Anime 966 Crayon Shin-chan Reviews

My opinion may not be shared by most of MAL users, because Crayon Shin-chan is rated PG(-13) in American countries and is for "Everyone" in my country, so everybody here sees it as an anime destined to children.

I'm not going to write a long review for this one, it's going to be plain and simple. Shin-chan is a 5 years old boy that disturbs every one, he's obviously and logically childish, he's pervert, addicted to television, his mother is really incredible to stand this impossibly irritating little boy. The show is full of under-the-belt jokes as well as troubles between adults because of Shin's way ... of telling stories to others et cetera.
It's simple fun, and manages to stay fun. It is a long-running anime full of fun.

Note for those who read the manga but hadn't seen the anime, they are totally similar.

It slightly saddens me that Crayon Shin-Chan does not get very many reviews because this is my childhood ( although this series is quite inappropriate for young children in certain aspects... ). And many people in the American community think it's stupid ( which isn't wrong, because there are rather... strange parts to this series that just makes this "Crayon Shin-Chan" ).

However, there is a strange charm to this series which drag the audience in. It merely seems like a weird children's show at first glance, but it is actually an adult show with many adult-targeted humor. However, there are still an aspect of childhood ... innocence left in certain ways. Either way, it can be a light show for pretty much any range. Even without being able to relate to adult humor, Crayon Shin-chan is hilarious within itself. The characters are all very unique, and all deeply plotted.

Also, the movies are something to take note of. The Shin-chan movies are focused on the fantasy adventure aspect of the series which is not very often encountered in the original series, creating that excitement out of the everyday life humor. Nevertheless, many of them also show a heartwarming connection within the Nohara family and often brings me to a gross sobbing. The movies seems to fill in the lack of excitement and portrayal of touching feelings in the original series.

Despite its weirdness and occasional fantasy aspect, I find this series very down to earth. The characters are not perfect or "cool", and they are very human. But when watching the movies, it feels as if I'm watching Gintama, another random comedy which hints at the touching back story of the characters from time to time.

Overall, I personally enjoy Crayon Shin-chan any day, and feel like it is something anyone can really get into when watching it alongside of the movies.

This is by far one of the most fun special anime show,it doesn't feature the kind of a story and animation you usually see in other anime shows, even tho the story is repetitive, and it might seem that the subject is mostly about a 5-year-old showing his buttocks to everybody, it isn't that way, it has it's own humour, slapstick jokes, and antics from a quirky little boy who can twist and turn any other's opinions and make them say what they don't intend to. Shin-Chan doesn't seem to behave even after his mother, Misae, spanks his behind and stretches his cheeks at a ... daily basis, which makes this anime even more fun, he also has some moments where his sensitive nature reveals, of course, not missing his silly remarks in the end.

Could have been rated to 10 if the animation would be better at times ^_^

If you are interested about this anime show, see my fansub group (the link is in my profile~)

***THIS IS A REVIEW SOLELY FOR THE FUNIMATION ADULT SWIM CRAYON SHIN-CHAN***

When I first acknowledged that Shin-chan is finally going to be dubbed and licensed in NA, I was filled with thrill and excitement, having been a diehard Kureiyon Shin-chan fan since I was born, and could not wait to see it. However, after watching through all of it, and saw that there isn't any review on AnimeNew on this specific release, I felt like I could give a word of advice or two for those who haven't seen it but will.

Every bit of the English dubbed version of Crayon Shin-chan reminds me of the ... Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt dub. It is just a blatant and unjustifiable excuse for the voice actors, actresses and script writers to have fun and mess around with everything but without totally screwing up the original intentions and quality, but instead adding on top of it a different, but more suited type of humor for their intended audiences (North America and other English-native cultural based countries).

With that summary said, it is clear now that those who have watched all the three-season 78~ episodes, will surely be shocked, interested, and surprised by what Adult Swim and FUNimation can do to totally turn an everyone-rated show into a purely adult-targeted grotesque and profane Newgrounds type of parody. I will try my best not to go off-topic in this review, but make it easy, cohesive, and be as critical and non-biased/objective as possible.

In the American version of Shin-chan, many episodes that long-time original viewers are familiar with are turned upside down in such a way that each and every dialogue is different, thus resulting a different episodic story that tries to reach its audiences, but fails to leave an heavy impression like any of the originals do. There are of course the famous Apartment (Shin-chan blows up their house) arc, a Star Wars parody, and some related episodes that share the same settings (Happiness bunny's revenge, etc.) which FUNimation did an incredible job of dubbing them, however these still lacked the overall productive and practical sense of enjoyment the original had.

This dilemma is verified through the four or five commentary episodes, where all the voice actors come together to bash the show and explain why they did what they have done as they saw fit. Not only that, but in certain episodes many lines direct to the audience in an attempt to break the fourth wall, however this trend only adds to the audience's confusion often times to the already confusing story in each hardcore edited episodic plot and setting.

The original show's humor primarily focuses on Shin-chan's lingual disabilities, a fetish on butt-dance, lewd and childish acts, and all his friends‘ and families' yelling at him. The FUNimation version takes a huge opposite turn and deviates away from such elements, and create a world of their own. The dubbed show contains violence, insults, every-5-second swearing, characters' misery as laugh points, and just unbearable, incredibly shallow dirty and racial jokes. As expected when trying to convert such a cultural-heavy comedy show.

While both shows tend to involve the exploitation of Shin-chan's private parts, nudity, and his father and his' abnormal perverted interest in hot, young-looking teenage girls and cougars, the US version tends to use this as one of the primary selling points of the show. But this is done incredibly well that it left the viewers not comfortable enough if one episode did not have a scene of Shin-chan's commenting on wanting to grope the breasts of his prey(this generalization is lacking in the original, as it can do with or without the lewd comments).

The characters and their stereotypes have not quite changed. Hiro is still the average working class, Misae still the totalitarian dictator, Shin-chan the clueless, eccentric boy, etc. however certain characters behave differently here and there and have totally different roles to their original versions. Shiro (Whitey) has a British accent and a cunning personality, the teachers are all over sex and don't care about the things they say to the kids, the kindergarten principal is now a Mexican who is made fun of a-lot about for his genital sizes.

Up to this point, I should be able to bring the fundamental difference between the show that made me give this a 7 and the original series and movies a 9. It is lacking many of the morals, emotional connections, and familial love and relationship lessons the latter offers the audience. This version completely disregard any of the said good qualities the original had, and will not satisfy the emotional side of your soul. Sounds cheesy, I know, but it's true. Original Shin-chan was not as shallow as FUNimation version, and had a lot more connotation that the viewers could not watch without.

Shin-chan is old, and is birthed in the 90's. While the current episodes are getting along with the times, in 720p and all that jazz, the center concept and themes still haven't changed. As FUNimation picked episodes that are quite old and still revolves around more mature-but less appealing humor, they do quite a damn well excellent job in adapting for the American audience. By comparing the two versions side by side, one can easily distinguish the comedy values of the two cultures.

The cultural and lingual barriers of the jokes are non-existent as they do in the original subbed version, perhaps due to the fact that FUNimation did not pick the episodes where Shin-chan says something in Japanese similar to another word or phrase, and their parents or friends correct them, and similar type of jokes the average Joe just wouldn't be able to comprehend or find funny, due to aforementioned differences. At times the viewers can even find the voice actors themselves making fun of the show inside the show. Inception! In regards with the voice acting, not enough compliments and respect can be given to FUNimation at how perfectly they can use the same animation, but produce such drastic and incredible results, by only using clever lines, meta, and reference jokes.

To sum it up, I don't want to make this a TL;DR review, so what's most important is this: take this review with a grain of salt, and you will either love-or-hate this version. For those of you who have not watched a single episode of original Shin-chan and have no clue what it is about, watch it as if you were watching a newgrounds parody, because that's what American Crayon Shin-Chan is, but at its best. For those who have seen or are seeing the original, this will be a new start, a totally fresh start that won't bore, but appreciated by the seasoned Shin-chan lovers. Completely enjoyable, though occasionally offensive and confusing, FUNimation and Adult Swim does the job well done.

Scored ratings and punchlines:

Story 6/10 (Quite decent, some are superb innovation and unexpected, some are just repetitive and brainless, thus a fairly balanced mix)

Art 5/10 (The style of Shin-chan is natively deformed and extremely cartoon like, with the occasional short scenes with superb artistic styles only to emphasize the mood and atmosphere. However, the consistency between episodes is what bothers me quite an amount. Thus the low rating)

Sound 8/10 (Every voice acting piece was god-like, no flaws, no awkward moments, just a hell lot of fun and everyone especially Laura Bailey of Shin-chan puts their all into it)

Character 8/10 (Ridiculous, unbelievable, yet understandable and relate-able, the characters seem to be more enjoyable but less respectable than in the original version)

Enjoyment 9/10 (If you liked PSG, FLCL, and all the nonsensical comedy genre animes, you should definitely not skip the FUNimation version of Crayon Shin-chan. 50% trolling, 40% sex-related jokes, and 10% parody. What more could you need to laugh your butts off?)

Overall 7/10 (Don't know any better way to say it: It is definitely, certainly, and undoubtedly a waste of time, but if you had time to waste, you wouldn't feel it was wasted with FUNimation's Shin-chan!)

(copy from my blog. join meh blog for more discussions)

Impression Prologue (Hint: Probably Not Bad)
Shin-chan is, by far, one of the worst and best children anime that I've ever watched. Worst because some of the subject matters are definitely aimed towards adults who can probably relate to some of the things that are presented in the series (which I think have been going for 20 years?). Best because its funny...like your dick would fall out and you wouldn't mind funny

Shin-chan, as you may guess from the picture, is about a boy named Shinosuke. That shit kinda bothers me though. His Mom ... is stingy and dad is apathetic and tired. Shin-chan gets a little sister after awhile in the series. She didn't exist at first, so she is more of an addition over time. She is crazy and perverted like her brother though.

Basically, if I want to sum up twelve years worth of history, this story is about Shin-chan who gets into trouble all the time. It's not just about the troubles. Sometimes, there are heart-warming moments, which are intriguing and incredibly memorable. Out of all the random shits that Shin-chan does, the story manages flesh out memorable plots (in a children fucking anime) that sticks in your head. The objective of the plot is following Shin-chan's life and its entertaining as fuck.

CHARACTERS:
Characters are silly funny. Let's just examine Shin-chan's friends, for example.

Tōru Kazama - your typical, stuck up kid who thinks he is better than anybody else in the kindergarten.

Nene Sakurada - your typical, double faced female kid who appears innocent, but in reality, she is da boss.

Bo Suzuki- Your autistic friend.

this show deploys IRL stereotypical characters and delivers a solid comedy by using unexpected and hilarious elements of stereotypes. This is something that adults can relate. The stingy mother and hard working middle class daddy is obviously the author's input into what a real family could be (or is). The happy going kindergarten teachers appear kind in front of the kids, but outside of it, they have their own RL problems. One teacher, for instance, has an unfortunate problem with "men." She moans and moans about her misfortune and that was pretty funny. That shit is funny because it is a dramatic turn from our preconceived notions about their roles and there is a clear boundary between Shin-chan's interaction with these teachers in the kindergarten and the outside world. Two different interactions take drastic turn from "profession" to "what the fuck is this kid doing here." Fucking A. This is why Shin-chan is so amazing and one of my greatest childhood nostalgia. Digimon and Pokemon or Transformers doesn't even come close to it.

Characters are the greatest asset of this comedy series. I've seen Shin-chan in Korea, Japan, and NA versions. I have to say that NA is geared towards adults, rather than children, because of the adult jokes whereas Korea and Japan are geared towards shounen audience. In that regard, please do check out Japanese subs. If you can't, NA is just as good, although some of the jokes are not Asian-friendly.

I honestly can't say bad things about this show because this show is like Simpsons and Family Guy. I'd hate to fucking insult Simpsons for what it is because the formula of the show is not built to create a cohesive story. The stories are episodic and are not meant to have a conclusive plot. Really though, the show isn't about concluding a story but following Shin Chan's hilarious adventures. The objective of the plot is clearly self-evident and perfect for such objective. It is ridiculous, outrageous, and epic funny like no other kid's show.

Shin-Chan is a strange anime. It doesn't look like one, and when you do look at it you think of it as a kiddish anime when really, its more for teens.

The story however put a smile on my face. I love these kinds of shows that just follow the lives of their characters. We follow the life of Shin-Chan, his mom, his dad and his baby sister as well as his friends and teachers from school. The adventures these characters get into range from buying eggs at the super market to exploring the forest for turtle man. No matter how zanny it may seem ... you get the feeling that its just all about growing up for this kid. He has a pretty big imagination and the creators take full advantage.

Even though I found some of the story lines a little too perverted and the animation is pretty ugly, there is something about Shin-Chan that brings out the child in you. He disobeys his parents, he goes to school, he uses his child imagination to create wild and crazy stories that are different from the everyday life of him going to school etc. Because sometimes, just like Shin-Chan real life can be boring sometimes.

Take care everyone.

Hands down, my favorite anime, it's original, extremely funny, you might say the art style is bad, until you realize that it's how the characters are supposed to be drawn. I have seen the anime about 15 times over,i watch it a lot, very re-watchable. For being 5, shin(main character) always gets himself into trouble, mostly for pulling down his pants and doing his famous ass dance, has a very potty mouth, and makes some hilarity with his 4 friends. Georgie being my favorite of the 4. In all this anime deserves awards for awesomeness

I grew up watching this show, my second favorite anime of all time.

For this review I will be focusing on the story, Art, Character and my enjoyment. Some spoilers may be ahead.

Story:
Shin chan doesn't really have a story, it's a slice of life comedy about a 5 year old child's life. However, the way the plot points in each episode is represented can be creative and very funny. Something I really enjoy about shin chan is how there are some episodes where we get to see an episode of shin chan's favourite show. Even though it might seem a bit out of place, ... I enjoy watching it.

Art:
The art is kind of cartoonish and lazy. The fact that it is "lazy" isn't a bad thing. Maybe the creator was trying to go for a lazy and cartoonish view point by purpose to simulate the life of a 5 year old child.

Characters:
The characters in this show are brilliant. shin chan's little group of friends, his family and the teachers are the most focused characters. Each episode is focused on either one of those three group of characters. (most of the time)
So you will get to know these characters really well.

Enjoyment:
As a kid I used to enjoy this show so much that when I couldn't find any new episodes, I would repeat the same episodes, and I have watched the same episodes from age 6 to age 10 without being bored.

I would highly recommend you checking this show out. I have spent 4 years of my childhood watching this show, I know I have repeated this a bunch of time, but THE SHOW IS SO GOOD!

Few anime series are as widely misunderstood as Crayon Shin-chan. It's not kodomo muke. Rather, it's largely from an adult's point of view. It manages to undergo a mockery of things wrong in society and deal with what's likely to trouble adults in real life(e.g. money pressures, the annoyance of raising children, pre-wedding jitters) more than what bothers children(homework, bullying). This is most obvious when you compare it with, say, Doraemon.

Note that the art style of Crayon Shin-chan isn't consistent. Some episodes are traumatic(e.g. see the art style of directors of Crayon Shin-chan during 2000 and 2001 at http://www.geocities.co.jp/AnimeComic-Ink/3773/egara.htm).

The show's warmth and charm comes from the happiness of a normal family, and the unique personality of Shin-chan that you can't help but feel is charming.
The world is actually really well-built, populated by people of all sorts of quirks and charms, be it the head over heels couple or the library people who communicate with hand signs. The family -- too -- feels as if it could be your family, and the humour -- despite missing that rare time -- is filled with jokes that are just...you know you shouldn't be laughing at them at your age, but they're just so funny.

To be honest this is one of the very few anime in India .
Although most of the time old episodes are re-telecasted and rarely new episodes are aired every child (including me) love Shin-Chan. Its very popular in India.The characters the sense of humor and great sense of life is beautifully portrayed in the anime and anyone who is annoyed in day to day life can binge on Shin Ch an and really laugh out their full. So I really want the anime industry to introduce more and more anime in India broadcast latest animes and new episodes but the Indian Government ... banned anime but i hope and want to bring back anime industry in India.

Shin-chan is an underrated legend on MAL. Somewhere in between Japan's Ren and Stimpy, the Simpsons, and Calvin and Hobbes, Crayon Shin-Chan is nothing less than an essential classic for me. While I am nostalgic towards the show for being one of the first anime series I ever watched, I can honestly say that as I grow older I only dig deeper into the depths of comedy in this ridiculous show.

I personally find the art to be minimal at an optimal level. These are true drawings coming to life on screen. Any animation update would hurt the aesthetic. The show is funny, it it needs ... to look funny.

It surprises me that people care about the English dub. Just don't watch it! I agree that the English dub is awkward, but so are at least 90% of dubs. Just stick with the original, and the cute little soundtrack is great.

Along with most comedies, the characters make the show. The entire Nohara family are characteristic of the messy Japanese families that classic anime sitcoms tend to convey: dirty grandpas, intelligent dogs, alcoholics, the works. Shin himself is iconic of a LARGE amount of loveable anime classics (remember the One Piece "family jewels" scene?). He's the son you never want to have, yet after watching 15 episodes you occasionally feel he is the son you'd love to have. Or maybe nephew. He is somewhat of a creative genius within the limited spectrum of a 5 year old understanding.

Shin-chan isn't a show that's good for binge-watching, and it doesn't really leave you "wanting more" like a lot of good anime. It's more of a show that is reliably classic and heartwarming.

If insanely dramatic cliff-hanger types of anime are like a hot new crush, then Shin-chan is the good friend that you can come home to, relax, talk about the good ol' days, and drink a beer with.

The normal Shin Chan TV series is mainly for shits and giggles, and it does not really try and have a "message" or some deep moment. More mature themes and absolute brilliance of story-telling and character development is saved for Shin Chan Movies which there are like 30 of.
I grew up on Shin Chan, Doraemon and such so I have my nostalgia biases circulating in my blood as I'm writing this review but I am absolutely certain that Crayon Shin Chan is worth a watch to at least get familiar with the characters so that you can watch the movies which are DEFINITELY worth ... your time.

I love Crayon Shin Chan. I might be a bit biased as I used to watch it on the television when I was young, but it really is enjoyable. This slice-of-life comedy consists of short episodes that explore the life of 5-year-old Shin Chan and all sort of humor he gets in. As a stubborn know-it-all, he always finds a way to make those around him uncomfortable, especially his mother. The jokes Shin Chan tells and the situations he gets into are hilarious, unlike what many people think, they're much more suited for adults than small kids. I've been studying Japanese for a while now ... and find watching this for the "purposes" of studying very fun and useful!

Well, that sure does it for me with this show.
After watching literally 999 episodes and with the 1000th one just around the corner this next Friday, I think it's safe to assume I'm so deep into this show's endless nature that I will likely die before they stop making episodes for it (and movies, and Specials, and OVAs, and...).

I'll take a big On-Hold hiatus from this until it somehow comes to an end (which I doubt), just to say that I'm not actually dropping it, because stupid me here never drops anime for pure OCD at this point.

Such is the longevity of Japanese family fun ... anime ever since Sazae-san (that one I can't even watch whether I want it or not, since the eps are not preserved and no copies were made for several of the lost ones). Gotta say though, as much as I enjoy watching this to pass time, it's bound to get amazingly repetitive with the quirks, humor, eventual flanderizations and even some of its smartest comedic aspects.

You still get here and there absolutely hilarious episodes, legit tearjerking moments (some of which even directly connects to a bigger picture made into a movie) and overall a lot of fun with the cast's great chemistry with each other. But at this point, you are also bound to find one huge mixed bag of overdone content and unfortunately very toned down comedy edges for a series that actually had a history of being quite the risquè enthusiast with many of its elements (being instead substituted at times with Disney Junior levels of "for kids" content, which was quite a shock considering how much this series used to really never stepped down too much from always trying to be very accessible for both parents and children to have their share of giggles).

Other than that, this bit is quite obvious for anyone familiar with the series:

Art and animation were always mediocre at best, although becoming a lot more fluid and well animated over the years in several specific occasions.
Sound being your usual japanese slice of life comedy generic tunes with some memorable songs thrown in at times and of course, if you account on this category, your usual old-school cliche sound effects and punchline delivery shenenigans.

And for an anime this long to only have had 17 openings and 15 endings is a bit weird and underwhelming as an element to look forward to in several cool plotlines that could have been made into them, if you allow me to do a nitpick, but that's just my opinion as a OP/ED lover myself.

The characters literally make this show by themselves and are the true shine of this whole anime however. You really got to appreciate just how many situations they come up with in which the characters by simply being in there and acting like the audience would expect them to (and sometimes the situation being severally subverted for better or for worse, just to make a side note as to why this show can be unpredictable with part of its character interactions even taking in consideration the issue with flanderization mentioned above), and you have a funny time for solid 7-13 minutes depending on how long the segment sets itself up to be.

Talking about that, something that makes this anime works in the Enjoyment portion is just how much it really tries not to overstay its welcome, always opting to going for 2-3 short different segments per episode (saved for some exceptions), many times being animated and written by different people of the anime staff, which gives a bit of lively variety in its own way.

This anime has, as to be expected for such a long long-running anime, a lot of flaws and a mixed bag of episodes (to the point of several times being a mixed bag as a segmented episode per se). But you can't deny the overall appeal, influence and just how good it is in many regards in its own merits, for a comedy series.

Besides all of its problems, I can't help but to give a solid and well deserved 7/10.

If you are not a crazy person like me that goes completionist mode with every anime they touch, do yourself a favor and give a try at least in the first episodes, I can guarantee that, even if it isn't quite your kind of comedy, you will still have a good time with it.

My childhood, so good. Even though I stopped watching a while back, it was my childhood, so there is also a nostalgia factor.

Story: There was no central story, however each episode is its own story, so its good. It is a really simple format, that evidently goes well with these kids series. Everything is what is considered filler, however in this case its not that bad, as it is what makes it so consumable.

Art: Can't complain, but not that good. It is unique but one can see its age. It is fitting though, as the it is really goofy, kinda fitting for kids.

sound: ... I mean, if VA counts as sound then that is very good. Shin's VA is really good, both in Japanese, as well as Chinese, which was the language I watched in. Otherwise not that remarkable.

Character: The characters are really funny, they also feel unique in a way.They are not realistic on paper, however one can understand the kindergarten children, as well as the teachers in that kindergarten. The parents are realistic enough to be believable, they are obviously over-exaggerated, but one can understand their reactions during moments.

Enjoyment: Highly enjoyable. Highly memorable. Highly addictive.

Overall 8/10

Shin-chan is in many ways a Japanese equivalent to The Simpsons. The son, like Bart isn't the brightest bulb in the pack, but makes up for it with his clever antics and mischief-making. Shintaro knows just how to push the right buttons of the adults. Sometimes it's intentional, like embarassing his mother in public to get his way. Other times it is through misunderstanding. The humor of shin-chan is the mixture of childhood innocence, irreverant behavior, and gags. If you have ever been a parent or had younger siblings, you can relate.

If you enjoy comedy in the style of Yotsuba& with less wholsomeness and a ... bit more crassness, look no further. Unfortunately, most will never give this anime a chance due to the infamy of the Funimation release. Please do yourself a favor and avoid the funimation dub like the plague! It follows the Ghost Stories formula of tossing out the script because they think they can write better comedy *spoiler alert: they can't.* If you want a show that tries to be the next Family Guy knockoff written by unfunny hacks, choose the Funimation Dub. If you have any respect for the original work or comedy in general, go watch the fansub and never look back.