Case Closed 33

Gosho Aoyama – Viz – 2010 – 69+ volumes

The volume opens with the rest of the case that focuses on the police side characters Takagi and Sato. It’s only two chapters here, and mostly just involves analyzing suspect descriptions and figuring out why it is they differ, and chasing out the red herrings. The final key, unfortunately, hinges on an archaic Japanese word for “green,” so we’re at a disadvantage when following along at home here. I was also disappointed that the robbery did not involve cross-dressing, like I hoped when one of the characters detailed the drag band he was a member of. Probably a red herring, but a strange detail to toss off and never bring up again.

The cover does have a blushing Conan against a photo of chocolate, so we can… safely deduce (ugh) that the main story involves Valentine’s Day. The characters, including Serena, take a trip into the mountains to make sure-to-win-him-over Valentine’s chocolate. Of course, a murder happens in the middle of a snowstorm, and complicating things is some strange photography, a ghost story, and an avalanche sealing the area off. I liked this one quite a bit, and the case does a good job of adding more and more complications as it progresses. I even picked up on the obscure key to it all before the end, which made me feel good, although the suspect and actual motivation is a little convoluted and I didn’t quite understand all of what was going on (The original avalanche? Would there really be fear about being found out about that? What was with the requested stabbing? Would that old woman really not notice something like that after four years?). It was a good one, and it also somehow failed to be romantic despite the theme. Ah, good old Case Closed.

There are some romantic hints, and some teases about the Black Organization and Miss Jodie show back up, but nothing major happens plot-wise. I’m still okay with that, since somehow the little mysteries are more than enough every time. I can’t believe this series is still so entertaining this far in.

There’s a strange case with the first graders next, where they have to figure out the murder of an unpleasant loan shark and whether the man with the solid alibi did it. The final one involves cryptography, a murder, and Miss Jodie, and carries over into the next volume. At first, I thought the man in the black-knit hat was supposed to be the criminal, but apparently it’s just a regular embezzler?

This is another case with a language puzzle, but I have a feeling Japanese might be a red herring in this case (I could be completely wrong, though). In a breath of fresh air, there is one language puzzle that works in favor of English-language readers, when Miss Jodie asks Rachael to figure out what the symbol “X” means as homework. While there are many meanings, Jodie and Serena tease her in a way that tips off English language readers that XOXO is the context she is talking about. The puzzle even stumps Conan. I also loved that Rachael is reduced to a sneaky black shadow grabbing someone in her desperate need to figure this out.

Case Closed: Still great after all these volumes of episodic stories. The mysteries are always interesting and so different from one another, I can see how this would have lasting appeal.

This was a review copy provided by Viz.