Describe Shinichi in one word!!!

[zowo101 0]

Just wondering what everyone is thinking about Shinichi and his personality.

[GinAi 0]

cute

[A.Haibara 34]

SHINRAN <3

[zowo101 0]

He's a mastermind!!!!

[Peregrinus the Nihilist 4]

Amadeus. The Gods clearly love him.  

[RSP 3]

Raw.

 

He yields an admirable intellect, but he lacks maturity and apathy. He might flaunt his mind, but his thoughts aren't very deep, and he generally fails to contemplate anything of real value. Put simply, I think that, judging by the way things are now, his intelligence is wasted on him.

 

Thus the word. He has all the ingredients necessary to create a genius, but wastes it on the mundane. The core property is there, but it lacks refinement - ergo, raw.

[Peregrinus the Nihilist 4]

He might flaunt his mind, but his thoughts aren't very deep, and he generally fails to contemplate anything of real value. 

He has all the ingredients necessary to create a genius, but wastes it on the mundane. The core property is there, but it lacks refinement - ergo, raw.

 

 

While I happen to think that there's no such thing as "real value" (in an objective sense), I think I can see where you are coming from. It's one of things I noticed early on, as I was watching the first one hundred episodes or so: Shinichi never really delves in the philosophy of things. He has an incredible scientific mind, but he does not penetrate far beneath the mechanics of the cases he is involved in. He is dedicated to fighting crime, but he doesn't seem to ask why crimes occur in the first place. Of course, he is gifted at reading people and deducing individual motives for crimes, but it seems that he neglects to read the hereditary-environmental factors which produce the criminals in the first place. Were he to focus on analyzing the structure of his society, he might arrive at insights that go beyond mere facts. This could enable him to address the causes of the effects rather than the effects proper. In other words, he could preempt crimes rather than solving them. But that wouldn't make for a good detective show, would it?  

 

Put simply, I think that, judging by the way things are now, his intelligence is wasted on him.

 

 

One might go so far as to say that Shinichi has what Michael Crichton used to refer to as "thintelligence," in that he is competent at manipulating facts but does not perceive the deeper implications of those facts--that is, the implications that extend far beyond the immediate context. But I'd say that's a little unfair. For one thing, figuring out how criminals exploit objects and the surrounding environment often demands exceptional creativity, not just a good memory. And hey, he's still only 17 years old! To be sure, one can think profound thoughts at an early age, but maybe it's too early to reach a verdict on whether his intelligence is wasted on him or not. I'd give him 10 years before I reach mine.   

[Hobgoblin2012 49]

He yields an admirable intellect, but he lacks maturity and apathy. He might flaunt his mind, but his thoughts aren't very deep

 

I agree with this part, as he doesn't really deeply analyze the causes of the crimes, considering the fact that almost all the criminals he traps are only consequences of other crimes committed by the victims, who I think may be defined as the "real villains" in the stories. By the way, I am rather puzzled why do most of Japanese detective authors I know (at least in manga and anime) avoid making the guilty ones somebody without scruples, who acts out of greed or lust for power. After more than 700 episodes of catching almost exclusively the "avenging" kind of murderers, it becomes boring imo.

[RSP 3]

 

While I happen to think that there's no such thing as "real value" (in an objective sense), I think I can see where you are coming from. It's one of things I noticed early on, as I was watching the first one hundred episodes or so: Shinichi never really delves in the philosophy of things. He has an incredible scientific mind, but he does not penetrate far beneath the mechanics of the cases he is involved in. He is dedicated to fighting crime, but he doesn't seem to ask why crimes occur in the first place. Of course, he is gifted at reading people and deducing individual motives for crimes, but it seems that he neglects to read the hereditary-environmental factors which produce the criminals in the first place. Were he to focus on analyzing the structure of his society, he might arrive at insights that go beyond mere facts. This could enable him to address the causes of the effects rather than the effects proper. In other words, he could preempt crimes rather than solving them. But that wouldn't make for a good detective show, would it?

 

You've summarized my thoughts on this in a very clear and satisfying way, but I disagree with your final notion. I think that the series would benefit from deeper thought and introspection - in fact, given the prevalence of these themes in the genre, it might help to set DC apart from similar works. It would be interesting, at the very least.

 

 

One might go so far as to say that Shinichi has what Michael Crichton used to refer to as "thintelligence," in that he is competent at manipulating facts but does not perceive the deeper implications of those facts--that is, the implications that extend far beyond the immediate context. But I'd say that's a little unfair. For one thing, figuring out how criminals exploit objects and the surrounding environment often demands exceptional creativity, not just a good memory. And hey, he's still only 17 years old! To be sure, one can think profound thoughts at an early age, but maybe it's too early to reach a verdict on whether his intelligence is wasted on him or not. I'd give him 10 years before I reach mine.   

 

Hence "judging by the way things are now." However, I think that this has less to do with the character's potential development and more with Aoyama's plans for Shinichi. We know from characters like Ai that he is capable of writing on a deeper level, but Shinichi has rarely, if ever, approached a philosophical subject on any sophisticated level.

 

I'm afraid Kudo just isn't written to be a very deep character. As you said - "thintelligence". A veil of ingenuity with little to show beyond what is practical in his specific profession.

 

 

I agree with this part, as he doesn't really deeply analyze the causes of the crimes, considering the fact that almost all the criminals he traps are only consequences of other crimes committed by the victims, who I think may be defined as the "real villains" in the stories.

 

It's not just that. The series' set-up provides more than enough opportunities to breach the subject of morality and tackle the notion of justice as a whole. If Aoyama addressed even half the philosophical questions his work raises, it would do wonders to both the quality and the significance of the series.