The Scarlet School Trip

The Scarlet School Trip (Japanese: 紅の修学旅行, Kurenai no Shūgakuryokō) is the 290th story arc in the Detective Conan manga by Gosho Aoyama. This story arc was highly anticipated by fans because it commemorates the release of the 1000th chapter of the manga series. The story focuses on Shinichi Kudo's return to his original form in order to join a school trip to Kyoto, which ultimately leads him to become involved in a series of mysterious murder cases related to the Tengu legend.

Publication and Production

The first chapter of The Scarlet School Trip story arc was published as chapter 1000 of the Detective Conan manga. The arc ran in Shogakukan's Weekly Shōnen Sunday magazine from issue 37–38, released on August 9, 2017, to issue 43, released on October 4, 2017, with a total of six chapters. Those chapters were later compiled into two tankōbon volumes, namely volume 94, released on December 18, 2017, and volume 95, released on October 18, 2018 in Japan. Volume 94 itself became one of the best-selling manga of the first half of 2018, ranking 14th. In North America, Viz Media localized and published both of these volumes on April 8, 2025 and July 8, 2025 respectively.

Anime Adaptation

The Scarlet School Trip story arc was adapted into Detective Conan anime in two one-hour special episodes, namely episodes 927 and 928. The first episode, titled Bright Red Arc (鮮紅編), aired on January 5, 2019, and the second episode, Red Love Arc (恋紅編), aired on January 12, 2019, through the Nippon Television Network System. This was the first time in three years since the Conan and Ebizo's Kabuki Jūhachiban Mystery special in 2016 that the series aired one-hour specials for two consecutive weeks. Both episodes received fairly high ratings, with Bright Red Arc earning 9.1% and Red Love Arc earning 9.2% in the Kanto region of Japan.

For these special episodes, the animation team conducted direct research in Kyoto to gather reference material, including photos and videos, in order to reproduce famous landmarks such as the Kiyomizu Stage (Kiyomizu Butai) realistically. The opening theme song for these episodes is "Barairo no Jinsei" (薔薇色の人生) and the ending theme song for episode 928 is "Kimi to Koi no Mama de Owarenai Itsumo Yume no Mama ja Irarenai" (きみと恋のままで終われない いつも夢のままじゃいられない), both sung by Mai Kuraki. As an additional special, Mai Kuraki herself also appears as a cameo in this anime adaptation. Episode 927 was directed by Yasuichiro Yamamoto, while episode 928 was directed by Minoru Tozawa and Akira Yoshimura.

Synopsis

Thanks to a series of APTX4869 antidotes given by Ai Haibara, Conan Edogawa is able to temporarily return to his original form, Shinichi Kudo, in order to join a school trip to Kyoto together with Ran Mouri, Sonoko Suzuki, and his other classmates. Haibara sets the condition that Shinichi must wait eight hours after the antidote's effect wears off before he can take the next dose.

Meeting with Keiko Kurachi and the Mysterious Cipher

At Kiyomizu Temple, Shinichi meets Keiko Kurachi, a famous actress and an old friend of his mother, Yukiko Kudo. Keiko, who is in Kyoto together with her university colleagues for a film titled Crimson Shura Tengu, asks Shinichi for help in solving a mysterious cipher. The cipher was sent to the film's screenwriter, Taro Nishiki, by their deceased friend, Michio Dekuri, who committed suicide some time earlier by jumping from the Kiyomizu Stage. Besides Nishiki and Keiko, this film production group consists of actor Shinya Ihaya, director Mineto Mayama, and composer Riki Agata.

A Series of Murders

That night, after Shinichi and his friends part from the film group, Nishiki is found dead in his hotel room. On the ceiling of the room there is a pool of blood resembling the "blood ceiling" (血天井, chi-tenjō) at Yogen-in Temple, complete with bloody footprints leading to the window, as if the perpetrator were a flying creature. In Nishiki's pocket a new cipher and an aralia leaf are found, which are often associated with Tengu. Not long after, Agata is also attacked by a Tengu-like creature in his room, but he survives.

The next day, while Shinichi and the others are having lunch together with the film group, a group of people wearing Tengu masks suddenly appears and causes a commotion in the street. It turns out they were hired by someone to divert attention. When the commotion dies down, they return to the restaurant and find Ihaya dead on the front veranda, with a wound on his neck and the same bloody footprints.

Case Revelation and Climax

With the help of Heiji Hattori, who comes to Kyoto, Masumi Sera, and Shinichi's father, Yusaku Kudo, Shinichi succeeds in solving the ciphers that were left behind. The ciphers turn out to refer to place names in Kyoto, and when put together, they reveal messages of murder. They realize that the actual perpetrator is Riki Agata, who wants revenge for the death of Michio Dekuri. Agata believes that Nishiki, Ihaya, and Mayama deliberately omitted Dekuri's name from the film credits because they looked down on and ignored him.

On the last day of the school trip, Agata tries to kill his final target, Mineto Mayama, at the Kiyomizu Stage. However, Shinichi and Heiji's plan is already mature. They have prepared a mattress under the stage so that Mayama survives the murder attempt. Agata, who is trapped, finally confesses and is arrested by police who have been disguised as visitors. After the arrest, it is revealed that there was a major misunderstanding. Dekuri's name had actually been included in the film credits, but because of a layout error on the producers' side, his name did not appear. His friends had planned to surprise Dekuri and Agata by correcting that error at the premiere, but Dekuri committed suicide before that happened.

Shinichi and Ran's Relationship

After the case is solved, in the midst of a relieved atmosphere, Shinichi stops Ran and asks about her feelings, recalling the moment when he confessed his love in London. In answer, Ran pulls Shinichi's necktie and kisses his cheek. Shinichi is about to return the kiss, but the effect of the APTX4869 antidote begins to fade, and he is forced to run away in order to hide his transformation back into Conan. He is then given a ride on a motorcycle by Heiji back to Tokyo. On the way, Ran sends a text message to ask about the status of their relationship, and Shinichi replies firmly that they are now officially dating.

Characters and Cast

The Scarlet School Trip arc presents a large number of characters, both from the main series and new characters for this case.

Regular characters who appear include Shinichi Kudo, Ran Mouri, Sonoko Suzuki, Masumi Sera, Heiji Hattori, Soshi Okita, and Momiji Ooka. From the Kudo family side, Yukiko and Yusaku Kudo also appear to help solve the ciphers. Ai Haibara and the Detective Boys also appear in the opening scenes. In addition, this episode marks the first canonical appearance of Fumimaro Ayanokoji, the Kyoto police superintendent, along with his pet squirrel.

For this case's characters, those who play the crew of the film Crimson Shura Tengu are Keiko Kurachi (actress), Mineto Mayama (director), Taro Nishiki (screenwriter), Shinya Ihaya (actor), Riki Agata (composer), and Michio Dekuri (original story creator). The names of these characters are inspired by various types of Tengu in Japanese Shinto belief.

Release in Other Regions

In Taiwan, The Scarlet School Trip was released in theaters on November 20, 2020 by Muse Communication, as a substitute for the delayed screening of the 24th film due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In South Korea, the film was released in theaters by CJ ENM on January 27, 2021. In Thailand, TIGA released it in SF Cinema theaters on January 3, 2021.

References

Detective Conan World Wiki. "The Scarlet School Trip." Detective Conan World.

Wikipedia bahasa Indonesia. "The Scarlet School Trip." Wikipedia bahasa Indonesia, ensiklopedia bebas.

Wikipedia. "The Scarlet School Trip." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.

TEGASIAN. "Detective Conan: The Scarlet School Trip, Episode Spesial Penuh Misteri dan Romansa." TEGASIAN.

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Detective Conan: Zero's Tea Time

Detective Conan: Zero's Tea Time (Japanese: 名探偵コナン ゼロの日常, Hepburn: Meitantei Conan Zero no Tī Taimu) is a spin-off manga series from the Detective Conan franchise by Gosho Aoyama. The manga is written and illustrated by Takahiro Arai, with Aoyama himself serving as project supervisor. The series centers on the popular character Toru Amuro, a man with three identities, and explores his daily life outside the main cases in the parent series. The manga was later adapted into a six-episode television anime series produced by TMS Entertainment.

Background and Publication

The Zero's Tea Time manga was first serialized in Shogakukan's Weekly Shōnen Sunday magazine, beginning on May 9, 2018. The series appeared as part of a celebration project for reaching 100 volumes of Detective Conan. Unlike the main series, which is released weekly, Zero's Tea Time chapters were published irregularly, particularly in weeks when the main Detective Conan manga was on hiatus. The final chapter of the first part of this series was published in the May 25, 2022 issue, marking the end of the story that the publisher called "Part One". To date, all published chapters have been compiled into six tankōbon volumes.

Plot and Concept

Unlike the intense detective and action stories in the main series, Zero's Tea Time adopts a more relaxed slice-of-life genre. The story focuses on the daily activities of Rei Furuya, better known by his alias as Toru Amuro. A man who lives three different lives at the same time, namely as a self-employed person and waiter at Café Poirot, a secret agent of the Black Organization with the code name Bourbon, and a Public Security Bureau (PSB) officer under his real name, Rei Furuya.

Each chapter generally features one of Amuro's "three faces", providing insight into his routines, hobbies, and interactions with various characters from the Detective Conan universe. Although the situations faced are often related to small cases or simple missions, the series provides deeper character development, especially regarding his motivations and past. A recurring narrative that appears is Amuro's memories of his childhood with Elena Miyano and his obsession with FBI agent Shuichi Akai, whom he believes is responsible for the death of his colleague, Scotch.

Main Characters

Rei Furuya / Toru Amuro / Bourbon: The central character in this series who struggles to balance his three identities. As Amuro, he works diligently at Café Poirot under the Mouri Detective Agency and becomes Kogoro Mouri's apprentice. As Bourbon, he carries out missions for the Black Organization, often together with Vermouth. As Furuya, he is a highly dedicated Public Security agent and the superior of Yuya Kazami. He is depicted as a highly capable person, talented at cooking, and owning a beloved white Mazda RX-7. This character is voiced by Toru Furuya in the anime version.

Azusa Enomoto: Amuro's coworker at Café Poirot. She is a friendly 23-year-old woman who becomes Amuro's colleague and close friend at the café. She keeps a cat named Taii.

Yuya Kazami: A police officer in the Public Security Department. Although he is officially under Furuya's command, he is one year older. Kazami is Furuya's loyal right-hand man, often helping him on missions and sometimes becoming the target of reprimands for his negligence.

Haro: A stray Hokkaido-breed dog that was found and eventually adopted by Amuro. The name "Haro" was inspired by the dog's reaction to Amuro's guitar playing. Haro often appears as a loyal companion in Amuro's daily life and becomes a symbol of the gentle side of his character.

Other Supporting Characters: The series also features characters such as Midori Kuriyama, Eri Kisaki's secretary who is a regular café customer; Kogoro Mouri and Conan Edogawa, who appear in the background; as well as Black Organization members such as Vermouth, who often interacts with Bourbon.

Anime Adaptation

On October 4, 2021, an anime adaptation of Zero's Tea Time was announced as part of the Detective Conan 100-volume commemoration project. The anime series was produced by TMS Entertainment and directed by Tomochi Kosaka, with a script written by Yoshiko Nakamura and music composed by Tomisiro. The series consists of six episodes with a duration of around 15 minutes each. The anime aired in Japan on the Tokyo MX, ytv, and BS Nippon networks from April 5 to May 10, 2022.

The series' opening theme is "Shooting Star" by Rakura, while the ending theme is titled "Find the truth" by Rainy. Netflix holds the global streaming rights for this series. Netflix Japan began streaming it on April 5, 2022, at the same time as the TV broadcast, and the global release was made on July 29, 2022. Netflix describes the series as the story of a detective who is also a public security agent and a member of a shadowy organization balancing his three identities.

Reception and Impact

Zero's Tea Time has generally been well received by fans, especially for providing a deeper exploration of the highly popular character Toru Amuro. The series is considered successful in presenting another side of Amuro's life that is rarely seen in the main story, which is packed with murder mysteries. The lighter storytelling style and focus on the characters' daily lives have become an added value of their own for fans who want to see more interaction and character development. By the time the fifth volume was published, the manga had sold more than three million copies, including digital versions.

References

Wikipedia. "Case Closed: Zero's Tea Time".

Wikipedia (Thai). "ยอดนักสืบจิ๋วโคนัน: วันสบาย ๆ ของซีโร่".

Detective Conan World. "Zero's Tea Time".

The Envoy Web. "Detective Conan: Zero’s Tea Time ending explained: What is Rei Furuya’s wish?".

MyAnimeList. "Meitantei Conan: Zero no Tea Time".

TEGASIAN. "Detective Conan Zero's Tea Time: Kehidupan Tersembunyi di Balik Tiga Topeng".

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