Since January of 1994, Detective Conan – Also known as Case Closed – has been regularly featured in Weekly Shonen Sunday, spawning an anime that has aired over 1133 episodes and 26 films. Detective Conan: The Million-Dollar Pentagram is the 27th film in this franchise and is important for the UK anime scene, as this is the first Detective Conan film to be released in UK cinemas. This is a big milestone because as anime continues to grow in popularity, so should the variety of anime we see in cinema.
CineAsia, the distributor of Detective Conan: The Million-Dollar Pentagram, are royalty in the distribution of live-action Asian cinema but has not tapped into animation. That was until the release of the Deep Sea earlier this year and now Detective Conan. More UK distributors tapping into the animation side of Asian cinema is only a net positive for audiences, and they should be excited for Detective Conan: The Million-Dollar Pentagram as it’s a wonderful time.
Kid the Phantom Thief – also known as Kaitou Kid – has sent a calling card, announcing his plan to steal two swords. While Conan Edogawa and “The Great Detective of the West” manage to partially thwart this plan, it raises the question of why Kid is targeting the swords in the first place. The next day, a body is found with a cross-shaped slash across the chest. The deceased has ties to an arms dealer, who is after a treasure somehow connected to the swords Kid had stolen. The game is afoot!
I had never seen a Detective Conan film or anime episode before. However, seeing how Detective Conan and its characters have inspired or been referenced in many works important to me made this experience both enticing and informative. Detective Conan: The Million-Dollar Pentagram does a solid job of briefly introducing the series’ lore, ensuring that long-time fans aren’t bogged down with redundant information, while newcomers get just enough context to enjoy the film. Narratively, the film presents a fantastic mystery. While I can’t judge whether all the clues can be solved without knowledge of Japanese culture and language, the major revelations are expertly set up and pay off well throughout the story.
.For 99% of the film’s runtime, I never felt confused or questioned the relationships between the characters—until the very end. A story beat late in the film taps into the overarching plot of the franchise, which did leave me scratching my head a bit. However, it only lasts about five minutes of the hour-and-51-minute film.
Detective Conan: The Million-Dollar Pentagram is also visually stunning. Set in Hakodate, the film showcases real landmarks, and seeing the comparison to the actual location was jaw-dropping. In a way, it feels almost like a commercial for visiting Hakodate.
Striking the perfect balance between being over-the-top and silly while delivering serious, captivating deductions may seem like a daunting task, but for Detective Conan: The Million-Dollar Pentagram, it’s a walk in the park. The film transitions smoothly from deduction scenes that combine haikus with the markings on the swords to moments where Kid the Phantom Thief pulls off mask reveals that would make Ethan Hunt jealous. Many of the “it was Kid all along” reveals are accompanied by an electric score, blending perfectly with the stunning animation to create scenes that feel genuinely kinetic.
★★★★
In UK Cinemas 27th September/ Minami Takayama, Wakana Yamazaki, Rikiya Koyama, Kappei Yamaguchi, Ryō Horikawa / Dir: Chika Nagaoka / CineAsia / 12A
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