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Thing is, only way Shukichi's not the middle brother is if Gosho introduces a Shukichi clone character in the next two files. You may be surprised to hear this, but if a Shukichi clone is introduced, I'll be disappointed with Gosho... even annoyed. Yeah, that's right—me, who's been defending him so much and trying to justify his decisions. You know it really is the utmost screw up if I'm not even thinking of defending it. Not even the Bourbon arc pulled such a stunt. Yes, the next case related to this should begin the Shiho/Ai and Masumi uncover Shuichi's/Subaru's identity arc.

Yep—the only reason Shinichi/Conan has a chance is because he and Ran saved her. Which is why I don't think she believes that Shuichi faked his death—she'd probably be after Hidemi/Rena/Kir just like she went after Shiho/Ai, once she found out who and where she was, if that was the case. Neither Shinichi/Conan nor Shuichi/Subaru can save Hidemi/Rena/Kir if Vermouth makes a move.

Yeah, we both seem to be jumping the forums... and we're the most frequent posters on both sites, today. How 'bout that?

It's pretty likely that if the Mysterious Child is the mother, her name is Mary, and she's met Katsumasa Ogura. Ogura is 49-years-old; Shuichi's age range of late twenties to early-mid thirties means that she would likely be from her fifties to even her sixties, now. Ogura mistook Masumi for her twice, so that brings questions about how well he knew her.

Only two possibilities remain, now (unless the rest of you have any ideas): Shukichi is the middle brother, or a clone of his is going to be. Say what you will about the Bourbon arc, but it never pulled a stunt like the latter possibility. If the latter possibility turns out to be true, then for the first time, Gosho Aoyama will have disappointed me, and maybe even annoyed me. I'd get over it, but, still...

Aw, so you do have respect for him, even after all these years. I ask again: why does she keep appearing, then? I don't think she's a spy—I think she'll have a connection to the BO/Rum that Shinichi/Conan will be able to explore. Fact is, if she has no relevance to the plot, she shouldn't have appeared past her intro case, and she shouldn't have appeared on Volume 87's keyhole.

The thing about whether Vermouth knows about Shuichi's fake death is up for debate. Her initial shocked reaction to Bourbon's theory was followed by a smirk—this could easily mean that she was humoring Bourbon, appearing to be horrified at the possibility, and then revealed her true reaction of doubt. She calls his efforts a "farce," after all—she could really believe that her helping Bourbon was a waste of time.

To do nothing? It'd be a waste if she has no BO or Rum ties.

Oh... that's who he was talking about. That guy's an anime only character, right? Unless he's a character that Gosho or his assistants have drawn that he never named. He first appeared in Episode 146: Metropolitan Police Detective Love Story, Part I and he last appeared in Episode 322 (AO): The Kidnappers Disappearing Getaway Car. I don't think that's a worthy comparison to make with Sakurako, since he hasn't appeared since the Vermouth arc, never got on the keyhole of a manga volume, and is a police detective—if you think about the latter, no police detective, either from Tokyo, Osaka, or Nagano, has had an effect on the BO plot. Even Ariade and his family maid had bigger influence on that score (I may be opening myself up for a lashing, here... I don't know, but I'm just wondering if anyone has an issue with this statement). It makes sense that we'd see random police detectives more than once, but this maid (Sakurako)? Why would Gosho have her appear after Eye for an Eye/The Design of Poison and Mirage? Again, he could've easily made her a one-case character, and yet, she's still around.

Detective? Aren't you talking about Shinichi's/Conan's, Shiho's/Ai's and the Detective Boys teacher? Sakurako doesn't have the connection to those three like their teacher does—she's a maid who appeared during Eye for an Eye/The Design of Poison and Mirage (Files 781–786/Episodes 652–655). I think a lot of people thought she was the culprit of that case, when it was going on. Then, in Shukichi's introduction (Files 847–849/Episodes 731–732), she appears again, and again in the Talent Blog Murder Case (Files 918–920). She even wound up being the keyhole character of Volume 87. If she's not related to the plot (or should I say going to be) then why did Gosho have her appear again, after her initial appearance? Gosho could've easily had her be just like the maid on the keyhole of the volume (79) that contains the Vampire Mansion Case/Heiji Hattori and the Vampire Mansion (Files 834–840/Episodes 712–715)—she was just a case-specific character. Why did Gosho have her take notice of Shinichi's/Conan's intelligence, and so quickly, at that? (not that it would be difficult for someone to take notice, but why her?) Ariade's connection to the main characters was more apparent, of course, but no one but the attentive saw why he kept appearing—others didn't understand what his purpose was, or why he'd even been introduced, to begin with. The same could apply with Sakurako, for the Rum arc. I very much doubt that she, herself, is Rum, but I think she'll have a connection that may provide Shinichi/Conan with a clue/clues to solve the Rum mystery. If she's not going to play such a role, then why has she kept appearing? She's not a love interest, and has no connections to the main characters—the only people she's connected to are Chiba and Naeko, and while that may lead some to say, "that's why she's there, then," I can't agree. While I can certainly accept the argument that Shukichi is a red herring, the same does not apply for Sakurako. She's not a prime suspect for a mystery character—she's just... there, purpose yet to be revealed, and I don't believe that Gosho just has her there for no reason. Chiba and Naeko, at least, have the romance excuse (and that's irrespective of the validity of such an excuse). So people realize that Gosho's not the only one with an imagination problem, and that his is not as bad as theirs? Well, it's been over a year and two months since the Rum arc began, but Gosho's health was an issue for him this past year, so that should definitely factor into things. Questions to be answered from the Bourbon arc (and other issues to be resolved): Who is Scotch? Shuichi's and Rei's/Tooru's past needs to be revealed, here. Who is the mysterious child? It's been over a year since she appeared, so I'd say we're due. Is the middle brother Shukichi, or has Masumi been in contact with Shuichi/Subaru, and lied to Shinichi/Conan about having a second brother? Hopefully, with this being a two-and-a-half-year old mystery, we should be getting some answers soon, perhaps even in the case that's underway, now. Revelation of Shuichi's/Subaru's identity to Shiho/Ai and Masumi. Masumi's past with Shinichi, Ran, and Rei/Tooru explained. With Rum being the Boss' second-in-command, and even more important than Gin, this current arc is likely the third-to-last, at the very least. Given how long the mysteries of the Vermouth arc have endured, they and the Bourbon arc mysteries might be revealed simultaneously, as things progress. When both these sets of mysteries start being finally revealed, the end may be in sight—the next BO case should be a good marker, too; it's been awhile since Shinichi/Conan went on the offensive, so... With the suggestions from my previous post, combined with more appearances from Kir and Vermouth, I don't think those arcs would have been as damaged by the Bourbon arc as they were. Again, it's the fact that Gosho has put so much on hold for so long that is the most damaging to his manga—debate about execution, if you will, but had the Bourbon arc been finished by, say, the late 700s or fairly early 800s, I don't think it would've taken so much flak.

To wrap everything up will likely take him a year or more beyond June 17th, 2020, so I'm just keeping it in mind—when we get to that day, we'll likely be able to form a theory of when it will end. They could certainly rush the anime adaptations to completion with 1-2.5 hour specials and no AOs, once the manga ends. I'm sure there are some moments for characters that I'd like, but in terms of mystery, I trust your assessment. I hope for your sake (and many others' sakes) that they eventually improve, so the AO periods won't be referred to as "hell," and people simply skip them. You have to wonder why the AOs up to the Kir arc were of fairly good quality, but pretty much all the ones after declined so sharply. The Conan arc (Files 1–175/Episodes 1–128), the Vermouth arc (Files 238–434/Episodes 176–345), and the first 3 acts of the Bourbon arc, or the Pre-Mystery Train-Half, if you prefer, (Files 622–824/Episodes 509–704) were the longest story arcs in the series. If we could make it through those, not to mention the 21 and 1/2 years of this manga, then I think the wait for the end won't be so bad. On another note, Gosho could've spared himself the flack you and so many others on DCW and DCTP gave him by (and there's undoubtedly more to be added to this list, in terms of specific suggestions, or broad ones): Introducing Masumi and Rei/Tooru after the Department Store Bomber Case/The Crisis Beckoned by the Red Omen (Files 700–704/Episodes 578–581). This would've made the "year-and-a-half plot break" between August 24th, 2009 (Release of File 704) and March 24th, 2011 (Release of File 767—the last file before Masumi's introduction) far more tolerable. Thus, even before Masumi's original introduction in File 768/Episode 646, the Mystery Train Case would be complete. No waiting four-and-a-half-years for the revelation of a mystery that couldn't be solved until it was four years old, already. This would go for the entire Bourbon arc—combine small plot elements/developments of separate cases into a bigger case with, thus, bigger story implications, or have characters pursue mysteries more aggressively than they do in the original manga. For example—have the six cases Masumi is featured in after Mystery Train (Files 818–824/Episodes 701–704) be combined into three or even two. Another—have Shiho/Ai be suspicious of Subaru being Shuichi/Dai from the start and try to expose his voice changer in the cases they appear together in, and have her become more dogged and determined in these efforts after Online Client/Detectives' Nocturne (Files 796–800/Episodes 671–674). In fact, it'd probably be wise to have her find out that Subaru is Dai Moroboshi and he is Shuichi Akai by Mystery Train, Scarlet Showdown, or somewhere in-between—the same goes for Masumi. Another—have Chiba's/Naeko's two cases (Files 741–742/Episode 624 and Files 790–792/Episodes 659–660) combined into just one, in which they get together, and that's the end. No more complaining about it. Alternatively, have one of them have a BO connection, and explore that. This would also go for other characters who are accused of having no meaningful purpose. Having Shuichi/Subaru, Masumi and Shiho/Ai work with Shinichi/Conan and Yukiko to outwit Bourbon and Vermouth on the Mystery Train Case, but still have Bourbon begin to scrutinize Shuichi's "death" even further by the end of it. No Kaitou Kid coming in. Scarlet Showdown—have Rei/Tooru go even further, threatening Masumi, Ran, Kogoro, the Detective Boys, and Shiho/Ai. Not with bombs or poison or actual methods of harm, but with keen knowledge and threats to try and get Shuichi to surrender himself. Have the Mysterious Child (and Shukichi, if he's the middle brother) intervene on Shinichi's/Conan's behalf, allowing him, Shuichi, Jodie and Andre to get out of it. We've yet to see Shuichi/Subaru and Rei/Tooru since this story (Files 894–898/Episodes 781–783), so only time will tell to what degree he was fooled by Yusaku disguising as Subaru. If he was completely fooled, have him not be, and if he wasn't, that'll do. Have the next few files and even cases have a hair-trigger standoff feel, until we get answers about Shuichi's and Rei's/Tooru's past in the Organization and the fate of Scotch. Have Rei/Tooru investigate and realize that Conan is Shinichi, even. Have a flashback case featuring Shuichi, Rei, Akemi, Shiho, Scotch, Gin, Vermouth, and Jinpei Matsuda, alongside another character (Wataru Date, Jodie, or even Kogoro). Have there be a mystery to be solved. Let it be explained how Scotch died and how that drives Rei to get revenge on Shuichi. Heck, have Rum be introduced in silhouette at the end, and have that be the start of the Rum arc, followed by the Kamaitachi Murder Case (Files 909–912) and the Kawanakajima Murder Case (Files 913–917; Kuroda's introduction, and have him appear at the end of File 917 in Tokyo and have the scene at the end of File 920 occur there). With me having no idea where Gosho's going to take the manga in the next few years, I'm not worried about predictability (not that I was, in the first place). Who knows where we're going next, with the Rum arc? I'll say this, though—Sakurako Yonehara is going to play a role. She might be the Ariade of the Rum arc, in some shape or form.

Apologies for double posting. What Shuichi said in the post-next Conan's hint (the very last thing in an episode) of Episode 500 was "We're just passing the midpoint." The fact that this is from the anime should be taken with a grain of salt, but why would the anime staff have Shuichi Ikeda say that if it didn't mean anything? If it does mean something, then it means that the Kir Transport Case (Files 599–604/Manga Episodes 301–303) and the Foreign Suspect Case (Files 605–609/Manga Episodes 304–307) are the halfway mark in Detective Conan. Could this mean that Detective Conan will end with Files 1,198–1,218/Manga Episodes 602–614? Both these cases were published from February 26th–May 21st, 2007 in the manga and broadcast for the anime from March 3rd–May 19th, 2008. Detective Conan's first file was released on January 19th, 1994, and the first anime broadcast on January 8th, 1996. The manga was 13 years in by these two cases, and the anime was 12 years in (a year behind, as it pretty much always has been—with a few over/under a year deviations, from time to time). Could this mean Detective Conan will end in 2020 in the manga, and in 2021 in the anime, after 26 years of the manga and 25 for the anime? The Bourbon arc took 6 and 2/3rds years to complete in the manga, and just two weeks short of 7 years in the anime (Files 622–897/Manga Episodes 313–484 (roughly); 276 Files/172 Episodes). If Detective Conan will end in 2020/2021, then the Bourbon arc put us over halfway there—we'd conceivably just have to wait the same amount of time we did for the Bourbon arc to end for the series, itself, to end. File 898–File 1,198/1,218 – 301–321 files to the end/Manga Episode 484–Manga Episode 602/614 – 119–131 episodes to the end. We could be in the last quarter of Detective Conan for the manga and the last 5th for the anime. I've even narrowed down a possible date for the end of the manga: Wednesday, June 17th, 2020. The Anime end would come within a year of that, obviously. I tallied up the manga-case only episodes (Save for File 594 – The Fugitive, since it never got an episode, only a TV Special, 7 years later) and ordered them both in anime and manga order (anime had some episodes earlier/later than others in the manga, especially towards the beginning), so that's why I know what Manga Episodes certain cases are. So this expands my range for Detective Conan's end year: 2020–2035. I'd still be very surprised if it ends as early as 2020, though, especially with Gosho's 28 breaks between September 22nd, 2014 and August 10th, 2015—that's only 18 files released over the course of nearly a year, which is half of what he typically achieves in a year.

Um... Also... Let's see... snark/sarcasm, intellect, same situation (APTX). They are similar—Shinichi's/Conan's morals and desire to get involved in things is where he differs from Shiho/Ai, though she has picked up some of the former ("You can't buy people's hearts with money") from Shinichi/Conan. Which brings me to Shinichi's/Conan's effect on other characters, in terms of his morals... Ran may be affected the most (because they've known each other 13 years), but so many other characters in the series are affected, as well—Shiho/Ai, the Detective Boys, Heiji, so many of the culprits, including Vermouth. Ran being affected by Shinichi is not something that only happens to her. You're right—the two poles aren't the only personality types... there's them, and then everything in between. I was just using sharks and dolphins as an example—an example that Shiho/Ai, herself, uses. Eh, no... This is what we call a case of things that happen on screen that we, the observers of said fiction, don't see—they did make friends, from age 4 to age 16-17... we just didn't see it, because this is a mystery series, and, typically, their friends from school have nothing to do with cases. We do see their friends from high school, when it has to do with the current case, but they aren't shown most of the time, because, typically, their school has nothing to do with any cases. I certainly wouldn't mind if they interacted with these friends, even if it was just so that this accusation of "they have no friends" and "they have no good friends" would cease. Do we see Heiji's/Kazuha's friends? Kaito's/Aoko's/Akako's/Suguru's friends? Shiho/Ai's friends? No—and unless they're important to a case (or a heist, in MK's case), we won't be seeing them. Again, I certainly wouldn't mind if they interacted with these friends, even if it was just so that this accusation of "they have no friends" and "they have no good friends" would cease, and that goes for all the teenage characters. Oh, yes... one two-day adventure in three years (just under 1000 days)... so indicative. They're already connected by the fact that three of their parents know each other... and speaking of which, Kogoro, in spite of being a gambling, alcoholic womanizer, has similar morals to Shinichi (see Kogoro's class reunion case, Kogoro's choice). His negative qualities haven't rubbed off on Ran, but his positive ones seem to have. Ran was the only one who stood up to Shinichi during his first ever deduction, and wasn't impressed. That, and the fact that Shinichi saw her being bullied, was what brought them together, initially. I'll say it, again—the fact that Ran is kind-hearted and good is the reason he loves her, and also because she's "strong-willed and stubborn" (175). It certainly would help if Shinichi/Conan articulated why he loves her, but I can tell it's because of these reasons. And it's true that while Shinichi loves Ran, he doesn't trust her—that's a problem. Her finding out would do quite a bit for character development, and to resolve this issue. Now, then... I have to ask, have you seen the latest file (925), the raws of which came out, yesterday? What do you think?

Thank you for putting "in my opinion," here... but that's not something I can agree with. They've known each other for 13 years. Shiho/Ai? Less than a year, given that File 882 established that it was less than a year between the Aquarium flashback case and Ran's, Shinichi's/Conan's, Shiho's/Ai's and the Detective Boys' visit to the Aquarium. It's only in File 1, when, again, they've already known each other for 13 years, that they are (one-sidedly) separated. It was her smiling face, not her pretty face, as you put it, that "strummed [his] heartstrings." They both have similar moral beliefs, and the catalyst for Ran falling in love with, or realizing she was in love with Shinichi was because he said "why would you need a reason to save someone?" In their trip to New York, she saved the lives of two murderers, in spite of the consequences—which is what Shinichi would've done—and Shinichi wouldn't have even been able to make his speech if she hadn't saved Vermouth. It's not wise to write this off—this is why Shinichi's in love with her. Their similar beliefs bring them very close—in fact, they have an empathic link... that's how strong their feelings are for each other. Don't get me wrong—I like the relationship between Shinichi/Conan and Shiho/Ai. It has the chemistry like you mentioned, and their personalities are very similar—they're both sharks. I'd like for the relationship between Ran and Shiho/Ai to be explored more—so many people on both sides of this shipping war nonsense act as if they're enemies. They really should interact more. I think the group that actively dislikes Shiho/Ai wouldn't if they'd let go of the stupidity of disliking a certain character because of their relation to what they're shipping.

And the story may be about her "letting go" (so to speak) of Higo. Don't expect Kogoro to do the same, though. Yoko-chan! And interacting, even... especially like this.

I'm tellin' ya... everyone's excited for this! Bathe in the hype!

Agreed. I don't care how cynical somebody is—that's too much.

Yep—quite frankly, speculation is all we have until more Files are released.

I agree with what Reverend Balthazar and Chekhov said. That's true. If you're referring to Detective Conan, though, specifically in relation to Shinichi and Ran (and I don't know if you were, or not, so that's why I'm typing this), then that's not right—Shinichi's first love was, and his only love has been, Ran (His mantra of thinking of only her name when he thinks she's in danger, his blushes are the most red around her and his embarrassment the most profound around her, his devastation when he thinks Ran has fallen for Araide and jealousy when another man flirts with or even suggests getting together with her, etc.). He's completely oblivious to Shiho's/Ai's love for him—I suppose someone could find that unlikable about her, but it's in line with her personality, and then there's how awkward Shinichi/Conan would feel... it's already awkward enough for him with Ayumi crushing on him. I think that most of the people who don't like her are people who ship ShinichixRan, and lack the emotional maturity to not automatically go against what they think is a threat to their ship (Die for Our Ship; tv tropes)—and honestly, there is no doubt that Shinichi will end up with Ran when all's said and done. Shiho/Ai has maintained that she doesn't want Shinichi/Conan to find out that she has feelings for him, and thinks that he doesn't even realize it, either... and he doesn't. Her dropping hints about her being a shark and Ran being a dolphin and her wanting to be able to compete, and her attitude towards Ran before Volume 31 and even Volume 42 fly right over Shinichi's/Conan's head—again, he's completely oblivious. There are probably also those who don't like her attitude, even if one considers her prior experiences and how her life, in general, has been.

Maybe he/she uses body doubles, and all of them have that artificial-looking eye.

The idea of a seven-year-old actually being your shrunken boyfriend is ridiculous—how would it happen? And why would he then decide to move in with you? Ran's suspicions are ridiculous... but the coincidences, the similarities between Conan and Shinichi, and the fact that Ran knows Shinichi well lead to her wondering if they are somehow the same person. All the suspicion arcs start, officially, when Ran sees Conan deducing a case on his own, no Sleeping Kogoro/Deduction Queen involved. It took Shinichi until he was 16 until he solved his first case on his own... for a seven-year-old to do so, and in such a similar manner to Shinichi... he's pretty much outing himself to her if he does so. Especially after the second suspicion arc (Desperate Revival), it seems that Ran is simply in denial—she's subconsciously linked Shinichi and Conan together, but doesn't want to believe that such an insane theory is actually true... for if it was, she'd have to face the reality that Shinichi has lied to her, manipulated her, and doesn't trust her. She doesn't have concrete evidence to back up the theory, and Shinichi's/Conan's tricks create alibis for him that would be unreasonable to doubt, unreasonable to believe that he'd created them to maintain his façade. Even when Ran thinks that he did so during Desperate Revival, during her third suspicion arc, she gets depressed about the notion that he's been so deceitful. She can't disassociate Conan from Shinichi, but doesn't want to believe that they are the same, due to the implications of such a truth—until she gets evidence and confronts him with it, this will be the status quo. The signs of her being still suspicious are present throughout the arc—complimenting Shinichi/Conan on his knowledge and observations, probing him about his progress on piecing together the clues to uncover the truth behind the crime, and even prompting him to explain something that a seven-year-old shouldn't be able to explain... these three things have been present since Volume 48, and one of the things twice occurred during the Kawanakajima Murder Case. Give credit to Ran 5-5 from the DCTP spoiler box, who runs the Detective Conan – The Red Thread Facebook Page for finding all these clues. Well, this is a mystery series, and, unless it is a romance like Tagaki/Sato or Kogoro/Eri, there will be objections as to why they are there if they don't advance the plot or develop characters. I think the London confession by Shinichi has potential for character development—it happened nowhere near the end of the series, which was unexpected... also unexpected is Ran's reaction. Sonoko and Kazuha let her hear it about not responding to Shinichi's confession, and it seems as if Ran, herself, is unwilling to respond... like she thinks she doesn't need to... like she thinks (subconsciously, likely) that Shinichi already knows how she feels about him. Add that with Ran's current suspicions, and we could be well heading towards the final suspicion arc—her uncovering/knowing his identity will be quite a change of pace for DC, and allow for character development. Again, the hope is the Rum arc and the 1-2 arcs after it will finally let loose what has been building up for so long... all that is unresolved. The internet is rough... but there are diamonds in that rough.

Who knows? Point is, hope is all we have, whether you're cynical or not.

Eh... saying its exactly like it, like copy/paste... the broad points are similar enough to warrant that accusation. The specifics, however, are not—but for you, broad similarities have been an immense drag, for sure. Ran's subtle ongoing suspicion arc has its differences from the three previous ones, Masumi is different from Eisuke, Shuichi as Subaru, the Mysterious Child, the Rei/Miyano family connection, Shuichi and Rei's connection and Scotch (presumably), Kaito Kid's brief involvement (whether he'll appear again, in relation to the BO is anyone's guess; Gosho said he may not appear in the final confrontation), the sheer progress of the romances (you may not care, but Shinichi confessing, Shiratori's attempts to interfere with Takagi/Sato ending, Heiji pretty much confessing are milestones in terms of romantic progression), and Ran and Shinichi's connection to Masumi, and the Mysterious Child, and perhaps even the middle brother, have been noteworthy differences from the other arcs. I get that this is simply not enough for you, and things have just taken way too long to happen, but the fact that Gosho is taking such a long time with this (again, I don't believe he's kept the series going for this long only so he and Shogakukan can make more money) means that he wanted to introduce characters, and establish connections in this way—hopefully, the Rum arc will take what the Bourbon arc has given us and deliver answers and resolutions. I don't see any concerted effort to tell Gosho from the DCTP forums users or this forums users that he's been f***ing up and needs to get things moving, so the only reason for all this negativity that I see is for the purpose of letting it out/getting it off the chest, which isn't wrong, at all... criticism is good, but it would be better if people were trying to actually reach Gosho and bringing their criticisms directly to him in order to effect a change... and a change is what you've been dying for, right? And, yes—I will wait for reactions to the Rum arc... it's not like I have another choice... but I believe, with Rum being the boss' right hand, that we are at least 1-2 arcs from the end—the length of this arc and the following ones? Anyone's guess.

Thought that the complaint was the Bourbon arc was a rehashing of the Vermouth arc. You're probably referring to the fact that the titular characters of the past two arcs (Kir and Bourbon) turned out to be disloyal spies infiltrating the BO. The Rum arc certainly doesn't seem like rehashing, to me... unless you've seen something I haven't.