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First off, let me tell you right now: this isn’t your typical Detective Conan movie – in a good way.

The Lost Ship In The Sky is the 14th addition to the Detective Conan movie franchise. Jirokichi Suzuki, who has just made most luxurious blimp in the World, challenges everyone’s favourite phantom thief Kaitou KID to steal the big jewel “Lady of the Sky” which is being transported on the blimp. Conan and his friends are on board like usual. However, the blimp gets hijacked by a group of terrorists who threaten to release a deadly virus onto the blimp. Conan and KID may have to ... work together in order to overcome this dangerous situation before the virus endangers the entire population of Kyoto.

As stated, this movie is a huge departure from every single Detective Conan movie to date. Foregoing a plot driven by a murder mystery, the movie is mostly a thriller, relying on the graphics, sound effects and the constant danger surrounding the protagonists to keep the audience engaged. Gone are the constant guesses at who the culprit is – you’re too busy worrying about the fate of the cast rather than trying to figure out how the murder was conducted.

It may seem like a daunting idea that there isn’t a person murdered under mysterious circumstances and Conan doing the detective work in the world of Case Closed, but this movie is arguably the most gripping Conan movie seen in many years. Being the thriller that it is, it succeeded very well. Both the pacing and progression are very good. It managed to keep me on the edge of my seat for the course of the entire movie and prevented my mind from drifting off even once. This is a feat that a Conan movie hasn’t accomplished in many years.

As for the plot itself, it certainly lacks depth in comparison to most previous Conan movies. This goes all the way from the plan, motive and even the execution. This is to be expected from a thriller – a genre that keeps the audience’s heart beat fast instead of taxing the brain to work out what’s going on. For a TV series with more than 600 episodes full of the latter experience, this movie is a fresh break from traditional Conan ordeals which plenty of us see on a weekly basis.

The fact that this movie has Kaitou KID in it already makes it a must-watch for his army of fans. However, if you’re watching this movie for the composed, calculated phantom thief putting on an extravagant show for like he always does, prepare to be disappointed. There’s no such thing as a grand entrance, and epic theft and a perfect getaway in this movie. His role in this movie has been changed from the pivotal anti-hero to a support character who exist for slapstick humour.

This is the first time that Kaitou KID has been depicted in such a manner in the Detective Conan movie franchise, and is sure to frustrate and anger a lot of of his fans. However, as a true fan, I welcome the implementation of KID as such a character. Any reader of the original Magic Kaito series should know that behind the scenes, KID isn’t the impeccable criminal mastermind who is as confident and composed as he is in front of his audience. In reality, he really is just Kaito Kuroba, a high school student who has a sense of humour and loves to have fun.

Up to now, he has always been shown with his poker face in the Detective Conan series, as if he is another character. Finally, he is shown with his mask off in the Detective Conan franchise. Many people are likely shocked by this sudden transformation, as if “his character is being ruined”. You need to realize that the Kaitou KID in this movie, by no means, is out of character at all. In fact, this is his true face, which has been kept hidden from you who have exclusively seen Detective Conan. He’s still the lovable phantom thief whose amazing charisma will surely grip you again throughout the course of this movie.

The animation is again, beautifully accurate and fluid like all other Conan movies due to their remarkably high budget. The use of CG has been toned down since the Raven Chaser, and the implementation is much more natural. As for the soundtrack, well, it’s pretty much the only thing that’s remained practically unchanged since the first movie, which isn’t bad. It’s as jazzy as ever and sets the atmosphere perfectly.

As for all the other recurring characters, they are faultlessly presented in this movie like usual. Nothing to complain about here. Ran is the damsel in distress. Kogoro is there for comic relief. The Detective Boys become the critical keys to success and Conan saves the day in the end as usual. Even Dr. Agasa’s dry joke still makes an appearance.

The Lost Ship In The Sky certainly isn’t going to carter for everyone’s tastes, especially with the distinct shift of genre from mystery to thriller. Also, the comedy has been toned up drastically in comparison to any Conan movie to date. The shift between light-hearted and serious scenes are incredibly rapid. There’s a laugh in here every ten minutes or so throughout the whole movie, even in the tensest parts. Depending on you, it may make or break the entire experience. For me, it made the experience better, but I don’t represent the entire population.

This movie has been the most enjoyable Conan movie for me since the The Phantom of Baker Street which released eight years ago, which I enjoyed for completely different reasons. This is the first Conan movie I have ever enjoyed simply due to its exciting, mindless fun. While I don’t wish for all future movies to follow in the same steps, this type of execution was perfect for The Lost Ship In The Sky. If you’re a Conan fan, watching this movie is a no-brainer.

P.S. You MUST watch the scene after the credits. It’s a direct continuation that is the true ending of the movie.

Comes with pictures if you read this review on my blog. :D http://imperialx.wordpress.com/2010/10/17/conan-movie-14-review/

I shed a tear as I read the last chapter of this manga. A manga that I've been following since I was in Primary School has just concluded with the most epic and satisfying finale. I'm sad to see one of my favourite series of all time finish, yet I'm happy to see such a great ending. I really want to procrastinate more, but I should press onwards with the review and leave that for discussion in the forums.

Fullmetal Alchemist is one of the most innovative manga I've ever had the pleasure of reading. The concept of Alchemy itself was a superb idea, and in ... its nine-year run, there has never been a single wasted pages from Arakawa-sensei. The plot was developed with utmost detail into what is arguably one of the deepest and most engaging storylines to ever grace itself to us Manga fans. There is practically no fillers chapters at all, unlike most other shounen manga to reach this calibre of popularity. Also, the entire storyline has been perfectly planned out and stayed linear for the entire nine-year run, a staggering feat when you compare it to other Mangas in the same genre. If you read this manga from start to finish, you will be amazed at the coherency of the chapters and the inter-relations. You won't think that this was drawn over nine years, more like one long movie shown from start to finish. The ending is also incredibly rewarding for those who follow it up to the end. I won't leave any spoilers here, but know that you won't be disappointed, regardless of how high your expectation is.

FMA, in its nine-year run, had plenty of time to develop a large family of colourful characters. Arakawa-sensei is downright masterful when it comes to her characters. From beginning to end, every character was tweaked to perfection and not a single person is wasted. Also, the reader will not have any trouble getting into their shows because they're all so believable and realistic. From Ed and Al's passionate desire to be reunited with their mother to Roy's tragic past in the Ishballian conflict, and how everything was simply a Chesspiece for the Father's master plan, everyone fits right into place. The plot itself is completely character-driven, and is dependent on all of the characters to make it flourish.

The philosophical deepness of this manga is simply mindblowing for a Shounen manga. Behind each fight is a meaning waiting to be explored. Nothing in this manga happens for show. FMA explores the very purpose of existence, consistently refers to "the purpose of fighting" and goes deep into human emotions. From start to finish, as the character discover the answers to their questions, the reader will also be brought into their World and learn with them, just because that every character is so humane and understandable. The homunculi, named after the seven deadly sins, are also testament to the deepness on FMA. Despite their incredible powers and might over humans, all of them show true sadness that are completely delivered to the reader with Arakawa-sensei's masterful storytelling.

As for the Artwork, it isn't anything mind-blowing, but it's clean and efficient. Arakawa-sensei doesn't waste any panels in her chapters and gets straight to-the-point. One page of FMA will easily deliver more content than 3 pages of Bleach, and since FMA is a plot-driven manga, there's no room for complaints here and doesn't do anything to diminish the enjoyment. It should be noted that, despite the simplistic artwork, Arakawa-sensei never failed to express human emotion with the utmost accuracy and precision. You can really feel the characters on the page.

The enjoyment of this Manga is off the charts. Throughout its run, there are few manga that can come close to competing with FMA in terms of my expectation and urgency to read the next chapter. Arakawa-sensei is quite simply one of the best raconteuses in the industry. From the pace of the narration, the structure of the panels, and the distribution of roles amongst the characters - everything becomes relavent when you simply read the manga in front of your eyes and let the story flow into your brain. The process is so natural yet so intense. For a person who just picked it up, he/she will have trouble putting it down until the final chapter is read. It is simply a seamless, perfect experience that most other manga artists can only dream to draw.

Despite the simple artwork, the engaging plot, deep characters and perfect enjoyment easily overshadows this to earn FMA a very solid 10/10. You've wasted enough time reading this review. If you haven't started reading FMA yet, you should start right away. Regardless of your gender and age, Fullmetal Alchemist is a manga that no one should leave this World without reading first.

Taken from my Blog: http://imperialx.wordpress.com/2010/06/11/fullmetal-alchemist-review/