Case Closed season 2

Lore & Background

The season initially aired from August 19, 1996, through April 14, 1997 on Nippon Television Network System in Japan. Episodes twenty-nine to fifty-four were later collected into seven DVD compilations by Shogakukan and released on February 24, 2006. The English adaptation was licensed and dubbed by Funimation Entertainment, airing on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim until March 2005 and on Canada's YTV until August 16, 2004.

Reader's Guide

The second season of Case Closed is significant as it continued the adaptation of Gosho Aoyama's manga during the mid-1990s, establishing the series' presence in both Japanese and English markets. The season's English release on DVD boxsets by Funimation, including a Viridian edition slated for September 15, 2009, helped preserve the series for home viewing. The season's use of multiple theme songs, including Japanese openings like 'Mune ga Doki Doki' and English adaptations, reflects the localization efforts. Its legacy includes being part of the long-running franchise that introduced Western audiences to the detective genre through anime.

Did You Know?

• The season features a temporary return of Jimmy Kudo.
• The English adaptation aired on Adult Swim until March 2005; the August 16, 2004 date marks the last episode of the initial run on YTV in Canada.
• The season uses three Japanese openings, two Japanese endings, and one English opening (no English ending was used for this season; the English ending 'Thank You for Everything' was introduced later).
• The English opening theme for this season is an instrumental titled 'Case Closed Theme'; 'First New Century' was used for later episodes.

A Detective Shrunk in Time

Jimmy Kudo is a high school detective who handles difficult cases for the police. During one investigation, a member of the Black Organization attacks him and forces an experimental poison down his throat. A rare side-effect causes his body to shrink to that of a young child. To protect himself and those around him, he adopts the alias Conan Edogawa, pretending to be a genuine child while secretly continuing to solve mysteries and hunt for clues about the organization. His childhood friend Rachel Moore and her father Richard, who runs a detective agency, become his daily companions. He also builds relationships with the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, local prefectural officers, the Junior Detective League, and the FBI. A small circle of individuals—Dr. Agasa, who supplies him with spy gadgets; Harley Hartwell, a fellow high school detective from Osaka; and Anita Hailey, the original developer of the poison that transformed both him and her into children—know his true identity. Throughout it all, Jimmy loves Rachel but cannot confess his feelings or reveal who he really is, for fear of endangering her.

Rachel Moore: The Girl Aoyama Dreamed Into

Rachel Moore, known in the original Japanese as Ran Mori, has been Jimmy's closest companion since elementary school. She is a karate captain and regional champion, yet she still flinches at horror films. Her parents are both skilled martial artists, and she herself is kind enough to help even potential criminals. In one notable instance, her compassion is what persuades the Black Organization member Vermouth to keep Jimmy's identity concealed. She opposes killing anyone, insisting criminals deserve a trial, and she serves as a role model and advisor to the Junior Detective League. At home, she excels at sewing, knitting, cooking, and chance games like mahjong, where she rarely loses. She has suspected Conan Edogawa is Jimmy all along, yet he repeatedly tricks her into doubting herself. Gosho Aoyama described her as the girl Jimmy could dream about—responsible, athletic, kindhearted, and loyal. He chose karate over kendo and judo because it felt "cooler," and her Japanese name traces back to Maurice Leblanc, the creator of Arsène Lupin.

Richard Moore and the Sleeping Detective Gimmick

Richard Moore, originally Kogoro Mori, is Rachel's father and a private detective whose fame rests largely on a peculiar trick: Conan frequently sedates him and then impersonates his voice to crack cases. Because he appears drowsy or asleep during these moments, the public dubs him "Sleeping Moore." Before his private practice, he served as a police officer under Inspector Meguire. He is married to Eva Kaden, a successful lawyer and childhood friend, though the two have been separated for over a decade due to constant arguing. Despite his habits of drinking, gambling, and flirting with young women, he cares deeply for Rachel and occasionally reveals a strong sense of honor. He is skilled in judo and shares a mild rivalry with Conan, sometimes claiming credit for cases the boy already solved. Aoyama admitted he did not invest much time in Richard's design, initially sketching a thinner version of Captain Nakamori from his earlier manga Magic Kaito. After being told the two looked too similar, he added a pompadour and adjusted the mustache to differentiate them.

One Franchise, Many English Voices

Case Closed has traveled through multiple English-language pipelines, each with its own naming philosophy. Viz Media licenses the manga and uses Americanized character names, while Funimation was the first to dub the anime, also Americanizing names. Later, the Macias Group took over dubbing duties, with episodes released on Tubi, and Studio Nano produced a curated dub of select episodes for Crunchyroll and Netflix. Funimation and Viz have used different names or spellings for the same characters on separate occasions, creating a patchwork of identities across releases. In contrast, the manga published in Singapore by Shogakukan Asia, the Tubi anime stream, the Crunchyroll and Netflix curated dub, and the home videos dubbed by Bang Zoom! Entertainment and released through Discotek Media all romanize the Japanese names. The voice cast shifts accordingly: Rachel Moore is voiced by Wakana Yamazaki in Japanese and by Colleen Clinkenbeard, Cristina Vee, or Megan Shipman depending on the English dub, while Richard Moore is voiced by Akira Kamiya or Rikiya Koyama in Japanese and by R. Bruce Elliott, Xander Mobus, or Robert McCollum in English.