Detective Conan: Crossroad in the Ancient Capital

The seventh film in the series and its only feature set in Kyoto. Mouri Kogoro is summoned to the old capital for a special case; Conan meets Heiji Hattori there, and while tracking a stolen statue of the Buddha the two run into a series of murders. What gives this one its place in the series is that alongside the mystery it turns back to Heiji's past. The identity of the girl he met as a child and never saw again is revealed at the same moment the case is solved. Kyoto's temples and narrow streets are more than backdrop here; most of the puzzles depend on the place itself, on signage and on historical names. Kenji Kodama directed. It opened in Japan on 19 April 2003 and took three billion two hundred million yen. Who it is for: Detective Conan viewers and anyone who enjoys classical murder puzzles. Who it is not for: newcomers to the series, since without the character histories and the Heiji-Conan relationship the emotional side does not work.