Grabbing Karuta Cards in Dire Straits

Chronology
‹ The Memory Trip of the Eight Sketches	List of Episodes	Ramen So Good, It's to Die For ›

Episode 642-643 (Int. Episode 693-694)
Information
Title:	Grabbing Karuta Cards in Dire Straits
Japanese title:	カルタ取り危機一髪 (Karuta Tori Kiki Ippatsu)
Original airdate:	January 7, 2012 (Part 1) January 14, 2012 (Part 2)
Broadcast rating:	8,20% 9,40%
Manga case:	#220
Season:	20
Manga source:	Volume 72: Files 8-10 (759-761)
Case
Cast:	Conan Edogawa Ai Haibara Detective Boys Ran Mouri Kogoro Mouri Wataru Takagi Yoko Okino
Case solved by:	Conan Edogawa Ai Haibara
Next Conan's Hint:	Video call (Part 1) Horsehair crab (Part 2)
Staff
Director:	Koujin Ochi
Organizer:	Masaki Ozora
Storyboard:	Masaki Ozora
Episode director:	642 Shigeru Yamazaki 643 Koichiro Kuroda
Animation director:	642 Akio Kawamura, Masanori Hashimoto 643 Michitaka Yamamoto, Katsumi Hashimoto
Character design:	Masatomo Sudo Seiji Muta Kumiko Shishido (design works)
Production cooperation:	642 BIG BANG 643 Azeta Pictures
Voice Cast: Minami Takayama as Conan Edogawa Wakana Yamazaki as Ran Mouri Rikiya Koyama as Kogoro Mouri Megumi Hayashibara as Ai Haibara Yukiko Iwai as Ayumi Yoshida Wataru Takagi as Genta Kojima, Wataru Takagi Ikue Ohtani as Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya Omi Minami as Masao Urafune Kenichi Morozumi as Fake father Kei Hayami as Fake mother Naoki Makishima as Otsuka Kikumi Umeda as Ueno, Masao's mother
Music
Opening song:	Miss Mystery
Closing song:	Your Best Friend

Grabbing Karuta Cards in Dire Straits (カルタ取り危機一髪 ,Karuta Tori Kiki Ippatsu) is the 642nd and 643rd episode of the Detective Conan anime.

Cast

Characters
Conan Edogawa Ai Haibara Ayumi Yoshida Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya Genta Kojima Ran Mouri Kogoro Mouri Wataru Takagi Yoko Okino (poster)

Gadgets

Gadgets
Power-Enhancing Kick Shoes Stun-Gun Wristwatch Anywhere Ball Dispensing Belt

Case

Situation

Part 1

Waking up with a fever, Conan reluctantly stays in bed while Haibara and the Detective Boys begin to play Karuta Cards. Mitsuhiko video calls to check why Conan is not with them. Suddenly, the door bell and repetitive knocks are at the front of Ayumi's apartment. A strange boy with slanted eyes, widow's peak, and glasses stands panting and begging for help. "Naturally," his "parents" come and pick him up from the door step and tell the detective boys it was only a prank and not to worry about it. Still video chatting, Conan explains that it was not a prank and that they should call Takagi. Conan hangs up and rest in bed. The Detective Boys are debating whether to listen to Conan or not because of his cold. In the end, Haibara and the Detective Boys walk around the building and ask the neighbors about the Urafune family. But all it leads up to going to the condo itself.

Kidnapping
	Location: Condo Victims: Masao Urafune and Mrs. Urafune Suspects: Man and the woman

To come up with an excuse, Haibara says that they want to play with Masao, and push their way in to the apartment. Genta needs to use the restroom but it seems to be occupied, so Masao's "mom" tells him that he can use the back one. Slowly the Karuta game progresses, and so does the atmosphere in the room.

Part 2

By the time Masao picks his card, Genta just so happens to want the same one, nevertheless Masao is completely reluctant to give his card away. While the Detective Boys find that strange, Haibara takes notes on his behavior of their new companion. And as the game continues, the "Mother" reads the cards aloud reluctantly. With the cards gathered and in place Masao says, "Mommy, restroom!" She replies, "It cant be helped. I'll go with you." Leaving his final clue, Masao says, "Bring my towel! I can't go without it! You know, the towel (ta o ru) with a horsehair crab (Ke ga ni) from Lake Suwa (su wa ko)!"

People

Masao Urafune
	Victim (kidnapped) Boy

Man
	Kidnapper Masao's "father"

Woman
	Kidnapper Masao's "mother"

Mrs. Urafune
	Victim (kidnapped) Masao's mother

Ueno

Otsuka
	Hates Masao

Mailman
100px	Takagi in disguise

Katsuji Hida
100px	Deceased (car accident) Nichiuri TV producer

Resolution

  Show spoilers »

After a while of thinking, Haibara figures it out, and announces that Conan was right. She realized that Masao had been only going for certain Karuta cards in order to spell out a message. Another clue was that when he had asked his "mom" to take him to the bathroom, he said nonsensical phrase.

Unfortunately, little do they know that there is a cell phone that is listing to their every word that the "mom" left behind. Masao's fake parents congratulate the kids for figuring most of it out, then brutally tell them that they stop there.

Suddenly, a postman rings the bell and tells them that he need to bring up a package, the adults agree and tell the kids to hush. When the door opens, they hear a struggle and a fall. Masao's fake dad then walks over to the door, only to being hit with a soccer ball. Takagi, who disguised as the postman, takes orders from Conan, who had deduced the circumstances of the whole situation.

Conan knew right away that the couple with Masao were not his biological parents because Masao had a widows peak, a triangular piece of hair in the middle of the forehead while the two did not which is not genetically possible. He found it suspicious that the couple had been acting like his biological parents when they were not.

Motive

The two kidnappers, were trying to destroy evidence pertaining to tax evasion. The sender of that registered mail was the previous resident of Masao's apartment. The one named Uemura, who was a former employee of the Isobe Corporation, now is under suspicion of tax evasion. The contents of the registered mail were probably whistleblower documents, or account books with evidence of tax evasion. The documents were sent not too long ago to the producer at Nichiuri TV, Hida. The employee planned to move and go into hiding. But Hida ended up in a coma due to a car accident, and couldn't receive the registered mail as he was hospitalized. Since the post office holds on to the mail for more or less than ten days, the kidnappers calculated the time of its return and plotted to pose as Uemura who had lived here before in order to snatch away the registered mail.

Uemura is either confined somewhere else, or has been murdered. They might also made it look like the accident with the TV producer.

Aftermath

In the end, Conan saves the day and ends the case with everyone else catching his cold.

Trivia

Yamamoto's room.

• Mrs. Yamamoto's room from SOS! Messages from Ayumi appears in the first part.
• When Haibara figured out the case, she made the same face expression as Conan's in a typical case.
• The suspects' names come from Aesop's Fable "The Boy Who Cried Wolf", related to a boy who calls a false alert twice and the third time, when it is real, no one believes him :
  • Masao Urafune (浦船 正男) comes from the "boy who cried wolf" (wolf (ウルフ ,urufu) is similar to Urafune) ;
  • Uemura (植村), the former neighbour of Masao's apartment comes from the "villagers" (村人 ,murabito). Additionally the Isobe Corporation (磯部商事) he works for comes from Aesop (イソップ ,Isoppu). The similarity with the name Isobe (磯部) and Aesop is used later in The Pop-up Book Bomber ;
  • Katsuji Hida (桧田 勝次) comes from the "sheep" (羊 ,hitsuji).

BGM listing

Part 1

#	Song Title	Romaji	Translation	OST
3:01 - 3:33	????
3:42 - 4:39	のんびり気分	Nonbiri Kibun	Carefree Feeling	Detective Conan Original Soundtrack 1
5:03 - 5:26	コミカル テンポ ２	Komikaru Tenpo 2	Comical Tempo 2	Detective Conan "Full Score of Fear" Original Soundtrack
5:46 - 6:09	トレジャー チルドレン Ａ	Torejā Chirudoren A	Children's Treasure A	Detective Conan "Jolly Roger in the Deep Azure" Original Soundtrack
6:27 - 6:55	サスブロンズ	Sasu Buronzu	Bronze Suspense	Detective Conan "The Lost Ship in the Sky" Original Soundtrack
7:40 - 8:09	推理１	Suiri 1	Deduction 1	Detective Conan Original Soundtrack 2
8:20 - 9:21	????
10:45 - 11:39	とっておきクイズ	Totte Oki Kuizu	Take the Quiz	Detective Conan "Captured in Her Eyes" Original Soundtrack
12:38 - 13:48	犯人のアジト１	Hannin no Ajito 1	The Culprit's Hideout 1	Detective Conan Original Soundtrack 2
14:16 - 15:04	????
15:23 - 15:47	怪人包帯男２	Kaijin Hōtai Otoko 2	The Mysterious Bandaged Man 2	Detective Conan Original Soundtrack 3
15:52 - 15:58	????
17:52 - 18:36	サスキーロ	Sasu Kiiro	Yellow Suspense	Detective Conan "The Lost Ship in the Sky" Original Soundtrack
19:06 - 19:30	爆破計画スタート	Bakuha Keikaku Sutāto	Bombing Plan, Start	Detective Conan "Countdown to Heaven" Original Soundtrack
19:51 - 20:23	テーブルの下に爆弾～急げ	Tēburu no Shita ni Bakudan ~ Isoge	Bomb Under the Table ~ Hurry	Detective Conan "Countdown to Heaven" Original Soundtrack
20:27 - 21:22	沈む夕陽３	Shizumu Yūhi 3	Depressing Sunset 3	Detective Conan Original Soundtrack 2
22:04 - 22:38	黒い影─挑戦	Kuroi Kage - Chōsen	Black Shadow - Challenge	Detective Conan "Captured in Her Eyes" Original Soundtrack

Part 2

#	Song Title	Romaji	Translation	OST
0:01 - 0:24	クラウディ	Kuraudi	Cloudy	Detective Conan "The Lost Ship in the Sky" Original Soundtrack
0:26 - 1:11	ディテクティブボーイズ	Ditekutibu Bōizu	Detective Boys	Detective Conan "The Lost Ship in the Sky" Original Soundtrack
3:14 - 4:21	犯人のアジト１	Hannin no Ajito 1	The Culprit's Hideout 1	Detective Conan Original Soundtrack 2
4:45 - 5:02	スズランの花	Suzuran no Hana	The Lily of the Valley Flower	Detective Conan "The Raven Chaser" Original Soundtrack
5:04 - 6:31	しなやかな刑事たち	Shinayakana Keijitachi	Pliant Detectives	Detective Conan "The Raven Chaser" Original Soundtrack
7:02 - 8:43	事件現場 （謎ver.）	Jiken Genba (Nazo ver.)	Scene of the Case (Mystery ver.)	Detective Conan Original Soundtrack 2
9:10 - 9:40	不透明な果実４	Futōmeina Kajitsu 4	Opaque Fruit 4	Detective Conan "The Raven Chaser" Original Soundtrack
10:05 - 10:54	ダウンネイル	Daun Neiru	Nail Down	Detective Conan "The Lost Ship in the Sky" Original Soundtrack
11:05 - 12:14	ディテクティブボーイズ	Ditekutibu Bōizu	Detective Boys	Detective Conan "The Lost Ship in the Sky" Original Soundtrack
12:23 - 13:09	インターナショナル ケース(インシデント)	Intānashonaru Kēsu (Inshidento)	International Case (Incident)	Detective Conan "Jolly Roger in the Deep Azure" Original Soundtrack
14:12 - 14:29	サスペンスウィンドウ	Sasupensu Windō	Suspense Window	Detective Conan "The Raven Chaser" Original Soundtrack
14:54 - 15:41	悪のテーマ１	Aku no Tēma 1	Theme of Evil 1	Detective Conan Original Soundtrack 2
15:52 - 16:13	????
16:27 - 17:38	シュヤーク	Shuyāku	The Lead Role	Detective Conan "The Lost Ship in the Sky" Original Soundtrack
18:31 - 19:39	ダウンネイル	Daun Neiru	Nail Down	Detective Conan "The Lost Ship in the Sky" Original Soundtrack
20:17 - 20:58	汐留	Shiodome	Shiodome	Detective Conan "Magician of the Silver Sky" Original Soundtrack
21:20 - 22:04	恋のトランプゲーム占い	Koi no Toranpu Gēmu Uranai	Love's Fortune-Telling Card Game	Detective Conan "The Fourteenth Target" Original Soundtrack
23:25 - 23:59	ほのぼの気分	Honobono Kibun	Heartwarming Feeling	Detective Conan Original Soundtrack 4 ~Isoge! Shōnen Tanteidan~

In other languages

Language	Title	Translation
Catalan (Catalan dub)	Una partida de cartes perillosa	A dangerous card play
French	Moment critique lors d’une partie de karuta	Critical moment during a game of karuta
Italian	Il bambino bugiardo	The lying child
Thai	ไพ่คารุตะเสี่ยงตาย	Grabbing Karuta Cards in Dire Straits
Vietnamese	Trò Karuta ngàn cân treo sợi tóc	The game of Karuta hangs by a thread

See also

• Season 20