanor that makes her a mirror to the premier pairing of Phoenix and Miles: Ema shares Phoenix's willingness to believe in Miles Edgeworth.
Although Phoenix is merely holding on to childhood memories, Ema has more recent acquaintance with Miles, especially chronicling the critical two-year gap in which Miles became the "Demon Prosecutor" he is. Even when confronted with his cold, pre 1-4 persona, Ema still held him in high regards. Considering her proximity to her sister, and her sister's deep involvement with the law, it is reasonable to presume Ema didn't have too distorted an image of the man, even if she had never set foot in his office (in fact it can be construed she had such a high image of him she never expected the opulence she witnessed in 1-5's investigation).
The Parallel Pairing
Some people have posited Ema as being a literal Maya replacement or parallel, though it is evident that she was not meant specifically to be Phoenix's assistant, rather Miles'. She is, after all, working hard to become a detective for the prosecution (and achieves this to some degree of success).
Some might say that Miles already has adequate assistance in the form of Dick Gumshoe, though at the same time it's widely agreed that Gumshoe is anything but adequate. While Gyakuten Kenji may shed more light on their partnership, it's still necessary to consider partners that can intellectually match Miles, since it is obvious that being able to meet him at the same mental level is a requisite to knowing him intimately.
It's debatable whether Ema is able to do this, considering her age and maturity. Consider her level of education: at fifteen/sixteen years of age, she is already a high school junior. Consider her upbringing: she was raised by the level-headed, warm and patient Lana Skye. Consider how Ema held out for her sister in the two years since SL-9. Consider how she'll have to hold out for her while waiting for her prison term to end.
Drawing Lines Around the Edge
Another obvious hot-button issue concerning all pairings involving Miles Edgeworth is that of his sexual preference. A great many people tend to consider him homosexual on the basis of many things: his reserved mannerisms; the way he is particular about his presentation; the emotional turmoil just beneath the surface... To attribute these to homosexuality is to dehumanize a great rest of the cast.
Indeed, from the beginning, Miles is painted as a trouble character finally coming to terms with his internalized negativity. This makes him socially awkward and somewhat aloof compared to other characters. Indeed, a great amount of his eccentricity was even inborn, his desire to emulate his mentors having been present since childhood: he aspired to be much like his father to the point of emulating his dress and presentation, and later he would adopt Manfred von Karma's image for his own. Miles has always been in a journey to rediscover himself, and this is something that is part of his character regardless of his sexual preference.
E²
And to bring this post full circle, this is another distinction that can also be granted to the pairing: Miles and Ema reaffirm each other's existences and ways of life. Phoenix demands to know what happened to his friend, possibly change him for the better. Franziska wants to hold him down only to ensure her own life isn't empty. Maya would simply impose herself upon him. While she knows little more than the rest of these potential suitors about who Miles is on the inside, Ema only asks Miles to be who he is.
It may seem strange to support an affection born of attraction to an outside persona, but remember that this is same outward personality persists throughout the following years. Miles is still a reserved, charismatic man with a passion for law, and that is the man Ema first knew and loved, regardless of what changes had been going on inside him. She may even regard him as a mystery waiting to be solved, and the satisfaction of understanding his inner workings is, scientifically speaking, all she needs to feel fulfilled.
On the same token, it's inevitable that Miles will and does go through internal changes, and it's simply a fan's choice as to what the catalyst of this change is.
Ema presents to Miles a nonjudgmental demand on his character, which could perhaps be the best sort of demand, as it presents Miles the natural choice he would have to make anyways: what sort of person does he want to be? How far is he willing to deviate from his old ways? What Miles can see in Ema is an opportunity for repentance, a tangible means of reinventing himself and discovering what he can do for other people, without violating his persona. Miles already knows the wrong way of going about justice, and here is someone eager to learn the right way from him. Who's to say they can't discover this together?
The opinions expressed in this post are purely the opinion and interpretation of the writer and may or may not be completely based upon unquestionable, uncontradictory evidence garnered from the video game series. Then again, what is?
If anyone else has their own interpretations on the nature of this relationship, feel free to share.
|
X 
: When I played through the first game (and the subsequent ones), I was of the opinion that Edgeworth was pretty clearly written as a gay character. I marvelled at how progressive Capcom must be to include gay character(s) in their game (that hasn't been done before, has it?) even if they didn't come right out and state it. In the same way that Metroid sneaked a female action hero past all the male gamers who might not be ready for that, Capcom made a "gay lawyer" game. It never occured to me that it wasn't intentional, although now I see that it might not have been.
pairing is that Phoenix is written as an adult and Maya is written as a child. The age difference isn't a problem per se; I could see Maya with someone like Larry, who may be an adult but is written as immature. But Phoenix and Maya's dynamic is more brother/sister or even parent/child.
x 
x 
/ 
/ 
/ 
/ 