Discussion Thread about Rum

[DCUniverseAficionado 252]

Crossposting this from DCTP:

 

Filipino_4869 wrote:

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Kansuke Yamato 
Sakurako Yonehara
Mary/MG
Hyoue Kuroda
Rumi Wakasa
Ryujiro Uematsu
Kanenori Wakita

 

jimmy_kud0_tv2 wrote:

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some people also seemed to think that Chikara Katsumata could be on the list

I've also seen some people mention Inspector Momose, I wonder whether he will come back any time soon.

 

I'd also add Osaka Police Director-General Heizo Hattori and Inspector Taka'aki Morofushi/Koumei to the list.

Unless Gosho is straight-up BSing us (AC Hints – 9/10/14: " Kan-chan has nothing to do with Rum;" 9/17/14: Kan-chan is not Rum ^^), Kansuke's not Rum. He's seen Shiho/Ai (File 680–File 681/Episode 557).

Sakurako's seen Shiho/Ai twice (File 847–File 849/Episode 731–Episode 732 and File 918–File 920/Episode 814–Episode 815).

That would imply Mary killed Amanda and Koji (File 953, Page 16, Panel 3 – Gin: "[The Koji Haneda case] was a job Rum screwed up 17 years ago..."), which then led to Tsutomu's presumed death.

Is she still giving orders as the BO's number two, as she hides in a hotel room with Masumi, or did she betray them, leading to her getting the APTX and going into hiding? It can't be the former—she knows about both Shiho/Ai and Shinichi/Conan... especially about Shinichi/Conan (including the voice-changing bow-tie and that he's using Kogoro to solve cases). If it's the latter, then Rum is no longer the BO's number two—she'd be just like Shiho/Ai, now... people will just love that repetition.

 

 

And if Mary is no longer the BO's number two—if she's not giving orders behind the scenes—then how is Rum involved in Movie 20?

 

The only way she could be doing this is if she's acting like Vermouth, in terms of keeping certain BO opponent(s) safe... and, again, people will just love that repetition.

 

 

Rumi has seen Shiho/Ai, and is very much focused on Shinichi/Conan (and is also aware that he can use tranquilizer darts).

He's seen Shiho/Ai, and he was principal when Shinichi/Conan really was a 7-year-old—he'd recognize him immediately.

It was strange to me that Gosho made him the keyhole character of Volume 85—and with his appearance at the beginning of the year (File 945–File 947), he's no longer a one-case character. I'll be looking out for him in Shukichi's next appearance.

Inspetor Momose sometimes keeps just one eye open, while mainly keeping both closed, just like Heizo. However, unlike Heizo, he's seen Shiho/Ai... twice (File 384–File 386/Episode 312–Episode 313 and File 690–File 692/Episode 571–Episode 572).

So here's my shortlist:

Heizo Hattori
Taka'aki Morofushi/Koumei
Chikara Katsumata
Kanenori Wakita
Hyoue Kuroda 

Hyoue is on my list—in spite of the insane levels of red-herringness he exudes—because... 

A. Because one of the gaps in his memory, caused by the accident, could be what Shiho/Sherry looked like at age 7

or

B. Because he was Rum... as in, the Pre-Coma, black-haired Hyoue Kuroda was Rum, but Post-Coma Hyoue Kuroda—the white-haired one we've seen in File 913–File 917/Episode 810–Episode 812 and File 920/Episode 815—is, in fact, Tsutomu Akai, who replaced the real Hyoue, the real Rum, sometime after the accident... and this way is, as I see it, the only way Tsutomu can be Rum—by impersonating him

Option B would allow for Post-Coma Hyoue/Tsutomu to be Rei's/Toru's boss at the NPA; Option A would mean that Hyoue/Rum is not Rei's/Toru's boss at the NPA, because if he was, he'd know that Bourbon is a NOC.

 

 

Bringing up Movie 20, again—Option A could only work, again, if Hyoue/Rum isn't Rei's/Toru's boss. Heck, if he was, he could nab that data that Curacao was after, himself, perhaps using her as a decoy while he'd be the one to get the NOC list data.

 

Option B could work, as well, with Movie 20 in mind—in that situation, where Rei/Toru was about to potentially be executed, and Post-Coma Hyoue/Tsutomu was his boss at the NPA, who knows if he would've tried to save him? If Dr. Agasa hadn't managed to send that email to Rum from Curacao's phone, who knows if he would've called Vermouth, anyway?

In order to keep his cover as Rum, Post-Coma Hyoue/Tsutomu would have to make bold moves, as the second in command, including making use of Curacao, hence why Movie 20 happened.

 

[AnimeOtakuDrew 18]

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!

[dccd 0]

You should post this in dctp too.

 

So much respect and thumbs up for putting so much effort into it. Simply great.
We need people like you who are not afraid to think outside the box and dont go with the obvious clues.

I think we need to even take a closer look at Urusei Yatsura to try to see more potential parallels between Lum and any character in Conan.

I guess you know that the weak point of your theory is the "faking the death" -aspect, but since Gosho hasnt used this

trick in his main story yet, why not now? So im absolutely with you and admin, lets put her into voting list up there.

 

[Jimmy-kud0-tv2 34]

I have several main problems with this.

 

If the Miyano family is meant to represent the Oni / alien invaders, then why was Masumi given Lum's tooth that appears when she smiles?

 

and two, if Akemi was in any way loyal to the BO, then why would she willingly tell Conan anything about it as she lay on the ground slowly passing out? Also wasn't it stated multiple times that she was merely a low level agent ?

 

So you are saying that Akemi is Rum and that Rum is Wakasa Rumi? Wouldn't that contradict the idea that the BO is trying to eliminate all references to the Haneda Kouji case and its dying message? Putting the message in her fake name while around Conan would be a bit of an oversight. 

[AnimeOtakuDrew 18]

@dccd

4 hours ago, dccd said:

You should post this in dctp too.

I'm not on DCTP, but I may join at some point.

4 hours ago, dccd said:

So much respect and thumbs up for putting so much effort into it. Simply great.

Thank you, I really appreciate that!

4 hours ago, dccd said:

We need people like you who are not afraid to think outside the box and dont go with the obvious clues.

I think we need to even take a closer look at Urusei Yatsura to try to see more potential parallels between Lum and any character in Conan.

I guess you know that the weak point of your theory is the "faking the death" -aspect, but since Gosho hasnt used this

trick in his main story yet, why not now? So im absolutely with you and admin, lets put her into voting list up there.

 

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

3 hours ago, Jimmy-kud0-tv2 said:

I have several main problems with this.

Well, let's address them, shall we?

3 hours ago, Jimmy-kud0-tv2 said:

If the Miyano family is meant to represent the Oni / alien invaders, then why was Masumi given Lum's tooth that appears when she smiles?

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.

3 hours ago, Jimmy-kud0-tv2 said:

and two, if Akemi was in any way loyal to the BO, then why would she willingly tell Conan anything about it as she lay on the ground slowly passing out?

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.

3 hours ago, Jimmy-kud0-tv2 said:

Also wasn't it stated multiple times that she was merely a low level agent ?

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.

3 hours ago, Jimmy-kud0-tv2 said:

So you are saying that Akemi is Rum and that Rum is Wakasa Rumi?

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.

3 hours ago, Jimmy-kud0-tv2 said:

Wouldn't that contradict the idea that the BO is trying to eliminate all references to the Haneda Kouji case and its dying message?

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.

3 hours ago, Jimmy-kud0-tv2 said:

Putting the message in her fake name while around Conan would be a bit of an oversight. 

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.

[Jimmy-kud0-tv2 34]

32 minutes ago, AnimeOtakuDrew said:

 

 

@Jimmy-kud0-tv2

 

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.

 

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.

 

I believe that James Black also mentioned her being low ranked in Clash or Red and Black as he was explaining things to Conan.

 

Surely you noticed that the name "WAKASA RUMI" has all of the same letters of "ASAKA RUM" with the addition of a "W" and an "I". Thats the message I was talking about. When the BO noticed that a song with the name "ASACA" spelled that unusual way was to be released, they immediately sent out Bourbon and Vermouth to investigate. Why now would they have one of their own use it in their fake name, especially around Conan? It would seem more likely to me, and to the others who have already mentioned this, that Rumi would most likely be the person who is uploading the case to the internet. Due to the page getting taken down a lot she probably sought out people who have visited the page, using the dying message in her fake name as a way to draw attention to herself and help expose the case to the public and finally get it solved.

[AnimeOtakuDrew 18]

33 minutes ago, Jimmy-kud0-tv2 said:

 

I believe that James Black also mentioned her being low ranked in Clash or Red and Black as he was explaining things to Conan.

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.

33 minutes ago, Jimmy-kud0-tv2 said:

Surely you noticed that the name "WAKASA RUMI" has all of the same letters of "ASAKA RUM" with the addition of a "W" and an "I". Thats the message I was talking about. When the BO noticed that a song with the name "ASACA" spelled that unusual way was to be released, they immediately sent out Bourbon and Vermouth to investigate. Why now would they have one of their own use it in their fake name, especially around Conan? It would seem more likely to me, and to the others who have already mentioned this, that Rumi would most likely be the person who is uploading the case to the internet. Due to the page getting taken down a lot she probably sought out people who have visited the page, using the dying message in her fake name as a way to draw attention to herself and help expose the case to the public and finally get it solved.

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.

[detConShin 0]

6 hours ago, AnimeOtakuDrew said:

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.

Ok so here's the thing, Akemi was like 25 years old in the current timeline so if you're saying she killed Haneda Kohji you're basically saying that she was capable of killing at the age of 7.

[Jimmy-kud0-tv2 34]

10 hours ago, AnimeOtakuDrew said:

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.

you missed my point entirely. I know that it was Kouji's dying message, but the name "Wasaka Rumi" is clearly meant to resemble that dying message. If the BO is going around trying to squash any reference to that particular case, then it would be rather stupid for one of their agents to use a name that is so similar to Kouji's dying message 

[AnimeOtakuDrew 18]

11 hours ago, detConShin said:

Ok so here's the thing, Akemi was like 25 years old in the current timeline so if you're saying she killed Haneda Kohji you're basically saying that she was capable of killing at the age of 7.

I actually addressed this in my first post about the theory...

On Friday, October 28, 2016 at 5:40 AM, AnimeOtakuDrew said:

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?

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.

7 hours ago, Jimmy-kud0-tv2 said:

you missed my point entirely. I know that it was Kouji's dying message, but the name "Wasaka Rumi" is clearly meant to resemble that dying message. If the BO is going around trying to squash any reference to that particular case, then it would be rather stupid for one of their agents to use a name that is so similar to Kouji's dying message 

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.

[AnimeOtakuDrew 18]

@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.

[Meitantei.Sherlock 0]

@AnimeOtakuDrew

I understand the point. But, wouldn't be quite obvious when her name is pronounced? 

Anyone can notice that the pronunciation of ASACA RUM is similar to WAKASA RUMI. 

Its not a matter of how they are 'written', its about how they are 'read' or 'pronounced'. Just the fact that her name has Rum in it is suspicious. 

 

[Serinox 127]

But that was his point. Rumi is pronounced and written "Rumi" and Rum is pronounced and written "Ramu". Wakasa and Asaca sound more similar, but still different enough that the average Japanese reader might be oblivious to it.

[Chekhov MacGuffin 1089]

On 11/20/2016 at 2:11 PM, Serinox said:

But that was his point. Rumi is pronounced and written "Rumi" and Rum is pronounced and written "Ramu". Wakasa and Asaca sound more similar, but still different enough that the average Japanese reader might be oblivious to it.

With this kind of thing it might be better to move outside of the realm of maybes and actually see if any Japanese people are surprised in discussions online.

 

-------

 

Anyway, I know I have been off doing my own thing and going so far at to neglect posting case solutions for the monthly cases, but I did manage to get out an update to the vision analysis sheet.

 

Wakasa Rumi's numbers are still not in satisfactory range to call her like I called Sakurako Yonehara (right now she has only half of the desirable amount of data meaning the numbers are pretty volatile), but overall her numbers are still trending towards being fully sighted.

The other side of the evidence is that she doesn't seem to be overturning like Kansuke does in either this case or her introductory one. There have been several good panels so far where both she and someone else are standing side by side, and both are turning their heads to look at something. She doesn't overturn more than her same-panel comparison character. Her clumsiness, real or more likely fake and deliberate, is apparently something that she is doing with full vision.

 

Wakita Kanenori's numbers in certain categories (RR:SR) started out of the gate looking like Kansuke's, which was nice to see validated because it helps me confirm my suspicions that Gosho does have certain artistic choice quirks that can be used against him in absence of enough other clues. Wakita is off my suspect list for now because I believe his claim that his eye injury is temporary and not permanent like Rum's is. He claimed to have aspirations to work the sushi counter, the soft medical dressing he wears is a type of temporary disposable eyepad to promote healing, and he even offered to show the wound which a more cautious individual might not risk.

 

I already noted that Hyoue Kuroda is a bit unusual because he does not turn his head or eyes much (78.2% SS). So I tabulated his now boss, Kiyonaga Matsumoto, to use as the comparison case for bulky geezers (Since Matsumoto is the bulkiest geezer among the protagonists, as opposed to just being fat). The can-shaped-head Superintendent+ was within the usual 50-65% straight head and straight eyes range. This definitely could be a clue that characters who overwhelmingly face and look straight are hiding an eye problem. In that case, Chikara Katsumata should be given careful consideration in his next appearance, as he has an even higher 78.9% SS from his first two appearances (which to be fair only amounts to 19 panels able to be considered).

 

Lastly, I've decided not to do Mary as she is the obvious schmuck bait of the Rum candidates - Rum isn't going to be the one poisoned with APTX, who knows Conan's secret, and popped out 3 Akais. Gosho pretty often has one trash suspect you can axe pretty quick, and Mary seems to be it for this arc.

[MeiTanteixX 184]

12 hours ago, Chekhov MacGuffin said:

Gosho pretty often has one trash suspect you can axe pretty quick, and Mary seems to be it for this arc.

Just like her daughter...

[dccd 0]

I wouldnt go as far as saying "Rum isn´t going to be the one poisoned with APTX". 

As far as I remember there wasnt any obvious sign or clue in the Vermouth-Arc, that Vermouth took APTX.

You might take the use of "A secret makes a woman woman" as a hint that Chris = Sharon, but up to the big clash there

wasnt any single hint, that the whole funeral was kind of "fake".

Anyways, most people seem to forget that Chris actually in reality is Sharon and Sharon = Vermouth, who took APTX.

In addition it should be noticed that APTX-age-reducing is different depending on the individual person.

While Conan and Ai were reduced by 10 years, Sharon was reduced by about 20 ( Chris is 29, Sharon about 50?) years. 

Mary was for sure reduced by 30+ years (check up 971+ for guessing her age).

So pretty much any (new) character might be an APTX-victim. Even the ones in the 20-30s.

[AnimeOtakuDrew 18]

It has never been definitively stated that Sharon/Chris/Vermouth was de-aged by APTX or anything even close to it. For all we know, she might have eternal youth from Magic Kaito's Pandora or something else entirely.

 

As for the de-aging effect of APTX, I'm pretty sure Haibara said that it returns the body to a childlike or pre-adolescent state. If that is the case, anyone suffering that side effect, regardless of their starting age, should end up physically the same as Conan and Haibara. This is the reason I reject the idea that Mary was only recently given the APTX, as she now has the appearance of a junior high aged adolescent, meaning she must have been poisoned about five years previously.

 

As for the likelihood of Mary being Rum, I never even considered her a suspect. At the time of her first introduction, it was clear she was someone close to Sera and who had Sera's complete trust. It was equally clear, though not yet confirmed at the time, that Sera was the sister of Akai Shuichi and was trying to find out more about his death, but already new (or at least had suspicions) about the Organization's existence and involvement. For that reason, I couldn't accept that Sera would defer to someone that might be involved with the Organization. As we gradually learned more about the character and Sera, it became clear that they are on the run, probably from the Organization themselves. With the most recent developments, that her husband was involved in the Haneda Kohji case in some way and was (presumably) killed by the Organization, that completely eliminated any last shadow of doubt. Rum is the second in command of the Black Organization, therefore someone who has the complete trust of Anokata; either someone who has been with Anokata from the beginning, or someone Anokata has known their entire life and therefore trusts implicitly. Rum will not be another spy in the Organization (at least, not if Aoyama-sensei wants to avoid pissing off a lot of fans), but will be a dedicated member of the Organization, as faithful to and trusting of Anokata as Anokata is to him/her. So Rum won't be someone on the run as Mary is. Altogether (since I had stumbled across many spoilers about Mary before I even reached her first appearance), she was never on my list of Rum suspects.

[Shinan-Kudogawa 26]

I've been thinking about this new character Muga Iori aka Wada Shinichi, the fact that Rum's three descriptions fits him; he is effeminate when he lets his long hair loose, he is a butler and a man normally he'd be a strong man, and his knowledge of British history might make him seem older if he is heard only through voice. It is far fetched theory specially that he is made as a movie promotion character, but what if this idea as wrong as it might seem it still is a theory; that perhaps he is using Momoji to make her become more interested in Heiji the son of the Superintended and the rival-friend of Kudo whom Rum is suspicious of and following this lead of Heiji to find more about them, hence he approved of Heiji. I'm not saying Muga is Rum, specially since he is a character to be in a non-canon movie but it is a possibility though. Like you guys mentioned he is too much of a cool character than to be a supporting movie character, and his shared characteristics with other characters like Shuuichi, Tsutomo. Kohji and others.. is too much for Gosho to make a red herring or to troll with us fans..

[MeiTanteixX 184]

On 12/28/2016 at 2:14 PM, Shinan-Kudogawa said:

perhaps he is using Momoji to make her become more interested in Heiji the son of the Superintended and the rival-friend of Kudo whom Rum is suspicious of and following this lead of Heiji to find more about them, hence he approved of Heiji.

No proof that he(or Rum) even knows Conan/Kudo. Rather than that, if anything, I can see him using Momiji to try and get closer to the higher-up of her father's company, in order to gain something from them.

[Chekhov MacGuffin 1089]

I just want to get this out of the way, but there is a negative 100% chance that Rum is...

#1 Going to be the fetch pet of a high school girl.

#2 Occupy a bottom-feeding plot role as the underling of a third wheel.

[Shinan-Kudogawa 26]

15 hours ago, Chekhov MacGuffin said:

I just want to get this out of the way, but there is a negative 100% chance that Rum is...

#1 Going to be the fetch pet of a high school girl.

#2 Occupy a bottom-feeding plot role as the underling of a third wheel.

 

Then it would be quite the twist if Rum is so  , I think it would demonstrate how much Rum is a complex character than we think..

On 12/30/2016 at 10:11 PM, MeiTanteixX said:

No proof that he(or Rum) even knows Conan/Kudo. Rather than that, if anything, I can see him using Momiji to try and get closer to the higher-up of her father's company, in order to gain something from them.

 

I just said it might be, we know almost little as of yet. The possibilities are many, but I think there is more to him than just a butler. If not then we have been trolled with the cool look Gosho has given him. 

[gg1998 3]

Why Wakita is not in the poll?

[Chekhov MacGuffin 1089]

35 minutes ago, gg1998 said:

Why Wakita is not in the poll?

He is now.

 

Ugh, wish I could change my vote to Chikara. Maybe I just need to open a new poll every 6 months.

[gg1998 3]

My vote goes to Wakita. He's the shadiest of them all. You just can't meet a famous detective and insist to take you on the next murder case(not even his next case). That's a given thing that he's there to do bad stuff to Kogoro.

[DCUniverseAficionado 252]

21 minutes ago, gg1998 said:

My vote goes to Wakita. He's the shadiest of them all. You just can't meet a famous detective and insist to take you on the next murder case(not even his next case). That's a given thing that he's there to do bad stuff to Kogoro.

 

Too shady, if you ask me. While I do think he's BO—and a high ranking member, in fact—I don't think he's Rum.