Case Closed Movie: The Fourteenth Target

Made in 1998 but only now getting a U.S. release, this anime feature is part of a series involving teenage detective Jimmy Kudo, who is trapped in a child's body (don't ask). To continue his crime-busting career, Jimmy takes on the alter ego of junior private eye Conan Edogawa. In Case Closed Movie: The Fourteenth Target, Jimmy/Conan crosses paths with Richard Moore, the bumbling retired cop-turned-P.I. father of his former girlfriend Rachel (she doesn't know the child Conan is her full-grown ex). The trio become involved in a mystery involving assaults linked to a card-dealing criminal, and before you can say “Hercule Poirot,” the film veers into a climax at an empty amusement park where the villain is unmasked. Many of the subplots here will likely confuse viewers unfamiliar with previous installments in this series, particularly the sequences regarding Rachel's grief concerning her estranged parents. The animation is decent, for the most part, but the lack of an involving story (the whodunit is too easy) and the monotonous characters make this tough going. Presented on a dual-language disc, rated TV-PG, this is not recommended. Aud: P. (P. Hall)