The Shinkansen's Bomb Case

Chronology
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Episode 5 (Int. Episode {{{int-episode}}})
Information
Title:	The Great Bullet Train Explosion Case
Japanese title:	Shinkansen dai bakuha jiken (新幹線大爆破事件)
Original airdate:	February 5, 1996
Season:	1
Manga source:	Volume 4: File 4~6 (heavily altered)
English version
English title:	The Time Bomb Express
English airdate:	May 31, 2004
Case
Cast:	Conan Edogawa Kogoro Mouri Ran Mouri Detective Boys Professor Agasa
Case solved by:	Conan Edogawa
Next Conan's Hint:	Chocolate
Staff
Director:	Kenji Kodama
Screenplay:	Junichi Miyashita
Storyboard:	Johei Matsuura
Episode director:	Johei Matsuura
Animation director:	Atsushi Aono
Voice Cast: Minami Takayama as Conan Edogawa Wakana Yamazaki as Ran Mouri Akira Kamiya as Kogoro Mouri Kenichi Ogata as Professor Agasa Wataru Takagi as Genta Kojima, Next Conan's Hint Ikue Otani as Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya Yukiko Iwai as Ayumi Yoshida Kiyoyuki Yanada as Ueda Naoki Makishima as Shimoda Isshin Chiba as Conductor Sayuri as Woman Minoru Inaba as Man A Takumi Yamazaki as Man B Masa'aki Tsukada as Old Man
Music
Opening song:	Mune ga Doki Doki
Closing song:	Step by Step

Gadgets introduced

Power-Enhancing Kick Shoes
100px	Stimulates feet muscles for extra power

Microphone
	Miniature device Connected to Conan's glasses

Cast

Characters
Conan Edogawa Kogoro Mouri Ran Mouri Ayumi Yoshida Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya Genta Kojima Professor Agasa

Case

Situation

(Potential) Bombing
	Location: Bullet train Victim: Everyone on the bullet train Suspects: Two men in black Conan and Ran accompany Kogoro on the bullet train to go to Kogoro's friend's wedding when Conan overhears two men in black talking about a bomb set to go off on the train. If Conan doesn't find the briefcase with the bomb in time, everyone's life on the bullet train is in danger!

People

Men in Black
	Completed a deal in the dining car Left a bomb on the bullet train

Man with laptop
	Possibly has the bomb case

Woman near window
	Possibly has the bomb case

Elderly man
	Possibly has the bomb case

Brutish man
	Possibly has the bomb case

Resolution

  Show spoilers »

• Evidence
  • Conan remembers the Vodka lookalike saying "I can finally have a smoke". Conan realizes this must be because the transaction the men in black had with the person in the dining car cannot stand the smell of smoke. Therefore the person with the bomb must be in a non-smoking car of the train. According to Mitsuhiko there are eight non-smoking cars on the bullet train.
  • The Gin lookalike made a remark about how the person with the bomb is probably "looking out at the last scenic view" they will ever see. Conan and the Detective Boys realize the person with the briefcase must be in one of the two-story Green Cars. Mitsuhiko explains only one of the three Green Cars is non-smoking.
  • Conan notes that the man in glasses with the laptop is trading stocks and has a gold Rolex watch. Conan remarks the man must really be raking in money. The man in glasses shouts at Conan that he could not possibly go anywhere on the train due to the amount of work he has.
  • The woman in the Green Car has a cell phone and remarks to Conan that since the sky is clear today "you can see Mt. Fuji" from her window. The woman claims to have not visited the dining car during the trip.
  • The elderly man does not seem to hear Conan's question correctly, so Conan is unclear whether the man did or did not visit the dining car.
  • Although the brutish man with gold rimmed glasses doesn't answer Conan's question outright, it's clear the man visited the dining car because he wipes his glasses with one of the dining car napkins.
  • When the Vodka lookalike questions his partner about the bomb being timed, the Gin lookalike replies that although the bomb isn't on a timer, the bomb will definitely go off when the person with the briefcase unknowingly triggers the detonation button. Conan realizes this means the explosion will be set off by the passenger's "reaction to something".

• Conclusion

After ruling out the brutish man Conan knows went to the dining car (the briefcase was full of underwear), Conan realizes one of the passengers he spoke to said something strange.

The woman claims to have had a great view of Mt. Fuji earlier in the train ride, but it would be impossible to see Mt. Fuji from her window in the Green Car. She must have been in the dining car at the time and mistook her view from the dining car for the one back in her Green Car seat.

The woman lied about going to the dining car in order to cover up the transaction she had with the men in black.

Conan also realizes that the detonation button the Gin lookalike referred to is when the woman dials a specific telephone number on her cell phone.

The woman manages to dial the number on her cell phone at 3:10 PM, but thankfully Conan manages to use the Power-Enhancing Kick Shoes to kick the briefcase out of the train just before it exploded.

• Motive

The woman's motive for making a deal with the men in black was to gain "inside information on the trading market" in exchange for 100 million yen.

The men in black's motive for planting the bomb of course was to kill off the woman and cover their tracks while getting away with a hefty amount of money.

Manga to anime changes

• In the manga, the two men in black are in fact Gin and Vodka. It is here that Conan first learns of their codenames.
• Genta, Ayumi and Mitsuhiko didn't appear in the manga version of the story. Thus, it's Ran who deposits the gum that Conan uses.
• The manga version ends with Conan reflecting on the knowledge he learned about the two men in black. Ran's questioning of his true identity doesn't occur here, but in The Coded Map of the City Case (which follows the story in the manga rather than preceeding it).

Gallery

• 

  Kogoro invited Ran to his best friend's wedding, regretfully he has to bring Conan too. They're getting there by train.

• 

  Ran notices Conan has some new shoes. Conan says they're from Dr. Agasa. Really they're muscle stimulating shoes that will make your legs and feet twice as strong. Conan also gets new glasses with a listening device in the frame.

• 

  Kogoro gets even more annoyed - Ayumi, Genta and Mitsuhiko are on the train too - their parents paid for their tickets.

• 

  Conan gets a glimpse of the men in black! But why are they on the train?

• 

  Conan follows them up to the dining hall - it looks like they're meeting someone. Conan plants Agasa's listening device by sticking it in some gum - but gets caught out by Ran and the Detective Boys, they scold him, wrap it in paper and stick it in an ash tray - Conan will be able to hear it even better there!

See also

• Season 1