It has been announced that an original episode set in Ishinomaki City, Gosho Aoyama Prefecture, titled "Ishinomaki's Hero," will be broadcast on September 20th for the popular anime series "Detective Conan " (Yomiuri TV/Nippon TV, Saturdays at 6pm), based on the manga by Gosho Aoyama. The episode depicts Conan Edogawa and the Detective Boys tackling a case in Ishinomaki, "the town with heroes." Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture, and Minami Takayama , who plays Conan Edogawa in " Detective Conan ," as well as other cast and staff, have long had a deep bond, and the collaborative episode is said to be the culmination of the anime production team's feelings for Ishinomaki.
Takayama commented, "I wonder how many years ago this project began. I had the opportunity to form a connection with Miyagi Prefecture through reconstruction support. I would visit Ishinomaki and Rikuzen Ono in particular several times a year, excluding the time of the coronavirus pandemic. Every time I visit, reconstruction progresses and the cityscape changes... People live bright, kind, and strong lives. I discussed with the Conan staff about how I could help. I am overwhelmed with emotion that that seed has finally come to fruition. During the recording, I felt a surge of emotion when I read the subtitles, and I was engrossed in the characters and scenery. There are places mentioned that I have never been to, and it makes me want to go back again myself. I hope that everyone who watches this story will enjoy Miyagi Prefecture as much as Conan and the others. Oh, excluding the incident (laughs)."
To commemorate the broadcast of "Ishinomaki's Hero," a special visual has been released depicting the Boy Detectives' Club members Genta, Ayumi, and Mitsuhiko visiting the former Kankeimaru main store. The image shows the three of them enjoying sightseeing while surrounding the Masked Yaiba statue in front of the former Kankeimaru main store, which is a historical building designated as a tangible cultural property of the city.
It was also announced that Miyagi Television announcer Yurina Hachiya will appear in the episode as herself. A special promotional video of Conan speaking in Miyagi dialect was also released on YouTube. Miyagi Television staff praised Conan's narration, which reproduces the unique intonation of the Miyagi dialect and distinctive endings such as "~datcha" and "~ccha ne," saying, "His pronunciation is so natural, it's like someone who has lived in Miyagi for a long time!"
