Detective Conan: Quarter of Silence (名探偵コナン 沈黙の15分, Meitantei Konan: Chinmoku no Kwōtā) is a 2011 Japanese animated film in the mystery and action genres. The film is the fifteenth installment of the Detective Conan film series adapted from the popular manga and anime by Gosho Aoyama. Released in Japan on April 16, 2011, the film marked the 15th anniversary celebration of the Detective Conan anime, which premiered in 1996. The film was directed by Kobun Shizuno with Yasuichiro Yamamoto as chief director, and written by Kazunari Kochi. With a duration of 109 minutes, the film was produced by TMS Entertainment, Yomiuri TV, Nippon Television, and Shogakukan, and distributed by Toho.
Plot
Threat on the Subway Line
The story begins when the Governor of Tokyo, Yuichiro Asakura, receives a threatening letter containing a warning about a "curse" that will fall upon him for his four years of leadership. The next day, at the opening ceremony of the Touto Line, a new Tokyo Metro subway line, the threat becomes reality when explosives are found on the train line. Conan Edogawa, who happens to be passing by together with Professor Agasa and the Detective Boys, succeeds in realizing the presence of the bombs. Using his original voice as Shinichi Kudo, he contacts the police and succeeds in stopping the train and diverting traffic, so that there are no casualties in the incident.
Investigation Toward Kitanosawa
After that incident, Conan investigates Governor Asakura's political background and finds that the governor was once responsible for the construction of a dam in Kitanosawa, a fictional town in Niigata Prefecture. The construction of this dam forced the residents of the old village to move to a new settlement, while their original village was submerged underwater. Because the Governor's trip to celebrate the dam's anniversary is canceled due to the bombing, Conan suspects the perpetrator may be in Kitanosawa. He then plans a trip there together with the Detective Boys, Ran Mouri, Kogoro Mouri, and Sonoko Suzuki.
A Group of Old Friends and a Dark Past
In Kitanosawa, they meet a group of local residents who turn out to be childhood friends: Keisuke Yamao, Mizuki Toono, Fuyumi Tachihara, Takehiki Mutou, and Shogo Hikawa. This is their first meeting in eight years, since Yamao was imprisoned for an involuntary manslaughter case that killed Natsuki Toono, Mizuki's younger sister, in a hit-and-run accident. The next day, Fuyumi's son, Touma Tachihara, who has been in a coma for eight years, wakes up with no memory of the accident that befell him.
Murder and Revelation of Motive
Later, Hikawa is found dead in a snowy field. At first, his death is considered a suicide because only his footprints are found in the snow. However, Conan proves that Hikawa was killed with a stun gun, and the perpetrator cleverly walked backward leaving the scene so that the footprints would be covered by snow and imply that Hikawa was alone. While investigating Hikawa's belongings, Conan finds newspaper clippings about a jewelry store robbery the day before Natsuki's accident occurred. A signal tower is also blown up, which further strengthens Conan's suspicion that there is a mastermind behind all these events.
Climax and the Culprit's Identity
Meanwhile, the Detective Boys and Touma become the target of a sniper. Conan succeeds in saving them and takes them to take shelter in a cave that is a shortcut to the dam. There Conan explains that Yamao is the actual perpetrator. Yamao robbed a jewelry store and on the way home, he hit Natsuki. Touma witnessed the incident, but Yamao then kidnapped him. Touma succeeded in escaping but fell from a cliff and fell into a coma. Yamao buried the stolen jewelry on property in old Kitanosawa and turned himself in for Natsuki's death. However, because the old village was submerged as a result of the dam, Yamao planned to blow up the dam in order to drain the water and recover the jewelry. To buy enough time, he canceled the governor's visit and destroyed the signal tower so that the outside world would not know of the dam's destruction.
Final Confrontation and Rescue
At the dam, Yamao chases Conan but is ultimately subdued by a shot from Mizuki. Touma, who has regained his memory, instead reveals that he saw Mizuki push Natsuki into the road while they were arguing, which caused the accident. Mizuki confesses that she was the sniper who tried to kill Touma to prevent him from remembering the incident, and that her sister's death was an accident. The bombs Yamao had planted explode, forcing them all to flee. Conan breaks away from the group with the aim of triggering an avalanche using a motorized snowboard in order to divert the floodwater flow away from the town of Kitanosawa. He succeeds, but his motor dies and he himself is buried by the avalanche. He is finally found after Ran calls Shinichi's cell phone, which wakes him from unconsciousness and allows him to tell them his location.
Production and Release
Quarter of Silence was directed by Kobun Shizuno with Yasuichiro Yamamoto as chief director, and written by Kazunari Kochi. The film was produced by Masahito Yoshioka and Michihiko Suwa. The film's main theme song is titled "Don't Wanna Lie", performed by the rock band B'z. The film was released in Japan on April 16, 2011 and grossed more than 3.15 billion yen at the box office. In the United States, the film premiered in an English-language version on December 6, 2025.
Reception
Quarter of Silence received various responses from fans and critics. Some parties praised the thrilling action scenes and tense climax, particularly Conan's rescue from the avalanche that depicts the "golden 15 minutes" of avalanche victim rescue. However, the film also received criticism because the plot in the middle section was considered boring and the mystery element too simple. Some fans highlighted logical inconsistencies related to the perpetrator's motive, which was considered "as big as a speck of nose dirt" yet produced a large-scale terror plan, as well as Conan's abilities, which were considered to be getting closer to a "superhero" than a child detective. Even so, the film is still regarded as entertaining viewing for loyal Detective Conan fans.
References
Wikipedia. "Detective Conan: Quarter of Silence". Wikipedia.
Detective Conan World. "Quarter of Silence". Detective Conan World.
Detective Conan World. "Quarter of Silence (Revision)". Detective Conan World.
TEGASIAN. "Menguak Misteri Diamond Dust dalam Detective Conan Quarter of Silence". TEGASIAN.