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.

Here in America this show is called Case Closed which has become my favorite anime/mystery show of all time.

For a long time I haven't been an anime fan since I out-grew Pokemon. After I was over Pokemon I thought all other anime shows were just childish and silly, well now I'm happy to have been proved wrong.

While some anime shows are just plain wrong for some of them being sexually inappropriate thats something you don't have to worry about with Case Closed. Sure it might have some curse words every now and then but thats one of the reasons I love this show (I don't like cursing but you'll see why I said that in a second). It's full of comedy and surprises without having the kiddie aw's and oh's of such simple little problems. And just adult enough to enjoy and stimulate your mind without worrying about there being some kind of sexual scene coming from around the corner (I know it shocked me to when I first heard of it). This is a purely fun show to watch.

It's about a high-school kid named Jimmy Kudo who is a mystery solving prodigy. He lives alone while his parents are away because his mom is an actress while his dad is a famous book writer. He solves cases every now and then for the chief of police Inspector Maguire. One night when he was out with his best friend Rachael Moore there was a murder. Solving it easily he noticed that two of the suspects were in a hurry to get out of there. So then he followed them, then one of the agents knocked him out and gave him an experimental poison but, instead of killing him something really unexpected happens. He is turned back into a seven-year old little boy. By getting help from his next door neighbor Doctor Agasa (who is also a crazy scientist) he learns that to keep him and everyone else he cares about safe he must keep his identity secret even from his own friends and family or else if the agents find he's still alive then they'll come back to finish the job. So he goes to live with his friend Rachael under the name Conan Edogawa. It also turns out that her father is a detective but not a good one. So with the inventions that Doctor Agasa creates for him he helps Richard Moore (Rachael's dad) solve cases and becomes famous while he's back in elementary school. So now he's waiting for the organization to re-appear so he can get the poison they used on him and create an antidote and turn himself back to normal (thats why he's staying with Rachael and her dad in the first place, Richards a detective so he's hoping that somewhere along the line he'll run into them again).

I know that some of this stuff sounds a little kiddie but it is a great balance between both. It is funny, full of mystery, while some episodes has action and adventure. A must-see series for any anime and/or mystery fan. And even the comedy makes it worth while for those of you that don't care much about both categories.

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.

Shinichi Kudo(Jimmy Kudo) is highly famous for being the best teen detective of East Japan. His knowledge on mystery novels & soccer skills has made him a modern Sherlock Holmes. And has helped out the police on the toughest cases. Life was going smooth with Shinichi. On one night however, he was at the wrong place at the wrong time. Where 2 men in black clothes were about to get their cover blown by Shinichi. One of them knocked him out cold and forced a poison pill that was meant to end his life. However instead of killing him. It made him shrink from a teen to a kid.

Still have the brains of a sleuth, but no longer in the full grown body of Japan's favorite teen detective. Shinichi had to go under the alias of Conan Edogawa. A combination of 2 of his favorite mystery novelists. And can't reveal his real identity, as it'll endanger the people he knows and will get chased by the 2 men in black who'll come to finish the job. Shinichi now lives with his friend Ran(Rachel) who is the daughter of third rate detective Kogoru Mohri(Richard Moore). Pretending to be a smart ordinary kid, Conan uses the gadgets provided by his Mad next door scientist, Dr. Asawa. To help him solve the crimes and help Kogoru out without being noticed. Conan hopes to make Kogoru famous so that way he can get some leads and info on the 2 men responsible for his condition.

As the series progresses, Conan does what he can to become Shinichi Kudo again. And will encounter many cases on Homocide, Suicide, Robbery, Child abduction, salvage, & terrorism. Once he does find the 2 men in black, Conan will try to obtain the pill that changed him and get Dr. Asawa to make an antidote to make him Shinichi again.

For more than a decade this anime has been widely successful in Japan. And an international hit in many countries. I never heard of it till 2005. And very surprised to learn how long this series is. With almost 500 episodes, several movies, and a handful of OVAs. Detective Conan(Case Closed) should deserve to be a highly acclaim cartoon in any category for Anime.

Problem is very few American Anime fans, don't know how great it is or don't know it's existence. If you like Anime with action, comedy, mystery, or just something that'll keep you busy. I guaranteed Detective Conan is unlike the other mystery anime out there.

This is a great series. Anyone who loves mysteries should see this series, subbed or dubbed. As a mystery fan, Detective Conan is truly great. As an anime fan, however, the dub leaves a bit to be desired. The voices are strong and they play their parts well (this does put it above other dub jobs I've seen), but my key gripe is the pointless Americanization of every name and location ever mentioned in the series. And I'm talking POINTLESS. I could see them renaming SOME people to keep younger American audiences from getting lost in them, but places? They call it Tokyo in the commercials, then rename Mt. Fuji to Mt. FREDERICK?!? IS this really necessary, FUNimation?

If you don't mind the pointless Americanization, the CN dub is fine. As for me, I can't wait for the Japanese language version to hit DVD.