『死ぬほど美味いラーメン』

「ボウズ、推理ドラマの観すぎだぞ！」

「気分は少年探偵の小林少年かい？」

「いや・・・小林少年というより、真相を見抜いた明智小五郎の気分だよ」

『名探偵コナン』　

"Kid, you've been watchin' too many detective shows!"

"Feeling like Kobayashi of the Boys Detective Club?"

"No... rather than Kobayashi, I feel like Akechi Kogorou who has just solved the case"

"Detective Conan"

It'squite surprising how much I love Conan after that many years. Despite medicore live action series. It's pretty amazing to see that the quality of the series doesn't suffer from the length. Even after 73 volumes, the series manages to present me with great stories and there's always something memorable in every volume.Which explains why even reviews of single volumes of Conan work.

The Blade of the Keeper of Time, the opening story of the newest volume, numero 73, is a continuation of the previous volume, but not particularly interesting. The problems of the murder commited in complete darkness, the disappearing murder weapon and the conflicting testimonies of the witnesses are interesting on their own, but I really doubt the trick would work so perfectly in real-life. It's a trick that works on paper (in manga?), but I can hardly see it working in reality. The setting in an Western mansion and the attention paid to the veranda and outer appearence of the mansion remind of some of the earlier Conan stories (Unnatural Deaths in an Illustrious Family Case in volume 15-16; Case of the Locked Room A Night Before the Wedding in volume 21). In fact, I don't think the Western Mansion has appeared in the Conan series for some time now.

The second story is really fun though! Deadly Delicious Ramen is another in a little set of stories within the Conan-canon, all concerning poisoning cases within a restaurant setting. China Town Deja Vu in the Rain (volume 34) and Kaitenzushi Mystery (volume 63) are among the better poisoning stories in the series and Deadly Delicious Ramen certainly does not disappoint with a man being poisoned in a ramen-restaurant. Naturally, as food-related mysteries, these stories also remind of Kuitan, which is never a bad thing. The trick used is brilliant in its simplicity and while I figured it out quickly, I can totally see why some people wouldn't think of it (not because I'm smart, but from own experience).

The third story involves a rather complex impossible crime, but the more interesting point of the story involves the introduction of the new character Sera Masumi, a Jeet Kun Do practicing self-proclaimed girl detective who transfers into Ran and Sonoko's class. It's pretty clear that she is supposed to attract attention and she probably ties in with Scar-Akai and Bourbon introduced in previous volumes, mirroring the Kir/Mizunashi Rena/Eisuke dynamics in volumes 50~57. Sera's introduction continues in the volume's last story, showcasing her martial prowess as well as her deductive skills, with Sera, Ran and Mouri being held hostage and Mouri being forced to solve the murder on the hostage taker's sister, as he wants to kill the murderer himself.

The main storyline of this volume is obviously the introduction of Sera Masumi as a recurring character, but despite that, I think I'll always assiociate this volume with Deadly Delicious Ramen. Combining typical Japanese eating culture and a simple yet smart poisoning trick, it excels in its reality and simplicity. The introduction of Sera does probably mean that Conan won't end in the near future. If we consider her a new Eisuke, her storyline might take up to 10 volumes to end. Hmm....

Original Japanese title(s):  青山剛昌　『名探偵コナン』第７３巻