We bring a variety of snacks to a haunted house in Detective Conan Episode 20 with our mystery guest -- Theodosia Mayfield, creator of Delve Immersive and experienced haunted house performer. We return to Detective Conan for a Halloween special and our last episode of 2021. The Detective Boys investigate the creepy house at the end of the street, and we investigate the creepy lack of waffle ice cream sandwiches in our lives. Plus: how hard would it be to get away with murder ... in space? Podcast cover art by Myriam Bloom. Music excerpted from "Solve the Damn Mystery!" by Jesse Spillane. Thank you to our mystery guest, Theodosia Mayfield, creator of the virtual, walkable, fantastical escape room, The Ghastly Gourd. Learn more at delveimmersive.com

We all examine our seats for any unsavory surprises in Rampo Kitan: Game of Laplace Episodes 1 and 2 with our mystery guest -- Nate May, improviser and member of Daddy Issues Improv. We investigate a shocking and strange adaptation of the mystery and thriller stories by classic Japanese author, Edogawa Rampo. There are a lot of bizarre choices in this very detective-y anime -- some are delightful, some are confusing, and some are dreadful. We talk about the emo lyrics of the opening song, the artistic use of shadows, and what it means for a serial killer to also have a DIY hobby. Please make note of the content warning at the top of the episode. Podcast cover art by Myriam Bloom. Music excerpted from "Solve the Damn Mystery!" by Jesse Spillane. Thank you to our mystery guest, Nate May.

We swashbuckle from rooftop to rooftop in The Castle of Cagliostro, along with mystery castle expert: comedian and writer, Drew Kramcsak. This week we follow Lupin III to the vaguely European and beautifully animated countryside in the classic anime film, The Castle of Cagliostro, the directorial debut of Hayao Miyazaki. Noah pretends to be blonde, Michael remembers things about Inspector Gadget, and everyone goes out to a diner to get cheesecake once it's all over. Plus: Drew puts in a plug for Esquire magazine circa 1957 and shares a strange story about a smelly factory. Podcast cover art by Myriam Bloom. Theme music excerpted from "Solve the Damn Mystery!" by Jesse Spillane. Thank you to our mystery guest, Drew Kramcsak.

We deploy misdirection to steal a precious sapphire in Magic Kaito Episode 2, joined by mystery magic expert, Fred Siegel. The Dying Message Podcast is still missing! This week we track down the elusive Kaito Kid, a Detective Conan character who has a spin-off origin-story series. He uses flashy magic in his heists, and we are bringing it to you via the magic (haha) of podcasting. Plus: Fred reports on the anime he remembers from the local Philadelphia TV program "Wee Willie Weber's Colorful Cartoon Club", including Speed Racer and Astro Boy. Oh, and much more! Podcast cover art by Myriam Bloom. Theme music excerpted from "Solve the Damn Mystery!" by Jesse Spillane. Thank you to our mystery guest, Fred Siegel. Find Fred's weekly magic tricks, "Fred Does A Trick", on the fredasiegel YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/fredasiegel/videos.

We rollerskate and jazzercise our way to freedom in Cat's Eye Episode 1, joined by mystery art expert, Karen Coleman Hinners. The Dying Message Podcast has been stolen! We're on the case to track down the thieves by watching thief/heist anime starting with the amazing 80s anime - Cat's Eye. Along the way, we'll learn about the mischeivous reputation of the tanuki and also that there are a lot of Culkins out there in the world. Plus: Karen provides amazing insight into what it's like to have your art stolen as well as tips for keeping escape room spaghetti from sticking. Podcast cover art by Myriam Bloom. Theme music excerpted from "Solve the Damn Mystery!" by Jesse Spillane. Thank you to our mystery guest, Karen Coleman Hinners. Find Karen's art on Instagram: @KColemanHinnersArt. For upcoming Philly NCrowd shows, go to www.phillyncrowd.com

On a new Dying Message Extra*, we look at the first life action Detective Conan prequel,The Letter of Challenge, with returning funny movie-folk, Kai Bobbi and Jim O'Donnell, co-hosts of the Rotten Treasure podcast. To celebrate the 50th episode of our podcast, we dive right in to the first live action Detective Conan TV special. In this prequel story, Ran and Sonoko are kidnapped, Shinichi is full of himself, Kogoro has a fake mustache, and Megure is possibly played by three kids in a trenchcoat. Also this week: find out where this movie falls on the milk scale (skim, 2%, whole) and whether you need an "overly elaborate sack-dropping device." Podcast Cover Art by Myriam Bloom Music excerpted from "Solve the Damn Mystery" by Jesse Spillane Thank you again to our extra special guests, Kai Bobbi and Jim O'Donnell. Find Rotten Treasure on all the podcast services. *How can we cover something that's not anime on our detective anime podcast? That's what makes this something extra, a little mini spin-off that no one asked for.

We reveal pertinent information while riding motorcycles in The Crimson Love Letter (Detective Conan Movie 21) with mystery guests Kai Bobbi and Jim O'Donnell of the Rotten Treasure podcast. We're gearing up for Episode 50 next week by bringing back two fantastic mystery guests to watch a full-length, shiny, exciting, complicated, character-full movie. We do a ton of research on the traditional Japanese card game Karuta and try to figure out whether it's a good motive for murder. Plus: we let our jaws hit the floor during some of this movie's breathtaking action sequences. Podcast cover art by Myriam Bloom. Music excerpted from "Solve the Damn Mystery!" by Jesse Spillane. Thank you to our mystery guests, Kai Bobbi and Jim O'Donnell of the Rotten Treasure podcast (IG: @Rotten_Treasure) and Daddy Issues Improv (IG: @DaddyIssuesImprov).

We take the express elevator to murder in Detective Conan Episode 19, joined by mystery guest, Rachel Benjamin When a high school karate champion gets a once in a lifetime opportunity to be a fashion model, what could possibly go wrong? Just a meticulously planned murder with a devious elevator alibi trick. Along the way, we learn about Rachel's high school yearbook, that even fancy carpets should be disposed of, that Alan works as a security guard, and that Michael has never taken the time to Google why ABC has a weak brodcast signal in the Philadelphia area. Podcast cover art by Myriam Bloom. Theme music excerpted from "Solve the Damn Mystery!" by Jesse Spillane. Thank you to our mystery guest, Rachel Benjamin.

We fail to recognize a woman after she changes clothing in Detective Conan Episode 13, joined by mystery guest, Gina Gennari, who is taking a break from the world of True Crime to talk with us about fictional crime. It seems like a simple case of a girl looking for her father (and then a shrunken detective accidentally tripping and planting a tracking device on said girl [and then going to look for her after her "father" is murdered]). In reality, we had a hell of a time talking about this episode with Gina, including every kicked in car window, overturned hotel luggage cart, and cleverly constructed horse name. Podcast cover art by Myriam Bloom. Theme music excerpted from "Solve the Damn Mystery!" by Jesse Spillane. Thank you to our mystery guest, Gina Gennari. Listen to Gina's new podcast -- Ruthless: A True Cirme Podcast (https://tinyurl.com/j6ffswx8) -- and catch her twice weekly on Crime and Cookies at https://www.twitch.tv/crimeandcookies.

It's time to crown a new Detective Champion on Part 2 of this year's hottest competitive book club -- Dying Message Challenge: The Inugami Curse. We'll be revealing the secrets of this classic Japanese murder mystery, along with fun games and surprises along the way. Last week, amateur sleuths Sam, Kate, and Michael guessed the ending of The Inugami Curse and now that they've finished the book, we'll see who was closest to the actual ending. It all builds up to the biggest surprise of all -- who won this arbitrary comedy game show? Spin-off podcast cover art by Myriam Bloom. Music excerpted from "Face Punch" by Jesse Spillane. Thank you to our amateur sleuths Sam Abrams, Kate Esposito, and Michael Savitski. Check out Kate's podcast Blue Sky Ed: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/blue…ed/id1482203969.

Is it a book club? Is it a game show? Our spin-off: Dying Message Challenge is a little bit of both, and it's back better than ever! Three contestants try to solve the murders in the novel The Inugami Curse before reading the end of the book. They'll earn additional points in a series of challenges posed by host Noah Max Levine, and compete for the title of "Detective Champion." Part 1 spoils the beginning of the book -- but not the solution to the murders. If you enjoy our coverage of mystery anime, hear us cover the classic detective novel that inspired The Kindaichi Case Files and countless other detective stories in anime! Spin-off podcast cover art by Myriam Bloom. Music excerpted from "Face Punch" by Jesse Spillane. Thank you to our amateur sleuths Sam Abrams, Kate Esposito, and Michael Savitski. Check out Kate's podcast Blue Sky Ed: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/blue…ed/id1482203969.