NHK announced on December 18th the lineup of guest judges for the annual 75th NHK Red and White Music Festival (Kouhaku Uta Gassen), airing on New Year’s Eve from 7:20 PM to 11:45 PM (with a news break). Among the notable names is Gosho Aoyama, creator of the iconic manga Detective Conan. The announcement sparked a wave of excitement and speculation online, with fans joking, “Let’s hope no murder cases happen on stage!”

Guest Judges and Hosts

The guest judges for this year include:

Gosho Aoyama (Detective Conan manga creator)
Teruyoshi Uchimura (comedian, Utchan Nanchan)
Yui Kamiji (professional wheelchair tennis player)
Ryusei Yokohama (actor)
Yumi Kawai (actress)
Yuto Horigome (professional skateboarder)
Yoko Morishita (ballerina)
Erika Yoshida (screenwriter)

The event will be hosted by Hiroiki Ariyoshi, Kanna Hashimoto, Sairi Ito, and announcer Nahoko Suzuki. Notably, for the first time in Kouhaku history, the lead actors from both the first and second halves of the year’s Asadora (NHK morning dramas) will serve as co-hosts. Ariyoshi will also return for his second consecutive year as host.

Speculations on "Detective Conan" Performances

Given Aoyama’s involvement, fans are eagerly anticipating potential Detective Conan-themed segments. Speculations include:

Narration by Detective Conan voice actors.
A mock "mystery" scenario during the live broadcast, with Conan himself solving the case.
Comments from fans online include:

“Aoyama-sensei as a Kouhaku judge!? Congratulations! I’m so excited!”
“Will Kid the Phantom Thief make an appearance?”
“A stage mystery is bound to happen!”
“The idea of Aoyama-sensei at the Kouhaku venue is hilarious.”

Source : ORICON NEWS