[SPOILER DISCUSSION] File 966-968: The Scytale's Encryption

[DCUniverseAficionado 252]

RULES

1. Please use spoiler boxes until a full English translation is available.

2. NO DIRECT LINK to any Japanese scans (RAWs) or English scans (Japanese spoiler images are allowed as long as the amount and quality of which are very far away from a full scan).

HOW TO USE A SPOILER BOX?

Just simply type the following:

[spoiler]Text you want to write[/spoiler]

966 text spoilers: 

http://tamae.2ch.net/test/read.cgi/ymag/1467712058/353

966 text spoilers, translated by Spimer from DCTP:

 

NO BREAK NEXT WEEK

File 966: Scytale Cypher

The day after after the trick box case Conan tells the DBs that Kid disguised as Agasa (and wrapped the real one in bamboo inside of a toilet stall).

Then homeroom teacher Kobayashi brings along a teacher with glasses: the new deputy homeroom teacher, 10 years older than Kobayashi: Wakasa Rumi.

When she bows she hits the forehead with the teacher's desk and doesn't seem too reliable.Haibara suggests to Conan than since there have been several new transfer students the school might've decided to increase the staff.

At lunch time Rumi asks Conan & co. to lend her a hand: she wanted to draw the lines for the PE class in the school yard but turns out there are no more chalks and there are no spares so she wants them to look for chalks in an old warehouse that seems like the type of place where a ghost would appear.

A mere glance tells you it's falling apart and it's never been locked ever since Shinichi was an elementary student: back then the headmaster said at the graduation ceremony that they wouldn't tore it apart: he used Feng Shui as an argument to not to do so.

The warehouse seems to wear down even as Conan explains this to the others. He tries to motivate the others to go in but when he graps the handle a voice calls out and tells him not to touch that: Conan and the others ignore that since they were ordered to go in yet turns out it's dark on the inside.

The DBs use the flashlights Agasa gave them to search for the chalks: they find a worn down timetable and a door leading to the basement: someone's opened it recently because some rust is missing from the doorknob. When the DBs lift the door they find a corpse become skeleton below the stairs.

They have Rumi report this to the police through her cellphone and in the meanwhile they inspect the corpse: Conan estimes it's been between 5 and 10 years this person died and holds something that looks like a headband on the right hand: it's got cocked writing that makes it hard to figure out anything from it.

Conan recalls than when he and Ran were elementary students Ran found this "magical pimp" and it's probable that the text written on it was on Chinese.

The headband was linked to the doorknob so when Conan tries to untie to show it to Rumi a mysterious old man shows up and warns them:

"You musn't touch that, you know? Because it's the magical pimp that... keeps a frightening monster sealed into this storeroom..."

Shiratori and the police come to the warehouse: it's estimated the corpse is from over 10 years ago: it doesn't have anything that helps ID it, and it's estimated that it surely was trying to take anything when they slipped and fell down thus diying. The police decide this isn't a case so they retrieve the corpse and leave: the headmaster then admits the police came to the school 10 years ago.

A group of 4 robbers broke into a wealthy person's home and robbed there as well as killing the owner: they stole gold bars estimated to be worth 200 million yen (aprox 20 million USD) and ran away. Someone back then reported seeing mysterious figures coming in and out of Teitan Elementary's precint so the police came to investigate that.

The headmaster says that no-one knows what became of the 4 robbers: they might be living somewhere cowering in fear or maybe they are about to die.

Conan then says that the pimp's writing might be a Scytale Cypher: you write a unique text in a string tied to a stick and when you undo the string you get a row of unknown letters: the police have retrieved it but Conan took a photo of it with the phone and asked Haibara to have it be printed.

They wait for Haibara to return and, when she does, they find out that when they try to wrap the string around the stick they get something undecipherable instead of what they expected: maybe the stick's length needs to be longer or maybe there's something to it...

Side-note: "They fail at deciphering the Scytale Encryption!? And, say... Isn't this teacher (Rumi) suspicious!?"

[Heliotropic 139]

I'm going to be optimistic about this chapter... could be a good one. It would be nice to  get back to the "plot" after Heiji and Kid.

Rumi Wakasa seems a bit too obvious for a Rum candidate based on text spoilers... but I can't think they'll be introducing her for no reason. Having her be Rum could be neat considering how close to Conan/Haibara she is. I'm interested in seeing her character design. I also wonder if these transfer students will also show up at some point, but I'm guessing it's just an excuse to introduce Rumi. I am not a fan of the whole Eisuke routine, but will see where it goes...

I still think Gosho is going to follow the pattern as far as canon is concerned, so I don't think Rum will be a woman anyways... but I suppose he could just do away with this notion once and for all.

Wakasa has Asaka in it... suspicious indeed 

[Chekhov MacGuffin 1089]

 

Another female Rum suspect is an interesting choice. The glasses are also concerning since she could have an eye problem. I really need to see her character design before deciding if she is overly suspicious or if she is presented in an Amuro/Araide fashion. Either way, Rum would not go around with the name Wakasa Rumi unless he/she was deliberately trying to attract attention to themselves. It doesn't make sense though for the most part, since Rum is the number 2 and shouldn't be putting himself into missions that could get him captured. That alone suggests that Wakasa is innocent civilian coincidence most likely, or a lower rank disposable member on a mission to attract attention for mysterious reasons.

[Chekhov MacGuffin 1089]

Sorry for the double post, but I have new content unrelated to the previous to post: spoiler pics

 

吾 , | 吾--> "I, me"
会 . | 会 --> "meet"
吾 ! | 吾--> "I, me"
工ミ |工--> "work, art", 三 --> "katakana mi for water/Wednesday"
本火 |体 --> "book", 火 --> "fire/Tuesday"
工月 |工--> "work, art", 月 --> "moon/Monday"
工土 |工--> "work, art", 土 --> "ground/Saturday"
吾日 |吾--> "I, me", 日 --> "Sun/Sunday"
吾金 |吾--> "I, me", 金 --> "Gold/Friday"
工火 | 工--> "work, art", 火 --> "fire/Tuesday"
里月 |里 --> "village", 月 --> "moon/Monday"
里木 |里 --> "village" , 木 --> "wood/Tuesday"
攵ミ |攵 --> "strike/hit", 三 --> "water/Wednesday"
会ミ | 会 --> "meet" , 三 --> "water/Wednesday"
舌日 | 舌 --> "tongue" , 日 --> "Sun/Sunday"
[]土| 土 --> "ground/Saturday"
[]月| 月 --> "moon/Monday"
[]金| 金 --> "Gold/Friday"

 

A Japanese person worked out the code by the way. It's not solvable for non-native speakers in my opinion.

 

http://amataroujr.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-246.html

"The shares/cuts are prepared. Come immediately!"

[Heliotropic 139]

File 966 Chinese: http://imgur.com/a/FJGwn (minkun)

File 966 Chinese: http://imgur.com/a/t4FvV (mihua)

http://tieba.baidu.com/p/4667386676 (minkun)

http://tieba.baidu.com/p/4667930300 (mihua)

 

 

Rumi's character design seems like nothing special, so I don't think she's going to have much to do with the Rum arc, and may just end up being a one time case character to boot. Just another coincidence I suppose... though I guess we need to see a bit more to really say for sure. She doesn't really look like a throwaway character either, at least not completely, but I can't think of what purpose she might have... aside from being another means of misdirection, or maybe even a spy? (God forbid) - Can't say I'm a fan of the whole Eisuke routine she has going for her either, and it's pretty much as prominently displayed as Eisuke's clumsiness during his introduction..

It's nice to see Shiratori again... all for one page  

 

 

[Kurara-chan 13]

 

It's been a long time since the last skeleton.

Sounds like an interesting case.

Wonder if Haibara can feel something from the new teacher...

[/spoiler]

[guptaarchit023 0]

I dont think see usually wear specs as seen when she gets hit by desk.

Maybe she is related to robbers and not BO.I dont think Gosho is going to use DB's For a serious plot case.DB's are shown for fun.

But could be something new that gosho shows us where haibara is maybe kiddnaped in the end?

Also teacher looks surprised when she sees dead body unline asuka(vermouth)

[Serinox 127]

3 hours ago, guptaarchit023 said:

I dont think see usually wear specs as seen when she gets hit by desk.

Maybe she is related to robbers and not BO.I dont think Gosho is going to use DB's For a serious plot case.DB's are shown for fun.

If you look closely, she has her eyes closed when she does her bow and hits her head on the desk, so it's probably just she bowed too far because she was nervous.

The last two DB cases gave us serious plot moments (Conan noticing the similarities between the MG and Haibara, Haibara revealing that Koji Haneda was on the APTX victim list) and there have been DB with serious plot moments in the past (The entire Detective Boys vs. Robber Group case where Scar Akai was introduced for example), so I wouldn't rule it out that something relating to the main plot happens in the next two files of this case.

[Chekhov MacGuffin 1089]

1 hour ago, Serinox said:

If you look closely, she has her eyes closed when she does her bow and hits her head on the desk, so it's probably just she bowed too far because she was nervous.

The last two DB cases gave us serious plot moments (Conan noticing the similarities between the MG and Haibara, Haibara revealing that Koji Haneda was on the APTX victim list) and there have been DB with serious plot moments in the past (The entire Detective Boys vs. Robber Group case where Scar Akai was introduced for example), so I wouldn't rule it out that something relating to the main plot happens in the next two files of this case.

Precedent suggests plot developments happen most often on the first two pages of the first file and the last two pages of the last file.

Either way, the fact that Haibara appears close to Wakasa and she doesn't trigger Ai's BO sensor react strongly suggests Wakasa innocent or case culprit. Adding that to the boring design, I think Wakasa is a throwaway character.

I just want to know why this gold business is coming back to relevance right now after a decade of nothing happening.

[DCUniverseAficionado 252]

On July 14, 2016 at 3:29 PM, Chekhov MacGuffin said:

I just want to know why this gold business is coming back to relevance right now after a decade of nothing happening.

Uh, because this is Detective Conan, where plot threads can be left dangling for years to decades before continuation, let alone resolution?

Depending on one's perspective, this has either been the case from the start, the case since the Vermouth arc ended, or the case since the Bourbon arc started, or even places in-between those.

[Chekhov MacGuffin 1089]

19 minutes ago, DCUniverseAficionado said:

Uh, because this is Detective Conan, where plot threads can be left dangling for years to decades before continuation, let alone resolution?

Depending on one's perspective, this has either been the case from the start, the case since the Vermouth arc ended, or the case since the Bourbon arc started, or even places in-between those.

I meant the in-universe reason. In most cases, like the Grey Planner for instance, something or someone is responsible for reviving a case that lies dormant.

[DCUniverseAficionado 252]

47 minutes ago, Chekhov MacGuffin said:

I meant the in-universe reason. In most cases, like the Grey Planner for instance, something or someone is responsible for reviving a case that lies dormant.

Ah. My apologies for misunderstanding.

[DCUniverseAficionado 252]

Apologies for the double post.

967 text spoiler translation from Spimer at DCTP:

No break next week!

 

File 967: Impossible to decode!?

The characters that appear upon tying the string around the pen can't be read as they are. 

There are voiced consonant marks in odd positions and they seem to be a hint and yet...

The group begin to thinks they're lacking some material: Rumi, who'd casually been charged with cleansing up, accidentally tears the wall's schedule with the ruler she's been given.

Conan then remembers the schedule found at the warehouse with the corpse and uses one as a cypher table: he turns the "odds" as weekdays and the "created" into subjects 
and thus creates a Japanese syllabary table which he then reads aloud:

Su-ma-ho-me-u, so-ne-a-ri-ta. E-bu-e-mu-a!
Yu-te-shi-ri-to, u-tsu-a-so-ko. Mo-u"-ni-mu-a!

The day's classes end and the DBs are about to head back with the code still unsolved: they find that the news about the corpse in the warehouse and the code are already circulating in the Internet. When they are about to leave Rumi asks them to help her find limestone once again: they enter the old warehouse again and find signs of someone having searched the place.

It's been 2 hours since the news were emitted so there was plenty of time for anyone to ransack the place.

But it'd seem that the basement is untouched, however. Mitsuhiko hurries the group telling them to finish searching and go back: Rumi also agrees and says she'd like to go back home and have some whisky or something like that.

Whisky... Ebisu beer... The colors are the key to order the syllabary's contents! And Conan then realizes the code is related to the case of 10 years ago...

Side-note: Has the code been decoded!? But there seems to be a dangerous figure behind this case!! Next number, the resolution!

[Chekhov MacGuffin 1089]

Something that has been bugging me... I thought in DC quicklime accelerated the decay and breakdown of bodies, thus making more recent murders seem much older. Could the murder actually be more recent than five years?

The clue that would make it clear what happened is whether there are any footprints in the quicklime. If the body is old, then whoever visited recently and rubbed the rust off should have left prints in the powder if they searched the place. It doesn't look like there are prints by the body, but I can't tell because there is no closeup of the area around the body.

Besides I am bothered by Rumi wanting to use quicklime for lines. She should be using chalk. Quicklime is caustic and irritating and not suitable for use around kids who have sensitive skin. The dust was used in ye olde days as ancient crowd control like blinding tear gas. Quicklime is also used for making concrete which is why I suspect there are bags of it lying around. Either way, Rumi's request to the DB was suspicious from the start.

[guptaarchit023 0]

This is a case that only a japanese would be able to decode right?

I really like the panel of shiratori with kobayashi sensei and the way they blushed.

[DCUniverseAficionado 252]

 

968 text spoilers are out:

http://tamae.2ch.net/test/read.cgi/ymag/1468463576/897

[Kurara-chan 13]

So the teacher will be around? Or do I catch it wrong?

[DCUniverseAficionado 252]

3 minutes ago, Kurara-chan said:

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

So the teacher will be around? Or do I catch it wrong?

 

 

From what I can tell, the file ends with something like this on the sidebar (of Page 16, of course):

"This teacher is not normal...!"

So, yes, she'll be back.

[DCUniverseAficionado 252]

Apologies for the double post.

Here's how things will go for the next month:

7/27: 968 becomes available

8/3: Break

8/10: 969 becomes available

8/17: Break (969 releases in a double issue of shonen sunday)

8/24: There's a possibility of a break, here, but, most likely, 970 will become available (if not, 970 will become available on 8/31)

Now here are the 968 text spoilers, translated by Spimer from DCTP:

 

File 968: Wakasa - sensei's secret

Haibara notices someone's presence behind them and she spins around to check the rear but there's no-one...

She wonders aloud if it was her imagination but Conan replies that there actually might be someone there: it's very possible that the thieves from 10 years ago have come to look for something.

Conan redoes the deciphering table and rearranges the order of characters using the song "irowa" as basis: the decoded message reads

"Got your shares ready. Come ASAP!"

The skeleton was the thieves' boss and surely intended to give out the shares of the money they got by turning the gold into currency: he checks inside of the line drawers and finds a bundle of bank notes there. He intends not to report this ASAP but to lure the robbers and catch in a swoop.

The group comes outside: it's dusk. They then say aloud that they didn't find the quicklime, there only was a brand-new string with some text on it: they couldn't read what it said so they threw it: the DBs and Rumi leave while dumping the string there.

3 suspicious men pick it up.

Night falls.

Conan alone is on the lookout behind the warehouse... or is supposed to be but, actually, the DBs, Rumi and Shiratori are with him and they're quite a group.

The string is something Conan readied, a trap's bait which the thieves bite: Shiratori is trying to find a good moment to come out and arrest them yet when he gets a closer look he sees there's only 2 men.

One of them feared a trap and stayed outside and thus knocks Shiratori out by hitting him from behind: the 3 thieves retreive the money and try to lock Conan and the group on the basement. Conan is saving up his gadgets as trump card and pretends to obey. But when Rumi steps into the stairs to the basement...

... She pretends that she's clumsily lost her footing and beats one of the robbers next to her: she picks up a stick with beads and turns into a strong-looking fighting pose atop the shut down basement hatch.

Rumi: "Are you ready? ... Ready to... depart this world?"

She looks like she'd been the type who loves brawls and is now bringing that aspect out: she beats up the other 2 robbers as well.

Conan, noticing things were quiet up there, carefully opens the hatch and sees Rumi who's (pretending to be) panicked and she's swinging the stick around: she's  (is pretending that she's) not paying attention so she hasn't noticed she's beat up the 3 thieves.

The next day... Kobayashi, who didn't get called (at the police questioning, presumably) is more annoyed at being unable to meet Shiratori than being the only one left out the affair on the premises of it being dangerous.

Side-note: "This teacher is not a commoner! A new chapter will begin in the next double issue! To be continued in SS #37-38. There'll be a break next week for the author to gather materials."

[Heliotropic 139]

I suppose it's time to go on a little bit of a rant...

Needless to say, not really a fan of this chapter and it just seems really dumb 

 

I think my main problem is that I was expecting something different from Rumi, though I did entertain the possibility of her being plot relevant, or that she was even possibly one of the spies for the Rum arc (since we've had at least one new one since the Vermouth arc). Don't know her affiliation, but I don't really care either...

She doesn't look like a throwaway character, but her design isn't anything special either. It's mostly in the facial features, but notably different from one time case characters... Same could be said about Hina to some extent though I suppose... but her name is Rumi Wakasa, and from name alone, I think it was apparent that Gosho would either try to pass her off as a Rum suspect, or throw in some connection to the plot. It could, of course, been another "pointless" and "coincidental" connection to the plot, since we've had several very convenient cases in the last several months. That was a possibility as well...

Now it's pretty clear that Rumi will be passed off as a Rum suspect, but is she? Could it even be a possibility... Aside from one example after Ai mentioned her ability to "sense" members from the Organization (not counting the time with Numabuchi), she's always responded to a member that has a connection to the organization. It would be awful convenient if Gosho just ignored it when introducing someone this close to both Conan and Ai. There's been no indication so far, and I assume after said fight scene in this file, Ai would have some type of reaction (not mentioned in text spoilers). 

She's been so close so far that she's had time to gather data on Conan, and seems to be wanting him to solve the Cipher for some reason. Not sure if it's just because she can't do it herself, or what her objective is.

The scene with the tranquilizer watch seemed really dumb to me, since he's not being cautious at all, just completely careless. It reminds me of the first time Kobayashi saw Conan reasoning, and he had to slow things down (once Ai mentioned it to him) to avoid her being suspicious... and she was suspicious. He doesn't seem to care at all in this case, and I blatantly telling someone about his watch capabilities could spell a world of trouble for him, especially if say Rumi was concerned that Conan had things he shouldn't... but never mind the logic. It's not really important anyways...

But more than anything, I suppose I'm irritated with this Eisuke like personality. She's overly clumsy, but it's just a hoax, and she's anything but. I can't remember whether or not Eisuke was pretending, since some of those trips were on purpose, according to him... but Eisuke annoyed me back when he was around, and Rumi will do the same here.

Giving every character a martial art tends to devalue characters for me, and doesn't really seem like a unique trait anymore either. I'm not thrilled with Mary already, since she shouldn't be able to do certain things because of her size/sickly state, but whatever... 

Lastly... I think it could be pretty likely that Rumi does turn out to be "Asaka" - but again, I don't think that necessarily means that Rum = Asaka, and this seemed like a quick jump to conclusions, at least if this is what Conan thinks.

 

 

[DCUniverseAficionado 252]

5 hours ago, Heliotropic said:

I don't really care either...

never mind the logic. It's not really important anyways...

but whatever... 

Would you say your current picture avatar represents your attitude on DC? Because this seemed like an "I would be angry, but I'm so done at this point" kind of rant. I think such attitudes and reactions from long-time DC fans are symptomatic of Gosho dragging this series along for so long past peak that people only keep reading/watching because they want to see how he's gonna end it all, and resolve all the potential he built up during the first 9-13 years of the series which made them fans of DC to begin with.

To address your specific complaints, I think the clumsiness is entirely an act on her part—with Eisuke, a lot of it wasn't fake. I think those who were annoyed by this part of Eisuke were because it got repetitive after awhile, even with how short the Kir arc was and his involvement in the plot, and maybe because it seemed mean-spirited on Gosho's part (?). Now, we have it featured with another new character, and, act or not, some will see this as old hat and associate it with their negative reaction to Eisuke's clumsiness.

About her true intentions and affiliations—W and I weren't on Koji's "Put on Mascara" mirror, so if he was referring to her, all he could put would be Akasa Rum. Thus, Shinichi/Conan and Shuichi/Subaru incorrectly put "asa" in front, and incorrectly put "k" in front of "a" and made "ka" instead of "ak." Rum being Rumi is very much an extreme improbability in my eyes, so if she's who Koji was referring to, then how did she escape from being killed by Rum? What does she know about Rum? What did she do, 17 years prior, that got her involved in the two murders that happened? Given her "love of brawls," was she involved with the BO? Of course, her name could be pure coincidence, and have nothing to do with Rum and Koji Haneda. If that's the case, then what important plot character or organization is she connected to? How did she come to "love brawls?" Why did she become a teacher at Teitan Elementary, and now, of all times? Will those robbers she clobbered tell the police that she clobbered them in a manner opposite of blind panic, and will word get to Shinichi/Conan about this through, say, Wataru, later on?

All these questions we have about her—if your frustration comes from Gosho bringing in another character who we have so many questions about, then I get it. It's not like she's the only character who we need answers about. The reaction to the mysteries of Rumi from some is going to be—rather than, "Ooh, a mysterious character!"—"Ugh, another mysterious character... get on with it, already..."

[Heliotropic 139]

20 minutes ago, DCUniverseAficionado said:

 

  Hide contents

Would you say your current picture avatar represents your attitude on DC? Because this seemed like an "I would be angry, but I'm so done at this point" kind of rant. I think such attitudes and reactions from long-time DC fans are symptomatic of Gosho dragging this series along for so long past peak that people only keep reading/watching because they want to see how he's gonna end it all, and resolve all the potential he built up during the first 9-13 years of the series which made them fans of DC to begin with.

All these questions we have about her—if your frustration comes from Gosho bringing in another character who we have so many questions about, then I get it. It's not like she's the only character who we need answers about. The reaction to the mysteries of Rumi from some is going to be—rather than, "Ooh, a mysterious character!"—"Ugh, another mysterious character... get on with it, already..."

 

 No, it's really just coincidence. I'm not too bitter about the way things go most times. I think it's this case in particular that annoyed me, because I didn't expect Gosho to pace Rumi as this suspicious/mysterious character in such a manner. It was already obvious they were going to be used as a Rum suspect from 966. The clumsy act definitely doesn't help.

It's also pretty hard to follow this case as is, seeing as how I don't understand a lick of Japanese, but I don't really wanna complain about that. We get those cases from time to time, and I'm usually quite impressed with the cases, and still think Gosho has a lot of promise in him... though some of his decisions about the plot lately, I certainly disagree with. 

A lot of it just has to do with her being this overly clumsy character, and then revealing it all to be an act in 968, and of course, we'll have the same shenanigans in future cases too. It's probably going to get on my nerves... but as far as Eisuke is concerned, as much as I disliked his character, I think he did serve a purpose... With Rumi, it's only been one case, but I'm just kinda wondering what the point is in all this, and why she's latching onto Conan so fast. I don't think she is in the organization (she might have some link to it, or be from some certain spy agency), since Ai didn't sense anything, and I'm certain she would have, and neither Conan or Ai seem to really care (might be some follow-up though)

Introducing all these new characters with a martial art seems dumb to me, and it just loses its impact when you do it to this extent, and as far as your last part is concerned, that probably does have something to do with it... but I don't really mind if this gets on with the Rum plot as a whole. It's too early to get reallly frustrated about anything, but Gosho has certainly been stalling a lot lately, especially with all these overly convenient cases (even for DC standards). It's something I've grown to expect, but sometimes enough is enough.

Something I haven't been too fond of lately is certain things being very obvious to the reader, while Conan is still taking ages to figure it out. It makes it seem like things go much slower than they actually are, when I think the Rum arc will not be a repeat of the Bourbon arc (and I didn't really dislike it either, I just felt it lacked the same feel as what came before it)

[DCUniverseAficionado 252]

7 hours ago, Heliotropic said:

No, it's really just coincidence. I'm not too bitter about the way things go most times. I think it's this case in particular that annoyed me, because I didn't expect Gosho to pace Rumi as this suspicious/mysterious character in such a manner. It was already obvious they were going to be used as a Rum suspect from 966. The clumsy act definitely doesn't help.

It's also pretty hard to follow this case as is, seeing as how I don't understand a lick of Japanese, but I don't really wanna complain about that. We get those cases from time to time, and I'm usually quite impressed with the cases, and still think Gosho has a lot of promise in him... though some of his decisions about the plot lately, I certainly disagree with. 

A lot of it just has to do with her being this overly clumsy character, and then revealing it all to be an act in 968, and of course, we'll have the same shenanigans in future cases too. It's probably going to get on my nerves... but as far as Eisuke is concerned, as much as I disliked his character, I think he did serve a purpose... With Rumi, it's only been one case, but I'm just kinda wondering what the point is in all this, and why she's latching onto Conan so fast. I don't think she is in the organization (she might have some link to it, or be from some certain spy agency), since Ai didn't sense anything, and I'm certain she would have, and neither Conan or Ai seem to really care (might be some follow-up though)

Introducing all these new characters with a martial art seems dumb to me, and it just loses its impact when you do it to this extent, and as far as your last part is concerned, that probably does have something to do with it... but I don't really mind if this gets on with the Rum plot as a whole. It's too early to get reallly frustrated about anything, but Gosho has certainly been stalling a lot lately, especially with all these overly convenient cases (even for DC standards). It's something I've grown to expect, but sometimes enough is enough.

Something I haven't been too fond of lately is certain things being very obvious to the reader, while Conan is still taking ages to figure it out. It makes it seem like things go much slower than they actually are, when I think the Rum arc will not be a repeat of the Bourbon arc (and I didn't really dislike it either, I just felt it lacked the same feel as what came before it)

Well, people wondering about Rumi's purpose is what Gosho must be after, right?

We don't really know too much about how she fights, aside from her apparently loving to "brawl." From that, though, who knows if it's really a martial art? She could really be just a "brawler."

Does clumsiness, fake or otherwise, just annoy you for no particular reason (like a pet peeve), or is it because it gets old fast and, maybe, is mean-spirited on Gosho's part (at least in Eisuke's case)?

Lately? The past nine years or even longer (there are some who'd say that DC should've ended with the Vermouth arc or not very long after) seems a bit too long of a period to use "lately." I also believe the same people would say the quality of the mysteries has declined as the arcs went on.

 

[Heliotropic 139]

4 minutes ago, DCUniverseAficionado said:

 

  Hide contents

Well, people wondering about Rumi's purpose is what Gosho must be after, right?

We don't really know too much about how she fights, aside from her apparently loving to "brawl." From that, though, who knows if it's really a martial art? She could really be just a "brawler."

Does clumsiness, fake or otherwise, just annoy you for no particular reason (like a pet peeve), or is it because it gets old fast and, maybe, is mean-spirited on Gosho's part (at least in Eisuke's case)?

Lately? The past nine years or even longer (there are some who'd say that DC should've ended with the Vermouth arc or not very long after) seems a bit too long of a period to use "lately." I also believe the same people would say the quality of the mysteries has declined as the arcs went on.

 

 

 I don't find "clumsiness" in general to be annoying, but when Gosho has done it with Eisuke, yes, I did, and I didn't like it then, and I don't like it now with Rumi. I don't necessarily say it's "mean-spirited" not sure what you mean by that, but I'd say revealing it to be a hoax in the end, which happened both with Rumi and Eisuke make this persona seem even more annoying and unnecessary. Don't really need a good reason to like or hate something, I just do. For some, I understand that it brings a good brand of comic relief. Part of it being repetitive has to do with it too. There's only so long a gag can be interesting or funny.

Who knows what it is with Rumi in particular, but I think the point I was trying to make was she is good at fighting, and so far, I just feel that this "development" is rushed, and her "clumsy" personality seems pointless. I think it's a pretty safe assumption that Gosho isn't just going to give her some random, unknown fighting style. Does it really matter anyways? The point is the same. I assume the brawler comment was just the thoughts of the poster on 2ch, and not something in the file itself.

"Lately" is a fair point, though I was mostly referring to some recent events, such as Conan not explicitly knowing Akai was Sera's brother, when most of the community thought that was obvious before, same as with the whole MG thing being the shrunken mother, but this is fair seeing as how Conan never had the chance to discover it, it just makes everything feel even slower. Poor choice of words... and I would also agree that the qualities of mysteries in general have declined, but there are still some great ones from time to time...

I think a lot of that just has to do with the nature of the series. Stretch something out so long and people want to see something new, and everything in some way or another is going to look like a rehash. Most the time I just try to appreciate it for what it is and try not to be too critical. I think the Vermouth arc (at least so far) has been the easily identifiable peak of the series, but it has not in any way been bad after that. Kir arc, and Clash was pretty good as a whole, and Bourbon arc was just too long for all that happened. We're still dealing with some of the stuff from that arc too, some of it I've liked, and still don't really know how I feel about Sera or Mary yet... and I did like Scarlet... somewhat, but some of the recent cases elaborating on Scotch, Bourbon and Akai seem to have made it even worse...

[DCUniverseAficionado 252]

13 hours ago, Heliotropic said:

I don't find "clumsiness" in general to be annoying, but when Gosho has done it with Eisuke, yes, I did, and I didn't like it then, and I don't like it now with Rumi. I don't necessarily say it's "mean-spirited" not sure what you mean by that, but I'd say revealing it to be a hoax in the end, which happened both with Rumi and Eisuke make this persona seem even more annoying and unnecessary. Don't really need a good reason to like or hate something, I just do. For some, I understand that it brings a good brand of comic relief. Part of it being repetitive has to do with it too. There's only so long a gag can be interesting or funny.

Who knows what it is with Rumi in particular, but I think the point I was trying to make was she is good at fighting, and so far, I just feel that this "development" is rushed, and her "clumsy" personality seems pointless. I think it's a pretty safe assumption that Gosho isn't just going to give her some random, unknown fighting style. Does it really matter anyways? The point is the same. I assume the brawler comment was just the thoughts of the poster on 2ch, and not something in the file itself.

"Lately" is a fair point, though I was mostly referring to some recent events, such as Conan not explicitly knowing Akai was Sera's brother, when most of the community thought that was obvious before, same as with the whole MG thing being the shrunken mother, but this is fair seeing as how Conan never had the chance to discover it, it just makes everything feel even slower. Poor choice of words... and I would also agree that the qualities of mysteries in general have declined, but there are still some great ones from time to time...

I think a lot of that just has to do with the nature of the series. Stretch something out so long and people want to see something new, and everything in some way or another is going to look like a rehash. Most the time I just try to appreciate it for what it is and try not to be too critical. I think the Vermouth arc (at least so far) has been the easily identifiable peak of the series, but it has not in any way been bad after that. Kir arc, and Clash was pretty good as a whole, and Bourbon arc was just too long for all that happened. We're still dealing with some of the stuff from that arc too, some of it I've liked, and still don't really know how I feel about Sera or Mary yet... and I did like Scarlet... somewhat, but some of the recent cases elaborating on Scotch, Bourbon and Akai seem to have made it even worse...

By mean-spirited—I thought that some would say he was there more to amuse the readers and not be a developed, interesting or likable character. In other words, Gosho just having him be a punching bag.

Yeah, the inundation of characters with certain physical prowess diluting the effect, making the impact less than it used to be—I get where that comes from. But such a thing doesn't seem to concern Gosho—either that, or he doesn't realize. Take your pick. 

I get why you used that word, though—DC is one of those series that can have "lately" apply to a matter of years, since 1 year to 2 and 1/2 years elapse between the major plot developments. It's not as poor a choice of words as you may think... 

It depends—some say it was really all downhill after the Vermouth arc, and others will say that the Kir arc was of somewhat inferior quality, but still good, but then the Bourbon arc happened. The Bourbon arc's major flaw was it's length. 276 files and just over 6 and 1/2 years was not worth a focus on one character's response to—what was revealed in the Scotch flashback case to be—a misunderstanding (tragic or not), in the eyes of (I'd say a majority of) longtime fans. Had the Bourbon arc been half as long or 2/3rds as long, the reception would not have been as negative. The whole Akai family plot didn't need to be put in the post-Mystery Train part of the Bourbon arc—Shukichi and Mary could've easily been introduced post-Scarlet Showdown. The Bourbon arc was just a case of "it's just not as good."

While we're on the subject of DC's quality—and this next part is more directed at everyone—I get the notion of "things can always get worse," but really, how can DC get worse than the Bourbon arc? All I see is the potential of DC continuing to be "just not as good," so I'd like to hear how DC can get not only worse, but much worse, than 6 and 1/2 years of Rei doing things that endanger so much, and can only undermine Shinichi/Conan and government agencies, and help the BO, in order to kill Shuichi over a misunderstanding.