Teenage detective Jimmy Kudo aids the local police department in solving crimes. Although a junior in high school, he uses his keen powers of observation to search for clues and confront criminals. As the son of a mystery writer, he mimics his idol Sherlock Holmes, while trying to maintain his teenage relationship with his girlfriend Rachel. After being poisoned he wakes up changed and is forced to adopt a secret identity.
A Mystery Manga For Young Adults
Solving murders comes naturally to teenager Jimmy Kudo in Gosho Aoyama’s Case Closed manga series. However, while on a date with Rachel, a Karate champion, to the local amusement park, he is ambushed after witnessing a crime. He’s slipped a poison, but instead of dying, his body reverts back to the age of six. His neighbor, the inventor Dr. Agasa, convinces Jimmy to hide his identity in case his attempted killer returns. Jimmy, who still possesses his intelligence, adopts the name Conan Edogawa in order to track down his ambusher and cure himself.
Rachel, unaware that Conan Edogawa is actually Jimmy, takes him home to live with her and her father, an incompetent private detective. As Rachel’s father takes cases, Conan finds ways to tag along. With his new body, he’s quickly ignored, but finds ingenious ways to help Rachel’s father to solve crimes. Physically weak, he can no longer capture criminals and must rely on his girlfriend for defense as well.
In Volume One of Case Closed, Jimmy/Conan undergoes his change and also solves a series of individual mysteries. Murders and kidnapping told in short chapters filled with interesting twists make for enjoyable mystery short stories. The supporting characters are interesting and provide comic relief, and although the main character lacks charm at times, the story is enjoyable. There is violence, ranging from cartoonish to intense, but the focus is on mind over matter which will engage readers.
Case Closed A Long Running Manga Series
Titled Meitantei Conan in Japan the series originated in 1994. There are dozens of volumes to the Case Closed series and volume one is an engaging start. The art creates a fast paced story and for the most part subscribes to manga conventions of cuteness and humor. The language is easy and accessible for young adult readers while the stories themselves can be quite clever. The overall series story arc and the main character’s relationship with his girlfriend provide marginal interest compared to the individual mystery cases which can be read fairly quickly.
With a clever main character and a strong female lead Case Closed has broad appeal. The homage to Sherlock Holmes is found throughout with a dash of James Bond thrown in as well. Although new ground in the mystery genre is not being broken, fans of Agatha Christie, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, or the Encyclopedia Brown series may enjoy the light form the Case Closed manga series provides.
Case Closed Volume One (ISBN 1-59116-327-7) by Gosho Aoyama was published by Viz Media in 2004.
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