Case Closed, volume 1 by Gosho Aoyama, Viz Media, 1994.ISBN: 978-1-59116-327-5
Plot Summary
As a famous teen sleuth, junior Jimmy Kudo has a bright future ahead of him even if he still can’t work up the nerve to tell Rachel Moore that he loves her. Naturally, when Jimmy takes Rachel to an amusement park he expects to have fun and maybe even impress her enough for her to take notice of him. But his plans go awry when Jimmy surreptitiously follows two mysterious looking men and observes them engaging in a nefarious transaction. Suddenly, the two men knock him out after forcing an unknown potion down his throat. Upon awakening, Jimmy finds out that he has been turned into a little boy. Without a way of surviving in the city by himself, he turns to his neighbor, Dr. Agasa, hoping for shelter and a possible cure. Although Dr. Agasa does not know how to turn Jimmy back into his former self he comes up with a plan. Jimmy is to take on a false identity and live with Rachel while the doctor finds a cure. Because Rachel’s father is a detective, the two hope that Jimmy will stumble upon valuable information that will help him turn back into a teenager. But the doctor’s plan is more difficult than is first supposed as Jimmy must turn Rachel’s buffoonish father into a competent detective. Add the fact that Rachel keeps trying to take care of little Jimmy while sharing her secrets with him and Jimmy is in for a lot more than he originally thought! Will Jimmy be able to make Rachel’s father into a renowned detective and find a cure or will he be doomed to be a little kid forever?
Critical Evaluation
Case Closed (originally known as Detective Conan in Japan) is a shōnen manga* that currently has over 760 chapters (One Manga, n.d.). Volume one (which contains the first nine chapters) begins the series by introducing some of the major characters including Jimmy, Conan (Jimmy’s little boy self), Rachel, Dr. Agasa, and Richard Moore (Rachel’s inept father). While there is much to love about Case Closed, the plot structure is perhaps one of the most pleasing parts of the book. Within two chapters, called files, Conan must solve a mystery. Reminiscent of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes short stories, within one or two chapters Conan must gather facts, analyze them and solve the mystery while making it appear that Richard Moore is the true genius. Each mystery contains a perfect blend of fact-finding and action while cases range from kidnapping to murder. Aoyama’s artwork serves as a perfect complement to the text, as it depicts both graphic details and sweet scenes. In fact, Aoyama treats readers of volume one to an odd juxtaposition of decapitation and stabbing alongside sweet pictures of Conan eating meatballs and smiling. As bizarre as it might seem Aoyama somehow makes the images work together to create a compelling graphic novel that will have younger as well as older teens clamoring to read it. Overall, Aoyama’s Case Closed is a wonderful series with a fully realized plot and visually pleasing illustrations that will engage the most reluctant of readers.
One Manga (n.d.) Detective Conan manga. Retrieved from http://www.onemanga.com/Detective_Conan/.
*Shōnen manga is manga that targets readers that are aged ten and up. However, I chose to include Case Closed in my blog because Viz ratings (as depicted on the U.S. cover) maintains that the series is targeted toward older teens.
Reader’s Annotation
When the genius teen detective, Jimmy Kudo, is magically turned into a six-year-old boy he must find a way to turn himself back into his seventeen-year-old self. In the meantime, Jimmy solves crimes and pines after his teenage crush.
About the Author
Gosho Aoyama lives in Japan where he writes various mangas including the popular Case Closed series. He always enjoyed drawing and, in first grade, one of his drawings won a competition. He went on to study at the Nihon University College of Art in Toyko and won a manga contest during his freshman year (EdogawaraConan, 2008). He would go on to write various mangas until he wrote his first volume of Case Closed in 1994. Currently Case Closed is made up of 72 volumes (only 38 are in English) but it is still ongoing and is published weekly in Shogakukan's Weekly Shōnen Sunday.
When not writing, he enjoys eating rice with curry (AnimeNewsNetwork). He also owns a bike shop and a grocery store (EdogawaraConan, 2008).
AnimeNewsNetwork. (2011). Gosho Aoyama. Retrieved from http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=4883
EdogawaraConan. (2008). Original illustrator. Retrieved from http://www.edogawaconan.com/modules/about/index.php?pagenum=2
Genre
Manga, Mystery, Science fiction
Tags
Boy detective, kidnapping, murder, pop star, unrequited love, crush, dog, mistaken identity, potion, magic, cute
Curriculum Ties
This would pair nicely with the Sherlock Holmes books by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Some of the chapters would also work well in a unit on how to create short stories.
Booktalk Ideas
--Dress up as little boy Jimmy/Konan and give your book talk from his perspective.
--Introduce one of the cases in the book and give some possible solutions. Explain how Jimmy would solve the case.
Reading Level/Interest Age
Reading Level: 2nd grade
Interest Level: 7th-12th grade (12-18 yrs.)
The reading level is according to the Flesch-Kincaid Reading Level tool found in Microsoft Word.
Challenge Issues
Case Closed, volume 1 may be challenged as it has some graphic depictions of violence and death as well as a minimal amount of rough language. If challenged, librarians could show concerned adults that violent depictions and harsh language are rare in this book. They could also explain library collection policy.
Why Was This Included?
I wanted to include mangas and mysteries on my blog and this seemed like a perfect fit. I have also wanted to read this book for some time now as the series draws heavily from Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes books. I have been a fan of Sherlock Holmes for some time now and wanted to see how Aoyama included Doyle’s character in his book. I also wanted to find out if Jimmy ever finds a way to reverse his situation and confess his love to Rachel.
Case Closed, Volume 1 image from:
Goodreads (2011). Case closed, volume 1. Retrieved from http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/985386.Case_Closed_Vol_1
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