2021/05/27 The Use of Lighting in Detective Conan Movie 3: The Last Wizard of the Century
Rewatching the Conan films for the forth or fifth time with a friend who's watching them for the first time has not only been a trip down memory lane, but also a reminder at the sheer brilliance of films. Brilliant: a word whose name means both awe inspiring and bright - a word derived from the lustrous beryl gemstone. Whilst touching the heart immensely, upon watching movie 3, The Last Wizard of the Century, the sheer brilliance of the work shone through, quite literally in fact. The way intense light is used to pierce through the celluloid and gloriously dazzle the film leaves the viewer in sheer awe. Explanations can't be enough - here's some screenshots. (Spoilers ahead)
Kaito Kid glowing atop the city, waiting for the forewarned time of his heist. Kid blows up a power plant, plunging Osaka into darkness; his plan being that only hospitals, hotels, and the hidden location in which the Faberge egg he's after will have backup generators, illuminating his goal in the night sky. music
Like a moth to a flame, the Lupin homage hang glides glowing towards the lit room, thieving the egg.
In a lightning pursuit of the criminal, Conan weaves through traffic. The car lights shine all the brighter in the shadowed city, dizzifying the confused, traffic light-less streets.
Later on into the movie, the egg returned to the police's possession and the adventurers journey to the castle of Kiichi Kousaka, a craftsman who worked for Faberge, and the great grandfather of Natsumi Kousaka, one of those looking for the secrets of the egg. Conan cracks the code, opening the secret basement of the Last Wizard of the Century, into which the crew journeys. In these pitch black basement tunnels, the torchlight shines ever more radiantly.
Opening a tunnel with a light activated mechanism, the explorers discover the outer casing of the egg. Conan, assembling the two together, discovers the true magic of the egg. music
The egg named Memories, with a torch shining beneath it, projects through magic mirrors images of past times of the Russian royal family, to whose possession the egg would've been given to should it not have been for the revolution. Watching this clip, the viewer is as awestruck as the characters - I truly struggle to watch this without warm tinglings of lightning zapping through my body.
Although it has yet to come up, a streak of murders have been occurring on this journey. In an attempt to avenge her ancestor Rasputin, the murderer ends up setting the castle on fire, shining a light of fury on the answers to the mysteries of the movie.
Released in 1999 at the very end of cel animation, Detective Conan Movie 3 may well be the last work of wizardry of the century. Digital can't hope to match the warm yet piercing glow of real light - it could be attempted, but never could it be as diegetic and naturally radiant as on cel. The cel era will shine on in all its glory as Memories.
Whether you've seen Conan before or not, the movies are accessible to all, whether you're familiar with the franchise or not. One character, who's backstory is introduced at the start, is a spoiler revealed episode 129, but I'm sure many reading aren't planning on watching Conan in its entirety.
Kaito Kid glowing atop the city, waiting for the forewarned time of his heist. Kid blows up a power plant, plunging Osaka into darkness; his plan being that only hospitals, hotels, and the hidden location in which the Faberge egg he's after will have backup generators, illuminating his goal in the night sky. music
Like a moth to a flame, the Lupin homage hang glides glowing towards the lit room, thieving the egg.
In a lightning pursuit of the criminal, Conan weaves through traffic. The car lights shine all the brighter in the shadowed city, dizzifying the confused, traffic light-less streets.
Later on into the movie, the egg returned to the police's possession and the adventurers journey to the castle of Kiichi Kousaka, a craftsman who worked for Faberge, and the great grandfather of Natsumi Kousaka, one of those looking for the secrets of the egg. Conan cracks the code, opening the secret basement of the Last Wizard of the Century, into which the crew journeys. In these pitch black basement tunnels, the torchlight shines ever more radiantly.
Opening a tunnel with a light activated mechanism, the explorers discover the outer casing of the egg. Conan, assembling the two together, discovers the true magic of the egg. music
The egg named Memories, with a torch shining beneath it, projects through magic mirrors images of past times of the Russian royal family, to whose possession the egg would've been given to should it not have been for the revolution. Watching this clip, the viewer is as awestruck as the characters - I truly struggle to watch this without warm tinglings of lightning zapping through my body.
Although it has yet to come up, a streak of murders have been occurring on this journey. In an attempt to avenge her ancestor Rasputin, the murderer ends up setting the castle on fire, shining a light of fury on the answers to the mysteries of the movie.
Released in 1999 at the very end of cel animation, Detective Conan Movie 3 may well be the last work of wizardry of the century. Digital can't hope to match the warm yet piercing glow of real light - it could be attempted, but never could it be as diegetic and naturally radiant as on cel. The cel era will shine on in all its glory as Memories.
Whether you've seen Conan before or not, the movies are accessible to all, whether you're familiar with the franchise or not. One character, who's backstory is introduced at the start, is a spoiler revealed episode 129, but I'm sure many reading aren't planning on watching Conan in its entirety.