Anime: Case Closed: The Knight Baron Mystery (Episodes 70-72)
Vandemar
Hotshot teenage detective Jimmy Kudo sees something he shouldn’t. He’s knocked unconscious and given an experimental drug that should’ve killed him, but turned him into a seven year old boy instead. His body may have changed, but his deductive powers remain unmatched, though now he must solve crimes with gadgets and cunning, using a variety of devices to seem like just another kid. Jimmy hides behind the alias Conan Edogawa, keeping his family safe from reprisal, while allowing him to continue his detective career.
The Knight Baron Mystery is a three part mega-mystery. When Conan and his friends get a free vacation in a resort hotel, Conan spends most of his trip muttering about having to sit in the sun when he could be working. Fortunately, this is a “mystery tour”, which means he’ll be able to do some work, instead of having boring old fun in the sun. The organizer of the tour is playing a character called the Knight Baron, who will cause an incident during the trip, and whoever figures out who the Knight Baron is gets a special prize. A motley crew of others are also on the mystery tour, putting Conan up against some real competition.
Episode 70: The Knight Baron Mystery Part 1
Conan sighs at being forced to hang out on the beach and watch pretty girls in swimsuits, until the others on the mystery tour begin assembling and flinging accusations around. From Conan the kid to a karate champion and his jealous fiancée to a shifty guy with a laptop, the band of investigators on this tour is quite a motley crew. The Knight Baron strikes quickly, though, throwing everything into an uproar, and he seems to be playing at more than a fun mystery game…
Episode 71: The Knight Baron Mystery Part 2
A murder makes the mystery tour take a turn for the morbid, and Conan rushes to investigate, while police investigators quickly come to their own conclusions.
Episode 72: The Knight Baron Mystery Part 3
The mystery and hunt for the killer continues, as Conan closes in on a solution, though the killer doesn’t quite appreciate the kid’s snooping around and keeps throwing deadly obstacles in his way.
This disc is a nice little installment in the series that gives Case Closed to stretch its muscles over a longer narrative instead of 20 minute story arcs. The premise of a hotel full of suspects and a real murder on a mystery weekend is almost as old as the mystery genre itself, though Case Closed definitely puts its own spin on it. The extras are very good for this late in the series, with the Crack the Case game making a triumphant return, and there’s some cool little bits of information here and there. The sound is crisp as ever, the animation is its usual self, looking a little dated, but doing a good job. The extras are really impressive, a nice collection of in-character stuff like the “Crack the Case” game and the section on Conan’s Gadgets. The Knight Baron Mystery is a fine installment in the series, a release with everything you could want to get into Case Closed or continue your mystery habit.
Technical/Extras: 8.0
It’s really outstanding to have all these extras on a mid-series disc. The sound is also very good.
Entertainment: 8.0
Disliking Case Closed for sticking to its mystery formula is like disliking puppies for being cute and cuddly. It’s what it does best. Why change it?
Overall: 8.0
Episodes: 70: Knight Baron Mystery Part 1, 71: Knight Baron Mystery Part 2, 72: Knight Baron Mystery Part 3
Extras: Uncut episodes, English subtitles, “Crack The Case” game, Textless songs, Conan’s Gadgets, Trailers
Shannon “Vandemar” Drake is the Community Development Manager for Warcry’s efforts in all things that aren’t games. He also serves as Site Manager for FMA Warcry and frequently contributes to the hubsite. He will talk about anime until you roll your eyes and walk away, which makes him sad. He’s currently watching Gunslinger Girl #3
