Manga Review: Case Closed Vols. 80-82

Manga Review: Case Closed Vols. 80-82 by Gosho Aoyama

It’s time once again to catch up on the adventures of Conan Edogawa, boy detective, who is secretly Shinichi Kudou (Jimmy Kudo in the dub), teen detective who was shrunk by an experimental poison. See my many prior reviews of this series, titled Meitantei Conan (“Detective Conan”) in Japan.

Volume Eighty opens with the conclusion of the “Vampire Murder Case” as Conan and Heiji Hattori (Harley Hartwell) unriddle how the vampire tricks were pulled.

The next story introduces “Captain” the stray cat that’s been hanging around Cafe Poirot, so called after Poirot’s friend Captain Hastings. The Detective Kids see the cat jump into a refrigerated delivery truck and go inside to rescue it–only to get locked inside themselves. They’d alert the deliverymen, but there’s a corpse in the truck and it’s pretty obvious the drivers put it there. There’s some contrived circumstances to prevent the children from using any of their usual methods of communication, so they have to think of other ways of getting free.

This one’s most notable for using the “unraveling sweater” gag. Ai (Anita) is only wearing thin underwear under an oversized hand-knitted sweater which catches on something as they enter the truck and then unravels as the truck moves, stripping her. This causes embarrassment and potential hypothermia.

Next up, Ran (Rachel), Sonoko (Serena) and Sera go to the filming of a fruit-themed cooking show, with Kogorou Mouri (Richard Moore) and Conan as tag-alongs. Kogorou, famous detective, is asked to fill in as a celebrity judge as one of the other judges missed the taping. Turns out the missing judge was inside a locked trunk of fruit, dead. But how’d he get in there? Tomboyish Sera is asked to wear more “girly” clothes for the occasion–we’re told, but do not see, that she chose flowered underwear. We also get more clues that something is up with her.

This is followed by giving policewoman Yumi Miyamoto a romantic subplot. She used to date a guy, but he ghosted her after saying he would collect “all seven” while she was in police training without saying seven of what, exactly. The Detective Kids butt into the conversation and then tag along when there’s a report of an apparent suicide. Turns out that housekeeper Sakurako Yonehara was previously involved in the optical illusion case, so she’s okay with Conan and company.

More relevantly, the victim’s next door neighbor, and one of the suspects, (it was not actually suicide) is Yumi’s ex, Shukichi Haneda. He’s not the killer, but from various clues Conan figures out what his actual deal is, allowing the relationship to be somewhat repaired.

Soon after, it’s cherry blossom time, and the Detective Kids run into FBI agent Jodie Starling at the park. This is not a coincidence–Conan invited her there to share intel on the Black Organization agent Bourbon, who’s been impersonating supposedly dead FBI agent (and Jodie’s former partner) Akai. This is interrupted by the murder of a pickpocket who has the gimmick of leaving behind three black coins.

Volume 81 wraps up the pickpocket case, which turns out to be tangentially related to the Black Organization subplot.

Next, Kogorou Mouri takes a case for a pretty bartender who hears champagne corks popping when no one in the bar is drinking champagne, and then smelling yuzu. (Champagne does not smell like yuzu under normal circumstances.) Kogorou narrates like he’s Philip Marlowe, but is mostly there for the free drinks. Good thing Conan is hanging around when a birthday celebration turns into murder! Kogorou finally comes up with an explanation for him being the “Sleeping Detective” that pleases him.

This is followed by Ran and Conan getting hooked into helping Sera in an infidelity investigation. Naturally, while this is the sort of thing that private eyes normally do, it’s a bit sordid and below Conan, so it quickly turns into a murder case when the ex-girlfriend the young fellow was supposedly cheating with turns up dead. There’s a bit of police brutality in this one–you could argue the target had it coming, but it’s still a surprisingly brutal moment for this series.

The next case takes place on a rainy day. Ran, Sonoko and Sera had planned to play tennis, so Kogorou had tagged along to ogle young women in tennis skirts, only to have it rained out, so they and Conan are at a bowling alley. Sera has a brief scuffle with a fellow who’s even better than her at martial arts. This turns out to be Sonoko’s usual beau, Makoto the karate champ, who had mistaken Sera for a boy hitting on his sweetheart.

It turns out he’d gotten into another scuffle with a drunk outside. Later, the drunk turns up dead, drowned in a porta-potty, and not in the way you’d expect that to work. The solution is…iffy, but hey, comics.

Makoto’s appearance segues into the next story. The Kaito Kid has threatened to steal Sonoko’s Uncle Jirokichi’s Green Emperor, an impressive piece of Alexandrite. Wishing to prove himself to Sonoko’s family, Makoto offers to provide security for the gem.

After much plotting and twists, it turns out that Makoto is nearly a match for the phantom thief, especially when he sees through Kaito Kid’s disguise. Too bad his career in karate means he can’t always be around!

This is followed up by the return of Captain. The cat’s true owner has shown up–probably. Problem is that three people claim to be the owner. Amuro, one of the Cafe Poirot workers, and secretly the Black Organization agent Bourbon, suggests getting Mr. Mouri to help figure out the truth.

Within the week, the Detective Kids are invited to visit Captain at the true owner’s home, only to find that person assaulted, unconscious, and near death. A locked room mystery that the cat helped set up and helps solve. There’s a happy ending for almost everyone, including someone from the previous story.

Next, we learn that police detectives Sato and Takagi have advanced in their relationship. He knows what kind of mattress she has, and she’s missing…something red. His mind immediately goes towards “taking responsibility” so it’s clear that this isn’t something he’d consider impossible or unrelated to him.

Meanwhile, the Detective Kids have gotten into a new video game that seems to be loosely based on Attack on Titan, and meet a boy who’s gotten further than them. The boy and his uncle, who’s babysitting him, invite the kids back to their place. Conan notices an odd smell in the hallway, and it’s eventually discovered that the next door neighbor has been murdered.

There’s only one real suspect, the uncle, but he seems to have an unbreakable alibi. This turns out to be one of the sadder cases despite the police detectives’ romantic shenanigans.

The final chapter in this volume begins the “Red Lady” case. Sera invites Sonoko, Ran and Conan to help investigate what appear to be a series of unsettling pranks at a remote cottage that just might be haunted by the title character. Sera is filling in for her missing brother, and as per usual, is mistaken for a boy by her brother’s classmates. Someone winds up dead in a bathtub full of tomatoes.

The mysteries are typical, and the art stays the same. Volumes 80 & 81 have some of the Black Organization plotline for those who just want plot advancement, but all three have hints as to what’s going on with Masumi Sera. Plus 82 has one of the romantic relationships confirmed as having actually advanced, which is helpful. Maybe pick up all of them.

Content note: Murder, including murder by hanging. Apparent suicide. Peril to children., child death in the backstory. Peril to cats. Stalking. Anita is seen in underwear, other women in towels. Early teens should be fine, but more sensitive readers may need adult guidance.

You should know by now if this series is your thing.