Detective Conan: Strategy Above the Depths

Conan and those around him join a voyage. The ship is one of the largest passenger vessels in Japan, and during the journey a murder is committed. Soon there is a second incident and the ship itself comes under threat: someone has tampered with the mechanism and it begins to sink. Conan has both to solve the murder and to get the passengers off. Yasuichiro Yamamoto directs. It is the ninth cinema film of the long running series. The narrative is in the shape of a closed room mystery: a limited number of suspects, no way off, and a race against time. The second half changes genre and becomes a disaster narrative; the series uses that combination often. The mystery gives its clues to the viewer as well; that is the method of the series and the solution is explained in detail. The production is at the series average; the cast is familiar and it brings nothing new. It runs about a hundred minutes and the pace quickens in the second half. Who it is for: viewers of Detective Conan and anyone who likes puzzle plotted animation. Who it is not for: the cast is crowded for a newcomer, the plot leans on coincidence, and the disaster section is not realistic.