Book Review: Case Closed Volume 75

Case Closed Volume 75 cover.

I hope everyone is doing well, even with the predicament we
find ourselves in now.

Things have been going well here, except for things cropping
up that have prevented me from being more active, so I am not sure when I can
start to pick up steam again here.

Recently, I went looking around at the series I follow, and
I was able to make a quick grab of something that flew under my radar.

Today, I will be reviewing that title, which is called Case Closed Volume 75 by Gosho
Aoyama.

As I have given a series synopsis in an earlier
post
, I will not go over it again.

Jimmy’s workload never stops, as just as he finishes his
most recent case, another batch comes his way, such as a murder case where
people confuse a stranger for Richard, a mysterious string of vandalism, and
the death of a woman about to be married.

However, Jimmy’s biggest problem this time is to keep a
possibly innocent man from being taken in, and the solution to that might give
somebody another incentive to confront him about his secret.

While Detective Conan does have its highs and lows, and
some in the middle, like the previous
volume
, it has not quite gotten to the point where things are horrid enough
that I feel like dropping it, so I still have to keep myself in check.

And after reading this, I have to say that I really enjoyed
this volume.

From the moment I opened up this volume and started reading
the first few pages, I found myself engrossed enough that I did not want to
stop reading for any reason.

As I have stated numerous time, likely to the point where
many of you guys probably feel like throwing up, one of the most important
things in a work of fiction is how things begin, as that the beginning is
supposed to give the temporary escape that they desire.

While this hook can be created in various ways, depending on
the genre and the medium used to present it, this series, like many other
manga, is published in a serial publication, which means that it has to pick up
in a way that makes sense, based upon how the previous installment concluded.

In the previous volume, a case started up that I remembered
at least one of the tricks used, with the final panels ending with Harley and
Jimmy discovering another corpse, and this volume picks up with the
investigation continuing, which helped me remember that this was the case where
I learned about an optical illusion I never heard of when I first read it, and
also made me excited to see how this case would end.

Even though I was not exactly happy with this beginning, due
to the fact that I was tired of having so many volumes ending in the middle of
a case unnecessarily, as well as the fact that I remembered a bit too much
about the case, it still did the job it was supposed to and it also lasted for
more than one chapter.

If the volume did not start off like it did, I would have
been even more disappointed than I am about rereading a case that was likely
only good the first time around, as there would have been too much missing
otherwise to pull people back into the world of Detective Conan.

Thankfully, Shogakukan, or whoever they had put this volume
together, remember that the last volume ended with the start of another case,
which helped to start things off on a decent foot.

I also liked how many of the cases in this volume were
decent this time around.

While the previous volume was not necessarily exciting to me
because I remembered too much, making them the kind of cases that are only good
the first time around, I found myself almost as invested in the cases as I
expect to be, because things were not so obvious and I did not recognize them
that well, including the case that concludes this volume.

Even though the fact that I hardly remember these cases
would normally be a negative mark in the book of many people, considering that
people complain about things being forgettable, it help me enjoy things because
I was not asking the same questions that I was in the previous volume, thereby
helping me remain patient for an interesting case that will be released here
soon enough.

If the cases in this volume were as boring as those in the
last volume, I would have been really disappointed, especially because another
important character has just been introduced, thereby giving me reason to drop
this series or forget about it again, considering that the Detective Conan
anime had recently gone weeks without a new episode and it is hard to find out
when the next case in the manga will start.

Fortunately, Gosho Aoyama was able to provide some cases
that were decent enough that memories, as faulty as they could be, could not
ruin the experience too much, which makes me feel like giving him Gosho a
passing grade.

Hopefully, things will improve in this area before too long,
as I would rather talk about the cases enthusiastically like I was with earlier
volumes, but considering many of the cases after this volume have gone downhill
drastically, I would not be surprised if this is where Detective Conan
really starts its downhill descent in quality.

Another thing that I liked was how there were quite a few
things to laugh about.

Aside from the mysteries, one of the things I really like
about this series are the funny moments, especially those that can only be
found by those familiar with the series or, like the events in volume 67,
which did make me chuckle a bit, can only be found upon rereading things.

While most of the things found here are more of the same
kind of comedy people are familiar with, such as Kazuha finding it surprising
that she is jealous of Jimmy, there were still things that really jumped out at
me.

For example, in the beginning of the case that starts up
after the optical illusion case, Jimmy and the girls are out and about, with
Rachel being annoyed by her father.

While Sera and Serena joke about him either having a
girlfriend or investigating an affair, Jimmy says he goes somewhere to beat the
heat and comes home late to sober up so that Rachel would not notice, which
causes her to wonder if Jimmy meant that Richard was abandoning his family to
drink and party all night.

Not long after, when Jimmy says it could be for a case after
all, Rachel says, “He’s no sleuth! Sleeping Moore? More like Good-for-Nothing
Moore!”

Even though Rachel said that because she was exacerbated
with the situation, I found myself laughing because she had pegged her own
father so well, seeing as he was a third-rate detective before Jimmy took APTX
4869.

Another instance that I found funny, which occurs in the
same case where Rachel calls her dad third-rate, was when the body was found
and the case really begins.

During the case Rachel and Jimmy encounter a stranger trying
to pass himself off as Richard and the police decide to play along, upon
Rachel’s request, but after Jimmy figures things out, the suspects become antsy
and decide to have the imposter solve the case, which put him in even more of a
bind than when he first encountered Jimmy and Rachel.

If it were not for these two instances in the case, I
probably would have been disappointed with what I got, seeing as there was only
notable thing to be found in this volume and that was something that could only
be noticed with knowledge of future events, but these too events really saved
the case from becoming dull.

The thing that really made the humor stick out to me though
was the events of the final case of the volume.

After the body is found and investigation is done, the
police decide to take in the prime suspect, who still denies he did anything,
to do another DNA test, Rachel says expresses awe in fascination of DNA tests,
even saying that it can expose somebody hiding their identity, which puts Jimmy
on edge for a bit, as Rachel just discovered something he cannot fool her with.

By this point in the series, it seems to have become
unbelievable at how easy it has been to fool Rachel, even though the boy she
knows as Conan has knowledge beyond his years, knows details he should not
know, like a teacher at Rachel’s school, shares the same blood type, and even
looks exactly like Jimmy did when he was young.

Now, these were all revealed in different instances
throughout the series, each of which when Rachel suspected something, but like
how Gosho seemed to write himself into a wall with Eisuke and Kir in volume 58,
which I am still iffy about the accuracy of what I found, each one makes it
seem like it just gets ridiculous that Rachel would be this stupid.

However, seeing this exchange now about DNA testing, I am
wondering if Gosho will finally give up and just let Rachel know the secret
that so many other people know already, since Rachel now has a full proof way
of confronting Jimmy and he knows it.

Still, seeing Jimmy get antsy about Rachel’s realization in
the case was quite hilarious, even if she did not plan to use a DNA test to
confirm that Conan and Jimmy are the same person.

If this moment had not occurred, I probably would have been
alright with it, as there were other things to laugh about in this volume, but
I doubt that it would have been enough to keep the volume from just being okay
overall.

The thing that I liked the most though was the intrigue
surrounding the detective introduced in this volume.

While seeing this volume end with the conclusion of a case
for once, which used to be the normal pattern of this series, where a volume
that continues a case ends with a complete case, that did not really have my
interest as much as this new detective that was introduced after Sera.

Even though I do know who he is and his true allegiance in
the world of Detective Conan, I find myself wondering what he is trying to
accomplish.

Throughout much of the final case of the volume, he goes
about his business as an actual detective and even helps with the
investigation, which does not really set off any alarm bells.

However, once the case concludes, he shows up at the café
below Richard’s office saying that he wants to become his student.

Now, some of you guys might be wondering why this has me so
interested, seeing as Toru, the new detective, is not the only one who took an
interest, nor did Jimmy show particular interest in Toru, even though he is
skilled in an area Bourbon is skilled in, but what has me so curious about his
motivations right now is stuff that has yet to be revealed, as the only reason
there would be interest in Richard is his high profile.

If the volume ended without this moment, things would have
been fine, as I finally got the kind of ending the I wanted and there were
other things to like, but because it raised some questions about what Toru is
after, aside from the things I know he is investigating, I want to go out and
get the next volume as soon as possible, though I highly doubt that I will get
any answers until after 2025, which is when the US will likely start seeing the
chapters in the Rum arc.

Hopefully, more questions will come up in future volumes, as
that is what will help keep people coming back for more, but I doubt that can
keep people interested, seeing what Gosho has been doing with the more recent
chapters.

Outside of those things, I cannot think of anything else
that I particularly liked, at least that stood out as much as what I talked.

Because my interest was captured early on and held right up
to the end, without making me wonder when something was going to happen, the
cases were more decent than the previous volume’s cases, there was quite a bit
to laugh about, and the new detective’s actions at the end piqued my interest
more than the fact that the volume does not end on a cliffhanger, this was a
fairly decent read.

Although I liked the book, there are some issues.

However, aside from things that are too minor to talk about,
such as typos, nothing really seemed to bother me too much.

As a result, I will have to say that there is nothing worth
mentioning.

Considering that there was quite a bit to like and nothing
to really hate, this was definitely worth reading.

I mainly recommend this to fans of Detective Conan,
as they would like this the most, especially the more humorous aspects.

As for everyone else, this might be worth giving a try, but
seeing as most of the cases were decent at best, I doubt there would be much
interesting for those that are fans of detective, mystery, and crime fiction.

If you liked this review and would like to see more, please
consider supporting me on either Patreon or SubscribeStar, or if you would
like to check out the reviewed title for yourself, buy
Case Closed Volume 75
from Book Depository, who helped me complete
the gap in my Detective Conan collection, so that I can continue following this
series, though an upcoming change in my living situation may shake things up
quite a bit for me.

Copyright © 2020 Bryce Campbell. All Rights Reserved.