Case Closed: One Truth Prevails (Volume 1.4, Wrong Answers Resolved)
Chimaera
Conan Edogawa is no ordinary eight year old. Not only is he a genius boy detective, but he’s also really a seventeen year old trapped in a younger body from a run in with some mysterious guys in black seen only in the introduction to the episodes.
This set of mysteries contains a two-part episode (and a double set of murders) set on a private ship, an assassin with amnesia, a murder mystery among movie stars, a kidnapping, and a murder involving a dog. Old grudges (spanning a dozen years or more) feature prominently in this volume. Even I can’t hold a grudge as long as these people can.
For those of you familiar with the format of Case Closed, you’ll find that the formulaic episodes continue. The cases range in difficulty from stupidly easy to slightly obscure leaps of logic, and the resolutions usually make sense. Generally, the first person accused in any case is never the person who turns out to be responsible, so that also narrows the options quickly for budding armchair detectives who may need a hint in the right direction.
Just when you think Conan’s completely forgotten about his older self, he makes a very surprising verbal reference during a case that shows that if he wants to stay undiscovered in his current state, he’ll have to be a little bit careful when dealing from elements of his past as Jimmy. Like with any series picked up a couple dozen of episodes in, they don’t spend any time filling you in on who’s who and what everything’s about – pay attention to the title sequence for the quick synopsis. Everything else you might want to know is contained within the episode.
The art is retro and the music is largely forgettable, but the cases are generally enjoyable enough to where this doesn’t matter. This is simply smart anime that can be enjoyed in little bits at a time (like over lunch hour) and in any mood you happen to find yourself in.
Entertainment: 8.5
The series is well written and it shows. Pick this up, and pick up the other volumes.
Technical: 8.5
Retro look and feel, with music to match.
Overall: 8.5
DVD Features: Episodes 22-27, English & Japanese Language, Japanese Subtitles
DVD Extras: None
