Detective Conan: The Phantom of Baker Street is the sixth animated film in the Detective Conan series. The movie was released in 2002 and was a box office hit, earning $34.4 million worldwide. The movie is also the last one in which traditional ink-and-paint animation techniques were used. The Phantom of Baker Street revolves around the murder of a renowned IT professional responsible for designing a futuristic game. Before his demise, he leaves a death message that is related to the game he created, prompting Conan and other detectives to play the game to solve the case.
The movie begins by introducing Hiroki Sawada, a ten-year-old super-genius who has already finished graduate school at MIT. He has developed a DNA tracking software and is completing his second big project – an artificial intelligence called Noah’s Ark. Since Hiroki’s mother passed away, he has been cared for by Thomas Schindler, the CEO of Schindler Inc., a super-influential software company. Schindler recognizes Hiroki’s enormous talent and exploits him in the development of big software projects for the company’s benefit. This leaves Hiroki feeling pressured with little free time to be a normal kid. One night after finishing the Noah’s Ark program, he activates the a.i. and jumps off his apartment balcony.
Two years later, Schindler Inc. demonstrates an immersive virtual game called Cocoon at Beika City Hall. Conan, Kogoro, Ran, and the Detective Boys, Ayumi, Mitsuhiko, Genta, and Ai, attend the game’s demonstration. But unfortunately, they are not chosen as one of the 200 elite children to play the game. The development team only chooses children from the upper class, such as the children of government officials, ministers, owners of big companies, grandchildren of Japan’s largest banks, and other prestigious families. This leaves the Detective Boys sad. However, Conan receives a badge because his father, Yusaku Kudo, is one of the game’s developers.
The Detective Boys then manage to convince other children to exchange their permits to play the game with the rare gold card of Captain Yaiba. While everyone is getting their badge, Thomas Schindler murders one of the programmers of Cocoon, Tadaaki Kashimura. Before he dies, Tadaaki writes a message on the keyboard – the letters “J”, “T”, and “R”. Yusaku immediately knows that the culprit can be identified through clues in the game.
After hearing that, Conan immediately enters the game, followed by the Detective Boys and Ai, along with Ran, who receives the badge from Sonoko, the daughter of the Suzuki family, the largest investor of the game. Ran also enters the game, and the public knows that Cocoon is a child-friendly game, but it turns out it is not. The game is sabotaged by an a.i. created by Hiroki – Noah’s Ark. The game, which was initially a virtual reality that uses brain waves as a driver so that players feel like they are in the game, transforms into a killing machine. This makes all the parents worried and want to retrieve their children. However, Hiroki has taken control of the program. Anyone who tries to disrupt the game will receive a shock of electric waves that could kill the child. This is mainly because Hiroki wants to reset Japan’s future since many of the children playing the game come from corrupt parents who engage in criminal activities, among other things.
In the game, 50 children begin to play in different arenas. Conan, Ran, Ai, and the Detective Boys, along with three other children – Hideki Moroboshi, Akira Emori, and Shinya Takizawa – work together to solve the mystery of the serial killer Jack The Ripper. One by one, the children playing the game over. If all the children lose, they will die. But if one child remains, they will all survive.
In conclusion, Detective Conan: The Phantom of Baker Street is an engaging mystery film that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The twists and turns in the plotline will have you guessing until the very end. The concept of a game turning into a deadly machine is unique, and the characters are realistic and relatable. Overall, this is a must-watch movie for all mystery lovers.
