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| Overall | Art | Animation | Character Design | Music | Series Story | Episode Story | Reviewer | |
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| Watch | 8 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
 Ggultra2764
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[series:816#1552] |
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Before I start this review, let me state that I will be refering to all characters by their original names for this review, despite the fact much of my viewing came off the English dub. Of the 49 episodes of Detective Conan I seen on Adult Swim, nothing about the show really appealed to me even though I've heard it's aired for over a decade in Japan. The show seems to run over a repetitive pattern in how it handles its mysteries. Conan and Ran go to some random place either for an event or for down time with either Kogorou or Ran's friend (her name escapes me). A murder takes place at said location. The source of the mystery comes from either narrowing the suspect down from one of several people who are suspected or breaking the alibi of the one person who was the last to have seen the victim before their demise. Conan pieces together certain clues found at the crime scene to determine a suspect. Then, Conan makes use of someone as his dummy (in most cases, Kogorou) by knocking them out with tranquilizer darts and imitating their voice with a voice modifier device to let loose with the suspect and how they pulled off the murder. With their alibi broken, said suspect then laments over why they did the crime before they are carted off by the police. There are enough problems I've found with this approach to the series though. There isn't much in the way of variety with the type of crimes that need to be solved as many of them have some sort of murder involved. This can get boring quick if one wishes for more variety in the types of mystery explored. Some mysteries and the actions taken by Conan to prove the suspect seemed too overly elaborate for me to believe such things are possible. How could people think a person is talking if there are no lip movements and they appear asleep? There was also the fact characters that Conan knocked out with a dart are too clueless to think about the memory lapse that occured from when people gave them credit for solving a mystery. No one ever got suspicious over why they could get credit for a mystery that they lacked the brains to figure out theirselves which grated on my nerves. If anyone wants a good murder mystery, then Detective Conan could be your anime if you like such crimes occuring throughout much of the series. The series is watchable and does have some glimmers in its flawed premise, but I wouldn't considering buying or renting anything from the series. Last updated Tuesday, October 07 2008. Created Tuesday, October 07 2008. | ||||||||
| Buy | 8 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 8 |
 Anonymous #2121
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[series:816#2121] |
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First of all, I added a few minor changes to the keywords and notable persons. The reason for that is, that the additional keywords are realted to the happenings in the series. Notable persons had to be added, since Detective Conan is one of the few anime shows out there, in which the characters are based mostly on their seiyuus. Not only with their names, but also, which characters these seiyuus have formerly played, and the show is also influenced by real life happenings.
That's been said, there is one notable person, who unfortunately doesn't appear in the notable's list, and it's Aoyama Gosho, the creator of the series. He was the only one in 1986, who received Shogakukan's (the animation studio) prize for best newcomer, as the youngest ever, and he earned his title since then. His is a major fan of baseball and kendo, and tons of references appear in his show about it, sometimes he does crossovers with his own former characters, most notably with Yaiba and Magic Kaito. Anyone who happens to know the latter series gets the soundable idea, that Aoyama used Magic Kaito as a somewhat blueprint for his upcoming series, Detective Conan, involving a difficult main plot with a secretive organization.
But there's also a reason, why I have inserted the main Japanese cast over the Americanized version. I would like to state, that the decision of TMS pressing FUNimation to use altered names and titles really influences the viewers, therefore I will stick to the original names.
I've read in a review, that watching Detective Conan is like to watch an animated Sherlock Holmes show. That is mostly true, but it wouldn't be Aoyama Gosho, if he wouldn't pay an homage to other notable authors, like Agatha Christie. In episodes, based on the manga, with other words, episodes that belongs to the canon, the names of appearing side characters are living easter eggs, since, like in a Christie novel, their names have deeper meanings, and whenever you get the chance to read a scanslation, in which the translator hasn't removed the original names (that also means, no "Chinalized" scanslation), you will see, that the culprit is revealed at the very beginning, since his/her name can be also read as greedy one, or dark intentions, etc.
There is an other fun part in Detective Conan, especialy after episode 129, when Haibara Ai is introduced. In the Japanese version, the voices of Edogawa Conan, Professor Agasa, and Haibara Ai are none others, then those of Nabiki Tendo (Takayama Minami, wife of Aoyama Gosho), Saotome Genma (Kenichi Ogata) and the female Ranma (Hayashibara Megumi, who skipped one year because of her pregnancy). Those, who know that fact, it will be either or eerie, or somewhat funny, when those 3 are having a conversation about happenings related to the main plot.
I agree, most episodes are episodic, but in most cases, the murders are difficult, so they are handled in two-parters, or even three-parters.
Detective Conan has a very difficult main plot, in which there are more questions than answers, when Aoyama presents a case about it, leaving a huge room for speculations. In order to understand this better, I introduce a multi-leveled system, based on the difficulty of one case, starting with the main plot, and end it with the easisest one.
Level 5 mysteries are always mysteries regarding to the main plot, difficult conspiracies, murders without almost any evidence, cases that had to be kept a secret. These are the special occasions, in which Kudo Shinichi does not even try to pretend that he is a seven year old elementary schoolboy.
Level 4 mysteries are cases regarding to a difficult case, in which Kudo Shinichi needs someone's help, a regular character, who knows, that he is not a schoolboy, these are mostly cases, in which he investigates with Hattori Heiji, his friend and rival. Evidence is hard to find, but not impossible, and the cases are very mind-tribbling.
Level 3 mysteries are cases, in which the police is mostly involved, but since the culprit is good, Kudo needs to knock off Mouri in order to reveal the real killer.
Level 2 mysteries are cases similar to level 3, but since Aoyama keeps the freshness of the series with the element of changing main characters, there is never "a same method twice, with the same person to reveal it". With other words, instead of Mouri, Suzuki Sonoko gets the honor to be knocked off, and earn the title of a deduction queen.
Last, but not least, Level 1 mysteries, the easier ones, cases with the Detective Boys. Thus, the importance lies not there, how easily people can crack them, but in their purpose. Like with other animes, after the great suspense, the audience had to be cooled off, and cases with the Detective Boys are ideal catalysts.
Last updated Monday, November 14 2005. Created Monday, November 14 2005. | ||||||||
| Buy | 10 | 10 | 10 |
 Violet D
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[series:816#1393] | |||
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Case Closed is like watching a Sherlock Holmes movie only in Animation. The young teen is called Jimmy. He is chasing a crime and finds he is getting close to the suspects. They find him though instead and shoot him with this poison that turns him into an elementary student. He goes back to live with Rachel and her father. Along with Rachel's detective father they try to solve crimes and at the same time look for an anidote for the poison. Some of the situations are funny and sometimes scary. Jimmy always manages to escape from danger and at the same time solve the crime. It is a fun one to watch even though it can have murder involved.
Last updated Monday, June 20 2005. Created Monday, June 20 2005. | ||||||||
| Buy | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
 Kaitou Sindbad
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[series:816#1542] |
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Lovely...lovely. its so nice and...sometimes illogical O.o
Last updated Sunday, August 15 2004. Created Sunday, August 15 2004. | ||||||||
| Watch |
 Stretch
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[series:816#628] | ||||||
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Not being one to look a gift horse in the mouth, I was fairly interested when Cartoon Network recently began running this series under the title "Case Closed". I did a little research and was surprised to find that this is "currently the longest running anime series on air in Japan", and can boast of no less than 314 episodes (how many is Inuyasha up to?)* plus at least seven movies. In general, each episode involves a different case, with clues being revealed to the viewer then "Conan" (as Shinichi now calls himself) revealing the solution. Some are more complex than others, and though at times they can be relatively easy to figure out, a little brain exercise is still involved, which is fun. One problem I have with the show is the absurd tricks Conan employs to expose the guilty party without revealing himself to be the missing Kudou Shinichi. He routinely uses tiny tranquilizer darts, supplied to him by a wacky scientist, to knock out his new father, then speaks through a device which alters his voice to sound exactly like that of the unconscious man, who naturally gets the credit. The only problem is that nobody ever seems to think it odd that the brilliant resolution of the case is coming from a man slumped against a wall and without his mouth moving. Nor does detective "Moore" (in the Funimation edition) wonder why he has so many memory lapses about how he solved various cases. Another thing which grates me is that the FUNimation edition has been heavily localised; for example, an escaped convict is given the name "Harrison Yancey"--from his picture in a Japanese newspaper, which doesn't have a word of English anywhere! This is ridiculous--if I wanted Americanised entertainment, I wouldn't be getting it from Japan! But, like I said, this is essentially a "gift horse"; I doubt if I'll rent or buy a subtitled edition, but Case Closed is good enough that I faithfully watch it late at night. *speaking of Inuyasha, I stumbled upon a website which said that Inuyasha and Detective Conan ran in Japan on the same station on Monday nights at 7:00 and 7:30PM, respectively. Last updated Sunday, March 02 2008. Created Wednesday, July 07 2004. | ||||||||
