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Despite being very popular characters, Heiji and Kazuha rarely ever get a movie all to themselves. Whenever they are in a movie, they're usually side characters that are only relevant to that movie's story (specifically, movies 3, 10, 13, 14, 17). While fans had to wait for The Crimson Love Letter, the only film that prominently featured Heiji and Kazuha was Crossroad in the Ancient Capital. With the release of the 21st movie, how does this one hold up today?

Besides their lead roles, both movies double-down on their Japanese heritage. While Movie 21 focused on Karuta games, this movie implements elements from the legendary folktales ... of Yoshitsune and Benkei. On top of that, ancient temples and ritual party games are a part of this movie. While The Crimson Love Letter makes its heritage shine better with its updated art style, this movie still does its best with the talent they had.

What helped me enjoy this movie for the most part was the knowledge that this was Kenji Kodama's last film in the Detective Conan series. This man not only directed for shows like Lupin III and City Hunter, but also the first 7 Detective Conan movies. There's something very melancholic about seeing a director's last involvement with a series like this. Because of him, the Detective Conan movies were able to leave a big impression on people and go on to become the box-office hits that they are today.

Of course, it was thanks to this knowledge that I was able to persist through the parts of the movie that felt a bit drawn out. Depending on the type of person you are, you may watch this movie feeling either relaxed or bored. This movie is less like jumping into a pool and more like easing yourself into a hot tub. Not to mention the reliance on Japanese wordplay in this movie. When it was just used for the Professor's quizzes and minor clues, I was okay with it. But because Japanese wordplay plays a lot in solving the case itself, I felt very left out. If you know Japanese and are interested in a chill movie, then this is the one for you.

Even with The Crimson Love Letter out now, I would still recommend people watch Crossroad in the Ancient Capital first. However, if you are the kind of person that likes action and high stakes in their movies, then you may want to enter this one with caution.

Detective Conan: Magician of the Silver Sky is a very interesting movie. The second film to feature Kaito Kid has him play a much more prominent role here than he did in The Last Wizard of the Century. But does more always mean better? Let's find out.

One of the movie's most interesting aspects is how it takes three different scenarios and combines them into one, cohesive story where the elements in one part carry on into the next. While this is some very interesting story-writing, one could not help but wonder if more time went into writing one part more than the others. In 1995's ... Goldeneye, the movie begins with an opening so great, that the rest of the movie fails to measure up to it. The same can be said for Magician of the Silver Sky. As fun as the other two parts are, the first part is and always will be the most memorable part of the whole movie. It's kind of like eating a three-course meal, where the first dish is a juicy steak, the second is a PB&J sandwich, and the third is a bowel of chicken noodle soup. All are of varying quality, but none are better than the first dish.

One other thing that people do not like about this movie is how Kaito Kid always disguises himself as Shinichi. As genius as it was for him to do so, it sort of takes out the fun of figuring out who Kid is. Back then, I wouldn't really have a problem with Kid disguising himself as Shinichi since it meant Conan can't point him out without giving himself away. But after 15 years and 2 other movies where Kaito disguises himself as Shinichi (plus 1 if you count Fist of Blue Sapphire), I think now would be a good time for Kid to change up his Modus Operandi.

Despite my earlier analogy about chicken PB&J, Magcian of the Silver Sky is still a worth while watch. Everything that people love about Detective Conan is here and is still just as good. The story structure is interesting, the art and animation is pretty good, and the characters are still their usual lovable selves. Definitely a good watch.

It's kind of funny how most Detective Conan movies I remember not liking back then end up becoming one of my favorites now. The same can be said for Detective Conan: Strategy Above the Depths, a movie that started off as one of my least favorites and then ending up as one that I really like.

Before I begin, I should at least bring up one of the reasons I didn't like this movie so much. The version that I saw had the most atrocious translation of all the movies. I found out that the reason it's so bad was because the movie was translated from ... Japanese to Arabic and then from Arabic to English. This criticism carries on into this review as no other version of this movie is available with better subtitles. It's the only thing keeping me from recommending this movie to other people.

That said, I'm glad that this movie tried to make Kogoro a little more competent than he usually is. It's nice to see him get some action besides Conan. I also liked how the culprit was handled in this movie. We actually got to see him carry out the crime all while trying to keep his innocence. The only thing that I could complain about is Ran's reason to go back and get a special item she forgot, especially given the circumstance she was in at the time. No rational human being would ever do something like that in that situation! Over than that, this movie looks really great. After watching Jolly Roger in the Deep Azure and Requiem of the Detectives, I was relieved to see some kind of quality being put into the art and animation. It was like someone took the art style of early 2000's Conan and made it shine like the top of the Chrysler building. This movie is just so good to look at.

While I wouldn't personally recommend this movie to everybody, I'm glad that I enjoyed it this time. If you can get past the garbage subtitles, then what you will be left with is a very fun movie.

This movie is probably the most questionable in the entire series. It's so questionable, I don't know if I can even call it a movie. It's more like a TV special made to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the franchise, but ended up being turned into a movie instead. As much as this movie may have its fans, Detective Conan: Requiem of the Detectives fails to impress as not only an anniversary film, but a film in general.

The only saving grace about this movie is its story, which has Conan and the other detectives try to solve a case for a client before they all ... explode. There is some semblance of a looming sense of dread, as every moment is leading closer and closer to death as the movie goes on. There are even a few decent character moments here and there. Of course, this is where the praise for this movie stops.

While the story itself is good, the execution is extremely lacking. Despite being under pressure to solve a case as soon as possible, the way the scenes are shot fail to capture that urgency. Everything feels so slow and plain that it eliminates any semblance of tension that the characters may be under right now. What also ruins this movie even more is its art and animation. The Detective Conan movies usually have a level of polish that puts them above the anime series. Here, there is no trace of quality or refining done to either the art or animation. It is, quite literary, an extended episode.

If this were a TV special, then I wouldn't mind it so much (then I wouldn't even need to review it). But this isn't just a movie; it's a movie celebrating the 10th anniversary of the series. When put into that context, what does it have going for it? What can you watch in this movie that you can literally see in any other movie? Heiji and Kaito Kid? They already have their own movies. Everyone is going to be killed if Conan doesn't solve the case? Try the Eleventh Striker. Requiem of the Detectives' main problem is how basic it all is; every other movie before and after it did the same things that this movie does but even better. It's almost like this movie only had the story to work with and just did whatever with everything else.

Before I end this review, I do want to stress that this only just me speaking and that my opinion may not apply for everyone else. These movies are like different flavors of ice cream. Some are like chocolate. Some are like strawberry. Some are even like pistachio. If I had to define Requiem of the Detectives as an ice cream flavor, it would be vanilla. Not French vanilla or vanilla bean; just basic vanilla. Some people like vanilla and that's okay. Even I'm morbidly curious what maple bacon ice cream tastes like. As such, Requiem of the Detectives will always be somebody else's favorite Detective Conan movie no matter what I think of it.

Of all the Detective Conan movies out there, it is commonly agreed upon that Jolly Roger in the Deep Azure is the weakest film in the entire catalog. No big action scenes, no international stakes, and an overwhelming lack of fan-favorite characters. It's just Conan and the gang solving pirate-themed riddles at a small tourist island with the possibility of finding some lost treasure. While I wouldn't recommend this movie to people who want more action and fan-favorite characters in their movies, I will say that Detective Conan: Jolly Roger in the Deep Azure is still a fun and silly little adventure film that's still ... worth being remembered.

One of the things that I like about this movie is how it incorporates the pirate-themed elements in its mystery. Beginning as an innocent game of scavenger hunt only to turn into something much bigger is pretty well done. The way the movie parallels Ran and Sonoko with the pirates Anne and Mary is extremely silly, but fitting. The way Conan is given so much authority in the later parts of the movie is absolutely bonkers (it just works, okay?). In the end, I'm still confused about how much the culprit knew about the treasure in the first place. That said, one aspect that I find to be really worth mentioning is that not once does Ran whine for Shinichi to come and save her. Given who she is and how often she does it, it almost feels like something is wrong with her (crazy, right?). Music and animation are nothing to write home about; if you watch the anime, then you know what you're in for.

In the end, this isn't the kind of movie you watch for the thrills or fan service. This is the kind of movie that you watch on a lazy afternoon. Given this movie's reputation, I don't expect everyone to agree with me. The only consolation I need is the knowledge that I reviewed this film and judged it all on my own.

In terms of popularity, Detective Conan: Full Score of Fear pretty much gets the short end of the stick. Would people want to watch a movie with Conan confronting the Black Organization or a movie with Conan attending a concert that happens to be rigged with bombs? Doesn't sound that appealing, huh? Regardless, Full Score of Fear is a solid, well-made Detective Conan movie that is worth viewers' time.

Following a bombing incident at a music school, Conan must protect the lead singer from the perpetrator before the big performance at a grand opera. While this movie's premise is basic, it still makes it work with ... smooth pacing and little moments of character in the cast. The lead singer, Reiko, is interesting enough to work as a supporting character and the subplot with Ran and Shinichi is also kind of nice. While it would've been nice for the rest of the supporting cast to get this kind of treatment, it's obvious that the filmmakers chose to do this deliberately. What's also kind of fun is that the animators were able to sync the animation with the music and singing. On the subject of the music itself, it's great... perhaps too great. While the songs in this movie are very good, I felt a bit of sensory overload from it all. Since this might be a personal problem, I won't hold it against the film too much.

Now, one thing that I am still on the fence about is how Conan's tone-deafness is handled in this movie. To be tone-deaf means having no concept of relative pitch and the inability of to distinguish between two notes. So how does Conan, a character who is tone deaf, be able to not only clearly distinguish how flat a certain note is, but also sing in harmony with a character with perfect pitch, a quality unattainable by tone deaf people? My only solution is that Conan isn't really tone deaf; he just lacks proper training. After all, Conan was able to perfectly replicate the dial tones for the boss' phone number after listening to it once. To be truly tone deaf would mean to not be a great detective, as being a great detective would mean the ability to distinguish between different sounds (which is an ability Conan has). Well, it's definitely something to think about.

For a Detective Conan movie, its a pretty straight forward film. While lacking the appeal of more popular movies, one could consider this a hidden gem. If you are a big fan of classical music and would love to see it implemented in a mystery film, then consider Full Score of Fear a "full speed ahead".

A close acquaintance of mine once asked me "what, in my opinion, is the quintessential Detective Conan movie?". For some time, I thought that all a movie needed to be good was to have good pacing, clear focus, and an incentive to see things to the end. While those elements are necessary for a movie to be "good", what does it mean for a movie to be a "good Detective Conan movie"? In my mind, that kind of movie must embody everything Detective Conan is about; A brilliant detective robbed of his adult body that must solve murder cases with the police in order to ... bring the organization responsible to justice. In my journey to review each and every one of these movies, Detective Conan: The Raven Chaser not only fulfills the requirements to be a great movie overall, but also the best Detective Conan movie so far.

One of the best things this movie is able to do is juggle a massive cast of characters and make each and every one of them important. Conan isn't the only star of this film; we have Ran, Kogoro, the Detective Boys, Megure and the police force, and the Black Organization (not to mention the film's original characters). Despite the cast being massive, each and every person in this movie has a purpose that is essential to the resolution of the story. In most movies with a large cast, they often run the risk of either overstaying their welcome or just blend in with the background. In entire run time of this movie, not once did I experience that kind of blunder. This is only one of the several things this movie gets right.

Another thing that this movie gets right is its story. While the Black Organization is present in this film, the main focus for Conan (and for them as well) is to find the culprit responsible for the serial murders taking place all over Japan. With Conan's identity at stake, its a race against the clock to find the culprit before they do. This probably has to be one of the best constructed cases in the movies so far. The majhong tiles and the phrase "Tanabata... Kyo.." have more meaning behind them than one might think. This movie has so many layers that it is literary a treat to re-watch it over and over again. Along with the three elements I mentioned above, Raven Chaser is also an overall great movie.

As much as I love this movie, I will concede to it not being perfect. What happens to the Organization in the end is a bit unsatisfying, the reasoning for the true culprit is a bit of a stretch, one of the key plot points does reference a spoiler in the main series, and while the art style is great, it does utilize some pretty obvious CGI in a few spots. Not enough to ruin the film, but worth mentioning.

This movie is so good that the only bad thing about it is that every other movie after it always falls short because of it (all have tried, but none prevailed). Despite that, I'm truly happy that a movie like this exists. If anyone were to ask me what the quintessential Detective Conan movie is, I would point them to Raven Chaser any day of the week.

I used to really love this movie, even if I did derive most of that enjoyment from how absurd it is. I was really looking forward to watching this movie again. But sadly, Detective Conan: The Lost Ship in the Sky has finally lost its appeal on me after so long.

To start, it's not because of the way Kaito Kid is portrayed. One of the main complaints about Kaito Kid is how goofy he is presented here and that it is inconsistent with his character. This complaint largely comes from people who enjoy a more mysterious and cooler Kaito Kid like the one from ... The Last Wizard of the Century, The Private Eyes' Requiem and Sunflowers of Inferno. While I do sympathize with these complaints, Kaito Kid has always been a goofball in his original story. Even in the Detective Conan universe, Kaito Kid does every now and then exhibit that quirky incompetence that makes him such a lovable character. It's kind of ironic that fans would prefer a character's "poker face" over their true self.

Also, If this is your first time watching this movie, then you will probably really enjoy it. When I first saw this movie, it made me very excited and kept me on the edge of my seat the whole way through (even when they did drop the ball towards the end). My complaints largely come from seeing this movie enough times to know what's going to happen next and coming to terms with just how ridiculous this movie truly is. So if you still haven't seen this movie yet, don't worry about what I have to say and just watch it.

My main problems with this movie comes down to a number of things:
1. The first act is way too slow and doesn't kick off until the raid.
2. The villains are way too despicable and arrogant to be enjoyable.
3. The plot twists towards the end are so stupid, it destroys any semblance of suspense it had going for it.
4. The movie spends so much time building up how serious this threat is that when the truth is revealed, it becomes extremely anticlimactic. You'd swear this whole movie was just one big joke.
5. Least of all, it copies the plot from the 1988 action film, Die Hard. They even put Heiji in the role of "the dark-skinned buddy who helps the main character over the phone". Normally, I don't complain when a movie rips off another. But because this movie didn't try to do anything new with it, it becomes quite disappointing.

Once again, I'm not telling you to hate this film. If you really enjoy it and love it despite its shortcomings, then more power to you. Believe me, I wanted to love this movie like I did before. But since I am the way I am, I just can't appreciate it like I did back then.
(That said, I'd still take it over The Crimson Love Letter any day)

Detective Conan: Quarter of Silence has an interesting premise for an anniversary film. Instead of starring the Black Organization or Kaito Kid, the fifteenth installment of the film franchise instead opts for a more unorthodox perspective: that being Conan and his friends having fun at a snow festival... all while the looming danger of a local dam threatens to destroy the town and everyone inside. Hey, that's how it be sometimes.

For the majority of the film, Conan and the gang get to chill and have fun experiencing the wonders of winter. To be fair, there hasn't been a Conan film so far that has ... been set in a snowy environment. As such, it wins points for originality. That said, it mostly feels like we're waiting for something to happen rather than doing anything about it. While it does pick up later on, the movie seems to be spending more time meandering around the town bumping into convenient clues that eventually lead to the case being resolved. Like The Darkest Nightmare, mystery is not the focus of this film.

Even though the majority of the second act is dedicated to frolicking in a winter wonderland, it does have a silver lining. Let's just say that a certain character appears who is crucial to the resolution of this case. His development as he tries to cope with reality is probably the most intriguing aspect of this film. Had it not been for this character, Conan and everyone else would've just been playing around in the snow the whole time.

Of course, when the movie does pick up, it picks up really fast. The third act is easily the best part of the film as everything that has been building up to this point has finally been resolved and we are treated to some of the best action scenes that has ever come out of the movies so far. If there is anything that is worth sticking around for in this film, its the climax.

When it comes to the art, the character models are on point and the environments are well detailed. The snow effects and the establishing shots in this films are very well done. That said, the running cycles do appear to be inconsistent with the ground they are running on. It's hard to explain, but you'll see what I mean. The music is still as serviceable as ever, but this time we get treated to two very prominent tracks: White Crisis and the Quarter of Silence Ballad Version. Both tracks are very good and worth listening to by themselves.

In conclusion, Detective Conan: Quarter of Silence is a movie that's... okay. Not too good and not too bad, but still memorable enough to be worth mentioning. Definitely the kind of movie to watch during Christmas season, like Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer or The Day After Tomorrow (okay, maybe not that last one). Either way, be sure to bundle up when watching this winter-themed movie (preferably with hot coco and a warm fire).

For a while, I've always considered this film to be extremely underrated. Despite what many fans will lead you to believe, Detective Conan: The Eleventh Striker is a solid movie with more good points than bad. In my review, I'll do my best to give my reasons for why I consider this movie to be a good movie.

One of the first complaints has to do with soccer being a prominent theme, which people claim comes across as shallow pandering. While it's true that this movie does heavily feature Japanese Soccer League players, what people forget is that Conan is a big soccer fan. It'd be ... like bashing Phantom of Baker Street just because it panders too much to Sherlock fans. Even if the movie was J-league fan service, that doesn't change the fact that the movie still makes use of the soccer themes and characters in the main story.

Another complaint has to do with how this movie copies the story of another movie in the series, specifically the Time-Bombed Skyscraper. While that movie is fun, I did think that there were some places it could improve on. For instance, the lack of mystery surrounding the main culprit. Here, they at least tried to complicate things with extra suspects and other elements to help engage the audience in figuring out whodunit. The soccer references, refined art style and epic cinematography help give it its own unique shine while polishing out the kinks in the original framework.

In terms of legitimate criticism, there are some things I do consider to be slight nitpicks. While the music is serviceable, it can sometimes sound very "Rugrats-like", with the exception of the song that plays when everything explodes (that song is awesome). The resolution at the end is very cheesy, but it's still really satisfying ("the eleventh striker was you after all"). While the J-league does have a purpose in the main plot, it would've been nice to see them after the criminal was caught. Would've given them some nice closure, ya know?

Overall, this movie is too good to be getting all of this undeserved flak. A good Detective Conan movie doesn't need Kaito Kid or the Black Organization to be good (that in itself is its own form of pandering). As long as the movie stays true to what Detective Conan is, it doesn't matter how much soccer fan service there is. Of all the movies that I've reviewed so far, Detective Conan: The Eleventh Striker is, indeed, faithful to what Detective Conan is.