Detective Conan The Culprit Hanzawa is a dark comedy miniseries. This spinoff anime tells the story of Hanzawa, a “criminal-to-be” and how Hanzawa strives to survive in the town of Beika to execute the murder he is scheming to commit. The anime is a quick-watch 10-minute series of 12 episodes with elements of dark and sly comedy. The series is available to stream on Netflix.
We see the story from the perspective of a possible serial killer, which is rather intriguing. What makes it even more fascinating is that the anime does not try to paint the protagonist in a compassionate or criminal light; instead, it constructs an element of insanity and comedy.
The protagonist Hanzawa of the show arrives in the town of Beika, a town known for its notorious criminal records. From the very beginning, the black-silhouetted Hanzawa is presented as a man who wishes to kill a mysterious victim.
As the story develops, we get to see various sides of Hanzawa. The audience is amazed by the fact that a criminal-to-be is scared of murder scenes and often ends up as a victim of scams. Scared of being a victim of the dark world of Beika, Hanzawa rents a shared house. Instead of joining any shady business, he takes up the job as a part-timer in a shop. He becomes friends with his coworkers, who are, in fact, detectives in secret.
Hanzawa’s perspective on life is rather simple. He lives in Beika town like any other ordinary fellow. He does his job, earns money, pays rent, and takes care of his adorable pet. The anime often makes the audience forget that they are watching the life of a criminal.
However, when Hanzawa meets his victim, his attitude changes. The urge to kill develops within him, only to gradually fade away as he finds that he misunderstood Mr. Kid to be his victim.
He is an adorable and caring son to his mother. A trustworthy part-timer to his coworkers. A loving friend to his adorable pet. A naive guy to his housemates. He is both ambitious and kind-hearted. Thus, the creators manage to deliver a wonderful development to Hanzawa’s character.
Hanzawa does his best to follow his eccentric fantasy, but he is incapable, idiotic, clumsy, gutless, and constantly manages to screw himself up. It is amusing to chuckle at his blunders, as he frequently falls victim to this enormous town and its more seasoned and fierce delinquents.
Silly characters and hilarious plot twists
Despite its dark subject matter, the story is silly. Making fun of a person who desires to murder somebody may sound very gruesome, but Aoyama’s design of the plot and the protagonist functions well as the story whispers an atmosphere of creativity, naiveté, and sweetness to it. Hanzawa is never portrayed as somebody who must be arrested but as a person who should be taught and reformed for his blunders and decisions.
Even though the anime is centered on Hanzawa, various other characters are shown throughout the series. All the characters have a purpose in the anime. They either build up the comical tension or help Hanzawa in his character development.
The anime manages to have gory scenes throughout the show. Instead of giving the dark thriller effect, all these bloody scenes recreate themselves to maintain the comedy. The anime manages to have gory scenes throughout the show. Instead of giving the dark thriller effect, all these bloody scenes recreate themselves to maintain the comedy.
Detective Conan The Culprit Hanzawa is a brilliant work shown in a few minutes of episodes. The cast has also done a clever job of giving the characters their perfect essence through their voices.
The silly characters and plot, stunning animation, and hilarious dark humor make the anime a must-watch. Despite all these silly and goofy elements, the anime manages to capture the ugly side of the modern world—a world filled with greed and evil human desires.
Verdict
If you love the Meitantei Conan series yet are not really in the mood to watch the serious plot and just want to have a good laugh, this series is just perfect. Overall, this is a silly short anime anyone can watch for some sneaky fun and quick laughs. You may find it more satisfying if you like the prominent Detective Conan series.
Trailer
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