Coming to cinemas this week is Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway, the 29th Detective Conan feature film. This latest adventure sees Conan team up with old ally Chihaya Hagiwara, as there is a dangerous speedster on the streets of Kanagawa.
It is mad that Detective Conan has been going for 30 years in anime form. After watching and reviewing Detective Conan: One-eyed Flashback last year, I became intrigued by the long-running anime and a year later, I am on the 3rd season, and I am loving it.
With Fallen Angel of the Highway, we get a special feature-length adventure for Conan and the gang. There is a black motorcycle wreaking havoc across Kanagawa, and only by teaming up with Chihaya once again can Conan stop Lucifer, as it is dubbed by the police, from taking lives through its vehicular violence.
So you sold your soul to the devil, huh?
Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway is a lot of fun for long-time fans of the pint-sized private eye. It is a visually lush film, full of bright colours that leap off the screen. The lines are sharp, the cinematography dynamic, and this all makes for intense and engaging action scenes, which Fallen Angel of the Highway has many of. Within the first few minutes of the film, there is a fantastic chase on a motorway involving the villainous Luficer utilising Fast and the Furious style stunts to inflict assault on its victims. And the film continues this theme throughout with several vehicular highlights, including a moment ripped right out of Speed.
The film also has a fascinating message about the dangers of A.I. and its utilisation in the military, and how, in the wrong hands, it can be a truly dangerous weapon. Now it’s not a particularly new take, but in this day and age, there is nothing wrong with reminding people every now and then.
Now wth all this discussion of the technical aspects of the film as well as the themes and subplots running through it, you might wonder, how is the mystery? Well, it’s decent. If you’re a fan of Detective Conan, your brain will be working to figure out who is behind these evil deeds, and by the time you hit the third act, you’ll likely have figured it out. Thankfully, what makes the film work so well is the characters. Conan, as per usual, is a lot of fun, cheekily dodging Ran as he helps Chihaya. Along with Chihaya is Jugo, another returning character. Their dynamic and banter are compelling, in particular when we learn more about Chihaya’s past and its connection to Jugo.
There is also the ensemble of colourful characters that dot the landscape of the story; they all bring a lot of flavour to the film, and it’s a lot of fun going along with Conan as he’s trying to figure out who it is.
Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway is a lot of fun, especially for fans like myself. Though the mystery is okay, in my opinion, it does not take away from the compelling and visually engaging story.
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