Detective Conan: The Fourteenth Target is a Japanese animated crime mystery movie that was released in 1998. It is the second movie in the Detective Conan franchise and was directed by Kenji Kodama. Like the first movie, The Time-Bombed Skyscraper, it was a huge success and captivated audiences with its thrilling storyline.
The story follows Kogoro Mouri, a detective, and his 14 close acquaintances who are all being targeted and killed one by one for a certain reason. Conan, who knows about this, has to race against time to find the culprit before they strike again. Will Conan be able to protect Kogoro and his friends from their inevitable fate?
The movie starts with Ran having a dream about her mother, Eri, being shot. She wakes up and immediately calls to check on her mother’s well-being and tells her about the dream. Eri is slightly taken aback by the dream’s content but assures her daughter that everything is fine.
Next, we see Jo Murakami, a man in prison, extending a notebook that indicates, “Kota Beika, Kogoro Mouri.” The scene then cuts to the young detective trio (Ayumi, Genta, and Mitsuhiko) waiting for Professor Agasa to play at Tohto Aeronautical Memorial Museum where they can see various types of helicopters and planes on display. Conan notices a photographer named Shishido Eimei taking pictures of the museum.
As they play a guessing game related to birthdays and other such things, Jo Murakami is seen knocking on the door. When he receives no response, he leaves. Meanwhile, Kogoro’s Detective Agency is empty because Ran and Sonoko are attending a Minoru Nishina book signing, and Kogoro is out of the office.
After the book signing, Ran and Sonoko relax at a café, and Ran talks about the quarrel that caused Kogoro and Eri to separate when she was seven. She wants to make her parents reconcile and remembers that they were supposed to have dinner together at 7 pm that night. When Kogoro introduces Hiroki Tsuji, a professional golfer who is currently training for the US Open, he meets Eri at the restaurant.
After they dine, Kogoro, Eri, Ran, and Conan eat together. However, things go awry when Kogoro seems to be getting too close to Towako Okano. Eri is infuriated and leaves the restaurant. A week later, Inspector Megure is shot with an arrow while running with his wife. The arrow that injured him was shot from an automatic arrow shooter. The arrow shooter appeared in the King card in a deck of playing cards.
Soon after Megure’s shooting, Eri’s life is also in danger. A Zigoba chocolate, her favorite brand, arrives, and Eri consumes it, thinking it’s a request for an apology from Kogoro. Unfortunately, she collapses to the ground because the chocolate contains poison. Fortunately, she recovered because she didn’t have time to swallow it. Inside the chocolate box is a paper flower that seems familiar to Conan (the flower held by the Queen card).
While looking for clues about all the aforementioned cases, Professor Agasa is struck by bad luck. He is shot by an unknown person after a stone is thrown into his house. Conan pursues him with the help of the young detective trio, but their efforts are in vain. Returning to Agasa’s house, Conan finds a mysterious object on the ground and finally realizes the relationship between the sword, flower, strange object, and the victims. He realizes that everything is related to the number of letters in the names of the victims that converge on the playing cards starting with the King, Queen, Jack, and numbering 1 to 10.
The police believe that the serial killer is Jo Murakami, a criminal that Kogoro arrested ten years ago while still in the police force. Conan also realizes that the series of murders leads to people known by Kogoro Mouri. After the King, Queen, and Jack, Conan thinks hard about who is close to Kogoro and has a name with the number 10 elements.
Conan then remembers Tsuji Hiroki, Kogoro Mouri’s favorite golf player, whose photo is on display in his office. Katsuyoshi Asahi, the owner of the Aqua-Crystal amusement park complex, is in the ninth order, Sawaki Kouhei, a wine expert and 8th order, the model named Nana Osanai Nana is the 7th target, Eimei Shishido is the 6th target, Kogoro himself is in the 5th order, Peter Ford is in the 4th order, Inspector Shiratori is the target of the third order, and finally, Kogoro’s old acquaintance is the 14th target.
The movie ends with Conan saving Kogoro and his friends from the killer’s attack. Overall, Detective Conan: The Fourteenth Target is a thrilling and suspenseful movie that keeps the audience on the edge of their seats with its clever plot twists and turns.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Detective Conan: The Fourteenth Target is one of the must-watch animated mystery movies of Japan. It offers audiences an intriguing storyline with a lot of suspense that keeps them hooked from start to finish. The characters are well-crafted and have the ability to draw the viewer in emotionally, enhancing the overall experience. With its excellent plot and stunning visuals, it’s no wonder that it was a massive success and a favorite among anime fans.
