Challenge Letter to Shinichi Kudo

Challenge Letter to Shinichi Kudo (工藤新一への挑戦状 ,Kudō Shin'ichi e no Chōsenjō) is a live-action drama series starring Junpei Mizobata as Shinichi Kudo that takes place before the events that begin the story of Detective Conan. The series began airing on July 7, 2011. Prior to the series three live-action specials were produced and based on the plots of three of the Detective Conan novels.

Main cast

Character		Actors
Picture	Name	Picture	Name	Notes
	Shinichi Kudo		Junpei Mizobata	Mizobata is the 2nd actor to portray Shinichi in live-action following Shun Oguri.
	Ran Mouri		Shiori Kutsuna	Kutsuna is the 2nd actress to portray Ran in live-action following Tomoka Kurokawa.
	Kogoro Mouri		Takanori Jinnai	Jinnai has portrayed Kogoro in all live-action adaptations.
	Sonoko Suzuki		Sayaka Akimoto	Akimoto is the 2nd actress to portray Sonoko in live-action following Mayuko Iwasa. She is also a member of the AKB48 idol group.
	Eri Kisaki		Nene Otsuka
	Miwako Sato		Natsuhi Ueno
	Wataru Takagi		Yuichi Tsuchiya

Episodes

#	Title	Original airdate	English airdate	Plot
1	File. 1	July 7, 2011
Yuuhei Tsubouchi, a professional cameraman, strangles Momoko Aida after thinking she was going to leave him for another guy and covers up his murderous act by ransacking her apartment to look like a robbery. Will Shinichi be able to prove Tsubouchi's guilt? First appearance of Shinichi Kudo, Ran Mouri, Kogoro Mouri, Miwako Sato, and Wataru Takagi. Ran comments that she longs to have wedding photos like the one's from Tsubouchi's wedding and Shinichi agrees. Meanwhile, Sato comments she'd rather not have any, surprising Takagi and causing him to stumble over his next few words to her.
2	File. 2	July 14, 2011
Shinichi is a guest on a live TV program called "The Showdown" where he tests his deductive abilities against the psychic abilities of Jiro Washimi. The TV program goes horribly wrong however when Washimi seems to kill the show's host, Takayuki Harada, using his psychic powers. Are psychic powers really to blame or was it simply a trick by the real murderer? When Shinichi explains how the shape-memory alloy in Harada's bandana works and is the same as the shape-memory alloy found in the materials of Ran's brassiere, Shinichi gets closer towards Ran and comments that the materials are "Excellent, aren't they?". Ran in embarrassment asks how Shinichi could possibly know something like that. Kogoro freaks out and asks if Shinichi and Ran are really in that kind of relationship. Ran then hits him in embarrassment. Later on when the group makes it to the third white room, Ran is startled by the gunshot sounds so Shinichi grabs her hand to help calm her down.
3	File. 3	July 21, 2011
Shinichi, Ran, and Kogoro attend a trial at which Eri is a witness for the defendant Reika Saito's alibi. Things get out of hand though when Reika begins insulting Eri and Eri threatens to kill her, pointing at Reika with her hand in the shape of a gun. Much to everyone's surprise, a gunshot is heard when Eri says "bang" and Reika drops to the floor dead. Can Shinichi prove Eri's innocence? First appearance of Eri Kisaki. When Shinichi is looking at flowers on his phone to possibly give Ran as a gift, Eri catches him and suggests buying underwear instead, saying it's a popular present in foreign countries for lovers. Eri then continues to give Shinichi romance advice.
4	File. 4	July 28, 2011
Shinichi loses a game against Ran and Sonoko during lunch so now he must play a penalty game: he must accept every request for a favor for the rest of the day. Before Ran can ask for Shinichi to take her out to a restaurant, Kogoro calls Shinichi and asks for him to assist with the wedding party of Kensuke Motoki and Kanon Shimabara. Later on, one of the guests, Nana Matsumoto, drops dead from what seems to be poison. Kensuke asks for Shinichi to prove his innocence, but is this one favor Shinichi can't complete? First appearance of Sonoko Suzuki. Ran's reason for getting Shinichi to do the penalty game in the first place was a roundabout method of getting him to go on a date to a restaurant with her. Ran is relieved when she discovers that Shinichi hasn't had his first kiss yet. While leaving the fourth white room, Ran wants to keep the dress. Shinichi asks if it wouldn't just be better to get a new one, confusing Ran and causing Kogoro to tell Ran she's not a bride yet.
5	File. 5	August 4, 2011
Shinichi, Ran, and Sonoko are at movie director Akihiro Nagata's villa where Shinichi is practicing for a possible role in one of Nagata's films. Nagata's wife and famous actress Chisato becomes jealous and enraged when she catches Nagata "demonstrating" a kiss on rising actress Saori Kisaragi and even threatens her with a knife. Nagata calms Chisato down as villa manager Kana Ishihara prepares tea for the group. Suddenly, Nagata collapses from poison in his tea and Chisato suffers a shock so great that she loses her memory! It's up to Shinichi to reveal the truth, find Nagata's murderer, and prove whether or not Chisato has truly lost her memory. Ran is clearly jealous of Saori when she discovers Shinichi is supposed to do a kissing scene with her. Nagata, catching on to Shinichi and Ran's actions around each other, suggests that Shinichi and Ran should do the love scene instead, embarrassing both of them.
6	File. 6	August 11, 2011
Shinichi and Ran in disguise, accompanied by Inspector Takagi, spy on Kogoro flirting with the hostesses at the Cristiano cabaret club. Kogoro and variety show educator Masato Mine are invited to participate in one of the club's games in which the men receive kisses on the cheek from 19 of the hostesses while a decanter of wine is filled and the grand prize is a kiss from lead hostess Kumi Amagi. Mine wins the game, so Kumi drinks his decanter of wine and prepares to kiss him, only to collapse to the floor dead instead. How did the murderer ensure Kumi would end up with the poison? Was the game truly luck, or can Shinichi reveal the secret behind winning the game and catch the murderer? When Kazuyo asks Ran if she loves Shinichi, Ran gets very embarrassed and claims Shinichi is just a mystery geek. After the murderer's motive is revealed, Ran asks Shinichi if he would ever kill somebody for the sake of someone he loved. Shinichi replies that no matter what a murder is still a murder. However, when Shinichi gives Ran the antidote in present day he adds on that although he wouldn't kill somebody for Ran, he would never let the one he loves die.
7	File. 7	August 18, 2011
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Specials

• A Challenge Letter to Shinichi Kudo ~Prologue Until Goodbye~ (2006)
• Shinichi Kudo Returns! Confrontation with the Black Organization (2007)
• A Challenge Letter to Shinichi Kudo ~The Mystery of the Legendary Bird~ (2011)

See also

• Official Japanese site