Manga Review: Case Closed, Vols. 95 & 96 by Gosho Aoyama
Note: SPOILERS for past volumes, start with an earlier review if you’re new to the series!
Quick recap: Conan Edogawa appears to be a child, but is actually the famous teen genius detective Shinichi Kudou (Jimmy Kudo in the dub), who’s been reverted to physical childhood by a poison developed by the Black Organization. He’s hiding out from those folks, but can’t help sticking his nose into mysteries….
Currently, Shinichi is on a class trip to Kyoto with his nominal high school classmates Ran Mouri (Rachel Moore) who is also his girlfriend and Conan’s caretaker, Sonoko Suzuki (Serena Sebastian), her wealthy best friend, and Masumi Sera, a tomboyish amateur detective with a mysterious past. Shinichi’s using doses of a temporary antidote to the regression poison so that he can actually be on the trip with the aid of his Kyoto-resident rival Heiji Hattori (Harley Hartwell).
This being the kind of series it is, the fun class activities have been coinciding with a series of murders of film professionals seemingly committed by a tengu crow goblin.
This winds up with another murder attempt at Kiyomizu Temple as an invisible assassin with bloody footprints stalks the final victim. Except that the detectives finally figured out the pattern and the last person lives. The motive for the murders turns out to be horribly misguided.
Since there’s still a little time left in the trip, Ran takes the opportunity to “leap off the stage at Kiyomizu Temple” and kiss Shinichi. Regrettably, before he can return the favor, he feels his antidote wearing off and has to skedaddle. Sera attempts to follow but Conan and Heiji manage to obfuscate the escape.
The classmates are reminded not to post anything about Shinichi’s presence online as he’s still officially a missing person. We learn why Ran was talking to Okita, a kendo star who looks a lot like Shinichi, establishing his romantic subplot. Masumi contacts her mother with the news of a possible cure. Heiji fumes because he was trying to set up Kiyomizu Temple as a confession site with his crush Kazuha, and he refuses to follow Shinichi in anything.
The solution to the case makes international news, and despite all the precautions, it leaks online that Shinichi Kudou was present, an item of interest to the three top suspects for being Rum, second-in-command of the Black Organization.
Back in Tokyo, Conan’s cover story is that he’s been sick with a cold the last few days and bunking at Dr. Agasa’s place. Which is right next to the Kudou house, which is currently occupied by another ally of Conan’s. The press is trying to get confirmation on what is going on with Shinichi.
Meanwhile, at Conan’s school, Ai (Anita) and the Detective Kids are tasked with checking in on their classmate Maria who never made it into school today. It turns out that she stopped by her late grandmother’s place for a treasure hunt, but a mild earthquake has disrupted the clues and made it more dangerous than it should be.
Some shenanigans involving Okita and behind the scenes manipulation by Shinichi’s parents temporarily take off the heat. And then we get a big reveal–the name of the most likely suspect to be the head of the Black Organization! (Not that anyone’s going to follow up on that for a long while.)
Toru Amuro, the Cafe Poirot employee who is secretly Bourbon, a spy for the Black Organization who is looking for clues about Shinichi’s existence, drops by the office of Kogorou Mouri (Roy Moore), the private eye who’s the father of Ran and the unwitting host of Conan. He fishes for information on the recent rumors of Shinichi being in Kyoto, but Ran is not that easily convinced to talk. Then Amuro is invited along on Kogorou’s latest case.
So Amuro, Kogorou, Ran and Conan end up at the Black Bunny Club, a “gentlemen’s club” where the hostesses dress in “sexy bunny” outfits. Conan pretends to be oblivious to the scanty clothing, though Ran is a little miffed.
One of the customers has received a threatening note warning him to stay away from the club. But he is defying it because he’s especially chummy with one of the employees. Some set up of possible motives and personality clashes later, the hostess is poisoned. This one was a bit easier for me to figure out, even down to the secret motivation.
However, we learn a bit more about Amuro when he suddenly flashes back to memories of a mysterious female doctor…who we’ve seen before. And then there’s a meeting between him, the supposedly dead Akai, and a couple of surprise guests.
Time to check in with the cops! Specifically, Sergeant Naeko Miike of the Metropolitan Traffic Division. Her romantic subplot is that she’s interested in Detective Sargeant Kazunobu Chiba but won’t tell him until he figures out that she’s his childhood sweetheart. She runs into Conan, Ai and the Detective Kids at a street crossing, and gives them an impromptu lecture on following the traffic rules. No one notices a shadowy figure nearby who seems displeased by “rules.”
Frustrated by her love life, Miike goes to karaoke with two other traffic cops. Afterwards, one of the other policewomen is ambushed in a park and murdered. The one clue is that she’s pointing at…a swing set?
Detectives Takagi and Sato are assigned to the case, and naturally Conan also takes an interest. It’s determined that the most likely suspect would be someone who had a grudge against the deceased, and there was a particularly heated traffic stop a few days back. There were three very upset drivers who’d been detained for rules violations.
The second traffic officer suddenly realizes what the clue means, and tries to confront the suspect on her own. She winds up dead too. A “bent copper” coin is found at this corpse, just like the other, confirming it’s a grudge against the police…
The Policewoman Killer Case continues, with Miike being attacked because her name sounds like the third person the killer has a grudge against. Conan and Chiba figure it out in time, and Chiba finally figures out where he met Miike before. The killer has a very understandable grudge, but because we can’t actually have the police be at fault in this series, it turns out he or she made a mistaken assumption.
We get another clue in the mystery of Rum, and Bourbon may be holding out on his masters.
Next up, Heiji and Kazuha are visiting Tokyo to help Conan with another possible heist by the phantom thief, Kaitou Kid. This time, the Kid is after the Fairy Lip, a large pearl of unusual beauty. It’s being put on exhibit by Sonoko’s uncle Kenichi, who couldn’t help but brag about his newest security arrangements.
The pearl is frozen inside a solid block of ice, plus all the usual measures to keep it safe. And to add to the difficulty level, it just so happens that Nagano police detective Takaaki Morofushi, the man nicknamed “Kong Ming” after the famous Chinese strategist (ya boy!) is also in town to pick up a letter from the Tokyo P.D. He’s up to the challenge!
Kaito Kid manages to get the pearl, but only after more suffering than usual. And since the challenge was the point, it’s soon off to the rightful owner. Morofushi’s letter seems to have something to do with his missing brother and someone called “Zero.”
The next case begins after Conan, Ran, Masumi, Sonoko and Sonoko’s martial arts champion boyfriend Makoto Kyougoku emerge from a showing of the latest “Amazers” (part of the Marble Cinematic Universe) superhero movie. They discuss the silly reason given for having local Japanese hero Kid Samurai join the team. Sonoko expresses a little disappointment that even though she’s currently hanging out with three tough martial artists (Makoto does karate, Ran is a local champion in the same sport, and Masumi is good at jeet kune do) there’s no chance she’ll get to see more action today.
Jinxed it! There’s a man in a motorcycle helmet holding a woman hostage. Makoto stomps him, only for it to be revealed to be a television shoot for police drama “Detective 48.” As an apology, Makoto winds up becoming the new stunt guy for the episode. Naturally, the rest of the gang winds up observing.
A particularly noxious actor known for cruel practical jokes winds up dead in a way that seems to implicate Makoto, but a second death puts that in question. Will Conan be able to unravel how the murders were done before the shooting day is over, and without tipping off Masumi to his true nature?
The writing and art as good as usual, and a much higher concentration of plot points mean these volumes are important for fans who are here for the myth arc.
Kid Samurai will return in…Amazers Domesday.”
