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Description
This show keeps teasing me with themes revolving around identity. I find it funny because this is the exact thing which sucked me in when I first got into it (in 2004... oof), but almost 20 years later--as far as I know--it still remains largely unexplored. Things like imposters... the idea of being replaced... a symbiotic relationship with a false identity... etc.

One of the first major arcs is The Desperate Revival, occurring about 50 episodes (around the 200 episode mark) after the end of the FUNimation dub, in which Shinichi/Jimmy is given a second opportunity to return to normalcy. But obviously, as the series has now surpassed 1000+ episodes as of this submission, this doesn't last.

Even though it lasts for less than a minute, there's a scene near the end which consistently spellbinds me. The imagery of Shinichi staring at his reflection in the mirror as he succumbs to another transformation, horrified by the ghost of "Conan" patiently idling behind him as he waits for him to... come back home, so to speak, makes me lose my mind every single time. Despite occurring so early on in the series as a whole, it's already implied that Shinichi is haunted by the idea of Conan, of this false identity he despises but cannot live without and would-- if given the choice-- kill it.

Maybe I'm being a little dramatic, but the setup is HERE for some pretty dark exploration of Shinichi as a character on a visceral level, but the series just... doesn't. From what I gather, for all its popularity, people who follow DCMK are a bit tired of the status quo and our protag is in need of really being Put in a Spot. How does someone even begin to grapple with the emotional toll of having to deceive every day? To watch an imposter gradually replace you? Shinichi cannot exist without Conan and Conan cannot exist without him, which... if it hasn't already fucked him up, will fuck everyone else up when one of them disappears for good (whether that ends up being Conan or Shinichi... well... I'll scream about it later when I lay down my thoughts on another episode).

I don't know. Shinichi is established as a character who, up until he's forced to turn back the clock, has everything going pretty well for him (contrast against Ran, for example, who carries a lot of baggage by circumstances which are largely out of her control). His "faults" are primarily superficial and honestly, as much as I love him, I would not hesitate to call him a bit of a Gary Stu. Angsty Shinichi content seems to be in demand within the fandom and tbh, I can't think of a better way to develop his character than to explore the distress he must feel while he's trapped within himself. It's a shame it's only ever hinted at rather than properly addressed, though that does leave the floodgates open for fans to do their own speculation.....

Description
This show keeps teasing me with themes revolving around identity. I find it funny because this is the exact thing which sucked me in when I first got into it (in 2004... oof), but almost 20 years later--as far as I know--it still remains largely unexplored. Things like imposters... the idea of being replaced... a symbiotic relationship with a false identity... etc.

One of the first major arcs is The Desperate Revival, occurring about 50 episodes (around the 200 episode mark) after the end of the FUNimation dub, in which Shinichi/Jimmy is given a second opportunity to return to normalcy. But obviously, as the series has now surpassed 1000+ episodes as of this submission, this doesn't last.

Even though it lasts for less than a minute, there's a scene near the end which consistently spellbinds me. The imagery of Shinichi staring at his reflection in the mirror as he succumbs to another transformation, horrified by the ghost of "Conan" patiently idling behind him as he waits for him to... come back home, so to speak, makes me lose my mind every single time. Despite occurring so early on in the series as a whole, it's already implied that Shinichi is haunted by the idea of Conan, of this false identity he despises but cannot live without and would-- if given the choice-- kill it.

Maybe I'm being a little dramatic, but the setup is HERE for some pretty dark exploration of Shinichi as a character on a visceral level, but the series just... doesn't. From what I gather, for all its popularity, people who follow DCMK are a bit tired of the status quo and our protag is in need of really being Put in a Spot. How does someone even begin to grapple with the emotional toll of having to deceive every day? To watch an imposter gradually replace you? Shinichi cannot exist without Conan and Conan cannot exist without him, which... if it hasn't already fucked him up, will fuck everyone else up when one of them disappears for good (whether that ends up being Conan or Shinichi... well... I'll scream about it later when I lay down my thoughts on another episode).

I don't know. Shinichi is established as a character who, up until he's forced to turn back the clock, has everything going pretty well for him (contrast against Ran, for example, who carries a lot of baggage by circumstances which are largely out of her control). His "faults" are primarily superficial and honestly, as much as I love him, I would not hesitate to call him a bit of a Gary Stu. Angsty Shinichi content seems to be in demand within the fandom and tbh, I can't think of a better way to develop his character than to explore the distress he must feel while he's trapped within himself. It's a shame it's only ever hinted at rather than properly addressed, though that does leave the floodgates open for fans to do their own speculation.....