Title: Case Closed vol. 50

Writer/Artist: Gosho Aoyama

U.S. Distributor: Viz Media

U.S. Release Date: April 8th, 2014

Format: manga / paperback/192 pages

Genre: Mystery, Comedy

Publisher Age Rating: T+ for older teen

Overall Personal Rating: A-

Synopsis:

A reporter is found dead just before an interview with the Junior Detective League. Conan is determined to close the case… but with his teacher watching, he has to do it without letting on that he’s smarter than the average first grader!

Then, flash back to one of Jimmy’s first cases! When a death takes place at a ski resort, everyone believes a legendary ghost has struck again. But two middle schoolers think otherwise: young Jimmy Kudo and young Harley Hartwell! Which boy genius will solve the mystery first?

Commentary

As with most volumes of Case Closed the mysteries are relatively striate forward and at the same time interesting enough to hold your attention. Not being a big fan of detective stories I find the Case Closed stories to be fun enough to make we relax and go with the flow. The real reason for this ease is due to the writing. Gosho Aoyama proves time in and time out that he has got the talent for telling a store and leaving the reader with a felling like they just had a great conversation with a friend. That is the hallmark of a great writer and I don’t care if the media is manga / graphic novels or more aligned with the serious novels that end up on the short list for a Pulitzer Prize. Tell a good story is what it is all about.

Volume 50 of Case Closed takes on more than just a current mystery, there is also a flashback to the case that started it all. This is fun but it is were any weakness is found in the volume. I thought it was just a little pandering to the Jimmy fans and maybe it would have been more interesting to flashback to a more significant case rather than the first one.  With that being said, I still found the story to be entertaining fun to read.

Overall Grade: A-

Case Closed is a series that can and does have very wide appeal, even if it is more appreciated by the Japanese. I would at least hope that the American readers that grew up with Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys show give this series a chance. I have a feeling that they will be shocked as to how much better . Of course there is no comparison to Scooby Doo. So, if you love this level of mystery or detective story this Case Close is the place to go for fun and mystery.