One of the longest-running anime series of all time has a new spin-off, and it’s available on Netflix! Let’s see how Case Closed Zero’s Tea Time turned out to be in this review!

If you’re an anime fan, you know what Case Closed (Or Detective Conan if you live anywhere in the world that is not North America) is all about. The story of Shinichi Kudo and Conan Edogawa has been watched and enjoyed by millions of people over the past 26 years, and there have been multiple different side stories and collaborations involving the characters of the show. Zero’s Tea Time is one of those spin-offs featuring a standout character of the show- Touru Amuro.

The show is being directed by Tomochi Kosaka, who has been a prolific animator in the industry, working on the productions of shows like Dr Stone and Rurouni Kenshin, alongside multiple entries in the Detective Conan franchise. The show is being produced by TMS Entertainment, the studio behind shows such as Dr Stone and ReLife. The show is also called Detective Conan Zero’s Tea Time, Meitantei Conan Zero no Tea Time, Detective Conan Zero No Tea Time, and Meitantei Conan Zero no Nichijou.

– Detective Conan Zero’s Tea Time Review does not contain spoilers –

The first thing you need to know before watching this show is that you shouldn’t get in there expecting it to be anything other than an easy watch featuring some characters who were there for a cup of tea in a series that has now lasted for over a thousand episodes. I did not go into this series with the knowledge of who all of these characters are, as Case Closed (Or Detective Conan) is the kind of series that everyone phases in and out of. The story of Shinichi Kudo is a long one and one that most people can’t reasonably be expected to complete.

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It is okay if you don’t know who Zero is, what he does, or why his life was interesting enough to make a spin-off out of. The show does a good job of telling you what he is about in the little time that it has. Seriously, the show doesn’t last for very long. There are no episodes longer than 14 minutes, and every episode starts and ends with a theme, leaving an episode with barely eleven and a half minutes of content. Repeat that for six episodes, and you get a series that, when put together, would barely even qualify as a feature-length film.

What happens in the show is the definition of a slice of life. We see bits and pieces of Zero’s current work-day and how gruelling it is to work three different jobs, all with different personalities. He makes it work somehow, and there are a few good segments here that are fun to watch. The show isn’t very consistent, as the segments vary a lot in quality and relevance to the story, as no matter how much the show tries to tell us about Zero’s three jobs, only one of them is ever treated seriously. Surprisingly, it isn’t his job as a double agent or a police officer.

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There are also some instances of Zero’s past scattered between the episodes. They feel somewhat empty and rushed within the amount of time provided to them and didn’t seem to serve much of a purpose except to showcase how Zero became the person he is. The thing is, that amount of backstory simply doesn’t work. They either needed to be much more prevalent than they were or not present in the show at all to leave space for something more fun to watch. It was a pointless idea by the end and just became something to justify Zero’s depression, of which there isn’t much shown in the show.

The parts with the dog are very cute, and he instantly lifts the show’s mood when he comes around. It is also great to see Zero being an upstanding member of society, as his “criminal” side is shown for at most 5 minutes in the whole show. Overall, there isn’t much of a plot to Zero’s Tea Time, as the show prefers just to put on a day in the life of Zero, which includes several references to the original Case Closed show that I am unaware of. It was inoffensive and an easy watch, but not much more than that.

The issue of time being what it is, the show didn’t have much of it to showcase very many characters or establish connections more than what already existed because of the show. The main character is Touru Amuro, or Zero, as he is fondly referred to in the show exactly zero times. He is a decent, if a little generic, character that doesn’t leave any doubt as to why he received this spin-off. He is good-looking, supremely talented, and gets along well with everyone, whether it be the police, the criminal underworld or his customers at the cafe.

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His past is also not very unique in that it was hard, and he suffered before being given a new chance at life. The show tries to be reflective of that past and makes him a character that can be related to despite him being so far from the general public’s reach, so it can be said that the writers did a good job with him. He wouldn’t be my choice of the character who should receive a spin-off the most in Detective Conan, but Zero certainly isn’t a bad one.

However, this is all we can talk about the characters in Zero’s Tea Time unless you want to see me type out an entire essay on how cute that dog was. Zero has two different sets of coworkers with whom he has good relations, but we don’t see much out of them. There are also a few notable inclusions from the original Case Closed that make an appearance here, and it must be a good time for those who actually watch the show and know who all of them are. There are no other characters of note, as there simply wasn’t enough time for them and Zero to both have good spots.

The animation of Zero’s Tea Time remains faithful to the original art style of the anime and the manga while retaining all the aspects of modern animation that make the action so fun to watch. It flows very well and has some great moments, particularly inside the cafe where Zero and his coworkers prepare food that probably tastes as good as it looks. There are few feelings better in the world than seeing a satisfying Japanese anime food preparation, and this had plenty of material to make it into multiple youtube compilations.

The music was also decent, with both the opening and ending themes being pleasant to listen to. However, as we are in the sound department, it is time to address my biggest complaint with the show. Zero’s Tea Time seems to have retained all the original voice actors from 20 years ago. The thing is, those voice actors are all old by now and not able to accurately portray the young and vibrant personalities that Zero and his coworkers are supposed to be. Zero sounds like an old guy in the show, and the less said about Okino, the better. This is one of the times where the show should have dropped continuity in favour of realism.

Case Closed Zero’s Tea Time was an extremely easy watch that was way too short to be anything but a decent look into the life of the main character, Zero. There were some great segments that were balanced out by the pacing and some weird production choices, making for a decent yet unremarkable show.

Watch Case Closed: Zero’s Tea Time on Netflix!

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