Police Detectives are being murdered at an alarming rate. They are some of the highest profile officers and the list of suspects contains a few of the most powerful people in the city. On a fateful rainy day, one of these Detectives is gunned down right in front of Conan Edogawa. It just so happens that Conan possesses the mind of one of the world's greatest young detectives, Jimmy Kudo, trapped in a 10 year-old's body. The question is, who did it? Now it is up to the little detective along with the help of his bumbling front man, Richard Moore, to solve the crime.
We in the US have Scooby Doo, Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. The Japanese have young detective Conan Edogawa and theCase Closed franchise. This long-running series has something that Scooby Doo and the others don't have, writing and development. Case Closed has a long-standing reputation for adding suspense to these animated crime dramas. Growing up watching American TV and the pablum that it consistently produces is mind-numbing at best. With Case Closed the animation may not be top flight CG, but the writing is head and shoulders above any other crime dramas I have experienced.
Overall
In Case Closed: Captured in Her Eyes, the story takes several turns and offers up at the minimum 3 solid suspects for the murderer. It is not Uncle Fred or the long slighted butler who wants the family farm or mansion. These 3 have very different reasons, from political coverup to revenge for incompetency or even drug dealing. The story may be aimed at a younger audience but the subject matter has an adult context to it.
I cannot go so far as to say that Case Closed: Captured in Her Eyes is a masterpiece of crime drama, but it is a refreshing addition to the tired genre that the West has to offer. There are flaws in this production and the writing is not spectacular by any means. I found several gaps in the plot that left me somewhat miffed, but I still must state that if you are a fan of Scooby Doo then you will be singing the praises of the Case Closed franchise. The one thing I did find interesting is that the way the mystery is solved was not provided in the standard Case Closed way. Jimmy, or should I say Conan, did not knock out Richard Moore and hide behind him to reveal the mystery. This time it was solved in a rather standard mode, the criminal giving himself away by trying to kill again in public. It was very out of place for the franchise and I found it to be a nice change of pace.
If you are a fan of Case Closed then you will want to own this movie, and if you are someone who likes animated crime mysteries, then this would be a great place to discover the Case Closed world. It might just suck you in.
ComicsOnline gives Case Closed: Captured in Her Eyes 3 out of 5 bullet head kids.
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