Does Conan have a photographic memory?

[VideoFan9864]

You guys have heard of a photographic memory right? I only saw in anime but I don't know anyone in real life. I think its defined as a perfect memory, by just looking at one thing for even a split second a person can redraw everything exactly even to the smallest detail and they will never forget it no matter what.

I can name a few instances to support that shinichi/conan has a photographic memory.
1. In episode 3, He saw yoko's manager pick up the strand of hair even though its so small
2. In the coffee shop murder case (Eri's first appearance) Conan remembered all the people that entered the bathroom in perfect order)
3. In another episode about the swordsman (I think its called the antique collector murder case) Its the one where the dying message was carved on the cabinet. Although conan cut the picture and reassembled it to know the proper order of the cabinet, during his deduction he was able to tell the police the exact step by step order to rearange the cabinet.

But there are instances that support that he doesn't have a photographic memory
1. He forgot who Eri was when he first met her
2. On one episode where the killer based his crime on yusaku's mystery. It took conan time to remember the case his dad made.
2. Although not exactly proof but he forgets his birthday every year

[kyuubi654]

Well i would have to disagree with you videofan9864.

1. He was there in person, so it's natural for him to be able to see that guy pick something up from the floor. The rest is deduction.
2. He was watching everybody because he didn't know which one of them was Ran's date, and to be honestly there were just 4 people so it's not a big thing (unless you have a loose screw in the brain)
3.That's another example of being present at the crime scene, so it's just natural to observe things and think them through a little. He's attention was also drawn on the drawer of the cabinet when the wife was looking for the key.

Regarding:

1. He forgot who Eri was when he first met her
2. On one episode where the killer based his crime on yusaku's mystery. It took conan time to remember the case his dad made.

You should take into consideration that he was just a small boy back then, and to remember Eri after such a long time would be kind of difficult, considering that she also altered her hair style, etc. (i mean it's a difference of about 10 years) + he was on the look out for a guy, Ran's date  The same thing goes for Yusakus novel. He was just a small kid. it's natural to forget things after such a long period of time.

So in conclusion i would say that Conan doesn't have a photographic memory, but instead a sense for detail and observation, it's natural for a detective 

P.S: Just cause it's photographic memory doesn't mean you can't forget it, the brain discards information when new ones are acquired. They can remember things for a while, but not for their whole life time. And also the time of exposure to the certain object has to be a little over 3-4 seconds, cause i'm not even sure you can retain all the exact details of something very complicated in a split of a second. You know that saying: The hand is faster then the eye So not all things can be seen or aknowledged when they occur.

[EricAnimeFreak]

I am in agreement, Conan does not have it.

My old highschool teacher had a neat story once in class though about somone with photographic memory....

Story:
I guess while my old highschool teacher was studying in college, he met somone with photographic memory.
My teacher showed him a book, he fliped through the pages in under 30 seconds to a 400 page textbook. And then he was able to recite any page my teacher asked him tooo.... And no my teacher wouldn't lie... Photographic memory is a very powerful skill if used with deduction, but only a select random few are blessed with it.

maybe Mr. Kudo? lol

[shapper]

I am in agreement, Conan does not have it.

My old highschool teacher had a neat story once in class though about somone with photographic memory....

Story:
Photographic memory is a very powerful skill if used with deduction, but only a select random few are blessed with it.

I'm not quite sure such an ability would be a blessing, to have such a significant investment in terms of mental capacity towards memory would mean that other mental abilities would have to be sacrificed to allow for it. This is the reason for which people wih such highly developed abilities in one field such as memory are often weak in many others.

Back to the topic at hand, Conan defintely does not exhibit photographic memory. You could say he has a good memory, yet, it certainly isn't photographic.

[Aluecard]

well i think he has it  -who Eri was he just not want 2 rimbenber her  you ricall how he got scolded by her?

[kirite]

I think his memorization skills and powers of observation is simply a result of constant (slightly obsessive...) practice .

[kat1214young]

Having photographic memory is cool during memorizing notes for quizzes. Same as EricAnimeFreak, my mom amazed her teachers because she can recite the exact notes in her book word-for-word.

As for Conan, he's observation and deduction skills are awesome. It helps him remember important evidence.

Plus the brain stores all memories. It doesn't actually disappear. It's still there locked up deep inside (Like from Meet the Robinsons  ).

My teacher told us that you can remember better what you like. If you don't like to remember something, your emotion transmits to the brain making it lock up the memory.

[Rellik]

If you don't have good photographic memory u won't make a good detective.

[shapper]

Are we talking about true photographic memory, as in, eidetic memory? That would refer to being able to retain an image in one's mind with 'photographic' accuracy. Such an ability has never been retained into adulthood by individuals who had had it during childhood. Also, most people who were observed to have such an ability were weaker in other mental areas. Conan doesn't seem to fit this picture in my opinion.

Now, if by "photographic memory" we're just talking about having an exceptionally keen memory, that might be a different matter. In that case, Conan may or may not have it. Still, I don't think it's at the 'let me recite this book' level.