Meitantei Conan Movie 18: Ijigen no Sniper

(this is my first review, so i'm sorry for incorrect grammar etc)

the story is about a sniper with godlike snipe skill wandering and killing people in tokyo. without knowing who is the sniper's next target, tokyo fall in chaos as the people afraid they might be killed by the sniper.

for the story, i give an 8. the story is good, but you really have to read conan manga to fully understand what happen in this movie, especially at the end of the movie. so it's not a movie for all people out there. i give an 8 too for sound and art.

i give a 9 ... for the character. this is the first time mayumi sera and subaru okiya appear in a detective conan movie. they played a major part in this movie just like heiji did in 7th movie, and they did great, especially sera. you can watch what they capable to do to support conan.

this movie is very enjoyable for conan fans that still followed the manga. watching sera and subaru already give a 9 for me. in addition with a thrilling story that make me think "what will happen next?" for the entire movie, it's a no doubt 10 for enjoyment

overall, i give a 9. it's a great movie, not the best conan movie, but i think it's the most enjoyable conan movie i've ever seen for now.

I saw this on an airplane, and this is the first Detective Conan anime I have seen, so my review may seem myopic. This review is of the movie as a standalone film, which I admit may seem unfair because it is part of such a longstanding and successful franchise.

Overall, the movie was enjoyable but did not leave me completely satisfied. Perhaps this was because the whole time the story felt like a side story. The characters keep alluding to "them" (Black Organization) throughout the film and there are far too many characters that split up the story. It is hard to really know who ... the main character is, as Conan is often on the sideline and has all of his allies show up conveniently throughout the story. The main story is actually about who appear to be all-new characters altogether, though their motives and cheesy American accents do not fit in well with the veteran characters. All of this ended up making the film quite confusing. The mystery itself is not very exciting, though the action sequences and gadgetry were enjoyable.

The art style is unique and a little reminiscent of Hanna-Barbera cartoons, something I do not see often in anime but was able to enjoy. The quality is not stellar, considering it is a movie, but passable.

The sound, on the other hand, was exhilarating during the action sequences. Conan's skateboard skidding across pavement and bullets whizzing through the air were positively thrilling and edge-of-your-seat fun. Background music was not bad either.

The characters introduced for the film were entertaining caricatures of Americans (something that also reminded me of old Hanna-Barbera cartoons), but ultimately none of the characterization really stuck with me. I liked Conan but he was rarely on screen, an opportunity I think the film missed out on. As I mentioned before, there were far too many characters in the film, and no one was able to stand out.

While I enjoyed the film, the story and characters were not able to hold it up. What the film did do is get me interested in the character of Conan and the rest of the franchise. In this sense, I believe the film was quite successful.

Once again I'm here to tackle another Conan movie, and this time it's about a sniper! ...OK then. To be blunt, I had no idea what the story was going into this movie, beyond 'there's a sniper in it'. But that can be a good or bad thing, honestly: it can surprise me, or let me down. Which one wins out? Is it a straight shot or a missed target?

Story (6/10): Conan and friends are invited to the newly opened Bell Tree Tower to see the sights of Tokyo from above. But as is tradition, something goes awry. In this case, a real ... estate agent is sniped from the nearby buildings. Soon it evolves into a shooing spree that terrifies all of Tokyo, with Conan and his police and FBI contacts hot in pursuit. Who is this mysterious shooter, and what is with his dice calling card?

The story here is mostly interesting, dealing with a type of serial shooter that has been in American media for a while now, so if that interests you, take a look here. This is also the movie debut of the FBI characters, as well as 2 new supporting characters, so unless you're caught up to the anime/manga, their presence may throw you off a bit. It's also great to see the police characters working so well together and just how well the story sets up the circumstances to let them interact.

The main problem with this story, however, is that it drags on for waaay too long. By a half hour in the story has settled into a pattern of 'police characters talk', 'Conan's daily life', 'shooting sequence', repeat till the last 15 minutes. It's just so dull. While I'm sure there's supposed to be a lot of tension, it just doesn't work well here. And honestly, the mystery here is easily solvable after the 3rd shooting, though it does throw out some good red herrings for viewers. The other problem is that I'm pretty sure (as in it almost breaks plausibility) that the FBI doesn't work as shown in the movie. It also does dig into some American military stuff that, while interesting, does come off as slightly stupid and a little bit insensitive, though it's nothing horrible.

Art (8/10): Back to complementing the art, as is tradition. I've said this for how many movies now, but the art is still top notch. The action sequences are the complete highlight of the movie, bar none. Everything moves fast and is intensely interesting. If anything, this movie deserves a watch for those.

Sound (8/10): Hey, I have new things to talk about here! Yes indeed, there is some new music in this movie and it is pretty kick ass. It's very much in the vein of a thriller/crime movie, and it really sounds amazing. It keeps the final battle really exciting and follows it well. So kudos (heh) to the sound team for some great background tracks.

Also something new! This movie features a lot of Americans and for once the English isn't awful! Probably because actual Americans (or at least people who knew English very well) were used for almost every character and it really helps set the mood in some scenes. I can't tell you how annoying it is when characters who are clearly native English speakers speak Japanese, even when they are alone and would naturally default to English. Well here? It happens! The characters speak English while a little line of Japanese translated text is at the bottom. Definitely a plus and I'm glad they did it!

Character (6/10): I'll get this out of the way early - the Detective Boys are being annoying in this movie again. While not as bad as Eleventh Striker, they kind of bring down the movie since all their scenes are the comedy scenes, and they aren't funny. All the other main series characters are alright here, though again, special mention to the FBI characters for being cool. I'm still not sure on how to feel about Sera and Subaru, but they at least added some charm to the whole thing. (Subaru was kind of boring though.)

The movie characters were fairly interesting, though there is a bit of a problem with having literally all of the movie cast being American military men. They honestly all blended into each other, not helped by the most boring white people names yen could buy. Seriously, Bill Murphy and Scott Green? The creators do know that most Americans have more complicated names than that, right? Anyways, the characters that get the biggest focus are pretty interesting, thought they do fall into that weird 'we're not sure how to keep writing this character' pitfall that some of the other Detective Conan movies have had.

Enjoyment (6/10): I have to be honest that this movie is a bit dull. Nothing is wrong with it. It's just that there's a lot that's thrown at you and while that stuff is interesting, the story isn't paced well enough. I honestly got bored not even halfway through the whole thing and, to me, that's not good for a mystery movie. It's not all bad, though. The action sections were by far the best parts that had me on the edge of my seat. Just...dang! Those animators were having a ball!

Detective Conan: The Sniper from Another Dimension isn't a bad movie, but it isn't a great one either. It's far from being as bad as Jolly Rodger in the Deep Azure and Eleventh Striker, but is more like Quarter of Silence. Nothing special, but nothing outright awful. It's definitely a great action movie and it's nice to see new reoccurring characters appearing.

7/10 = nothing bad, but nothing great either; fun for DC fans to at least see the movie introductions of the FBI characters, Sera, and Subaru; Detective Boys are back to being annoying, unfortunately;

P.S. sorry not sorry for the puns

WELL,
An Outstanding Detective Conan Movie. Whenever there is a case involving the Black Organisation or FBI or with Heiji's appearance, it is always is a success. Also cause of the the Marketing, let us call it, Promotion from another Dimension, this movie was a great success, as usual doing better then the previous one. The Hint to this movie you can find in Episode 735 / The Coded Invitation, and all other Promotions with the VAs.
So let us begin with the story, like I said, a Case involving the FBI will be a great HIT. What we have here is Sniper on a Revenge Mission, ... but who has reasons for it. Despite being a former NAVY SEAL one of the most Elite Units in the world, the culprit had his Life, destroyed by many People mostly from his own so called Allies in Uncle Sam's Military. This Movie also serves as a Debut for two characters, Masumi and Subaru. Subaru even has a Sniper duel at the End with the Culprit.
As for characters, it is great to once again have Members of FBI in a movie. As well as Masumi whose German VA - Esra Vural did a an outstanding Job Portraying her. YES I watched this Movie in German Dub, Eng Dub as well as Jap. And I must say as a Man of Culture, I always recommend if possible watch Detective Conan in German Dub, cause these works are on of those Masterpieces, when it comes to Dub.
The Other great thing about the Characters in this movie is, just like in the series, they are always wearing stylish and realistic clothing. No matter what it is:
The Tom-boyish Biker Outfit of Masumi, the leather jacket;
the mysterious look of Subaru or James Black, the Gentleman in a suit;
The seductive look of Jodie Starling in her (kind of bedroom style) evening dress, and Blazer, stocking and heels.
Or just Ran or Sonoko in their usual casual daily Looks looking good.
BTW, check how Kogoro is afraid of height, the most hilarious moment and one of the best. Equally like the action scenes, the chase at the beginning, the slow investigation making connection with points, and of course Conan getting in trouble always. The Movie really keeps you on the look out, for what is gonna happen next.
Another great thing is how detailed the showplace of the movie is represented - The Asakusa Neighborhood, The Temple of Senso-Ji, the Asahi HQ which the Japanese Slang sometimes calls as the Golden Poo, the unlucky form of the flame.
Also the many Bridges on the River Sumida: The red Azumabashi, the heaven blue Komagatabashi, Kototoibashi, Kuramaebashi and the Bell Tree Tower, in reality the Tokyo Sky Tree called.
All of this, the story involving FBI, Sniper kills, Characters, their Designs, sounds, some funny Parts, Gadgetry and the intense Action as well as the investigation takes you in and does not let you go until the End of the Movie.
It is a great Enjoyment to watch it, so much so, that i am probably gonna re-watch it soon enough.
A Masterpiece, A must Movie for all Detective Fans, as well as, simple Anime Fans.
Watch it it is worth it, especially the Professional German Dub.

There was once a time when I really hated this movie. But after some consideration, I've decided that Detective Conan: Dimensional Sniper isn't all that bad and actually has enough merit to stand on its own as a good movie.

The one thing that really made upset about this movie is how careless Conan is. Despite how intelligent he is, he still ends up in dangerous situations that almost get him killed. While some of these incidents are out of his control, it doesn't excuse Conan from not taking extra precautions when dealing with a professional killer such as this one. Easily my least favorite part ... of the movie.

I also didn't really like the detective boys in this movie. Sure, they helped Conan figure out the "other dimension" trick and saved someone later on. But they just come off as ungrateful and oblivious to just how serious things are in this movie. A dangerous killer is on the loose! The least they could do is be a little affected by the situation. I'd also complain about Ran's flippant nature from wishing Shinichi were here to actually being awesome, but I guess that's just par for the course when it comes to these movies.

On the other hand, this movie has a really good serial murder case involving the FBI investigating a rouge SEALS sniper. The references to the American military and combat really appealed to me and was one of the key elements that helped me to appreciate this movie even more than I did before. The case itself was also very interesting, especially the twist that involved the "other dimension" bit.

In a surprise twist, the culprit(s) behind the murders are probably the most sympathetic characters in the whole movie series. To think just how much the culprit's life had been screwed other by his targets almost had me rooting for him to take revenge. But OMG, the Engrish in this movie is an absolute joy all throughout! Easily the best part of the movie.

With all things considered, I no longer despise this movie as I used to. In fact, I'd say it's (almost) one of the better movies. Certainly not top 5, but another solid entry in the series. Give this one watch when you can and see for yourself.