Mizue Ichikawa (Shinobu Sato) is a villainess from "The Farewell Wine Murder Case", episode 4.15 of Case Closed (airdate April 13, 1998). She was the daughter of wealthy company president Kotaro Ichikawa and the younger sister of Kazue Ichikawa, Kotaro's other daughter.
Private investigator Kogoro Mouri was called to the Ichikawa estate by Kotaro, who was allegedly dying of a rare cardio vascular disease and had been tipped off to the fact that one of his daughters was plotting to kill him. When Kogoro met Mizue and Kazue, it was quickly shown that the sisters had bitter animosity between each other, with Mizue accusing Kazue of only caring about money and Kazue blaming Mizue for their mother leaving them.
Later in the night, Kotaro seemingly died of a heart attack following the dinner party he held to announce his retirement, with Kazue being arrested after it was revealed that she had planned to give him poisoned wine to receive her inheritance. But Kotaro, having been tipped off by Hitoshi Okano, his private physician, avoided drinking the wine and had Hitoshi help him fake his illness and death to find out which of his daughters was trying to kill him. Kotaro was then actually murdered by Hitoshi himself, as he had been plotting to take revenge on Kotaro for driving his father (and Kotaro's former business partner) into bankruptcy, driving him to eventually commit suicide.
Mizue's villainous reveal occurred in the final moments of the episode, after Hitoshi was arrested for Kotaro's murder. Seemingly unfazed by her father's murder, the greedy Mizue prepared to go to bed, stating that she would be receiving her inheritance in the morning. But at that moment, inspector Juzo Megure informed Mizue that he had just learned she'd been illegally selling her shares of her father's company and that she was currently being investigated for embezzlement. Realizing that she was being arrested and would lose out on her inheritance, Mizue collapsed on the porch in devastation.
Trivia[]
- In the English dub, Mizue's name is translated to Summer Alexander and is voiced by Jamie Marchi.
- Jamie Marchi (Mizue's English dub actress) also voiced the villainous Businesswoman from Case Closed's first season, and additionally portrayed Case Closed villainesses Kazumi Tatsumi, Reika Yotsui, Kyoko Saegusa, Akiko Yonehara, and Keiko Yabuuchi.
- It's also notable that, in the English dub, Mizue's embezzlement crimes are non-existent and the inspector instead informs Mizue in the episode's conclusion that she'd inherited her sister's financially struggling art gallery.