DCUniverseAficionado

RULES 1. Please use spoiler boxes until a full English translation is available. 2. NO DIRECT LINK to any Japanese scans (RAWs) or English scans (Japanese spoiler images are allowed as long as the amount and quality of which are very far away from a full scan). HOW TO USE A SPOILER BOX? Just simply type the following: [spoiler]Text you want to write[/spoiler] 987 Spoiler Pics: http://tieba.baidu.com/p/4974180690?pn=1 988 Spoiler Pics: http://tieba.baidu.com/p/4984603538 989 Spoiler Pics:

986 spoiler pics are out (see first post of this thread)—and 986 is, as expected, the end of this case. There is, unfortunately, a break next week—we can expect 987's spoiler pics to come out on February 10th.

Yeah, because if she wasn't, she might've killed him right then and there (898/783). Her secret may very well, indeed, be about her relationship to the Boss/Anokata, but he may not know how they're related.

Well, even if she were to find out he's a NOC (assuming she doesn't currently know that he is), she would have to be careful in taking action against him—after all, he said if he dies, her secret will get leaked (898/783).

I think she'd probably focus on getting Hidemi/Rena/Kir exposed and killed—especially considering she already suspected her of being a NOC—after all, the reason Shuichi faked his death was so that she could keep her cover. If she dies, then their plan goes up in smoke (that is, unless she would be able to get out big info to them before she died). No need to bring the BO spotlight on Subaru Okiya, and risk those involved with him being caught in the crossfire. But this is Vermouth we're talking about, here. Rei/Toru/Bourbon would have to be on her level, as an actor, to fool her completely, considering that they're frequent partners—and even then, just one slip up could prove very problematic. If she's Rumi—and her deductive prowess is good enough to be able to hint Shinichi/Conan, of all people—her odds of realizing Bourbon's a NOC are higher, especially in tandem with her acting experience. I think her impromptu appearance during the Hado Rokumichi "murder" (954–957) decreased the odds that she currently knows that Rei/Toru/Bourbon is a NOC. Therefore, I think the odds of contradiction would be lower if Vermouth is not Rumi—it's more likely to me that she's not Rumi and doesn't know that Bourbon is a NOC, than she is Rumi and doesn't know that Bourbon is a NOC. Or Shuichi/Subaru.

Yep. I figured I'd garner that kind of perception while trying to segment an ongoing arc, as opposed to trying to segment an already-completed arc. And until we get said case, the reveal of the Koji Haneda/Amanda Hughes double murder at Rum's hands (either 945–947 or 948–950) is going to serve as said case, for me. File 899–File 946: No Koji Haneda/Amanda Hughes, Asaka and Rum File 947–present: Koji Haneda/Amanda Hughes, Asaka and Rum That may not be enough for you, but—for now—it's enough for me.

That makes sense, since that part must have been foreshadowed for something. I figured she would have to be caught eventually, since she can't give them too much convinient information(since they will likely go through her client-history).

Generally speaking, certainly. I find the chances of that to be very low—plus, it'd be called out for rehashing elements. Ah, so it's a, "as of right now" thing. Is the Rum arc better than the Vermouth arc? If not, than Gosho has been unable to top an arc that finished in 2003. Some want consistent improvement (in DC's case, every long (100–200 File) arc should be better than the last), and, after something like the Bourbon arc, drastic improvement. Right now, we're in the Rum arc's second act. Act I File 899–File 947/Episode 784–Episode 85X or File 899–File 944/Episode 784–Episode 848 (take your pick) Act II File 948–/Episode 85X– or File 945–/Episode 85X– (take your pick) At least, that's how I've been segmenting it.

Sure, he'll be a "main role" in the "threat," but I think some will still be looking for Rum to be the central threat, not just "a main role" in the "threat." One which took around 50 Files for us to get to. Comparatively, it took over 100 Files to get from the start of the Vermouth arc (238–242) to Golden Apple (350–354); it also took around 50 Files to get from the start of the Kir arc (499–504) to revealing how Kir got her codename (553–555); as for the Bourbon arc, it took its entirety (starting at 622–624) for Bourbon's motivation for his grudge against Shuichi to be hinted at (894–898), and until the Rum arc for it to be revealed (954–957). So you think Vermouth wasn't "a high-positioned (authoritative) figure?" Or that the difference between her and Rum, as high-ranking BO members, is enough to warrant throwing out the application of the formula of previous arcs into the current one, because it may not work as well? So it doesn't matter that we don't know (know, not guess, like guessing Rum's after Mary, or something like that) Rum's specific intention(s), like we knew, for instance, that Vermouth was after Shiho/Sherry? So it's not a drawback that makes it of inferior quality to, say, the Vermouth arc? So originality doesn't matter if the execution meets a certain level/threshold? For you and me, perhaps. But as for others? It's just a step up from the Bourbon arc—and I don't think that's very much of a step up, for them. Dragging like the Bourbon arc? It certainly isn't, right now, but Gosho's still the master of dangling plot threads—depending on how the case that features File 1000 goes down, it may very well drag, after that case—we had to wait nearly 50 Files after the multiple descriptions of Rum and the artificial eye info to get to Koji Haneda.

If the Black Org were to test any detective's skills, they would test how well the detective can dodge bullets. Yeah, why beat around the bush, if they think he's an actual threat? It'd be like a loyal BO member (who isn't Vermouth) knowing who Shinichi/Conan is (or, even more so, knowing who Shiho/Ai is) and not taking immediate action.

Good on you for that. Sure, no question. At this point, Shinichi's already a pretty memorable person—he's only appeared in 13 (manga) cases (and plenty of those were flashbacks, and a majority of those flashbacks were to when he actually was 7), compared to Shinichi/Conan appearing in every (manga) case (all 285 of them). At this point, he's pretty much (bar the 6 cases he appeared thanks to the temporary antidote) become a memory—a loose presence. The question is, will he stay like that by DC's end? It's not a matter of, "he's become a memory," it's a matter of, "will he remain a memory?" Yep. They'd have to know—to be told by Gosho—the end of DC being Shinichi/Conan staying Shinichi/Conan and not returning to being Shinichi for this to be a hint.

Yeah, that's the thing—it's vague (just "rats," not a specific BO member or a specific set of BO members), and may just be a hint for the events of a non-canon movie (though Scarlet Showdown came out during and immediately after Movie 18's release, which means Gosho and the movie staff must've been working on Movie 19 at the time, so it may have started as a manga thing, but then, a year later, they decided to make it a movie thing, too). Sure, we can guess that Hidemi/Rena/Kir and Rei/Toru/Bourbon may come under scrutiny, and we may very well turn out to be correct with that guess, but it's just that—a guess. True, but it's the Rum arc—it's expected and desired, I think, for the arc's titular character to be the central threat. Gin has always been a clear threat, and, in this specific instance, it's merely the return, a re-establishment, of a 500+ File old intention of his (just like how Ran's involvement in the Vermouth arc climax returned after 500+ Files). Gosho may be able to take these old things and take them in new directions, but it's a familiar and expected place to start from, this threat, though it is a welcome stirring of the status quo—and that probably doesn't do it for Chek. No one's gonna dispute that—the question is, is this "huge" step enough, right now, and, if not, when is it going to be enough?

Here's the thing about the opening: Shinichi's face is shown at the end... and here's the thing about the ending: Ran is also portrayed as "faceless." And this is anime content, not manga. Gosho only really gets involved with the movies—I'm not sure he's involved in the anime at all. So it'd just be the staff hinting—assuming you're correct—not Gosho hinting... and this is assuming that the anime staff have been told by Gosho that Shinichi/Conan will not get a permanent antidote and will not immediately return to his real age, again, when the series ends.

Indeed.

RULES 1. Please use spoiler boxes until a full English translation is available. 2. NO DIRECT LINK to any Japanese scans (RAWs) or English scans (Japanese spoiler images are allowed as long as the amount and quality of which are very far away from a full scan). HOW TO USE A SPOILER BOX? Just simply type the following: [spoiler]Text you want to write[/spoiler] Translation of File 984's text spoilers, by Spimer from DCTP: And here's an additional spoiler from 984, also translated by Spimer: EDIT: Here are 984's spoiler pics: http://tieba.baidu.com/p/4940276601?pn=1 EDIT (#2): Here are 985's spoiler pics: http://tieba.baidu.com/p/4946882415 And 985's text spoilers, translated by Spimer: 986's spoiler pics: http://tieba.baidu.com/p/4957356841?pn=1

But if he does appear within the next, say, 15 Files or so, he'll be on the list (though the context of his appearance would be consequential, correct)?

And Taka'aki/Koumei, I think, has had more appearances than most of the characters who you've analyzed, right (besides Shinichi/Conan and Kansuke)? So that conclusion has more certainty than most of the other characters you've analyzed, given the larger number of data points you had with him? Have you analyzed Heiji's father? Is that even feasible, given that his eyes are shut, most of the time?

So, we have... Showdown with BO that introduces BO member + immediate followup + revelation of info about BO member (angle/goal that is currently and actively pursued by them, or by a character established to be closely linked to them) = Establishment of premise and currently active threat within 45 Files or so Vs Not having a clean/well-planned start + Solely developing past connections + Unclear effects on things + Info dump mode + Unconnected issues = 80+ Files without an active threat that's unconnected to anything actively developing Som basically, don't wait around with info dumps about vague, unconnected past connections, but, instead, quickly establish an active and currently pressing threat—and thus the premise—of the arc. My question is, does Mary know about the BO's structures and practices? Does she know there's a specific criminal organization apparently killed her husband, and this organization also is responsible for her current state? If so, was it because Elena told her? Is this what led her to suspect who was behind what happened to both her and her husband? Yet. At minimum, she has to know she and her mother are trying to stay under the radar of bad guys. That's the moment I'm waiting for. So the failure here is a failure to reach the level of the Vermouth and Kir arcs, which did design and order plot events so their development would maintain a sense of jeopardy, relevance to other plots, and impact. So you don't mind a lack of addressing meta writing issues as long as you think the fundamental writing issues have been attended to properly. Making it difficult for the experienced—changing up one's trends and tropes—should only be focused on if the writer has time to do so, and has already attended to the fundamentals. All the more reason to not throw Sakurako to the wayside. You bet it'd be a twist. Though I'm more expecting Taka'aki/Koumei to turn out to be Rum—in fact, he's one of my top candidates, at the moment—than Sakurako because he hasn't seen Shiho/Ai, while she has on two occasions (847–849/731–732 and 918–920/814–815). Though it must be said that, if Taka'aki/Koumei was Rum, you'd think he wouldn't just sit there and do nothing about the revelation that Shinichi/Conan is the brains behind Sleeping Kogoro, a man who Gin suspects may have gone after the Organization.