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Reviewed by Park Cooper Way back when Cartoon Network showed Case Closed as part of Adult Swim, I was totally into it. Imagine Matlock or Murder She Wrote for the younger set or Encyclopedia Brown or the Hardy Boys for a slightly older audience. The set up: teen detective Jimmy Kudo is, though a ridiculous plot twist, turned into a small boy. In order to continue working as a detective, he moves in with his hopelessly naïve and trusting girlfriend Rachel and her egotistical but rather foolish private detective father, Richard Moore. Rachel doesn't know that little Conan Edogawa is actually her missing boyfriend, Jimmy. What was interesting about the cases is that no one in their right mind would let a little kid into a crime scene, let alone solve the murders (yes, murders---we're talking real crimes here), so Conan has to be clever as heck about how he investigates the cases. In another hard to swallow plot twist, Conan (just go with it, okay? You'll enjoy the series more if you do) has a device that puts Richard to sleep so Conan can use a voice changer he has and, as "Richard", reveals whodunit. I was not happy when the show went off the air. The mysteries were good. Sadly, it never quite got the big audience it should have. So, I'm happy that the manga is out there and continues to attract an audience. Volume 25 of Case Closed is a mixed bag. Two out of three crimes depend on a knowledge of Japan and its culture that most of us outside the Pacific Rim don't have, so we really don't get a fair shot at solving them. The middle story, which feels like a spooky ghost story combined with a locked room mystery, is the volume's saving grace. The Spider House case is worth the price of admission, so I give the work a solid B. I'm also happy to note that Rachel seems to be finally about to wake up and smell the coffee about the Conan/Jimmy thing. Comment on this review of Case Closed v25 on the Manga Life Forums. |
6 October 2009
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