“Detective Conan” is one of the longest running anime of all time. The series is widely considered a genre staple, especially in Japan. Sadly, after years on the air, the series’ creator announced that the anime’s finale is finally in production. Gosho Aoyama specifically stated the anime’s final storyboards are already complete.
Ending any popular series is an anxiety inducing endeavor. The anime’s increased probability likely only adds to that fact. Aoyama believes the ending will satisfy audiences. However, anime fans are notoriously difficult to please.
‘Detective Conan’ Is One of the Longest Running Series, of all Time
The original “Detective Conan” anime began airing in 1996 and has run for 31 popular seasons. The series follows an ingenious detective, similar to Sherlock Holmes, forced into the body of a child. Many of the crimes and themes depicted within are decidedly intense, despite Conan inhabiting a child’s body. “Detective Conan” is widely considered the genre’s best investigation series. Some of its mysteries are references to popular crime stories, but it also contains many original tales of equal quality. Nevertheless, it has found a special place within many fans hearts after more than thirty years on the air.
Some of Conan’s most beloved cases include: “The Moonlight Sonata Murder Case”, “The Trembling Police Headquarters: 12 Million Hostages” and “The Jet-Black Mystery Train”. The series is mostly episodic, with most stories wrapping up after two to three episodes. Although the anime also contains a popular overarching plot, ending a mostly episodic series provides its own challenges. The audience understands every character, but each character’s individual development is slightly limited.
That said, the anime has one of the most dedicated fanbase out of any respective series. It never reached mainstream success within the United States, but reached cross-generational success within Japan. There is even a large possibility the series might find more relevance once it has finally ended. The anime might even one day reach the same level of infamy as its inspiration, “Sherlock Holmes.”
Fans Everywhere Hope the Anime Ends on a High Note
Lifelong fans of the beloved anime hope the series ends on a high note, which is extremely likely. There’s almost no chance creator Aoyama leaves Shinichi Kudo’s journey on a sour note, but there is a chance he leaves it open ended. The current anime is ending, but there exists the potential for a possible sequel or spin-off. Like the movie world, there are few series today that don’t receive some form of continuation. Nevertheless, the larger audience hopes Conan finally accomplishes his mission. before the anime is left in limbo.
Kudo’s main goal is to acquire revenge on the “Black Organization” after they turned him into a child. The finale will likely see Kudo achieve his mission, while permanently returning to his former body. Sadly, audiences might have a while to wait before the finale finishes production. The storyboards are finished, but there are a plethora of other factors which go into making a series. It will probably be more than a year before the episode or episodes are ready to be released.
Ultimately, it is the end of an era for anime fans everywhere. One of the most popular series is coming to a close after over thirty years of content. How the anime intends to bridge the gap between the current episodes and the finale remains unknown, but the coming installments could be less episodic to make the transition easier.
