Détective Conan

I had read about "Detective Conan" about a year prior to the show being released in the United States, and so when "Case Closed" began airing in May of 2004 I jumped at the opportunity to see this show. I was not disappointed.

This show is a welcome relief from the Scooby-Doo inspired cartoons (not to mention Scooby-Doo itself) that presented a "mystery" that a tree slug could solve in two minutes. The stories are well thought out, the solutions are NOT obvious but can be put together by an observant (and thinking) viewer, just as Conan does, and best of all the series does not insult the intelligence of its viewers: the show is entertaining without padding 3/4 or the episode with slapstick routines and mindless running from a person in a Halloween costume.

The show's premise is that little six-year-old Conan Edogawa is actually a 16-year-old detective prodigy. He was reduced to a grade school child when a mysterious would-be assassin gave him an experimental poison that (unknown to the poisoner) regressed the detective rather than killing him. In a bit of angst reminiscent of the early adventures of "Spider-Man", Conan makes a hard discovery: You can have the most brilliant detective mind in the world, but if you're six years old, all the police are going to tell you is, "BEAT IT, KID!" In spite of this hardship, little Conan finds ways of bringing the guilty parties to justice -- although all too often, someone else takes the credit for his deductions.

HIGHLY recommended.

Detective Conan is a fun show. I've seen subtitled versions of it and it's very good. The series revolves around a teenage detective whiz who is shrunken down to the size of a child by an experimental poison. He must then masquerade as an eight year old (going to school, etc.) while keeping his identity a secret and a look out for the villains that gave him the poison. Helping him is a funny inventor who gives "Conan" (an alias the character uses as a child) cool James Bond like gadgets, like a bow tie with a voice distorter and shoes that magnify kicking strength.

The mysteries Conan solves each episode are very brain teasing, but nothing impossible if you put your brain cells together and follow the clues. Though many of the cases involve murder (and some pretty elaborate ones at that) each episode is presented in a way for people of all ages, much like how I used to watch Murder, She Wrote as a kid. If the show is ever aired or released commercially in the States, you should try to find it.

This is probably THE most popular Manga-Anime on earth, not only Anime-Fans like it, but others as well. Why? Because even though it is not always a very credible or spectacular series, the detective series and the overall realism of the series make this Anime so comfy to watch, everybody just has to love it!!! For instance, there is no character with blue or green hear and unlike other series, the characters to not yell all the time in an annoying, exaggerated manner.

The big pro of the series are the usually very cool and clever plots, sometimes an episode gives you all the hints you need yourself to figure out who the culprit is. Mostly though, an episode does not, or sometimes it's luck which leads Conan to solving a case. Nevertheless, the series is gripping, gives you false leads, is funny and the English subtitles with references and explanations to Japanese culture are excellent.

The series earns at least a 9/10. Personally, I gave it a 10, but what I don't like is that throughout the 506 episodes, the real core story about Shinichi and the Black Gang is rarely progressed.

And when I mean that, I mean Mr. Kudo has been brought back to those days, but still solving crime. Yes, that's how it is, some mysterious formula has turned him into a kid. And as he tries to find a way to get back, he still continue to solve murders with the help of Edogawa, and his friend Ran and her lousy detective father. The kid still has got all the knowledge and skill he's got from his older self, but he can manage. And his gadgets are cool, he can alter his voice, mostly making it that detective Mouri guy, with whom he makes the hero of every story and episode, for shame! But still you know it's him and he doesn't seem to complain that Detective Mouri gets all the credit, or that he's still a kid. This is one of the best anime shows I've seen, and I still love it. Recommended for all anime fans and to non-anime fans who dig murder or mystery or crime stories, this for you.

Broadcasting in he U.S. as Case Closed, Detective Conan is an interesting mystery/comedy/thriller that looks like a kiddie show but definitely ia much more to the series. Plot: a teenage detective protoge is turned into a kid by a weird poison and must help solve cases for his girlfriend's bumbling father under a alias until he can find the people who did this to him and recover an antidote. The premise, like I said, sounds kiddie but as the series rolls on things start to get messy and at times, a bit disturbing, but the cases are so ingenously planned out and executed you can't help but watch just to see how Jimmy/Conan will get the jobs done with such a small guise working against him. The animation is pretty good, bright and colorful though dated (eight years old now) but has its own style of anime. The dub isn't bad either, once again Funimation ,the folks doing the recording down here, have hired some excellent voice talent that matches each characters personalty very well though some tend to overact (the junior agency for example). Overall a great series that blends comedy and mystery very well. The only gripe being its very long (over 100 episodes) but still fun to watch. Give it a watch if you need a break from all the action animes or just a fan of Japanese cartoons in general. As Jimmy/Conan always say: "With a keen eye for detail, one truth prevails."