There are times when episodes strike you straight at your core, so much you wish you could skip talking about the previous one just to rush and talk about what struck you with such profound emotions. An episode that illuminated your own dreams and nearly brought you to tears. That was episode 17 of Magic Kaito, but as I fell behind a week and need to talk about what happened in episode 16…I guess I’ll do that and then prepare for a gush of feelings.
So 16 was another Kaito/Conan cross over. The end, let’s move on. What do you mean I can’t do that? FINE, here’s what really goes down in that episode.
Kaito Kid receives a challenge to steal something with insanely high security and being, well Kaito Kid. He can’t just let someone challenge him and let it slide. So he makes his plans to steal the high security jewel. However, first he must scout out the area. So he creates a magic trick worthy of being called a miracle. [because he noticed Conan was there and he has some desire to impress Conan.]
So instead of walking on water like Jesus did, he walks on air. The trick is pretty easy when it’s explained to you later on in the episode. For now though, let’s suspend our disbelief. [Get it, suspend? I gave a clue. I’m so clever. HA.] So he walks on air, impresses people. Stirs up a even bigger crowd for the next day and gets out of there.
The next day, the guy who issued the challenge shows up and Kaito once again appears in thin air and…OKAY, you know what? This episode was good but it’s no where near as good as 17 and I really want to go talk about 17, because 17 is the epitome of why I love this series and why Kuroba Kaito is quickly becoming one of my favorite anime characters of all times. So long story short, he knocked out the old man, stole his identity, used it to steal the jewel.
Conan figures it out, they talk as they drive off on the old mans bike. Kaito goes to make a clever get away by releasing the side car. Conan hits the motorcycle’s gas tank. Almost blows Kaito up. He gets away by the skin of his teeth and Conan smiles somewhat impressed.
It was a good episode, don’t get me wrong. It was entertaining and if I had of reviewed it last week when I should of it would of probably stood out even more because I would not have the next episode to compare it too. I never did look up exactly where in the Detective Conan cannon that episode fits in. I’m sure if I ran off to a wiki right now I could look it up with ease but let’s just move on to the thing that I want to talk about.
Episode 17 is about a play. A romantic play set in Europe during the time of kings and queens, by the description the characters give of it. It’s like a strange mixture of Romeo and Juliet and Cinderella. Kaito starts off the episode by working as a part timer, making the set as he spies on the police efforts to guard the place.
While he is there, he over hears a commotion with the actors during their practice. Where the lead actress is picking on this girl for fumbling her lines. Valid…to a point, until you realize the lead actress is a total Diva and a complete bitch. She tells the girl [Megumi] that she has no talent and should give up on being an actress.
Kaito stays after to set up some tricks for his attempt to steal the jewel they are going to use in the performance and he over hears Megumi practicing. Not just her lines, but EVERY CHARACTERS LINES. She doesn’t just know her own, she knows the entire script. She’s passionate and good at what she does. However, as he starts talking to her it becomes apparent that she suffers from extreme stage fright and self-confidence issues.
He tells her to imagine the audience as if they are pumpkins in a pumpkin patch and leaves her to her practice.
At the night of the show, Aoko and Kaito have spots in the audience thanks to her father’s connections of course. Must be nice to be best friends with the guy who investigates your cases Kaito. So, the play begins and the first part goes on without incident. Except for miss ‘I’m a self-important Diva’ AD-LIBBING HER LINES IN THE MIDDLE OF A LIVE PERFORMANCE AND SCREWING UP MEGUMI BECAUSE YOU NEED TO KEEP THE LINES SO PEOPLE CAN REMEMBER THEIR QUES.
I don’t know how many other people have acted in theater, but I have and que lines are very important and help the other actors remember their lines and how the play should progress. You can’t blame Megumi at all for getting flustered because this bitch decided to fuck with the lines of the play.
Okay…okay, rant over.
So, in the important scene where the prince meets with the leading lady. This is when Kaito Kid strikes, blinding everyone with light he makes his grand appearance and steals the jewel. However.
He begins a beautiful narration, introducing Megumi, who was playing the nameless Servant A and turning her into the leading lady of the play. He changes her maid outfit into a beautiful gown and after opening the dome and checking the Emerald to be sure it’s not the one he needs, he gets to one knee and puts it on her finger.
He turns to introduce her to her prince, she begins to doubt herself and think ‘I can’t do this’ when he mutters. ‘Pumpkins’ and she realizes that he is the part timer that she had been speaking with the day before. She begins to sing and captivates the audience. The other actors, seeing that the show must go on. Respond in turn and begin pretending it was supposed to be like this from the start. The prince courts the maid character and everyone…except the diva who was riding on her parents coat tails and didn’t have any talent anyway, is happy.
This episode struck all sorts of cords with me, first off, I’ve always loved theater and was in the drama club and I would honestly like to return to the stage myself. However, I suffer from a lot of self-confidence issues myself. So the ending message in this episode, “Everyone is the main character of their own life, even you.” gave me a small confidence boost.
Seeing this shy girl with no confidence have her life totally turned around and suddenly become confident in her abilities despite that other girl beating her down for the first half of the episode was wonderful.
Kaito has done this a few times now, the kid with the issues with his mother, this girl and her self-confidence. He’s a world famous Phantom thief but he takes time to not only steal things, but to help the problems of the people he sees around him. He’s not heartless, he’s an absolutely caring person.
He could let his ego go to his head, let all that fame cloud his head. However, he doesn’t. He takes not only his job as a phantom thief seriously, but his job as a magician. Which is to make people smile.
He’s a wonderful human being and nobody can tell me otherwise! He’s slowly creeping up into my top 5 favorite anime characters of all time, I can see why he was popular enough to warrant a spin off series.
Well anyway ~ See y0u, next illusion!
~Midnight
Just saying, Magic Kaito isn’t a spin-off series. It actually existed before Detective Conan, and had been brought into the latter because- if my sources are correct- the mangaka wanted to bring attention to his other works. It’s a normal assumption, don’t worry ^_^’
Before MK1412, there had been Magic Kaito specials which technically are spin-offs of Detective Conan due to the nature of it, but mostly following its manga counterpart (except for that anime-only character Spider). Magic Kaito 1412 is actually MK finally getting its own anime.