Book Review: Case Closed

Case Closed by Gosho Aoyama

This was the very first manga I really got into and started to collect. In fact, the very first manga book I ever got was from this series! A forenote: the original title for this series is Meitantei Conan or Detective Conan. For copyright reasons they had to use Case Closed instead. Also, all the names have been "Americanized." Shuichi now Jimmy, Ran now Rachel, Kogoro now Richard, etc. 

The story follows teenage detective Jimmy Kudo, the modern day Holmes. One fateful day while at the amusement park, "Tropicla Land," with his childhood friend and crush, Rachel Moore, murder happens. Now then the actual case is solved rather quickly, but the problems for our young sleuth start afterwards when he sees some shady activity involving two men in black. Things turn sour when Jimmy is knocked unconscious and fed a mysterious poison that was supposed to kill him. Instead, when he wakes he realizes his body has been reverted to the age of an elementary schooler! With some help from his kooky neighbor and friend, Dr. Agasa, Jimmy takes the pseudonym Conan Edogawa. He moves in with Rachel, seeing as her father is a detective, it would give him more opportunities to find the men who did this to him. Body of a child and mind of a teenage detective, Jimmy Rudo leaves no case unsolved!

Rated Older Teen, from Viz Media.

--Martha Rose