From skyscrapers to crimson bullets, what happened to Conan?

Author: Hu Bugui

Some time ago, "Detective Conan: Crimson Bullets" was released simultaneously in many countries and regions, which is the 24th work of the theatrical version of "Detective Conan", from 1997 to the present, in addition to the interruption of the epidemic every year, the Conan theater version has steadily met with the audience at a rate of one film per year.

When it comes to enduring IP, Conan is definitely one of them. Many netizens joked, "Looking at Conan since I was a child, I graduated from college, and Conan is still a primary school student." Behind the ridicule is Conan's constantly updated plot for decades, and it is also the expectation of the audience and readers. However, judging from the situation of the theatrical version in recent years, "Detective Conan" seems to have the momentum of "bad tail", and problems such as confusion, perfunctory, and self-castration have appeared in the audience's evaluation.

In 1997, Tsuyoshi Aoyama released the first theatrical version of "Timing Detonates the Skyscraper" three years after the "Detective Conan" manga series. More than twenty years ago, when the technology and production were far less than now, "Detonating the Skyscraper" still made a classic, whether it is the tension of the case, or the handling of the emotional line between the male and female protagonists, or the tribute to Sherlock Holmes, it can be handled just right. It can be said that the birth of a "Detonation Skyscraper" laid a good foundation for the launch of the Conan theatrical version in the following decades.

In the more than ten years since then, the Conan theatrical version has maintained a high production standard, launching many masterpieces, such as "The Undead of Baker Street" and "The Magician at the End of the Century", which are no less detective works even today. Take 2002's "The Undead on Baker Street" as an example, when virtual reality games appeared in the story, which can not be described as ahead of its time. Among them, the two worlds of real and virtual ancient London are taken as clues, and the parallel advancement is not only not abrupt, but also sets off the tense atmosphere just right, not only taking out the rhythm that a detective movie should have, but also talking about the truth of children's growth. Looking back at "Detective Conan" now, "The Undead on Baker Street" is still the favorite in the hearts of many viewers.

However, in the past decade, the Conan theatrical version has rarely appeared in the theater, and even in recent years, it has become worse and worse. Taking the "Detective Conan: Fist of Cyan" launched in 2019 as an example, the plot can be said to be fragmented, and the character skills have exploded, not only do not consider Newton's three laws, but even bring some science fiction colors, I don't know if the screenwriter has been affected by outrageous dramas such as "hand tearing devils". To say that the two most interesting parts of "Fist of Cyan" may lie in the beautiful scenery of Singapore and the new hairstyle of the garden in the film, which is probably a great irony for a detective movie that has been updated for more than two decades.

So why did this change occur, and what happened to Conan over the past twenty years? The change from "Detonating the Skyscraper" to "Crimson Bullet" is not sudden, and you can see some hints in every movie. Initially, each conan theatrical version, in addition to showing its own plot, assumed the role of advancing the main line, sometimes conan or Shinichi and the black organization confrontation, sometimes Kidd appeared, each theatrical version can lead to different points, and no matter what the plot, you can find some clues to the entanglement between Conan and the black organization. However, judging from the theatrical version in recent years, the progress of the main line seems to have not made any progress, but has been weakened, and even makes people think whether the pit of the original black-clad organization was dug too large to be filled.

If the plot only lags behind in the progress of the main line, it is understandable, after all, the TV version is still advancing outside the theatrical version. But the reality is that today's theatrical version not only does not go away from the main plot, but even the detective suspense plot is a mess, such as the murderer's motive can not support a series of crimes, and serious criminal or national security incidents are easily resolved, which is inevitably top-heavy. Such perfunctory is an offense to the audience who have been chasing "Detective Conan" for more than twenty years.

Some people may think that it was the group of children who chased the drama that grew up and became picky. There is some truth to this statement, but it is more of an attempt to cover up. The refinement of any movie picture cannot cover up the flaws in the plot, and the vivid characters should not become a tool for money. And those suspense is not enough, cp to make up the practice, is not destined to last long. Some time ago, "Crimson Bullet" was released, and the famous detective Conan was once again on the hot search, but what caused the audience to discuss a large area was not the plot, but which pair of CPs was true. Although such a boring discussion also brings heat to the film, this heat comes and goes quickly, and it will not provoke any sparks after all.

Looking at today's "Detective Conan", in fact, whether it is the theater version or the TV version, it is almost always a sentimental forward, supporting the motivation of the audience to chase the drama, which is rarely an interesting plot. In the long run, I'm afraid that "Detective Conan" can leave us with nothing. (Hu Bugui)

Source: Guangming Network - Literary And Art Review Channel