On April 19, a stage greeting was held in Tokyo to celebrate the release of Detective Conan: The Phantom of the Black Eye, the 28th installment in the popular Detective Conan anime film series, which premiered on April 18. Appearing at the event were Minami Takayama (voice of Edogawa Conan), Wakana Yamazaki, Rikiya Koyama, Yuji Takada, Ami Koshimizu, and guest voice actors Takayuki Yamada and Mizuki Yamashita.

In this film, Kogoro Mouri—voiced by Rikiya Koyama—returns to the frontlines for the first time in 20 years. Watching Koyama proudly take the spotlight, Takayama chuckled, “Look at that smug face,” before adding, “It reminded me that he really can do it. I always knew, but it’s like that saying—‘capable people don’t always show it.’ But turns out, he’s one of those who does when it counts.” Yamazaki, who voices Mouri’s daughter Ran, dryly commented, “You’re laying it on a bit thick.”

In mock protest, Koyama shot back, “Hey! That’s your dad you’re talking about!” prompting Yamazaki to respond thoughtfully, “He was so cool in the film. I just wish his wife could have seen this side of him… But somehow, no one ever notices when he’s actually being cool.” Takayama agreed, “That’s exactly what makes him cool—he doesn’t flaunt it.”

When asked about his favorite scene, Koyama replied confidently, “My skills haven’t dulled one bit!”—earning approving murmurs from the audience. A scene in the trailer even shows Kogoro shedding tears, which Koyama playfully addressed: “Kogoro usually drools, but this time he cries. Turns out, even Kogoro has feelings too!”

At the event, Toho announced that the film had drawn 690,000 viewers and earned ¥1.05 billion in box office revenue on its opening day, a 109% increase over the opening day of the franchise’s previous record-holder, Detective Conan: The Million-dollar Pentagram (2024). The film has kicked off with extraordinary momentum and is expected to break previous records.

The Detective Conan franchise has been consistently breaking records in recent years. In 2023, Detective Conan: Black Iron Submarine earned ¥13.88 billion, only to be surpassed the following year by The Million-dollar Pentagram. Now, all eyes are on The Phantom of the Black Eye to see if it can continue this upward trend and set a new all-time high for the long-running and beloved series.

About Detective Conan

Originally a manga series about high school detective Shinichi Kudo, who is transformed into a child by a mysterious poison, Detective Conan (also known as Case Closed) follows his adventures under the alias Conan Edogawa as he solves complex cases while tracking down the men in black who altered his life.
The manga has been serialized in Weekly Shonen Sunday since 1994, with an anime adaptation debuting in 1996 and the first theatrical film released in 1997. The franchise remains a national favorite in Japan.

Story Synopsis

police officer from Nagano Prefecture, pursues a certain man through the snowy terrain. Just as he closes in, a shadow flickers in his peripheral vision, distracting him for a split second. Seizing the moment, the fugitive fires a rifle, grazing Yamato’s left eye. In the next instant, a massive avalanche roars down the mountainside, engulfing Yamato.

Ten months later, a distress call reports an attack on a researcher at Nobeyama National Astronomical Observatory. Miraculously surviving the avalanche, Yamato and Yui Uehara rush to the scene. As they conduct an inquiry, the observatory’s enormous parabolic antenna begins to move, and Yamato, now one-eyed, suddenly experiences an excruciating pain in his left eye socket.

That night, Kogoro Mouri receives a call from "Wani," a former police colleague from his days at the Metropolitan Police Department. Wani reveals that he is investigating the avalanche incident at Mihotake and that Kogoro’s name appears in the case file. Conan joins Kogoro in meeting Wani the following day, but as they make their way to the rendezvous point, a gunshot rings out in the distance.

An unfulfilled promise and the lingering echoes of a one-eyed detective’s past—against the backdrop of snowstorms and mountain treachery, the curtain rises on a fateful confrontation in the white darkness.

Source : ORICON NEWS