Although you may have never read or watched the well-known Japanese manga, animation and movie Detective Conan, you probably have heard famous quotes from the animation such as, "there is always only one truth", or "my dad taught me when we were in Hawaii".
Detective Conan follows Shinichi Kudo, a talented high school detective. While investigating a case involving the Black Organization, a criminal syndicate, Kudo is forced to take an experimental toxin called APTX4869 which is supposed to kill him. However, the toxin causes him to shrink to the size of a child. For his own safety, Kudo decides to hide his identity and pretends to be an elementary student named Conan Edogawa.
It has been 30 years since Detective Conan launched in the Japanese magazine Weekly Shonen Sunday in January 1994. To celebrate its success, River City Bangkok and MangoSteems have organised the "Detective Conan 30th Anniversary Exhibition" at River City Bangkok. The show is curated by author Gosho Aoyama and was previously staged in Japan, Ho Chi Minh, Taipei, Seoul and Shanghai.
Toby Lu, director of sales and marketing at River City Bangkok and who read Detective Conan as an elementary student in Taiwan, said that the comic's success is due to Aoyama's strong storytelling.
An original drawing by Gosho Aoyama.
"Who would imagine creating a story about an elementary student detective solving cases with his classmates. My favourite Detective Conan is The Pantone Of Baker Street, a story about AI and the ethics of powerful people. It was very advanced for its time since it came out 20 years ago. It is amazing that a manga series can stay popular for 30 years. Nowadays, content fades away in a couple of months. In addition to its thrilling and mysterious plots, Detective Conan also includes themes of friendships and romance. This makes the series unique compared to other detective stories."
Pimpaporn Phongworasak, senior PR and copywriter for River City Bangkok, believes that Detective Conan is popular because of its appeal to people of all ages. She brought up a quote that is often used in the series: "The body of a child, but the mind of an adult."
"Since the quote is relevant to children and adults, Detective Conan can target two different groups. People of all ages can relate to this manga. Children like Conan because the main character acts like an elementary student. Meanwhile, adults can relate to Conan's mature mindset."
"Detective Conan 30th Anniversary Exhibition" is divided into eight sections -- Chapter 1: Conan's Words; Chapter 2: Conan's Love; Chapter 3: Conan's Mystery; Chapter 4: Hannin; Chapter 5: Conan's Justice; Chapter 6: Conan's Magic; Ending Theatre; and Gosho Aoyama's Closing Remarks.
Both Lu and Pimpaporn agreed that the exhibition's execution is different from other manga and animation exhibitions.
"This exhibition is well curated. Most exhibitions are for taking photos, and viewers visit exhibitions to take photos with installations. However, Conan's exhibition does not have many installations. It emphasises the content which is displayed on boards and walls," Lu explained.
Pimpaporn added: "As the author, Aoyama knew what to present. There are many fun facts that only the author knew and revealed in the exhibition. A video that features in the Ending Theatre section is not allowed to be recorded and photographed, which makes it special for visitors."
In Chapter 1: Conan's Words, viewers will enjoy reading meaningful and intriguing quotes from main characters.
For example, one quote by Conan is, "A detective who corners a criminal to the point of suicide is no different from a murderer". Meanwhile, Ai Haibara, a leading female character, told a criminal pretending to be a rich person to impress friends: "Those people are not friends. They don't deserve to be called 'friends'. "
Chapter 2: Conan's Love showcases romantic moments between the main couple, Conan and Ran Mouri, as well as side characters such as Kaito Kuroba and Aoko Nakamori, and Heiji Hattori and Kazuha Toyama. There are flashbacks of Kudo and Mouri's relationship from their first meeting in kindergarten to the day they profess love for each other.
Chapter 3: Conan's Mystery provides details about the Black Organization. There is a list of characters who work for the syndicate and undercover characters from the FBI, CIA and National Police Agency.
Chapter 4: Conan's Hannin is the exhibition's highlight. Hannin means criminals or culprits, and the wall in this section features portraits of Conan criminal foes. Each image has a caption that specifies the crime committed and the manga it occurred in.
In the middle, a glass showcase displays the tools of murder. Some items are unexpected weapons such as bra underwire, a wig and magnetic video tape, and there are descriptions of how criminals turned them into murder weapons.
Additionally, this section displays gadgets Conan uses while investigating cases. Viewers will recognise the stun gun watch since it has been used 88 times. Other gadgets include power boosting shoes, voice changing bowties and button-shaped speakers.
Another wall in this section displays famous murder cases. The Moonlight Sonata Murder Case and Library Murder Case are among favourites of many viewers and while the former impresses viewers with its plot twist, the latter surprises viewers with an unexpected crime scene.
Chapter 5: Conan's Justice presents tragic stories of characters who lost their loved ones. Chapter 6: Conan's Magic is dedicated to Kaito Kuroba, aka Kaito Kid, a magician, thief and rival of Conan.
Ending Theatre showcases a video that summarises highlights over the 30 years of Detective Conan. The final section, Gosho Aoyama's Closing Remarks, resembles the work space of Aoyama and presents an interview with him about his ideas behind the plots and characters.
Lu and Pimpaporn believe that both longtime fans of Detective Conan and those not familiar with this manga can enjoy the exhibition.
"The exhibition explains the timelines and details well. There are comics and highlights on the walls, so visitors can easily understand if they spend some time," said Lu.
As someone who had never read or watched Detective Conan, Pimpaporn said working on the exhibition triggered her interest in the manga and encouraged her to watch it.
"People who have never seen or read the manga will understand the story since every detail is explained on the walls. For longtime fans, the exhibition is like returning to their childhood."
"Detective Conan 30th Anniversary Exhibition" runs at River City Bangkok, RCB Galleria 1-2, until Nov 16. Tickets cost 280 baht for adults and 180 baht for children and students with ID cards. Tickets with 14 character figures cost 1,000 baht for adults and 900 baht for children and students with ID cards. Tickets are available at ticketmelon.com. For more information, visit facebook.com/RiverCityBangkok.
Murder weapons from Detective Conan.
Power boosting shoes.
