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Conan, Kid save Singapore from destruction in 'Detective Conan: The Fist of Blue Sapphire'
In the 23rd installment of the series, Conan must team up with his nemesis, Kaitou Kid, to solve cases and save a country.
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'Detective Conan: The Fist of Blue Sapphire' is set in Singapore - a first in the Japanese series. (twitter.com/conan_movie/File)
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apanese animated film Detective Conan, also known as Case Closed, returns with its 23rd installment: Detective Conan: The Fist of Blue Sapphire.
The movie is based on a long-running Japanese comic series of the same name created by Gosho Aoyama.
Detective Conan: The Fist of Blue Sapphire is the first movie within the series that is set overseas, namely in Singapore. In Japan, the movie generated 1.88 billion yen (US$17.3 million) in sales during its opening weekend in April, and Forbes reported that it had dethroned Avengers: Endgame and Detective Pikachu in the fourth week.
Detective Conan essentially follows the life of high school detective Kudo Shinichi, who is drugged by members of the Black Organization, the primary antagonists in the series, making his body grow smaller into that of a child. Shinichi later changes his identity into Edogawa Conan and lives with his childhood friend and love interest Mouri Ran, to help her detective father, Mouri Kogoro, solve cases – and hopefully to get closer to the Black Organization.
In The Fist of Blue Sapphire, Conan (dubbed by Minami Takayama) meets one of his main nemesis, the magician-slash-thief Kaitou Kid (Kappei Yamaguchi) who is able to disguise himself as other people, including Kudo Shinichi.
Read also: Japanese comic 'Detective Conan' to return after 4-month hiatus
When a martial art tournament comes to Singapore, Ran (Wakana Yamazaki), her friend Suzuki Sonoko (Naoko Matsui) and Kogoro (Rikiya Koyama) travel to the country to watch Sonoko’s boyfriend, Makoto Kyogoku (Nobuyuki Hiyama), compete in the tournament. The prize is a belt adorned with the legendary blue sapphire.
Concealing himself as Shinichi, Kid tags along as he aims to steal the blue sapphire. However, the risk is high and he needs to team up with Conan to save Singapore from destruction.
With a two-hour duration, the film lets the audience view Singapore in detail from various angles, such as from the Marina Bay Sands’ infinity pool located 57 floors above the ground and from the country’s iconic street hawkers.
Among the memorable moments in the film are Makoto’s fast-paced fighting and Kid’s flying scenes, along with Singapore's twinkling skyscrapers at night and during sunset, as seen from the harbor.
The audience sees the vulnerable side of Kid as well. In the comics, Kid is often illustrated as a thief who can outsmart the Japanese police, but this time he is tested with stronger and smarter characters.
Though it sometimes feels there is too little screen-time for Conan, the movie balances it out, especially toward the end.
Aside from Kid, power couple Makoto and Sonoko often steal the scene, adding enjoyable moments to the movie. (wng)
