Volume 23

Chronology
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Volume 23
Information
Release date:	April 17, 1999
Chapters:	222-231
ISBN:	ISBN 4-09-125493-4
Publisher:	Shogakukan
English release date:	May 20, 2008
English ISBN:	ISBN 1-4215-1675-6
English Publisher:	Viz Media
Featured Detective & Keyhole
Ninzaburō Furuhata Ninzaburo Shiratori
Aoyama's death & Conan side images

Volume 23 was released on April 17, 1999 in Japan.

Cast

Characters

Conan Edogawa

Ran Mouri

Kogoro Mouri

Ayumi Yoshida

Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya

Genta Kojima

Ai Haibara

Hiroshi Agasa

Heiji Hattori

Juzo Megure

Ninzaburo Shiratori

Miwako Sato

Wataru Takagi

Shinichi Kudo (background)

Eri Kisaki (background)

Kazuha Toyama (background)

Heizo Hattori (background)

Gomera
(movie screen)

Tomomi Sakaguchi (movie screen)

Kamen Yaiba (backgound)

Gadgets

Gadgets

Voice-Changing Bowtie

Detective Boys Badge

Stun-Gun Wristwatch

Chapters

Movie Theater Case

File 222 - Cinecittà

Genta, Ayumi, and Mitsuhiko ferociously pressure Conan into watching a Gomera movie. Conan and Haibara have more "intellectual" preferences, and the Detective Boys decide to choose their movie via rock paper scissors.

Naturally, the 3/5 majority prevails and the group zealously watches Gomera's battle against a rival kaiju, creating a major disturbance within the mostly empty theater. Still, their intrusive actions are scolded by fellow audience member, Toshiyuki Ide. Conan notes the venue's state of disarray and Ayumi and Genta mention the theater is known for hosting spontaneous brawls.

Conan finds himself in a difficult position.

The children gush over the film's qualities after the showing, as Conan suggests going home and playing a game of soccer. He is overruled yet again and alerted to a six hour long three-movie-screening of old Gomera films he has already seen. The Detective Boys rush to buy popcorn and drinks from the concession worker, Yuriko Tomosato, who gives them extra popcorn for being the last customers. When asked about what she means by "last," the establishment owner, Akio Muramatsu, appears and sadly informs the children that today marks the closure of the thirty year old theater. On the other hand, the property's real estate developer, Seiji Haruta, could not be happier about the business' imminent closure, as he disrespectfully taunts the workers for the low audience turnout. Haruta is eventually chased away by the projectionist, Minoru Furuhashi. The staff tell the Detective Boys about Haruta's hired grunts who would purposefully start fights during the screenings, damaging the theater's reputation and expediting their claim over the property. In the meantime, Muramatsu allows Ide to take commemorative photos of his childhood theater and Tomosato realizes she had forgotten to run to the convenience store to buy everyone's lunch, deciding to head over once the next showing begins.

Haruta is found hanged at the back of the theater.

The next Gomera sequel opens with a title card as Haruta sits in the back row of the theater scaring off the few people who came to see the film. A few moments later, the man notices something rapidly approach him from behind. As the movie progresses, Mitsuhiko notices the theater AC gradually increasing in intensity. Conan tries to leave to use the bathroom but is trapped by both Ayumi and Haibara who have simultaneously fallen asleep on his shoulder. Suddenly, a strange large shadow appears on the screen swinging side to side. The audience members turn towards the projector to see Haruta's body hanging on the back wall.

File 223 - The Truth In The Mirror

Inspector Megure arrives at the movie theater begins his investigation by questioning those present, asking for the exact time at which Haruta was hung. Genta and Mitsuhiko pinpoint the moment to the scene where the fairy, Emera, quells Gomera's rage at exactly 12:44. Sergeant Takagi returns with confirmation from the ticket booth lady that, excluding the children, only four people were present in the building at the time of death. Furuhashi protests, saying that only he would have the strength necessary to pull a grown man up into the air by the noose, and that he was present in the projection room the entire time. Ide also provides an alibi in the form of a burst of photographs of the movie screen taken before, during, and after the hanging. Using the photos as reference, Megure asks Muramatsu where he briefly went. The elderly man says he felt an unusual drop in temperature caused by the theater AC and exited to a service hallway right of the screen to adjust its settings.
Megure then investigates the projection room where he finds two projectors facing the theater, one for playing the film and the other for retrieving the played film. Conan floats the idea of using the two projectors in tandem. Haruta's pre-hung body can be hidden in darkness while the first projector plays and then suddenly occlude the frame after switching to the second projector. Furuhashi laughs, saying that if he were to enact such a plan, one would be able to find a seam in the films where he stitched the two strips together. Tomosato corroborates him, saying that only one projector was on when she entered the room.

Megure then moves to examine the room where Tomosato took her lunch, finding a dingy room which appears to have been seldom cleaned. As the group makes its way back to the lobby, Conan notices Mitsuhiko in a state of indecision. When asked what is on his mind, the boy reveals that he saw Tomosato in the woman's bathroom adjusting her contact lens shortly before Haruta's hung body appeared. Although Mitsuhiko's statement contradicts the woman's initial claims about being in the break room for the entire time, her excursion lasted a mere minute and likely contributed little to her ability to hang Haruta. Takagi additionally informs the group that according to his research, Haruta was in extreme gambling debt and his real estate company was on the verge of collapse. Conan surmises that while Haruta does have a legitimate reason for suicide, his preceding actions did not paint him as obviously suicidal.

Haibara says she does not recognize who she sees in the mirror.

Genta and Mitsuhiko exit the theater to see Professor Agasa waiting for them outside.
Conan observes the distance between the projection room and the bathroom, still caught up on Tomosato's odd behavior. When staring into the bathroom mirror, he is surprised by Haibara who comments on his calmness about his reflection. She says she feels chills every morning upon seeing "Haibara" in the mirror, unsure of who she is exactly. Seemingly inspired by her words, Conan leaps from the sink and rushes off to the auditorium. He finds dozens of old cigarettes on the floor in front of Haruta's seat as well as the marks his shoes left on the row before him.

File 224 - Dreamland

Conan informs Agasa that he has figured out the details of the case. He attempts to give his instructions to the Professor but notices three unwanted eavesdroppers standing around him. The Detective Boys voice their dissatisfaction about Conan's hogging of the spotlight, but soon lighten up after hearing Conan has a role for them to play in his newest deduction.
Meanwhile, Takagi elaborates on Haruta's conditions leading up to his death. According to his employees at his real estate firm, the man had grown increasingly irritable, having an altercation with a bank manager earlier that day about lacking the funds to buy the theater property. The lights abruptly shut off and Agasa's face appears through the projector window.

  Show spoilers »

The projector light is refracted through the other window.

Furuhashi looks out at the empty theater.

Agasa accuses Minoru Furuhashi of strangling Haruta before using his projector to form his alibi.
The Method:
The Professor begins by swapping the light source from his window to the adjacent window, showing Genta's shadow superimposed onto the Emera scene. Although the suspects believe the boy to have began his occlusion part way through his monologue, Agasa shows that he managed to keep the boy in darkness by blocking the light from the projector room with a magazine. Megure mentions the swaying state of Haruta's body, implying that an object hung for an extended period would not be experiencing inertia. Mitsuhiko and Ayumi join Genta on the rope, equating to the weight of an adult male. Upon Conan's orders, Haibara cranks the AC into its high intensity setting, causing the Detective Boys to sway in the breeze. Furuhashi then refers to the single projector he used to play the film, noting that the window he used is the one Genta is currently occluding. Agasa then proceeds to replace the occluded image with an unaltered image, seemingly having cut the film to use both projectors.
Tomosato and Megure rush to the projector room to stop the Professor from further vandalizing their film strips. However upon opening the door, they find only one projector machine in operation. Agasa demonstrates that he utilized two mirrors to refract the projector light from the machine and through the adjacent window. Thus, the window occluded by Haruta's body remains in darkness. Additionally, Since Haruta always sat directly in front of the projecting window to interfere with the light using the smoke of his cigarette, the discarded cigarettes appearing before the adjacent window is proof that it was the window used for the early duration of the film. Ultimately, Furuhashi had strangled Haruta and hung his body while Tomosato was at the connivence store buying lunch. He also recommended Muramatsu to watch the final film screening from the seats to exculpate him.
The Evidence:
Agasa asks Ide to reinspect his photographs. The young man realizes that the film is out of focus. Agasa explains that when Furuhashi removed the mirrors and returned the projector to shine directly at the screen, the distance from the light-source to the screen had grown shorter, sending the footage out of focus. Since it would take time to readjust the focal point of the projector, Furuhashi would not be able to fix the error until the lights came on. Tomosato continues to defend Furuhashi, but falls silent after Agasa asks her why she left the break room to fix her contact lenses in the bathroom. Furuhashi answers for her, saying there were no more mirrors in the break room as he had used them for his trick.
The Motive:
Furuhashi says his view from the projection room sparks a great sense of melancholy in him. He used to love seeing the packed theater marvel at the silver screen. With the gradual decline in attendance due in large part to Haruta's sabotage, he felt unable to squash his rage. Hence, he strung the man up to the projectionist's eye level—so Haruta could experience the desolate scene he had brought about himself.

Muramatsu vows to keep his theater open.

Muramatsu comments that regardless of Haruta's sabotage, his theater would have eventually suffered the same fate. With the rising popularity of television and video, he finds there is no place left for a small theater to thrive. The Detective Boys voice their staunch disagreement, expressing their avid love for the communal theater environment. Seeing the children's enthusiasm, Furuhashi solemnly tells Agasa to replay the last film for them.
In a private screening for the five Detective Boys, Muramatsu and Tomosato watch their enthralled customers from the entrance, the latter remarking that they could not have asked for a better audience on their last showing. Muramatsu disagrees, stating that he has had a change of heart. He boldly announces that he will continue to fight for his theater until he fills every seat with viewers as impassioned as them.

People

Toshiyuki Ide
	21 years old College student

Yuriko Tomosato
	23 years old Concession manager

Akio Muramatsu
	62 years old Theater owner

Seiji Haruta
	Victim (hanged) 43 years old Real-estate agent

Minoru Furuhashi
	39 years old Projectionist

Cruise Ship Murder Case

File 225 - Planner in the Shadow

A trio of masked men execute their syndicate leader and strategist, Saizo Kano. They watch as his bullet-riddled body slips off a cliff and into the strong currents of the sea below. The three men ridicule's Kano's intentions of turning himself in just for causing the death of a bank employee. They also note that although the majority of their stolen money is in an inaccessible state, it is only a matter of time before they can collect their sum. One of the leaders then mockingly throws a ¥10,000 bill into the sea, calling it the "boss's share."
Ran reads an advertisement in the newspaper promoting a dolphin-watching tour near Ogasawara, offering to allow the first ten customers who correctly bring the item referenced in the featured riddle to the dock. The girl brainstorms answers to the riddle with Kogoro with the two of them floating increasingly ridiculous answers. Conan then approaches the two with his guess.
The next day, Kogoro, Ran, and Conan arrive at the Teimuzu harbor and confidently show their Series C ¥10,000 notes to the event organizers. The staff declare their guesses correct and welcome them aboard the ship.
The trio pass through the gorgeous interior and reach the reception desk, where Ran asks if she can meet the event organizer, Masaru Furukawa, wanting to thank him for the opportunity. The receptionist confesses that staff have yet to meet him themselves, having received instructions for the operation entirely via phone call. They are then approached by former Criminal Investigation Division One Superintendent, Toji Samezaki, creating an unexpected reunion between Kogoro and his former boss. When asked why he is here, Samezaki responds that today is a "special day," though Kogoro struggles to identify the reference. Another passenger named Teruyoshi Kameda suddenly appears behind the group with a troubled expression and holding a hanko. The man quickly reverses course but drops his hanko in the process. Ran kindly retrieves his item for him and inexplicably expresses her gratitude for the man. Another passenger, Korehisa Kanie, then puts his hand on Kameda's shoulder while holding a key, saying that he has been "waiting for him." As the two men walk off, the tenth and final passenger, Minoru Ebina, arrives with a large suitcase, prompting the crew to begin their journey to Ogasawara. Although one staff member reminds the receptionist about their first passenger, an elderly man who left the ship to retrieve a forgotten item, the receptionist informs him that he has since returned, electing to sleep until dinner. Samezaki vaguely recognizes Ebina and asks if they have met, but the man attributes it to a case of mistaken identity.
Ran reenacts a scene from Titanic (1997) at the bow of the ship, drawing the attention of passengers, Sadao Kujirai and Nagisa Isogai. Despite Isogai's initially macabre sentiments, she cordially converses with Ran about the organizer, Furukawa. Ran reveals that she saw Furukawa's name on the hanko that Kameda had dropped earlier, thus mistakenly having thanked him for organizing the event.
The passengers enjoy the dinner service in a mostly empty dining hall. Kameda excuses himself back to his room, seemingly seasick. Kogoro comments on the desolate vibe and Ran asks about the remaining two passengers. The waiter shares that one passenger is another detective, while the other's name is "Saizo Kano." The entire group of guests immediately recognize the name and react in varying degrees of shock. Samezaki demands the waiter take him to his room, reminding Kogoro that he is the infamous orchestrator of the criminal group responsible for robbing ¥400,000,000 from a bank.
Meanwhile, Kameda discovers a paper note left beneath his door that directs him to the engine room. The man obliges and enters the dark environment alone. He calls out about the note he was given but suddenly finds a silencer mounted to a firearm pushed against the back of his head.
Samezaki and Kogoro arrive at Kano's room but find it barren. Samezaki rushes off to inspect the ship's lower floors while Kogoro approaches the adjacent room said to accommodate the other detective onboard. He pounds on the door only for it to violently swing open and strike him in the face. The occupant is none other than Heiji Hattori who expresses his surprise to see his friends aboard the ship.

File 230 - The Witness Returned Alive

  Show spoilers »

The culprit is Sadao Kujirai

People

Toji Samezaki
	62 years old Former superintendent of the Homicide Department

Teruyoshi Kameda
	Victim (burned) 45 years old Passenger

Korehisa Kanie
	Victim (gunshot) 46 years old Passenger

Minoru Ebina
	42 years old Passenger

Sadao Kujirai
	Victim (gunshot - injured) 50 years old Passenger

Nagisa Isogai
	27 years old Passenger

Saizo Kano
	Leader of the robbers 20 years ago

Yoshimi Samezaki
	Deceased (gunshot) 21 years old Toji Samezaki's daughter Bank employee

Major events

• It's implied that Ran knows who Conan is.
• Ran and Conan share a quiet moment together. Also, when Heiji knew he had to take off his clothes to signal for help, he made sure to not take off his pants and his onamori good luck charm that Kazuha gave him. He gets embarrassed when Ran and Conan catch him admiring it and thinking about her.
• Kogoro's good friend, a retired detective from the police force, helps Kogoro and his friends solve the case.

Innocent Suspect Case

File 231 - Investigation Begins!!

The Detective Boys are going to help Takagi investigate.

People

Higashida
	Company employee

Masami Muranishi
	Victim (strangled)

Kitagawa
	Company employee

Trivia

• In File 224:
  • The film Akio Muramatsu imagines when reflecting on his love for the movie theater is Gone with the Wind (1939)
• The title for each chapter are worded as the following in Case Closed:

• File 222 - At the Movies
• File 223 - The Truth Inside the Mirror
• File 224 - A Place For Dreams
• File 225 - The Phantom Schemer
• File 226 - Murder in Flames
• File 227 - An Unexpected Target
• File 228 - Vanished Into the Waves
• File 229 - The Truth
• File 230 - A Witness Returns
• File 231 - Begin Investigation!!

Cover in other countries

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  China

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  China (2020 reissue)

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  Finland

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  France

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  Germany

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  Hong Kong

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  Indonesia

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  Indonesia (reprint)

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  Indonesia (Premium, combined volumes 23-24)

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  Italy

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  Italy (La Gazzetta dello Sport)

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  Italy (New Edition)

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  Korea

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  Malaysia (Chinese)

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  Malaysia (Malay)

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  Norway

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  Rep. of China (Taiwan)

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  Spain (Spanish, Volumen 2, part 1)

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  Spain (Spanish, Volumen 2, part 2)

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  Spain (Spanish, New Edition, combined volumes 23-24)

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  Sweden

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  Thailand

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  United States

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  Vietnam

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  Vietnam (New Edition)

See also

• Manga
• Volume 21-30
• Detective Conan