Meitantei Conan: Hannin no Hanzawa-san

If you love the Meitantei Conan series yet not really in the mood to watch the serious plot and just wanna have some good laugh, this series is just perfect. As much as the series itself was pretty short, it really managed to include a list of the random funny gags about the main series in general. Like really, with so many murder cases encountered by Conan and every one in the series... at one point you might even wonder how do the normal background people of Beika City think about the place in general. Calling it a death trap would be an understatement.

I ... seriously cracked up over a lot of the gags in the series. Like how Agasa was portrayed as to be this mad scientists figure that offered really shady one-off jobs, or how many of the amateur detectives were like a menace to normal people, and how the crime rates affect the city in general. It's really a fun show to watch on the side.

So this one is a little tricky because I’ve seen many comments about how disappointing this mini-series was but let’s just take it as what it really is: a spin-off of an amazing series and even a parody of it. And I went in with basically zero expectations (unlike the “Zero’s tea time” spin-off and believe it or not but pun not intended). So let me start with what I really liked about it.

Ending: 9/10
Normally I don’t rate openings and endings but I make exceptions for those that are either special or that will haunt me for life. This series has both. And ... while I love the ending song even though the serious theme is not fitting what makes it fitting is the hilarious opening which is – no joke – the most terrifying thing I’ve ever watched (maybe because I don’t watch horror movies). Don’t get me wrong… I kind of hated the opening so much that I only bothered to watch it once or else I’d have lost either my eyesight or my sanity (although that might be too late now) but it was a perfect fit for this series. Still I’m only rating the ending because Mai Kuraki can’t do any wrong.

Animation: 7/10
Yes, if I had to rate the animation based on style it would be a 0/10 or let’s give it 1 out of pity. But it was enough for what it was and I had a blast watching our well-known characters with this silly over the top re-design. Especially Ran. You gotta appreciate the love for details and to pull off something funny without pointing at it with a stick (actually that’s kind of what her hair did but you get my point?). Yes, Hanzawa’s design was lacking in some aspects but even this was intentional. The only complaint I’d have is that some of the characters didn’t look silly enough and more like themselves. Like Furuya. I get he only had a short appearance and he’s popular but it doesn’t justify making him look cool in every Conan-Universe. So I felt that was a little sloppy. Plus I’m 100% sure he only appeared because of fan service and I’m mad it even worked on me!

Characters: 6/10
To be honest I was a little surprised to see some of the characters making an appearance. Loved all these references and accuracy by “sticking true” to their characters and I won’t go into too much detail so not to spoil anything but I especially had a laugh with one of the frequent characters of the original show and I don’t think I’ll ever see him the same way after watching this. It kind of made my day. But that’s where I have to get a little bit critical and while enjoyed the comedic part of the characters, it was Hanzawa who lacked the most. And yes, I still know it was supposed to be like this but it doesn’t change the fact that a part of me wished to really look into the mind of a criminal a little more and even get some motives behind his actions, some character depth (I know, what am I expecting from a silhouette character to begin with?). It’s just that I think it would have been even more hilarious if he wouldn’t have been too much of an amateur all the time. Or at least not in all areas. If you watch this you might understand my reasoning.

Story: 6/10
My points for this aspect pretty much fall into the same category as my rating for the characters. The plot is basically about a guy who moves to Tokyo (Beika) in order to kill someone. Just for him to discover it isn’t that easy and that it’s especially tough in Beika where crime never sleeps (as well as the police solving them). There were many nice references and issues poked fun at which will make you really laugh hard as a fan of the original series or even for someone who doesn’t know the series (although it feels like it’s full of insiders you mostly get if you are familiar with the source material). Especially since it’s addressing many issues that might been bugging most of us for decades now. But as the series continues I felt like these references became less. They picked up some more in the last episode but especially that episode was a big let-down for me because even though it’s not a series to take seriously, it made it even more disappointing they didn’t end it on a different note. Like a plot-twist but it’s hilarious. Just as the series was supposed to be. It’s still better and more than I would have expected and at least it was short enough to never feel dragged out but there were still some missed opportunities and lost potential.

Overall rating: 7/10
I had a great time watching this and a part of me would hope for another season, maybe even with another “culprit” and much more references. Don’t take it too serious, don’t view it as completion to the original series because it’s not but it’s still fun to watch and won’t hurt since these 12 episodes are really short. A nice “snack” for in-between. I’m glad I finally watched it and a certain character watching the “spring side” of Beika will now forever live rent-free in my head. Thanks for that :D

This short series (just a few minutes each episode) is a parody of the main anime Meitantei Conan and features the shenanigans that a random person goes through to find someone and pull off their crime: assassination! Although being a parody, some elements are canon. This alone should tell you if it's something you'd rather skip or watch, depending if you're a completionist or if you enjoy parody-type comedy.

The art style looks atrocious to me, except for the main character and I strongly dislike the seiyuu choice for him. Regarding the OP, it's strangely addictive.

For me, this was just a 5/10 because out ... of all the episodes, only 4 were enjoyable to me.