Lotta Hart is a fiery-tempered photographer who appears as a witness in several of Phoenix Wright's cases. Much of the photographic evidence in said cases comes from her.
Early life
According to her, Hart was born and raised in the "Heart of the Heartland". She was originally at college, but after believing to have taken a picture of a "yoofo" (U.F.O.) in a friend's wedding photograph, she left college to become a "paranormal photographer".
First encounter with Wright
- Main article: Turnabout Goodbyes
Phoenix Wright's first encounter with the fiery red-head was during the murder trial of Miles Edgeworth. She had heard about Gourdy and planned to capture a photograph of the beast. Going by an article in the local newspaper, Hart set up a camera on the shore of Gourd Lake that was set to respond to loud noises. She then pretended to be a college student taking photographs of meteor showers so as to throw off any "shutterbugs" that might try to steal her scoop.
Wright and Maya Fey came across the camera and Fey (in her typical do-without-thinking way) set off a party popper to activate the device. Hart soon arrived on the scene, absolutely furious that Fey had wasted precious film. However, after conversing with the two of them, she believed she may have observed the murder the previous night and also that her camera had been triggered twice that night. Hart told Wright about a photo she had taken of the lake showing the murder, and that she was going to make an enlarged version. She then went to the police station to act as a witness, and in doing so replaced the original witness the police were going to use.
In court, Hart showed her photos to prosecutor Manfred von Karma. Von Karma had Hart rehearse a vague account of the murder, and told her not to reveal the enlarged photo. Wright took the defense's bench and could not break through Hart's testimony at first, but after an outburst by Fey, Hart let slip that she had not seen Edgeworth clearly. Wright eventually revealed Hart's real reason for being on the lake that night along with the fact that she hadn't actually witnessed the murder; she had just convinced herself she had. Wright also got Hart to show the enlarged photo, which presented enough doubt to extend the trial to another day.
Hart later apologized to Wright for her actions in court as she had gotten caught up in the moment. She promised to make it up to him with information. However, in return she wanted evidence either proving or disproving the existence of Gourdy. Wright eventually proved that "Gourdy" was in fact a stray Steel Samurai balloon. Disheartened, Hart revealed that the original witness was the boat shop owner and gave Wright a copy of the other photo taken that night. Although this photograph was only of the empty lake, it was the timestamp on it that revealed that Robert Hammond had been murdered before Edgeworth had arrived on the scene.
After Edgeworth was found innocent, Hart took a picture of the triumphant group and was shocked to find a ghost was in the picture. This ghost was Wright's deceased mentor: Mia Fey.
Second encounter
- Main article: Reunion, and Turnabout
| Phoenix Wright |
| Lotta! At a time like this!? |
The next time Wright encountered Hart was a year later in Kurain Village. She was a self-styled "paranormal photographer" and was in search of another big scoop. She was present outside Fey Manor's Channeling Chamber when Turner Grey was shot and dashed into the room with Wright to find what appeared to be a possessed Maya Fey covered in blood, with the dead body of Grey lying in his own blood. Hart quickly snapped a couple of photographs (despite protests from Wright) before being herded from the room by Morgan Fey.
Hart testified during Fey's trial for Grey's murder, with her temper clashing with that of prosecutor Franziska von Karma. Although Wright tried to find a contradiction in her testimony, he was forced to admit that, in her position, he would say the same. The first photograph was submitted as evidence and appeared to show Maya standing over Grey's corpse with a pistol in her hand.
With a little prodding from Mia Fey, Wright remembered that Hart had taken two photographs and that, like her father, Franziska had tried to conceal the presence of a second photograph by ordering Hart not to reveal it. Her plan failed and the second photograph was shown to the court.
Later on, Hart regretted helping out the prosecution and tried to avoid Wright, running away from him. As she ran, she yelled behind her for Wright to stay away as she was "a worthless piece of trash" and that if Wright laid eyes on her "they'll turn ta dust". Nonetheless, Wright wearily pursued her to the Side Room of Fey Manor. The room appeared to be empty, and so Wright searched the room only to get the fright of his life when Hart jumped out from inside a large box used to store clothes and fled once again. Although Wright attempted to chase her again, she managed to evade him this time. Hart did pass Pearl Fey during her escape and demanded that the little girl not look so accusingly at her, much to Pearl's confusion.
Later, while Wright was pondering over the involvement of the Miney sisters in the case, he heard what he thought was a mosquito buzzing in his ear. This turned out to be Hart trying to attract his attention. She apologised for her actions in court and offered all the information she had for free. Hart told Wright that if Maya wasn't the culprit, then it would only be Ini Miney and informed him about her hospitalisation half a year earlier. She gave Wright the address of the Hotti Clinic, where Ini was hospitalised, saying that the reason she hadn't checked it out for herself was that it was too much effort. Upon his return from the clinic, Hart informed Wright that Morgan that she had gone with the police as she had something to tell them. She also told Wright about how Morgan had lost the position of Master to her younger sister Misty, forcing her family to become a powerless branch family.
Luckily for Wright, the information he obtained from Hart and the clinic proved vital to his case, as it lead to his discovery that "Ini" was actually Mimi Miney and the true murderer of Dr. Grey, with help from Morgan Fey. The fact that the clothing box that Hart had hidden in was large enough to hide a grown (although not particularly mature) woman also proved to be vital to the investigation, as it turned out to have been used in the murder plot to transport a drugged Maya Fey.
Hart's experience of the incident made her decide to change her job from "paranormal photographer" to "tabloid photographer" shortly afterwards.
Third encounter
- Main article: Farewell, My Turnabout
Lotta Hart appeared at the Gatewater Imperial Hotel during the Hero of Heroes Grand Prix in order to get a tabloid scoop on the scandal between Adrian Andrews and Juan Corrida. She wrote a note saying that Matt Engarde had made Adrian Andrews get close to Juan Corrida keep an eye on him (as they were rivals). Wendy Oldbag, a security guard at the hotel, stole Hart's camera, and used it to take a picture of the Nickel Samurai (really Adrian Andrews) leaving the crime scene. Corrida was murdered shortly after the Grand Prix, and the photos on Hart's camera were initially used as evidence against Engarde. Wright took Engarde's case but eventually found out that he really had done the deed.
Hart congratulated Wright after the trial. She also bought a $1600 camera and put Wright's name on the bill.
The Yatagarasu
- Main article: Turnabout Ablaze
Hart was spotted by Miles Edgeworth and Kay Faraday during a Steel Samurai show at an embassy. Edgeworth vaguely remembered her but avoided interacting with her due to a feeling that talking to her would be very unpleasant for him. She later took a photo of the Yatagarasu apparently flying above the rose garden in the embassy.
Personality
| Lotta Hart |
| I-I didn't mean anything bad! I know I can be a little mean, but I ain't evil! |
Lotta Hart's mugshot.
Hart is fierce and loud, but well-meaning. She defends her secrets ferociously, but she is always willing to help Wright, just not for free. Hart is often single-minded in the pursuit of her goals and gets aggravated if she thinks people are mocking her or her homeland. Although she was a paranormal photographer at one point, she is "really bad when it comes to blood and ghosts and stuff". Hart also has a habit of changing her job each time Wright sees her. However, it usually incorporates her photography abilities.
Hart has a strong southern accent. Because of this, many people have a problem understanding what she is saying. This is also because she has a habit of shortening sentences into short phrases, such as saying "Reckon course", which means "Ya reckon? Of course I did!". Her accent and manner of speech has made some people think negatively of her, such as Franziska von Karma and Morgan Fey, the latter even believing her to be from a different country altogether.
Name
- Her Japanese surname, "Oosawagi", means "clamour" or "uproar".
- "Lotta Hart" is a play on "a lot of heart", which refers to her well-meaning nature. There have been a few times in which her name has been used for a play on words. Wright once stated that she was in a whole "Lotta" trouble, as Lotta often hides information from him. When Wright encounters her again after a year, one of the options for remembering her name is "Lotta Hair", in reference to her afro.
- Her full French name is a play on "elle va causer (des) soucis", which means "she'll be trouble".
Development
- Hart was the designer's idea of a stereotypical person from Osaka. Apparently the developers in the Osaka Capcom offices did not appreciate the implication that people from Osaka are cheapskates. [1]
- The dialect of Osaka is a favorite with Japanese authors, manga and anime artists for representing a character somewhat "different" from the norm. To keep this "difference" in dubbed anime, characters are often given the Southern United States accent instead. This is most likely the origin of Hart's style of speech.
References
- ↑ (2009). "The Art of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney". UDON. ISBN 1-897376-19-7.