AnimeOtakuDrew

The tone of the series, I believe, has more to do with Aoyama-sensei And what he wanted to do with it than it does with the decade in which it was released. One might argue that, had Aoyama-sensei started Conan ten years earlier, he may very well have chosen a different direction and tone for it, but that comes down to the mindset Aoyama-sensei was in during that time, which nobody but he could accurately attest to that. As Conan has evolved with the times with regards to technology, I don't think that part of the series would be any different today than what it is now. As for early on, the only technology we really saw was the gadgetry invented by Agasa-hakasefor Conan to use. I really don't think that would have been very different. Gadgets similar to Conan's have been appearing in the James Bond films since the 60s, so in a 1980s Conan, I still see Agasa as the eccentric Q-like inventor that provides Conan with amazing gadgets of the same caliber. I don't know how much, if at all, the existence of the Soviet Union affected Japan, so for the average episode of of the series, I doubt there would have been much difference but I could be completely wrong. I do agree that the KGB would have featured in an 80s Conan. In what way they would have been included, I don't have the information to really say. If the Japanese were largely sympathetic to the Soviet Union, then the KGB would have featured in a heroic role, similar to the FBI. If Japan experienced anything like the "Red Fear" we experienced during the Cold War, then it would be entirely possible that the Black Organization would have had ties to the KGB and/or received funding or intel from them. Finally, there is the amount of time covered by the series. As It stands now, the amount of time from the first chapter to the most recent is a subject of much debate (one of the more recent chapters had Ran making the observation that it had been less than a year, but if you accept the theory that much of the series is presented out of order, that observation could happen earlier than commonly thought and the overall timeline could be longer), but even the longest estimates have it at no more than a year and a half (as far as I have seen, at least). If the series had an additional decade of run time, Aoyama-sensei would pretty much have been forced to acknowledge the passing of time by now, and I believe the series timeline would incorporate a minimum of two and a half to three years. These are my observations on how the series would differ had Aoyama-sensei started it in the 80s rather than the 90s. Now, had it started in the 60s or 70s (the time of classics such as Tetsuwan Atom/Astro Boy, Mach Go Go Go/Speed Racer, and Beast King GoLion/Voltron) I believe it would have been a very different series, but I don't think the Conan of the 80s would have such drastic differences. Just my opinion, though.

I am curious how an ellipsis is technically supposed to be written. I generally we it simply as "..." However, all of my teachers and professors throughout my school career always taught that it should be spaced, like " . . . " (that is, a space both before and after each .). Another thing I was always taught is that, any time a colon is used, or a period at the end of a sentence (but not for a period after abbreviations), there should actually be two spaces rather than just one. Using only one space after each sentence or colon is actually something I am guilty of in all of my writing except my stories, where I carefully observe all of the rules of punctuation and grammar I was taught.

If you find out, let me know as well.

I have different favorites depending on what you're referring to. Favorite action episode, the 2 hr special with the bomber (I forget what it was called, I just remember it was the most intense episode that had me on the edge of my seat, especially when Conan and Takagi were trapped in the elevator with the bomb on top). Favorite comedy episode, just about any of the Metropolitan Police Detective Love Story ones. Favorite plot developing episode, the Bell Tree Express. I have about six other favorites, but I doubt anyone wants to read all that.

Fan from the beginning! Played the original, 1.5 Remix, 2.5 Remix, RE: Coded, and Unchained X. Eagerly awaiting 2.8 Remix and 3! The big question is, what worlds would you most like to see introduced to Kingdom Hearts and why? My #1 pick is The Black Cauldron. It is my favorite Disney film of all time, the story begs for an RPG tie in, and the dark tone of the movie would be a perfect fit for the Kingdom Hearts franchise.

My first game console was an Atari 2600, and the first game I remember playing on it was Combat.

HMK.

Kingdom Hearts Unchained X

MEAD

*throws Sonoko*

Bibliophile

I cut the fabric into strips and braid them together to make them stronger, then strangle you with it. Too easy. AA battery

12,091 Why not?

Banned because I'm bored.

It will end in 999,680.

Hurt. What does "prize" rhyme?

Wait, who wins?

@Jimmy-kud0-tv2 Another thing just occurred to me as I was discussing my theory with a friend. Yes, the fact that "Wakasa Rumi" is based on the dying message "ASACA RUM" is ovobvious . . . to US. Keep in mind, however, who the original audience is and how these things were presented to them. We are (mostly) native English speakers and are reading the series in translation, so we see all of it written in English letters, where it is easy to spot that. But the original audience are speakers of Japanese, and the information was presented differently to them. They got the "ASACA RUM" dying message in English letters cut from the mirror, but when the character Wakasa Rumi was introduced, her name was (presumably) written in Japanese as "若狭留美 ." The fact that a W and I can be removed and then rearrange the remaining letters becomes much more difficult to spot that way, especially since a native Japanese would not automatically think to change the name to romaji in order to work with the English letters. Furthermore, even written in hiragana, "Rumi" is markedly different from "Rum." The former would use the hiragana "ru" and "mi," while the latter would be written in katakana with "ra" and "mu." The fact that the Japanese mind will not default to English letters is quite likely what Rum is counting on in her disguise as Wakasa Rumi, and is also almost certainly the only reason Conan has not yet figured it out. So, while we English speakers are grumbling about Wakasa Rumi being "way too obvious," to the average Japanese speaker at whom Aoyama-sensei originally targeted the story, it is not. We have to remember that we are looking at it with the eyes and minds of Americans rather than of Japanese, and that we are not seeing it in its original form, but in translation. With that in mind, "Wakasa Rumi = ASACA RUM" becomes far less obvious. Just pointing that out. It just hit me like an hour ago and I felt it was an important point worth mentioning.

I don't know how to do that or I would do it.

I actually addressed this in my first post about the theory... If you take this into account, Akemi could have been as much as 18, 19, or maybe even 20 years old at the time of the Haneda case 17 years earlier. This would fit with the idea of those murders being her first big assignment for the Organization. And it's not like widespread age differences between siblings would be completely new to DC; there is about that much difference between Akai and Sera. Now I follow. Sorry I misunderstood in the first place. As for why she would use a cover name so close to Kohji's dying message, there are a few reasons. Overconfidence, as a veiled insult to Conan (which seems to be working so far since he still hasn't caught on), or maybe it's a part of some plan to draw him in when he does figure it out (i.e., bait). If it is that last, we just don't have enough information yet to figure out what she may be scheming when Conan finally does figure it out, but I imagine it would be quite a trap.

I have been reading through several of the forums on here and something occurred to me. The "General" forum has its "Thread Reference Guide," the "Artwork" forum is organized by artist, and so on. But there is no organization to this forum, and I think it desperately needs it! My recommendation would be something akin to the "Thread Reference Guide " from the General forum. Within that guide, you could offer a few options for readers/posters to find what they're looking for. The obvious one is by author/original poster of the threads, but there is also by fanfic genre (ideas, crossovers, continuations, AU/divergence, etc.), and finally by prominent characters or pairings. If something like that was sticky posted at the top of the forum along with the "Fanfic Recommendation Thread," it would be a significant help to anyone wishing to navigate the forum and find stories, ideas, or whatever. Hopefully you guys will do something with this idea. I'm not sure who all the admins are or I would tag them on this post. If anyone reading this knows who the admins are, please tag them to make sure they see this suggestion!

I don't recall any instances of this. Could you please give me a couple examples where an Anime Original had contradicted events that happened later in the manga? As Chek pointed ou, I know there have been a few screw ups in the adaptations from the manga (sometimes corrected later, like with Miyano Akemi being killed by Gin, and sometimes not being corrected at all so it leaves a plot hole, like with Conan knowing Gin and Vodka's names even though he never heard them on the anime), but I can't remember any AOs that actually contradicted the manga. (Please note that I am NOT saying it hasn't happened, just that I don't REMEMBER it happening, hence asking for examples.) And, according to the interviews I've read, Aoyama-sensei is deeply involved in the creation of the movies and the other AO content, so if the series creator himself helps create it, why would it not be canon? As for the AOs not advancing the overall plotline of the series, there are quite a few manga cases that have zero plot development as well, but I don't see people complain near as much about those, nor do they claim those stories and characters don't matter.

I don't remember this, but even if you're right, the information he has could be based on the misinformation spread through the Organization to keep the truth from reaching Sherry. I actually think that "ASACA RUM" was Haneda Kohji's dying message, stating that the bodyguard Asaka was Rum and was his killer. In other words, I think Akemi/Rum was posing as a bodyguard under the name Asaka to get close to her targets and kill them. Aoyama-sensei even implied that the message was left by the victim , as it was first brought up in a case were a victim left a dying message using the same method. The fact that the victim (Kohji) was able to leave such a message pointing at her was what Gin was referring to when he was talking about the Haneda case being Rum's screw up. And if, like I said, those murders were her first big assignment for the Organization, the fact that she inadvertently allowed Kohji to leave such a message becomes fairly plausible. I am thinking I might explore all this in my fanfic actually.

@dccd I'm not on DCTP, but I may join at some point. Thank you, I really appreciate that! Well, he did use it, and in a very similar manner, with Akai's faked death, so the idea of a faked death isn't really something new to DC. That was actually part of what spawned the idea.if one of the good guys can fake their death and reappear later, why can't one of the bad guys? And, as I noted in my post, I found it strange that Gin so readily accepted that Akai might still be alive. Some people might chalk it up to his overly suspicious nature, but if you actually watch someone get shot in the head and their body get torched in an exploding vehicle, unless you have prior experience with the mechanics of faking a death, you're going to believe what you saw until you have definitive proof to the contrary. @Jimmy-kud0-tv2 Well, let's address them, shall we? While the Black Organization represents the alien invaders in this theory, that doesn't necessarily mean Aoyama can't use they're aesthetics for other people. Lum's personality and appearance were cute and fun, so there is nothing wrong with a character like Sera being given an aspect of her appearance independently of this theory. After all, Akai doesn't really look like Char; Bourbon doesn't really look like Amuro. And who is to say how much of what she told him was the truth? She could easily have mixed a little bit of truth with a bunch of lies to make it sound believable. Just saying. If I remember correctly, it was only ever Akemi herself and Haibara who said that, and Haibara would only know what her sister told her when it comes to Akemi's rank or position in the Organization. It is an idea I like, but doesn't necessarily have to be a part of this theory. I just think it fits. Akemi/Rum is absolutely loyal to the Organization and to Anokata, so if she was told to observe Conan and/or Haibara, she would follow her orders. A and since Akemi knows who Conan is and would easily figure out Haibara is her sister, her going undercover at their school to watch them would make sense. If she was ordered to watch Conan and Haibara rather than look for whoever is posting information about the Haneda Kohji case, she would do what she was told. Plus, Akemi and/or Anokata could very well realize that being near Conan could ultimately lead to information about the loose ends from the Haneda case. What message is that? And even beyond what message, it would be worse to use her real name and reveal her identity. She can't let them know who she is yet.

Just a warning, this post will be a little long. Okay, I just finished reading through this entire topic, and there are a lot of good theories on here. But a thought occurred to me a few pages ago which has developed into a completely new theory in my mind. First, let me explain where the idea came from. It was the combination of a few things, actually. The first thing that started the genesis of this theory was how people made references back to the development of the Bourbon arc; specifically, the parallels to Gundam. The next thing that helped my mind develop this idea was the repeated mention of the appearance of Lum and whether it was what Aoyama-sensei was referring to with the Animal Crossing hint that Rum had appeared. The final element that spawned this theory was a single mention of the fake name Akai used while undercover with the Organization, Moroboshi Dai. The idea? Well, if analyzing Gundam turned up significant clues pointing towards Bourbon, maybe analyzing another anime could point us toward Rum. What anime? Urusei Yatsura! A quick rundown for anyone not familiar with UY. Basically, Moroboshi Ataru was a normal guy who was going out with a girl named Shinobu until aliens showed up and he was chosen at random to be the Earth's champion in a game (basically tag) that would decide the fate of the world. His opponent was Lum, daughter of the alien leader. He won the game, and Lum became obsessively infatuated with him, leading to various hilarity and crazy situations, as well as the first and funniest anime love triangle I ever saw. Obviously Rum is a parallel to Lum, so to figure out who Rum is, we need to analyze the other characters. The next important character is Moroboshi Ataru. Moroboshi . . . As in Moroboshi Dai. Meaning that Akai is our Ataru. Before his involvement with the Black Organization (which is the clear parallel to the alien invaders), he was in a relationship with Jodie-sensei, making her our Shinobu. So who is Rum/Lum? The other point of the love triangle, the member of the Black Organization that "Moroboshi" was involved with, Miyano Akemi! "But wait! Akemi is dead!" you say? Allow me to explain by unfolding the series of events. The Miyano family were important members of the Black Organization. The parents were researching a mysterious drug for the Organization. Of the two children, it was the younger, Shiho, who was chosen to succeed them in their research (presumably having shown some scientific aptitude at an early age). But the eldest child of such an important family would not be a mere grunt within the Organization. Just as Shiho undoubtedly received scientific training from an early age, Akemi would certainly have been taught other skills that would be useful to the Organization. After the "death" of the parents, Miyano Shiho was continuing research on the same mysterious drug they were working on, but all she had come up with was an untraceable poison, which she herself said was not the intended purpose of APTX-4869. I'm fairly certain that Haibara has also admitted she knew little of what went on in the Organization beyond the confines of her lab, mostly just what her sister told her. Now, Miyano Akemi is a skilled member of the Black Organization who has worked her way up through the ranks, both by virtue of her talents and her relationship to such an important family within the Organization. But, seeing her sister's research stall, she and Anokata came up with a plan to motivate her. What if her beloved older sister was in danger and her life depended on the completion of APTX-4869? But even that didn't get the desired results, so they had to go one step further, both to demonstrate that their threats were not empty and to try to scare Shiho into making APTX-4869 into what it was meant to be, and Miyano Akemi had to die. It was at that point that the plan was set up for the robbery case. Akemi would commit the robbery with a recruited team, kill them, and in turn be "killed" by Gin. The robbery went off as planned, but then one of the recruits betrayed Akemi and disappeared with the money before she could kill him. In disguise, she hired Kogoro to find him. After recovering the money, she didn't count on the fact that Conan would be able to track her, so the scene to fake her death was modified on the fly. She and Gin improvised a scene in which she did everything in order to free her sister from the Organization for the sake of the witness, which she upheld with her "dying words." She was most likely dosed with puffer fish toxin or something similar, which can give the appearance of death, even fooling a medical professional without an absolutely thorough examination, and rigged with blood packs. When Gin shot her, he used blanks and the blood packs were detonated and, combined with the puffer fish toxin taking effect as she laid before him, made it appear even to Conan that she had been shot and killed by Gin. Her body was then switched out for someone similar in appearance prior to the autopsy and before the effects of the puffer fish toxin wore off, probably by a disguised Organization member sneaking into the morgue. I can imagine a scene in which they claim to be delivering a body inside a body bag, then switch it out for Akemi after dosing the watchman with something to knock him out. (Most likely, the original plan was for Gin or some other Organization member to make an anonymous call to report the body to make sure she was found while still under the effects of the puffer fish toxin and could fool the preliminary examination on the scene.) This scenario also answers a few questions I have had about things in the course of the series. It explains why Gin is so ready to believe Akai Shuichi is still alive, because he has carried out a faked death very similar to Akai's. She would fit the feminine description of Rum, and possibly even the strong build description as she does look rather athletic and fit, or perhaps a strongly built man as well as the old man were used as stand ins to keep rumors of her as Rum reaching her sister. Likewise, I believe the fake eye was a rumor she herself started for her sister's benefit, so Shiho couldn't deduce that she was Rum and spoil the plan to motivate her research. As for why Akemi/Rum did nothing with the information that Conan admitted to her that he was Kudo Shinichi as she was "dying," I'm sure she reported it directly to Anokata once she woke up. Rather than killing him outright, she was probably told to observe him, and may even have appeared in various disguises a few times to do so. At that point, they may not have been certain that his de-aging was caused by the APTX-4869, or (more likely) they wanted to see if there were any other effects on APTX-4869's victims that suffer the de-aging side effect before killing him. When Shiho disappeared, Anokata and Rum would have figured out how it happened and suspected she might have gone to Conan for help, which is why the Organization was looking for her in Beika specifically and why Bourbon was sent to build an association with Kogoro, with whom Conan is staying. Yet, even after "Shiho's" "death" on the Bell Tree Express, Haibara still showed up, so even though none of the other Organization members knew who she really was, her presence probably would have been reported. So finally, Rum decided to take action and disguised herself as a new teacher's aide at Conan and Haibara's elementary school, Wakasa Rumi, to get close and do what needs to be done. She is now simply waiting for the call from Anokata to kill or capture Haibara and/or Conan. This would explain Rumi's ruthless behavior once Shonen Tantei was locked in the cellar in the case with the robbers from years before. It would also explain why Rumi doesn't trip Haibara's Black Organization sense as her sister would know just how to play her without setting off any warning signals. It would explain why Rum would give false impressions of her appearance even within the Organization. As for her age making it impossible for her to have killed Kohji 17 years earlier, not necessarily. It is possible that she, like Vermouth, doesn't age normally. I would also note that I have a sister (yes, blood related) who is 17 years younger than I am, so that much age difference between siblings is nowhere near impossible. With that in mind, she could be significantly older than Shiho, plenty old to have committed the murders 17 years earlier, which might have been one of her first big assignments. And, if Akemi lied to Shiho about everything else, why not her age as well? Plus, if you take the Urusei Yatsura connection one step further, it could lead to another major revelation. After all, who was Lum? The DAUGHTER OF THE ALIEN LEADER! That's right, if the UY theory turns out to be true, then Anokata could very well turn out to be either Miyano Elena or Miyano Atsushi, having faked their own death in the lab explosion! I think I might develop this part of the theory further in the topic about the identity of Anokata tomorrow. So, that is my new theory. I have tried to present it with a well thought out defense, and to answer the biggest questions it raises, but if anyone has anything to counter it, or to add to it, I am still open to ideas, so by all means let me know! I look forward to seeing everyone's responses to this theory!