Post by House of Mystery on Apr 5, 2015 2:47:15 GMT
Ah, fillers. They're like the movies and OVAs, except with one percent of the budget and zero-point-one percent of the imagination.
... okay, that's harsher than I'd intended, but those of us who've had the patience to slog through all 700+ episodes of Conan would probably agree that a lot of the anime-only episodes really aren't worth it. That said, there are definitely a few diamonds in the rough...
(I originally compiled this list for newcomer Fory's convenience, BTW.)
The Truth Behind the Car Explosion Case (150-151) - As far as I'm concerned, the gold standard for fillers in Conan. It arguably does more for Kogoro's character than anything the manga did, even. Saying more would be spoiling...
The Mysterious Old Man Disappearance Case (152) - A more noir-ish mystery than usual for DC fillers. Not that groundbreaking, but it did largely keep my interest.
The Man Who Was Killed Four Times (175) - The title itself actually kind of gives away the twist, but it's well worth watching anyhow.
A Cursed Mask Coldly Laughs (184) - This is probably the most formulaic episode you'll see on this list, but it's got atmosphere out the wazoo and a seriously clever trick.
The Secret of the High Sales (225) - Quite possibly the most ambitious of the AOs; a Detective Boys adventure that sets out to deconstruct Conan's usual formula. A lot of people hate it because it spends a lot of time going nowhere and goes out of its way to humiliate Conan, but at least it does something different.
The Shaking Restaurant (260) - About standard for a filler mystery, but does feature (for no apparent reason) a completely competent and professional Kogoro... who still gets the solution wrong.
The Candy House the Witch Lives In (368) - Okay, this is probably the most bog-standard one, and the solution is pretty darn easy, but I'm biased toward pretty-looking food-centric cases. Sue me.
Running Away in a Game (370) - Pretty childish, even for a Detective Boys adventure, but Genta imagining himself getting arrested alone is hilarious.
The Uncontrollable Rental Car! (471) - Not much mystery; basically an action movie packed into 22 minutes. Worth watching just for unorthodox it is, I suppose.
The Malice Hidden Behind the Masque (527) - Ever wanted to see a Conan episode where everyone tries to kill everyone else? Today's your lucky day. Also, this is the only AO with the kickass "Revive" as its opening song, so there's that.
A Fool's Inheritance (539) - Worth noting because of just how relentlessly depressing it is. I found the end touching, but please don't watch if you like the new characters to be vaguely sympathetic. I promise you that the dead man is the most sympathetic guy in this mess, and that's not saying much.
The Day Kogoro Mouri Ceased Being a Detective (540-541) - Not really a patch on "The Truth Behind the Car Explosion Case", but still a pretty decent expansion of Kogoro's character and backstory.
Two Days with the Culprit (547-548) - Starts off pretty strong in the first part, starts losing steam by the second. Still, the Character of the Day is a lot more interesting than the average, and the gimmick is pretty memorable.
The Séance’s Double Locked Room Mystery Case (603-605) - The only three-part filler. The solution is relatively clever, and the characters a bit more fleshed out than usual, since the writers have three episodes to play with. Not much to say beyond that.
The Devil's Circuit (718) - Ever wanted to see a Conan episode where everyone succeeds in killing everyone else? This is the episode for you.
All the Courtroom Confrontation episodes (264-265, 297-298, 489, 606-607) are perhaps worth at least one watch, though I find the third installment to be the strongest.
Your take, everyone? Any anime-only episodes of Conan you particularly enjoyed?
... okay, that's harsher than I'd intended, but those of us who've had the patience to slog through all 700+ episodes of Conan would probably agree that a lot of the anime-only episodes really aren't worth it. That said, there are definitely a few diamonds in the rough...
(I originally compiled this list for newcomer Fory's convenience, BTW.)
The Truth Behind the Car Explosion Case (150-151) - As far as I'm concerned, the gold standard for fillers in Conan. It arguably does more for Kogoro's character than anything the manga did, even. Saying more would be spoiling...
The Mysterious Old Man Disappearance Case (152) - A more noir-ish mystery than usual for DC fillers. Not that groundbreaking, but it did largely keep my interest.
The Man Who Was Killed Four Times (175) - The title itself actually kind of gives away the twist, but it's well worth watching anyhow.
A Cursed Mask Coldly Laughs (184) - This is probably the most formulaic episode you'll see on this list, but it's got atmosphere out the wazoo and a seriously clever trick.
The Secret of the High Sales (225) - Quite possibly the most ambitious of the AOs; a Detective Boys adventure that sets out to deconstruct Conan's usual formula. A lot of people hate it because it spends a lot of time going nowhere and goes out of its way to humiliate Conan, but at least it does something different.
The Shaking Restaurant (260) - About standard for a filler mystery, but does feature (for no apparent reason) a completely competent and professional Kogoro... who still gets the solution wrong.
The Candy House the Witch Lives In (368) - Okay, this is probably the most bog-standard one, and the solution is pretty darn easy, but I'm biased toward pretty-looking food-centric cases. Sue me.
Running Away in a Game (370) - Pretty childish, even for a Detective Boys adventure, but Genta imagining himself getting arrested alone is hilarious.
The Uncontrollable Rental Car! (471) - Not much mystery; basically an action movie packed into 22 minutes. Worth watching just for unorthodox it is, I suppose.
The Malice Hidden Behind the Masque (527) - Ever wanted to see a Conan episode where everyone tries to kill everyone else? Today's your lucky day. Also, this is the only AO with the kickass "Revive" as its opening song, so there's that.
A Fool's Inheritance (539) - Worth noting because of just how relentlessly depressing it is. I found the end touching, but please don't watch if you like the new characters to be vaguely sympathetic. I promise you that the dead man is the most sympathetic guy in this mess, and that's not saying much.
The Day Kogoro Mouri Ceased Being a Detective (540-541) - Not really a patch on "The Truth Behind the Car Explosion Case", but still a pretty decent expansion of Kogoro's character and backstory.
Two Days with the Culprit (547-548) - Starts off pretty strong in the first part, starts losing steam by the second. Still, the Character of the Day is a lot more interesting than the average, and the gimmick is pretty memorable.
The Séance’s Double Locked Room Mystery Case (603-605) - The only three-part filler. The solution is relatively clever, and the characters a bit more fleshed out than usual, since the writers have three episodes to play with. Not much to say beyond that.
The Devil's Circuit (718) - Ever wanted to see a Conan episode where everyone succeeds in killing everyone else? This is the episode for you.
All the Courtroom Confrontation episodes (264-265, 297-298, 489, 606-607) are perhaps worth at least one watch, though I find the third installment to be the strongest.
Your take, everyone? Any anime-only episodes of Conan you particularly enjoyed?