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Reviewed by Steven M. Bari Jimmy Kudo is an adolescent trapped in body that is both youthful and frustrating. While most teenagers feel this way, most are not trapped in the body of a first grader. Under the pseudonym Conan Edogawa, Jimmy continues his amateur detective work with the help of some crazy gadgets and an unparalleled mind. In this volume, Conan takes on impersonators, fishermen, and an ancient treasure hunt. Each of the stories are exciting, despite having little to no evidence presented to the viewer beforehand. Essentially, the joy of Case Closed is how Conan solves the mystery and successfully explains it to the authorities without being written off as just a little kid. Strangely, Case Closed has an effervescent light-heartedness despite being set against really gruesome murders. Rather than undermining the joviality, these hapless murders act as coincidence in a world that is warm and amicable. Gosho Aoyama acknowledges the darkest parts of society without pulling any punches, but he doesn’t let those hostile emotions envelope the world around it. In the first full story of volume 31, Conan, Rachel, and Detective Moore stumble on a man impersonating as the detective who has hung himself in his hotel room. The concept of seeing oneself already dead is disturbing, but Aoyama gives the scene both creepiness and comedy. As a Gunma detective looks over the impersonator’s body, he mistakes the dead man for the real Detective Moore. When Moore comes up behind to give the detective orders, the bumbling sleuth screams in fright, “Yeek! A Ghost!” Exciting and thoroughly amusing stories coupled with fantastic art makes Case Closed a cut above other crime books. Aoyama’s slick vivacious characters are sharp (so sharp their noses can pass for murder weapons!) and intensely expressive. When Kazuha takes Conan and the group on a tour of Osaka Castle, her physicality indicates her excitement: wide eyes, gaping smile, arms open big. Similarly, Harley connotes his feelings toward the tour with his body language: crossed arms, weary eyes, and a frown. Case Closed is a great series that not only makes murder mystery fun, it makes it addictive. By the end of volume of volume 31, you’ll be ready to uncover volume 32. Interested in writing for MangaLife? We're always looking for talented reviewers and columnists, so drop us a line! Charles Webb Editor-in-Chief, MangaLife.com |
1 September 2010
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