#or when they named shinichi freaking JIMMY

[tsunflowers]

Extremely wild day in the Detective Conan fandom that I need to tell as many people as I can about. The latest film (which is currently only in Japanese theatres) has apparently revealed that Spoilers:

Shinichi Kudo (the real identity of Conan Edogawa from before he got shrunk into a 7 year-old body) & Kaito Kuroba (the real identity of Kaito Kid) are actually cousins (their dads each took a different family name when their parents divorced).

KaiShin/ShinKai has long been a very popular ship in Japan (despite the fact that the actual plot is very blunt about the girls each of them is going to eventually end up with). And when I say “very popular”, I mean in general, not just within the Detective Conan fandom. Shippers in the English-fandom are doom spiraling, while most other regions seems fine with it.

https://twitter.com/Kastoriaaa/status/1778761128224735264

(Because of seeing this tweet I specifically looked up “新快” and “快新” on twitter, and google translate is giving me the impression that the main reaction from Japanese shippers has been “cousins can get married, so it’s fine”. Side note: learning that first cousins can get married in Japan gives me some context for that gross thing in Ninninger where Yakumo apparently had a childhood crush on Kasumi and no one reacted grossed out to this information & just teased him about it.)

Anyways, regardless of if you think it is okay to ship cousins (I personally am not okay with it), the English fans saying that this revelation means the author suddenly decided to add this to spite fans and/or the author has been queerbaiting (since KaiShin/ShinKai merch makes a ton of money) are just wrong because:

Kaito Kid was the protagonist of “Magic Kaito”, the author’s manga before Detective Conan, and later got brought into Conan as a reoccurring character. From the start, and they have always had very similar faces and voices (they have the same VA)

Even if you try to dismiss this as the wanting to give the VA more work & author’s artstyle having same-face syndrome (which to a certain extent he does), it has been explicitly acknowledge in-universe they are almost identical beyond their hairstyles.

(Please forgive the official English translation of the manga still calling Shinichi “Jimmy”)So this is a reveal that has most likely been in the works for a while now.

This is is Shuichi Akai & Akemi Miyano. They canonically dated before Akemi was killed near the beginning of the series, and both are very important reoccurring characters to the plot (though in Akemi’s case it is primarily through flashbacks from various other characters).

Like 5-10 years ago, the author revealed that their mothers are/were actually sister, and later explicitly confirmed at a fan panel that that means they are/were first cousins.

(Note: afaik no single person in-universe knows both that they were related and were dating. Akai would actually probably be pretty bothered if he learned they were cousins, because he was born in England and went to study in America (and later join the FBI) while the rest of his family moved to Japan after his dad died, so unlike most of the main cast he would not have grown-up in a cultural where that is at all seen as okay.)

So setting aside the fact that Akai/Akemi demonstrates the author is more okay with kissing cousins than he should be, Shinichi and Kaito being revealed as cousins is not an act of homophobia to spite the fujoshis.

-

I’m glad that you told me all this bc I’ve seen people freaking out but you’ve provided some context that I didn’t have before. now I think this is a fun reveal. they look the same bc this is what mr aoyama thinks is a good design for a protagonist and he’s decided to say in-universe they look the same bc they’re cousins. I don’t know or care about the ship so I think it’s cute for them to be related

also I feel like he can’t not know how big the ship is but I agree he probably did not make this decision just to spite shippers

[sylviareviar]

tbh yeah it really is but because I started with the dub it feels so weird to call him Shinichi even though that's literally his name. Jimmy feels right, and I hate that it does. It's quite literally the worst translated name in the whole show.

But Serena Sebastian is Sonoko (and I honestly don't remember her last name, I just... I have such bad memory of names, I'm so sorry) and I think that's cute.

Rachel is pretty, too, and it genuinely fits her. And I understand that there's cultural differences with Conan calling her Ran-neechan in the Japanese version, but the fact that in English he doesn't sister-zone her feels better to me, because then at least there's some room for ambiguity and it doesn't feel like Conan is straight-up lying to her face (even though he totally is).

And Vi Graythorn is an AWESOME name, I'm so happy she's called that (because I actually watched like four movies now and she's amazing in all of them god bless her soul--)

And Juzo Megure? Joseph Meguire. Fucking perfect. Agasa-hakase/Professor Agasa is Dr. Agasa, which in my opinion fits so much better.

Now that I've watched quite a bit further into the show, I can say for certain that although Jimmy/Shinichi's inner voice can be a bit dull sometimes, there actually is quite a bit of emotion in it and the acting is genuinely really good, it's just that the language and cultural barrier can sometimes make it seem like he's not actually all that enthusiastic about what he does. Plus, his saccharine voice when he pretends to be a kid is so forcibly innocent that it's freaking creepy. Thing is, they succeeded in making that a thing in the English dub, too. He sounds and looks and acts like a kid, right? But then he flips a switch and all of a sudden you're staring down a demon with a Big Brain.

And also, I know I said just now that Jimmy feels right as opposed to Shinichi, but when I write Jimmy for my currently-very-behind-on-the-series fanfic drafts (since I have a Ditto RP account here, I've been brainrotting wondering how tf Conan would react if Pokemon suddenly came into existence/if he met a Ditto and tried to figure it out, because he's a huge skeptic and doesn't believe in the impossible, soooo) it also somehow feels wrong. And yet Shinichi isn't any better. Couldn't they have come up with a better name for him? Shane? Shawn/Shaun/Sean? Hell, I'm looking up some names right now that would be better than fucking Jimmy.

"Shan," for instance, is similar to Shinichi, and it's derived from the Gaelic word for "old" or "wise," the latter of which would definitely fit Shinichi's character.

Admittedly, after a few minutes of searching on the internet for suitable names, I can't really find many other good candidates for English names for Jimmy to replace... well, Jimmy. At this point, English names have become a habit for me, and I'm sort of clinging to them like a lifeline right now, as wrong as that might be. And Jimmy's kinda stuck for this long anyway. RIP Jimmy Kudo's name, it can't be fixed. It's forever broken.

Anyway if there're any Conan Edogawa/Shinichi Kudo RPers out there hmu at @wild-ditto-appeared bc I need me some content of Conan trying to figure out what the hell this chewed-up wad of gum with a face is. I doubt anyone will lmao but it's worth a shot.

Am I the only one who likes the English dub of Detective Conan (Case Closed) by FUNimation?

I wouldn't ask for them to continue doing what they did before, of course. The way they do things now with keeping the names of the characters Japanese is way better, in my opinion. It doesn't whitewash them and it doesn't downplay their culture just by making it so that we can understand it. But for an 80s show, it was surprisingly really good.

Their names are kept similar to their Japanese names, whether it's in sound or (and this is just my hypothesis, I'm not educated about this so if I'm wrong feel free to correct me) in name rarity. Shinichi's name being "Jimmy" is probably the worst example in my opinion. Everyone else's names are perfectly fine. If they continued dubbing the series, I wouldn't mind them keeping everything the way it was. Again, I'm not saying I'd prefer this to be the case for every anime. It's just that this is the only anime I've seen where English names and voices don't affect the story too much for me, and even when Japanese characters were used, there were jokes and jabs made at Japanese classes Richard/Kogoro had apparently taken (and failed lmao loser)

But like... Has no one else noticed the pattern with the names?

Ran = Rachel (beautiful name for a beautiful girl imo)

Amiyu = Amy

Mouri = Moore

Kogoro (and old man's name) = Richard (also an old man's name)

Shinichi = Jimmy (the worst equivalent, and even then it's not mind-meldingly terrible for me)

Conan is still Conan because they need the detective reference and that's international, so good on him

Mitsuhiko = Mitch, based on the first two syllables of his name

Genta = George, which also sounds kinda similar

tbh i totally forget what Jimmy/Shinichi's parents' names are (I know his dad is Yusaku bc it's hard to forget the name of a wild-haired protagonist from Yu-Gi-Oh! but his mom's name is completely lost on me in Japanese, only that she's Vivian in English), and I have yet to meet Ran/Rachel's mom in Japanese so I only know her as Ava. But still, the names seem to genuinely fit. I wonder what they would've named Ai Haibara in English if they had the chance to get to that point. Would her name be Ally/Allie, based on an ironic pun of her origins? Who knows?

The point is, the story didn't exactly change (at least, from what I understand, it didn't undergo a Yu-Gi-Oh! 4Kidz level of censorship)

And is it just me, or is Ran a really strange name for a character to have? I like Rachel better, though maybe I'm biased because I'm American.

Basically, the point I'm trying to make here is that my unpopular opinion states that I wish FUNimation had continued dubbing Case Closed because Conan's voice was incredible and the voice acting was truly gorgeous, Jimmy's such a little shit and Richard is such a bastard and Rachel is so kind and strong and WHY ARE THEY CALLED THE DETECTIVE BOYS WHEN THEY HAVE AMY WITH THEM JUNIOR DETECTIVE LEAGUE IS A MUCH BETTER NAME AND--

That's my two cents, anyway. Again, I wouldn't wish for this kind of thing to be continued for other anime today. But since FUNimation had started it already, I wouldn't mind if they didn't change a thing and just kept going with it. As far as English dubs go, there have been much worse examples that completely ruined the story. Compared to that, Case Closed is a goddamn masterpiece and I will die on this hill.

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk

[onereadthroughprevails-blog]

Detective Conan/Case Closed Re-Read Through: Volume Eighteen

This volume ends with solving the case from the last volume. Conan solves the case of the murder of the actor’s wife using Kogoro/Richard. Which is pretty cool, because there’s two identical rooms on two different floors of the apartment complex. It was a really crafty trick. Then, Ran/Rachel, Sonoko/Serena and Conan are dusting and cleaning Shinichi/Jimmy’s house. Ran/Rachel brings up the question of who Shinichi/Jimmy’s first love was. Then a girl named Asami, who used to go to their high school, shows up because she invited Shinichi/Jimmy to her birthday party that her college’s mystery club is celebrating at a vacation home. She then invites Ran/Rachel, Sonoko/Serena, Conan, and also Kogoro/Richard along. Everything is fun, until Asami is left sleeping at the house while everyone is at karaoke and the house catches on fire. Then there is a transfer student at Conan’s school, a girl named Ai/Anita. She goes with the Detective Boys/Junior Detective League as they solve the mystery of this boy’s big brother who went missing. This woman in black kidnapped him to continue making counterfeit bills, but it turns out she doesn’t have any connection to the Black Organization/Syndicate. Then, Ai/Anita reveals that her codename is Sherry, and she developed the drug that made Shinichi/Jimmy shrink into Conan. But she severed her ties with the Black Organization/Syndicate after they killed her sister and is now living with Professor/Doctor Agasa. Conan goes with them to try to find some discs that her sister sent her old professor that may have information about the drug on them. The old man turns out to have been murdered once they arrive at his home and it’s a locked room murder. 

So, without further ado, here we go. 

Least Favorite Moment:

You knew I was going to mention this, right? Anita Hailey instead of Ai Haibara. That’s going to take awhile to get used to. At least they didn't change the name Sherry. 

They call it the Syndicate instead of the Black Organization, and I don’t really know why. It’s weird. But Gin talking about Sherry is freaking creepy. His creepy smile. *shudders*

Most Favoritest Thing:

I was so excited to see Takagi! He’s talking to Inspector Meguire about the identical rooms. He’s not acting like a goober yet, lmao. And he actually listens to Conan! 

Mitsuhiko/Mitch asserting that the new girl’s personality is more important than what she looks like. He is so precious. I love him. 

Funniest Moment:

Conan flipping out when Asami tells them what Shinichi/Jimmy’s response was to her confession. And Ran/Rachel not realizing that it’s her, lmao. 

Saddest Moment:

Ran/Rachel comparing herself to Asami and doubting herself. Also, Conan is sitting right next to her, so I believe that “Rachel” is Shinichi/Jimmy’s thought. 

Ai/Anita remembering her sister’s death. 

Cutest Moment:

Here we go again, to the RAN/RACHEL KNOWS face. It was cute that Conan gave her the helmet to protect her hair and face. 

Favorite Case:

Ai/Anita cries when Inspector Meguire yells at her for shooting this gun, lmao. Just to keep up the facade that she’s a child. 

Side Note: I love this picture of Ai/Anita.

I love this part, lmao. Especially because he thinks he’s screwed, and then it’s like, nope. Nope, she didn’t actually kill Professor/Doctor Agasa. She’s hiding out at his house. 

Favorite Character:

It’s really weird, but I actually really liked Asami. Despite her spreading rumors and trying to sabotage Ran/Rachel making pie. She’s older now, so I don’t really hold that against her. And she knows that Shinichi/Jimmy likes Ran/Rachel, so it’s cute. I’m glad Ran/Rachel saved her from the fire. 

That’s it for this volume! A lot of stuff happened in this one, so stay tuned for the next one!

[onereadthroughprevails-blog]

Detective Conan/Case Closed Re-Read Through: Volume Sixteen

Alright, it’s time for Volume 16! This volume starts off with the case from the last volume where the chairman’s son is accused of killing someone, but then they find that the son committed suicide. There’s a combination of Heiji/Harley and Conan using Kogoro/Richard to deduce who the murderer actually was. Then the vice principal of the elementary school has been gone for a couple of days and the Detective Boys/Junior Detective League visit the school overnight. There has been something creepy spotted running around the school at night, so they also check into that. Nobody actually dies in this case and it turns out pretty happy. I was surprised. After that, Sonoko/Serena’s family gets a note from Kaito Kid threatening to steal a precious jewel. Conan finally meets up with Kid and I’ll mostly be talking about that case, so yeah. And the volume ends on a cliffhanger, where Kogoro/Richard, Ran/Rachel, and Conan go to a famous pottery makers place where he has three apprentices. But then they find his late son’s wife hanging in the pottery shed. At first it seems like suicide, but Conan suspects murder. 

Here we go!

Least Favorite Thing:

This is the second time that Nobuko, the eldest daughter of the chairman, slaps the chairman’s secretary, named Miyuki. Miyuki was engaged to the chairman’s son, and Nobuko was still single. So, apparently she was jealous. I just don’t like physical violence. She slapped her in the last volume, but I didn’t mention it. 

Most Favoritest Thing:

Definitely Conan meeting Kaito Kid for the first time! Them meeting on the rooftop is freaking awesome. I love this scene. <3

Funniest Moment:

Heji/Harley and Conan yelling at each other about forgetting to find proof for the murder. lmao. 

Saddest Moment:

ABORT MISSION. This is too sad! This moment is one that stuck with me too though, despite not having read it in forever. I’m glad Shinichi/Jimmy shares what he’s learned with Heiji/Harley.

Fun fact: In my junior film for college, I actually had the detective stop the criminal from committing suicide which was loosely based off of the ending to this case. 

Cutest Moment:

Amy talking about checking on the fishies. That’s also when she spotted a figure running through the school. 

Favorite Case:

Of course it would have to be the case with Kaito Kid! This art is beautiful.

I like how he was able to figure out that Ran/Rachel was Kaito Kid. I think Kaito Kid did that to test him, lmao. 

I just noticed that he’s holding the bra strap in his mouth. lmao. 

I think Conan’s reaction to this is funnier than the actual situation. Because he was pretty freaked out. 

Favorite Character:

Ran/Rachel thinks she’s spotted Shinichi/Jimmy at the beginning of the case, but it’s actually Kaito Kuroba.

THERE’S THAT SMILE AGAIN. SHINICHI YOU ARE NOT SAFE. SHE KNOWS.

Ahhh...Ran/Rachel, because she definitely knows at this point. She’s pretending that she doesn’t. 

That’s it for Volume 16! Volume 17 probably won’t be out for a couple more days because I am hella busy. Until then! 

[onereadthroughprevails-blog]

Detective Conan/Case Closed Re-Read Through: Volume Twelve

This volume has ALL of the pictures, and also all of the explosions. not really there are other explosions later im sure

In this volume Professor/Doctor Agasa takes the Detective Boys/Junior Detective League to his late uncle’s mansion for a “treasure hunt.” But when they discover the treasure chest full of toys they are all slashed and the teddy bear is stabbed violently. Then they find the person who did it and Conan does some awesome crap to knock him out until the police arrive. (Super shoes are definitely used here.) Then there’s new detective game coming out where you solve a case with help from Detective Kogoro Mouri/Richard Moore, but while there Conan follows a guy named Tequila and then an explosion happens. Then later on another explosion happens after the case gets solved. And finally, Conan, Kogoro/Richard, and Ran/Rachel go on a Holmes Freaks Tour thing that Conan got accepted into because he is a huge Sherlock Holmes fan. And then surprise! Heiji/Harley shows up trying to find Kudo/Jimmy and becomes increasingly suspicious of Conan!

Here are my 1am in the morning thoughts about all of this, enjoy.

Least Favorite Thing:

Still complaining about Gin and Vodka being Melkior and and Kaspar, but at least they’re trying, right? Ehhhh.... 

ALSO THERE ARE SO MANY TYPOS IN THIS VOLUME, lmao (Codes names)

Most Favoritest Thing:

I knew about Heiji/Harley showing up, but I had totally forgotten about that fortune-teller lady! I thought it was pretty awesome. I hope she comes back, but she probably won’t, lmao. 

Funniest Moment:

DORKS, BEAUTIFUL DORKS

Conan and Heiji/Harley bumping their head against each other, because it sort of clues Heiji/Harley into Conan’s deductive reasoning skills. You guys shall be bros soon.

You go girl! Kick the crap out of those perverts, Ran/Rachel! Unless it’s Conan, lmao. 

Saddest Moment:

RIP Tequila...and Conan’s tiny angry fist of fury. 

*spoilers* This was actually an unexpected murder, so...Tequila didn’t even have a good reason for his death, he died instead of the person that the bombs were actually meant for. AND IN THE PROCESS LOST CONAN HIS LEAD. 

Cutest Moment:

Yeeesss, worry about the Cone. He almost just died from that explosion!

Here is a cute, happy Cone, talking about Sherlock Holmes.

Cone is protecting this little lady from getting hurt. I appreciate that. 

Favorite Case:

The Holmes Freaks Tour, that involves Heiji/Harley! This case is so memorable because of that. ALSO, LOOK AT THIS BEAUTIFUL ART! (Not good quality, but...ehhhh) THEY ARE MY BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN

Favorite Character:

Shinichi/Jimmy is so cute when he’s excited about cases...I just...FRRSKFSSSSSHGGFLWNFWFBIUKGFBUG...

And then THIS...THIS BROKE MY HEART...

I just keep realizing more and more how difficult it must be for Shinichi/Jimmy to keep up his Conan persona. If I think about it too much, I get super depressed. 

BUT ITS ONLY BEEN HALF A YEAR, RIGHT, GOSHO?! NEVER MIND THAT ITS BEEN TWENTY PLUS YEARS IN REAL TIME

Alright, well...that’s it for this volume. It ends on a cliffhanger for the Holmes Freaks Tour, but it will get solved in the next volume!

[onereadthroughprevails-blog]

Detective Conan/Case Closed Re-Read Through: Volume Thirteen

Okaaay, this volume is full of head smashing/bashing, stabbing, and slight foreshadowing. 

This volume concludes the murders that took place on the Holmes Freaks Tour, where Conan uses Heiji/Harley to make his deductions. Surprise, Heiji/Harley now knows that Conan is actually Shinichi/Jimmy! Next, Conan, Ran/Rachel, and Sonoko/Serena, travel to a summer villa where Sonoko/Serena’s older sister Ayako is meeting the family of her fiancé Yuzo. But then it appears that Yuzo murdered his father! What a twist. Next, there’s a case where Kogoro/Richard is meeting an artist to have a discussion with him, but it appears that a lady who also works for the company has committed suicide by jumping off of her apartment’s balcony right across the street. And finally, Professor Agasa takes the Detective Boys/Junior Detective League to the set of the last Gomera film. The kids witness someone in the Gomera costume murder the film producer, and Conan uses Professor Agasa to make his deductions for the first time. (I believe.)  

Least Favorite Thing:

I was at work and I was internally screaming when I read this. I HATE this form of death. It is the worst. This is like my least favorite way you could kill someone, by smashing them on the head. Especially with a rock. 

OHHH LOOK. More head bashing, with an ash tray. AAHHHHHH...no. 

Later on the murderer is like, “I’m sorry you children had to witness that.” YEAH, ME TOO. Freaking traumatic. 

Most Favoritest Thing:

Conan be like, I ain’t covering for you. Ayako’s fiancé did it! Good job, Conan. 

*spoilers* He has two other identical looking brothers, so...

Funniest Moment:

The struggle is real. How can he put Sonoko/Serena to sleep if you keep being a mom, Ran/Rachel? 

Mom, let me solve crimes!!! 

Mom, I just want to stay longer to solve this crime!!! 

They wanted to film Kogoro/Richard in a sleeping pill commercial, lmao. He should have done it!

Saddest Moment:

*shakes head* Jimmy/Shinichi can’t even defend himself in front of Ran/Rachel. Thanks, Heiji/Harley. 

Cutest Moment: 

Look at these two cuties laughing together! 

Kogoro/Richard thought he was going to be modeling, not just having a discussion. They found it rather amusing. 

Favorite Case:

Surprisingly, it was the case with Gomera, which will be further discussed. Also, I LOVE Conan’s snazzy little jacket. 

To be honest, I’m surprised Conan hasn’t snapped at them like this sooner. 

Tomomi is this ladies name, and I think this part is really sad. She doesn’t want her cast mate to go to jail for the murder. 

FORESHADOWING *coughcoughcough* 

Ran’s second suspicion is coming up soon, and knowing that I knew that this was kind of foreshadowing to that. Which was really cool, I mean this was close to the end of the volume. 

Favorite Character:

How could it not be, Heiji/Harley?!? He came to the realization that Conan was Shinichi/Jimmy without a lot of help. I’m excited to see how his character develops by being friends with Shinichi/Jimmy. 

At the end of this volume, Gosho states how it’s been 3 years since he started Detective Conan. AHHHH...BUT IT’S BEEN SO LONG NOW, GOSHO. 

That’s it for this volume! It doesn’t end on a cliffhanger, so the next volume will have a brand new case at the beginning! Until then!