DCTP Forums

While reading five years worth of chapters with next to no plot advancement whatsoever, a thought occurred to me: how much of this was really necessary? Some of the cases feature minor points that served as hints of the actual plot, but honestly, most of them just feel like filler. (On that note, I'm amazed Aoyama can keep coming up with all of these mysteries, especially since the average mystery is three chapters. Where does he get these ideas?) While technically all manga chapters count as "canon", we could cut out probably at least half of them and have the plot move much faster.

In short, which chapters/cases do you think are actually necessary to the plot? At the very least, I think the first few chapters would be canon, as would all of the chapters featuring appearances by or references to Hattori, Jodie, Akai, James Black, Eisuke, Subaru, Amuro, Sera, and anything related to the BO and FBI or Ai/Conan's pasts/families. What other individual cases would you guys count as canon? Some of mine:
Any other cases you think should make the cut for a "canon" list?

-The one where Ganta's dad is a suspect (the glasses thing relates to the theory about Akaiya's disguise)
I count it for the same reason. Also one of main character relative.
-The case where that girl who resembles Ai goes missing, due to the reference to Yumi's boyfriend
Im not sure and i cant access to DCW but I think they first mention Eisuke there.
-The London case
Romance is plot.
-The Detective Boys' first big cases
Which one exactly?
-The murder case at Sonoko's family's villa where the body is cut up (since it's referenced later)
In manga, thats first appearance for Sonoko IIRC

-The Night Baron murder case
If night Baron turn out to relate to BO
-That one case where the killer was trying to copy Yuusaku Kudo's unfinished stolen novel
At least one must look there to prove if Yusaku left or right hand. His appearance are so few.
-The DB library case where he thought he'd go back to being Shinichi at the end
Baiger of whatever it call. Yes

If you count all non regular but recurrent character as some development. Then almost everything is plot. Kid and his own development, Nagano police, anytime someone that is not Megure and Takagi appear etc.

I remember a phrase somewhere, probably from TVtropes, that one can argue that every case brought something new to the series. Even if it only very very minor (like every Subaru pointless cameos)

@below. Yes, pre Sera is a huge blackhole

Every case I genuinely liked and/or actually added something is canon. That doesn't include the Chiba love story thing, because that added nothing in any possible way, and you know it. Off the top of my head, the main stuff I'd consider non-canon would be basically DB stuff that happened between Eisuke cases and maybe half of the pre-Sera black hole of progress.

There's no real answer... If you think you can't read/watch anything than one straight story then the episodic ones, despite being WAY better like The 20 year old murder intent,the cases might seem unnecessary

Then there are the mystery fans that think the Black Org storylines are pretty ridicilous for having things like latex mask and APTX and hate anything that goes against the golden age mystery rules (like bloggers)

Honestly I've seen and read enough series to say that one ongoing story hardly makes it good or even interesting and after buying this volume 36 after work I just remembered how much these are actually worth the money (the volumes are pretty cheap too...)

Initially, I read DC not because of the main plot but the mysteries we call fillers. It was just very lately when I got interested in the plot and characters (archetype and development), mostly because of Haibara and Vermouth, and the occasional KID chapters. Well, still, the fillers put me into this fan-girl condition, and I consider every file as the actual thing, and the main story as a treat.

Answering the question, however, I think the appearance of Fusae Campbell qualifies. Although a little is known about her involvement in the "canon," many believe that she is significant. As to why she is, I know the author won't leave the subtle implications of her connection to the protagonist/s hanging.