Haven't these episodes been released already dept.: Well, yes some of them have been. While the Cartoon Network was airing the first three seasons of Case Closed, FUNimation decided to start that DVD releases with the fourth season so that people who were hooked on the show could run out and buy new episodes. So that people who weren't watching the show on cable wouldn't be lost, they also put out a DVD with the first four episodes which include Conan's origin. I'm not sure how well this marketing gimmick worked, as I know some people were confused looking for the earlier seasons that hadn't come out, but now that the fifth season is complete on DVD FUNimation has turned their attentions to the earlier shows.

This double disc set includes the first nine episodes. That means that people who supported the show on DVD and purchased the original Season One part one release, will have to buy the first four episodes again if they want to have episodes 5-9. I really wish that FUNimation had continued where they left off and started this set with episode 5, but you take what you can get.

The Show:

Shin'ichi Kudo (Jimmy Kudo in the English version) is a teenage detective who is one of the best investigators around. The police often solicit his advice on their toughest cases, and he's taken all of the business away from the city's other private eyes even though he's still in high school. All of that changes one night while Jimmy is out at an amusement park with his girlfriend Ran Mouri (Rachael Moore.) He sees a crime going down and investigates only to be caught by a pair of thugs. They give him a new experimental poison so that he won't talk, but the poison doesn't kill him. Instead it causes him to become younger, much younger. When he wakes up he's a little kid. He still has his razor sharp intellect, but no one wants to hire a ten year old detective.

Ran discovers the little Shin'ichi wandering around and takes him home with her. So that his true identity will remain a secret he tells her his name is Conan Edogawa, taken from his idol, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle the creator of Sherlock Holmes. Rachael's father, Kogoro Mouri (Richard Moore), is an incredibly incompetent detective, and Conan soon starts tagging along on Richard's cases. Using some nifty inventions his friend Dr. Agasa invented, and the aid of the Junior Detective League; Ayumi, Mitsuhiko. and Genta (aka Amy, Mitch, and George), Conan is able to solve the cases without anyone knowing that he's the real brains of the operation. The downside is that with just about every case he solves, the bumbling Richard Moore becomes more famous.

I actually enjoyed these shows more than the later seasons. It's fun when Shin'ichi has to solve a mystery while Ran is treating him like a little child, all the while he's worrying that she'll discover who he really is. This aspect sort of falls by the wayside in the later series.

The mysteries are good too. Yes, some of them are a little convoluted an unnecessarily elaborate, but that's the nature of murder mysteries. For the most part these are fair-play cases, where the viewer is given all of the details needed to solve the crime, but this rarely happens since the clues are absurdly small. A lot of the cases feel a little rushed too, since they have to show the murder, clues and solution in a little over 20 minutes, but this is a necessary evil given the realities of anime. Aside from those minor complaints this is a fun little show that fans of detective fiction will probably enjoy.

Be sure to watch the show past the ending credits. After they are done rolling, there is a short extra scene that are usually humorous and sometimes wraps up a subplot from the show that was dropped.

This disc offers the choice of the original stereo Japanese soundtrack, or an English dub in 5.1 or stereo. I alternated tracks between episodes, and I enjoyed the original audio a bit better. The English dub was good though, with the actors doing a good job. There weren't any phoney accents, something that I really dislike. The audio quality was fine, there wasn't a lot of range, but there weren't any defects either.

Unfortunately, there were no subtitles for signs only. There are several important clues that are in Japanese, but they are only translated if the English subtitles are on.

Video:

The full frame video was okay but not outstanding. The program was made on a budget and the animation isn't that great. The colors were just a bit dull, and the lines were a bit on the soft side. Digital defects were minimal with a little aliasing present in most episodes. An average looking show.

Extras:

Unlike the releases of seasons four and five, there are no extras included in this set.

Final Thoughts:

This is a fun little show. The idea of a detective trapped in the body of a boy works surprisingly well. Aimed at children, older viewers can enjoy this show too, though if you think about the mysteries too much, you'll realize that no one would ever murder someone in such an elaborate way. Still I find myself laughing every time Kudo uses his dart shooting watch to knock someone out so he can throw his voice and make it appear that they are solving the mystery. Well worth a look, especially if you enjoy short mysteries. Recommended.