Crayon Shin-chan

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Crayon Shin-chan
Image:Shin Chan 14.jpg
Shinnosuke "Shin-chan" Nohara
クレヨンしんちゃん
(Crayon Shin-Chan)
Genre Comedy, Slice of life
Manga: Crayon Shin-chan
Author Yoshito Usui
Publisher Flag of Japan Futabasha
Demographic Seinen, Kodomo
Serialized in Flag of Japan Weekly Manga Action
Manga Town
Original run 1990
Volumes 47
TV anime
Director Mitsuru Hongo (1992-1996)
Keiichi Hara (1996-2004)
Yuji Muto (2004-)
Studio Shin'ei Doga
Network Flag of Japan Animax, TV Asahi
Original run April 13, 1992 – ongoing
Episodes '600+'

Crayon Shin-chan (クレヨンしんちゃん Kureyon Shin-chan?) (also known as "Shin-chan" in the United States) is a Japanese manga and anime series written by Yoshito Usui.

Crayon Shin-chan follows the antics of five-year-old Shinnosuke "Shin" Nohara and his parents, neighbors, friends, etc., and is set in Kasukabe, Saitama Prefecture, Japan.

Contents

[edit] Basic information

Crayon Shin-chan first appeared in a Japanese weekly magazine called Weekly Manga Action, which is published by Futabasha. The anime Crayon Shin-chan has been on TV Asahi since April 13, 1992, and has also been aired by Cartoon Network, the anime television network, Animax across Japan, Hungama TV in India, and in Latin America.

Many of the jokes in the series stem from Shin-chan's occasionally weird, unnatural and inappropriate use of language, as well as from his inappropriate behavior. Consequently, non-Japanese readers and viewers may find it difficult to understand his jokes. In fact, some of them cannot be translated into other languages. In Japanese, certain set phrases almost always accompany certain actions; many of these phrases have standard responses. A typical gag involves Shin-chan confounding his parents by using the wrong phrase for the occasion; for example, saying "Welcome back!" instead of "I am back!" when he comes home.

During the beginning of the series, the TV show was mostly based on the storyline in the comic books. As the show progressed, more and more episodes became anime-original.

[edit] Characters

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This is the list of Crayon Shin-chan's characters. The characters' names follow this order: English, Japanese Script, and Romaji. The names used in the dubs follow as they appear in that version, if applicable.

[edit] Nohara family

Shinnosuke Nohara (Shin-chan)
Shinnosuke Nohara (Shin-chan)
Shinnosuke Nohara (野原しんのすけ Nohara Shinnosuke?, Shin-Chan (phuuz) Shin (FUNimation [1]), Shin Jjanggu (Korean))
He is the main character, a kindergarten-aged boy whose antics are the basis for the series. His affectionate name is Shin-chan. He is 5 years old and loves a Japanese candy known as ChocoBees (also known as ChocoBabys), and an animated superhero named "Action Kamen", who is called "Action Bastard" in the FUNimation dubbing. He is attracted to older girls and women, despite his young age, and says girls his age have no appeal for him. He brazenly pursues any girl who catches his eye. He shares this trait with his father and paternal grandfather, but this often results in Misae's brutal punishment. The only girl he seems to really like (to the point of being shy and blushing around her and trying to behave) is a college student named Nanako. Some of his strange activities include dressing up as animals or plants and taking his pants off. In general, he is brutally honest, highly curious, and has no shame whatsoever. Ironically, there have been several instances in which Shin's own crazy antics actually solved the problems of those around him. Whether this is the result of his own or purely accidental is debatable. Adding to that, he also displays a surprising amount of talent and ability in various activity which include running, surfing, kendo, fishing, skiing and others (including swimming, in which he beat his father who was one of the best swimmers in his high school). On rare occasions, he displays bouts of selfless kindness (for example, in one anime episode he saved a frog from a truck on a rainy day, getting all wet and dirty in the process and risking Misae's ire since it was his last set of clean clothes), but those are often immediately followed by more of his antics that negate the goodwill others could feel by the act.
Misae Nohara (野原みさえ Nohara Misae?, Mitsy (phuuz), Mitzi (FUNimation), Carmen (Filipino))
The mother and caretaker of the Nohara family. The classical housewife of post-war Japan, she cleans, launders, cooks, sews, mothers, and lazes, all to varying degrees of success. While at heart a caring and nurturing individual, her positive aspects are often offset by her many shortcomings. A paragon of hypocrisy, after handing out irrevocable edicts to her husband and children, she will not hesitate to immediately break them once they are out of sight. She administers brutal punishment to her husband, son, and on rare occasions her year-old daughter Himawari, whenever they disobey her. While she spends as little as possible on the less-essential needs of her husband and son, she loves to splurge on Himawari and herself; although, she is noted to have instances of great generosity. She is the source of boundless diet and savings plans, all of which fail within the first week.
Hiroshi Nohara (野原ひろし Nohara Hiroshi?, Harry (phuuz), Hiro (FUNimation), Bert (Filipino))
Father of the Nohara family, and its sole source of income. He met his future wife, Misae, at the age of 29, and after dating for around a year the two wed. He is a loving father to his two children, and ultimately a devoted husband. While he is the family bread-winner, he hands the reins of finance over to his wife, who maintains a totalitarian level of control on family spending. He is the iconic salary man of modern Japan, working eight-hour days, enduring overstuffed trains, and enjoying the occasional bar-bouncing nightlife. While his relationship with his family is positive on the whole, there is an abundance of recurring conflict. He and his wife bicker on many different things, from how little he gets for spending money every month, to whose turn it is to give the baby a bath. Misae is also notorious for inflicting comically brutal violence on Hiroshi whenever she gets very angry. He enjoys a playful relationship with his children; but sometimes they're the source of his daily woes. He will not hesitate to save his allowance for things he want, but can be seen spending much of it to buy his family creature comforts.
Himawari Nohara (野原ひまわり Nohara Himawari?, Daisy (phuuz), Hima (FUNimation))
The youngest child of the Nohara family, a precocious and vibrant infant. While technically newborn, her character has matured and grown more intelligent during her stay in the series. She possess a palpable lust for shiny objects (jewels and precious metals) and brand-name goods. She emulates her mother in her utterly stubborn pursuit of handsome young men who catch her eye. In her family she is an icon of adoration and annoyance, causing trouble she cannot be blamed for given her infantile innocence.
Shiro (シロ Shiro?, Lucky (phuuz), Whitey (FUNimation), Puti (Filipino))
A white, fluffy pup Shin-chan found in a cardboard box early in the series. While a beloved member of the family, he is the subject of neglect thanks to his owner's forgetfulness and short attention-span. He is a very intelligent dog, often presenting logic and intellect that surpasses his human owners. As his meals from the Nohara's are at best inconsistent, and at worst far-between, he has developed a venerable talent for forging and scavenging to survive days without meals. An oddly human dog, he is very responsible and painstakingly careful. In the FUNImation dub, Whitey has a British accent.

[edit] Misae's family

Yoshiji Koyama (小山 よし治 Koyama Yoshiji?)
Misae's father. Age 63. He has made appearances in several of Shin-chan's episodes. He is seen to have much higher standards of public decorum than Hiroshi's father Ginnosuke. This uptight behavior of his sometimes becomes the subject of jokes for Shin-chan and a clash of style between him and Ginnosuke. In one episode, however, he found out that both Shin-chan and Ginnosuke liked him.
Hisae Koyama (小山 ひさえ Koyama Hisae?)
Misae's mother. Age 58. Her appearances in Shin-chan's episodes are usually with her husband. Like her husband, she looks down on the way Hiroshi's father behaves, but she gets along well with Ginnosuke's wife Tsuru. In the FUNimation dub, she has constant thoughts about wanting to committing suicide.
Masae Koyama (小山 まさえ Koyama Masae?)
Misae's older sister. Age 35. She is still single. Her appearance in the show is rare. It is possible that Misae learned some of her moves from her. She shares some of the same mischievous antics as Shin-chan and Ginnosuke, except to an excess.
Musae Koyama (小山 むさえ Koyama Musae?)
Misae's younger sister. Age 26. She is lazy and likes to sleep all the time. She quits her job as a photographer's assistant because her boss said to her that she had no talent. Due to the inability to support herself any longer, she moves in to live with Shin-chan's family (without telling Misae in advance) on April 21, 2006 in the episode "Oh no! The Family Just Got Bigger Today" (大変！今日から家族がふえたゾ Taihen! Kyōkara Kazoku ga Fueta zo?). She later comes to the realization that he was just a misogynist, womanizing alcoholic. Her father gave her a 3 month deadline and ultimatum; she has to find a job or she will have to go back to Kyushu. On the last day of her deadline, Shinchan once again missed the bus and Misae could not take him to school because she had one of her rare bowel movements. therefore asked Musae to take Shinchan to school. There she meets Lens-san, at first she turns down Musae's request to be her assistant. Then she ask Shinchan what kind of person Musae is. After Shinchan tells her the truth,much to her dismay, she hires Musae because showing your true self in front of children is the best way to get the best picture from them. Musae thanks everybody for their support and goes on a road trip with Lens San. The episode 祝！！ナント！青春の旅立ちだゾ　前編 Part 1 & 2 (January 18, 2008)

[edit] Hiroshi's family

Ginnosuke Nohara (野原 銀の介 Nohara Ginnosuke?)
Hiroshi's father. Age 65. Like his son and his grandson, Shin-chan, he enjoys looking at pretty young women. He also likes to do weird things and rituals with his grandson. His appearance in the show is relatively more common than other minor characters. As with Shin-chan, he is affectionately called Gin-chan. One of his many jokes in the series is dressing up as a movie character whenever Hiroshi and his family comes to visit them, such as Neo from The Matrix or Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean. Another running gag in the series is that whenever he announces to the family that he would visit them (either by phone or post), then he suddenly appears out of nowhere afterwards, shocking the family. In the FUNmation dub, it is noted that he "roamed" the countryside on a motorcycle when he was younger.
Tsuru Nohara (野原 つる Nohara Tsuru?)
Hiroshi's mother. Age 62. Her reactions to her husband's slightly adulterous behavior is similar to Misae's, although not as violent. She sometimes also does strange rituals with Shin-chan.
Semashi Nohara (野原 せまし Nohara Semashi?)
Hiroshi's older brother who looks exactly like him. Age 40. He is still single and is known to be a miser, as he once even hitchhiked to Kasukabe, Shin-chan's home city, instead of taking the train because he wanted to cut costs. He lives in the countryside with his parents.

[edit] Family friends and acquaintances

[edit] Shin-chan's friends and acquaintances

Nanako Oohara (大原 ななこ Ōhara Nanako?)
The college girl with whom Shin-chan is in love. Age 20. The first time they met was when Shin-chan was strolling in the neighborhood and got something in his eye. Nanako, though a stranger at the time, took it out of his eyes for him. Since then, they have kept contact with each other, sometimes Nanako inviting Shin-chan to beach resorts and skiing trips etc. Nanako is the only girl that is unruffled by Shin-chan's behavior, and the only one Shin-chan tries to behave for, even being shy and blushing around her. She dreams to be a kindergarten teacher.
Shijuurou Oohara (大原 四十郎 Ōhara Shijūrō?)
Nanako's father. He is actually a famous author of many popular books. He is overprotective of his daughter and worries too much about her. He is often seen to disrupt any important matters at hand whenever he has the most extremely subtle (false) hint that Nanako may be in trouble. He disapproves of Shin-chan's love for his daughter.
Shinobu Kandadori (神田鳥 忍 Kandadori Shinobu?)
Nanako's college friend. She hopes to become a professional wrestler. She likes to kiss Shin-chan, who sometimes goes unconscious as a result because he would rather be kissed by Nanako, who is much prettier.

Saitama Crimson Scorpions A gang of high school girls who run into Shin-chan often, with dire consequences.Supposedly their gang is a rival of other, more serious (and dangerous) girl gangs, but Shin-chan's antics often make them lose their patience and impairs them from actually increasing the gang's size. Shin-chan himself believes them to be an aspiring group of comediennes.

"Flytrap" Ryuko (ふかづめ 竜子 Fukazume Ryūko?)
Leader of the clique. Age 17. Her title in the Malay translation is "Dragon Claw Ryuko" or "Short-nailed Ryuko". She is a tough fighter and behaves righteously towards her friends. Her violent and brash behaviour undermines her gentle and kind side, and despite being the leader of a female gangster group, shows a surprising amount of genial traits. Has a secret hobby of dressing up as a Sailor Moon character. She also has a huge crush on Shin-chan's father Hiroshi and is revealed more so in the August 1, 1997 episode "The Crimson Scorpion's Yoyo Fishing Game" (紅さそり隊のヨーヨー釣りだゾ), despite knowledge that Hiroshi is married to Misae. Fukazume is actually her nickname of sorts meaning "Rough 'n Ready" (according to the Hawaiian versions of the TV series). Her real name is Ryuko Okegawa (桶川 竜子 Okegawa Ryūko?).
"Fish-eyed" Ogin (魚の目 お銀 Uonome Ogin?)
Member of the clique who always wears a mask with an "X" on it, and therefore she is known as "Fish-eyed Ogin" (the X resembles the eye of a dead fish). She is the more taciturn and patient member of the clique. Despite her somewhat fearsome demeanor, she possesses a kind side, shown in an episode where she helps out her sick mother by delivering goods and hiding her predicaments from her friends, so they are not troubled by it. Her face was revealed in one episode when the Saitama Scorpions babysit Shin-chan and Himawari and the latter playfully takes off her mask.
"Rash" Mary (ふきでものマリー Fukidemo no Marī?)
Another member of the clique, who is fat and clumsy. Her title in the Malay translation of the manga is "Pimple-Mary." She is righteous, and often comes to the aid of her friends despite her inability to fight.

[edit] Misae's friends

Keiko Honda (本田 ケイコ Honda Keiko?)
She's been Misae's good friend since middle school. Age 29. Her name of affection is "Okei", so Shin-chan calls her "Okei-obasan". She is married to Satoshi, who is 7 years and 9 months younger. Her act of marrying a younger men becomes a subject of joke by Shin-chan. She actually brags about it sometimes as well to others.
Satoshi Honda (本田 悟史 Honda Satoshi?)
Keiko's husband. Age 21. He loves anime and owns many Action Kamen movies and action figures.
Hitoshi Honda (本田 ひとし Honda Hitoshi?)
Keiko and Satoshi's baby son,3 months old. His name of affection is "Hito-kun." He is always smiling. In the manga version, he has grown a little and goes to a swimming school.
Yoshiko (よしこ Yoshiko?)
Misae's old friend who is a manga artist.

[edit] Kasukabe residents

Kitamoto (北本 Kitamoto?)
Nohara family's neighbor. She loves to talk and gossip so she is frequently seen to be chatting with Misae. She also took in Shiro while the Nohara's had to move to the apartment.
Robert McGuire (ロベルト マクガイヤー Roberuto Makugaiyā?)
Kitamoto's nephew. Kitamoto's older sister had married an American and their son is Robert, who sometimes stays over at Kitamoto's house. Shin-chan calls him "Beruto-kun." At first, he couldn't speak any Japanese at all so he would misunderstand everything whenever Shin-chan tried to talk to him which leads to a hilarious act by Robert who seems to think that Shin-chan's behaviour is actually a typical Japanese customs. He once had a crush on Nanako and went to Shin-chan for advice on how to court a Japanese girl. Shin-chan misunderstood and thought that he wanted a gender change. Before Robert could court (or humiliate himself) Nanako, he realize that Shin-chan knew her and that he likes her. Robert backs down, saying its not right to take your best friend's girl. Now, he teaches English in a building near the Kasukabe train station.
Yoshirin Hatogaya (鳩ヶ谷 ヨシりん Hatogaya Yoshirin?)
Nohara family's other neighbor. His family and Shin-chan's family got to know each other for the first time on a trip to Hawaii. After the trip, they moved next door to Shin-chan's family. He and his wife sometimes annoy Shin-chan's parents. They are also a couple of unusual conventions and display of affections, which contrasts the earlier Japanese generations. They are easily excited by new and first-time things, such as being robbed the first time and having the police over for investigation. He sometimes goes to Hiroshi for advice. He would often barge into Hiroshi's house without warning whenever theres a problem. In the adult oriented version by FUNimation, he and his wife are in constant debt due to their constant spending and need to have all the new things, and have adopted habits to run out on bills and look for sleazy, cheap buildings to live in. He also buys Hiro cheap beer to thank him for his kindness when Misae lets them live with them. Before the introduction of Michi and Yoshirin as regular characters, Yoshirin was the stock name used by Usui for the male part of every young random couple that appeared in the manga engaging in amorous behavior.
Micchi Hatogaya (鳩ヶ谷 ミッチー Hatogaya Micchī?)
Yoshirin's wife. She likes to watch horror movies (to her husband's chagrin) and collect stuffed dinosaurs. She sometimes hangs out with Misae. In the adult oriented version by FUNimation she and her husband are in constant debt due to their constant spending and need to have all the new things, and have adopted habits to run out on bills and look for sleasy, cheap buildings to live in. She also buys Misae a generic soda to thank her for letting her and Yoshorin live in their house. As with his husband, before the introduction of Michi, her name was used for the female of every random young couple.

[edit] Action Kindergarten/Futaba Kindergarten

In the Japanese anime, the school is called Futaba Kindergarten (ふたば幼稚園 Futaba Yōchien?, named after the comics publisher, Futabasha). In the Japanese and English-language manga, it is named Action Kindergarten (after Action Comics, a brand name of Futabasha). In the English-language FUNimation anime, it is renamed to Super Happy Fun Time American School. FUNimation head writer Jared Hedges states that the Americanization of the school was done to use the characters as an outlet for American humor and references while keeping the show location in Japan.

[edit] Sunflower Class

Kasukabe Defense Organization (かすかべ防衛隊 Kasukabe Bōentai?)
An "organization" that Shin-chan and his friends created as a group in the episode "Kasukabe Defense Organization" broadcast on May 1, 1995. The purpose of this group was to promote peace in the city of Kasukabe. However, this so-called organization is little more than just a name for Shin-chan's clique and often they don't do anything meaningful during their operations. Their secret base is located at kindergarten teacher Mrs. Ishizaka's house, much to her chagrin.
Tooru Kazama (風間 トオル Kazama Tōru?, Cosmo Kazama (phuuz), Georgie Herbert Walker Prescott III (FUNimation))
Tooru Kazama (Kazama-kun) is Shin-chan's immaculately groomed and perfectly mannered friend, who usually loses his nerves and composure with Shin-chan's antics.Their relationship has often been joked as homosexual by Shin-Chan. Despite Kazama's annoyance with Shin-Chan, the both of them are actually the best of friends are actually quite closer then any of the other friends they have. Himawari has a slight crush on Tooru. In the FUNimation dub, he is named Georgie Prescott the 3rd (A reference to the Bush family) and is an ultra-conservative Japanese American.
Nene Sakurada (桜田 ネネ Sakurada Nene?, Nini Sakurada (phuuz), Penny Milfer (FUNimation))
Nene Sakurada (Nene-chan) is Shin-chan's female classmate and friend. She loves to play 'real omamagoto', or 'real house', in which divorces and arguments are very common. She occasionally sees her mother go crazy and shrieks something literally translated to be "You're not my usual mom!" She has the same character as her mother and she is often seen releasing her frustrations on a helpless stuffed bunny. When her desires are not met, Nene becomes upset. She hated Shiizou Atsukuru during his teaching period but eventually developed a crush on him. Nene is also revealed to be a Gossip Monger. However she always misunderstood the situation and made it worse such as when Tokuro (Matzuzaka's boyfriend) was hanging out with his childhood friend and their photo was taken by Nene. Leading to a conflict between the couple. She became devastated by this event. In the FUNimation dub, Penny lives in an abusive household. Her dub surname Milfer, may be a reference to the word MILF.
Masao Sato (佐藤 マサオ Satō Masao?, Max (phuuz), Maso Sato (FUNimation))
Masao Sato is one of Shin-chan's friends. He is known to be a scaredy cat, and a bit of a cry baby. In the FUNimation dub, he is portrayed as having mildly effeminate/homosexual tendencies. Masao is usually the butt of the show's homosexual jokes (no pun intended) since he often makes innocent comments that ironically sound homosexual in a different context. Masao is in love with Ai and gets furious whenever Shin rebuffs Ai's advances.
Boo (ボー Bō?, Suzuki (Hungama))
Another of Shin-chan's friends, he seems slow and expressionless, but is actually quite smart and has an interest in artistic, adult-oriented things. He often surprises his friends with his insight, though he speaks quite slowly. He always has a trail of snot running down his nose.
Ai Suotome (酢乙女 あい Suotome Ai?)
Ai-chan is a relatively newer character addition to the show who began appearing on October 12, 1999. She is from an extremely rich family and happened to be enrolled in to the kindergarten at Kasukabe because she threw a dart at the map of Japan and hit Kasukabe, thereby determining where she would go next. She is always seen riding in a black limousine and with a bodyguard. Many boys fell in love with her except Shin-chan. Instead, she fell in love with Shin-chan. Masao likes her very much, but Ai almost never pays attention to him.

[edit] Rose Class

The Rose Class is a class handled by Ume Matzuzaka. A recurring theme in the show is that Rose class would always a have a competition with Sunflower Class whether is Baseball, Soccer, or Trekking. Another recurring joke about Rose Class is that whenever they have a competition, they would always reveal a member of the class with talent in that field, which lead many to speculate the number of students in the class.

Yasuo Kawamura (河村 やすお Kawamura Yasuo?, Cheetah Kawamura)
Kawamura-kun is always wearing a leopard shirt and playing with his soccer ball. He always loses to Shin-chan.
Hitoshi (ひとし Hitoshi?)
This child is a kindergarten bully and always likes to bully Masao with Terunobu.
Terunobu (てるのぶ Terunobu?)
This child is a kindergarten bully and always likes to bully Masao with Hitoshi.

[edit] Kindergarten staff and relatives

Midori Ishizaka - Yoshinaga (石坂（よしなが） みどり Ishizaka (Yoshinaga) Midori?, Miss Dori (phuuz), Miss Anderson (FUNimation))
Shin-chan's teacher. Age 24. She is always in bitter rivalry with Ume Matsuzaka. However she unhesitatingly supports Matsuzaka in certain critical situations. "Yoshinaga" is her maiden name. Her new last name is "Ishizaka" after being married to Junichi Ishizaka since July 7, 2000. Before him, she didn't have much luck with her boyfriend, often commiserating with Matsuzaka about their lack of love life. Later on, she gave birth to a baby girl (delivered by Nushiyo Ooya and Shin-chan) whom they named Momo Ishizaka.
Junichi Ishizaka (石坂 純一 Ishizaka Jun'ichi?, Doyle (FUNimation))
Midori's husband. Age 24. A nice, easy going man who gets along fine with Shin Chan and his friends and they in tend like him as well. He has been portrayed as someone with a lack of confidence problem. This is true when he wanted to propose to Midori. On the eve of their wedding, problems began to arise and on the coveted day it gets worse when it began to rain. Midori was heartbroken but Ishizaka, with a little encouraging words from Shin Chan, bravely grabbed Midori and declare his love for her in the rain.
In the Funimation dub, he is portrayed as a closet telepath who is on parole for an unknown crime and works as a popcorn salesman.
Ume Matsuzaka (松坂 梅 Matsuzaka Ume?, Miss Uma (phuuz), Miss Katz (FUNimation))
Arch-rival of Miss Yoshinaga, teacher of the Rose class. Age 24. Single. Likes to live stylishly in public but she actually struggles to save her money for accessories and lives in a very cheap, dusty apartment. Although she always says she is "tired of Futaba Kindergarten (especially Shin-chan)" and plans to move out to a better school, she never seriously intends to do it. She even rejects so harshly a man who offers her a better job in another school and mocks Futaba Kindergarten. Despite her rivalry with Midori, deep down she cares for her and helped her reconcile with her future husband. She seriously dated another man named Tokurou Gyouda before. He is her chiropractor and they first met at his clinic after she becomes drunk and fell off a flight of stairs at a park the night before. However, her boyfriend had to go to Chile for a Matazuresaurus dinosaur fossil excavation. The drama of such a dilemma was shown in a three-episode series in 30 minutes where the situation ended up in that she stays in Japan but rushes with the whole kindergarten to the airport to see her boyfriend before he departs. She was there to greet Tokuro when he came back from Chile but their relationship was a bit shaken when Ume was having doubts on Tokuro's commitment to their relationship. Things became worse when after seeing the photo taken by Nene of Tokuro and his childhood friend, causing her to distancing herself from him. At the same time, her family was arranging her to marry a rich man who kept talking about their future. Ume is left with a dilemma despite still having feelings for Tokuro.
Matsu Matsuzaka (まつざか 松 Matsuzaka Matsu?)
Ume's eldest sister. Age 28. Like her sister, she is also seeking for a man to form a relationship and eventually marry. Often, when news come of Ume having a new man to form a relationship, Matsu and her other sister, Take, would interfere to win that man's affections, leading to the three sisters fighting over him and eventually ended up with the relationship broken off. This kind of situation also occurred during Ume's starting relationship with Tokuro.
Take Matsuzaka (まつざか 竹 Matsuzaka Take?)
Ume's second eldest sister. Age 26. She often appears alongside her elder sister, Matsu, to fight over Ume's new boyfriend. In contrast to Matsu's traditional Japanese-style attire, Take is often prone to Western gaudiness.
Tokurou Gyouda (行田 徳郎 Gyōda Tokurō?)
Miss Matsuzaka's boyfriend and chiropractor. Age 26. He is very enthusiastic about any type of bones raging from ordinary chicken bones to exotic dinosaur bones. Toku-san's professor, along with his team, found Matazuresaurus bones and fossils in Chile so Toku-san could not resist going there with them. He proposed to Matsuzaka and wanted her to go with him. However, in the end, he went there alone, as Matsuzaka refused to go. He has yet to return to Japan and see his girlfriend once again. In volume 45 of the manga, he returns to Japan. However, even though he is back together with Ume, his fascination with bones causes a drift between him and her. He later met with the daughter of his professor who is his childhood friend which leads to another clash between the couple, thanks to Nene. Now, Tokuro is trying to clear things up between them and trying to stop her from marrying the man that Ume's family had picked for her. In the end, he died from a suicide bomb in volume 47 of the comics.[2]
Masumi Ageo (上尾 ますみ Ageo Masumi?, Miss Polly)
A teacher at the Futaba Kindergarten. Age 23. She first appeared on July, 10, 1998 as a new teacher. She seems to be scared of and nervous at everything. However, when Shin-chan takes off her glasses, her vision becomes blurred and a personality change takes place; she becomes very aggressive and fearless as shown in her first appearance episode "The New Teacher Acts Weird" (新しい先生は変わってるゾ). Her condition is somewhat similar to Launch from the Dragon Ball series. She has dated Kuroiso (Mr K. in the FUNimation dub), Ai-chan's bodyguard.
In the FUNimation dub, Miss Polly, says "Homo!" in a glib fashion whenever the teachers question Maso's sexuality.
Shiizou Atsukuru (熱繰 椎造 Atsukuru Shiizō?)
Newest Futaba Kindergarten staff member. Age 22. He first appeared in an episode aired on August 26, 2005. He can literally be on fire at his own discretion, which is his key personality trait in the show. He is a substitute teacher for the Sunflower Class since Midori was pregnant at that time. At first, many of the students were taken aback and annoyed at his passionate way of teaching things but they grew to love him in the end. Everyone except Nene who, for some reasons, still hates him. During his attempt to get to her, we learned that he has a huge fear of bunnies due to the fact that he was bitten by one as a child. He finally overcomes this with Shin Chan's help. Nene soon develops a crush on him but everything comes to an end when his teaching periods ended and he was forced to leave the Kindergarten. Leading to a sorrowful farewell from the teachers and the students.
Bunta Takakura (高倉 文太 Takakura Bunta?, Principal Enzo (phuuz), Principal Bernoulli Ench (FUNimation), Gang Leader Sir (Hungama))
The principal of Action Kindergarten and is often referred to as "Enchō" (園長?), which means "principal." His Yakuza-like appearance is often misunderstood by the people in the neighborhood, which often acts as a recurring joke in the series (often worsened by Shin-chan by calling him "Kumichō" (組長 Boss of Yakuza?)). Actually he has a tender heart and good attitude. He has masqueraded himself as a superhero called Enchoman but Shin-chan found out his true identity easily. He hoped to continue to keep his real identity a secret by letting Shin-chan join his troupe and telling him not to tell anybody. But he quit after others found out his real identity. He is shown to like women wrestling in one episode.
In the FUNimation dub, he has disguised himself under the name Ench-Man (Hiro Nohara refers to him as "The man who saw my wife beat me" for literal reasons during the episode in which "Ench-man" was introduced and Hiro continues call him this through season 2.) He was given a Latin/Italian accent in an attempt to provide the joke of him as a member of the Mafia (the equivalent of the Yakuza).
Mrs. Takakura (高倉夫人 Takakura-fujin?)
She is Takakura's wife and the Futaba Kindergarten Vice Principal.

Possibly named after actor Ken Takakura, famous for his roles in yakuza movies.

[edit] Kindergarten children's guardians

Moeko Sakurada (桜田 もえ子 Sakurada Moeko?, Patty Milfer (FUNimation))
Nene-chan's mother. Age 28. She is easily irritated by Shin-chan, whom she despises, and has a very strange way of expressing her anger; she beats up a very large stuffed rabbit when in private. Her psychologically-questionable behavior is sometimes seen by others (including her daughter Nene-chan), and those who see her have sweat drops on their head (including the abused stuffed rabbit) and are very intimidated by it (except, of course, for Shin-chan). When she's not angry, she looks like a normal person. Her abusive actions towards stuffed rabbits was passed down from her mother, which she passed down to Nene-chan.

In the FUNimation dub, it is suggested that Patty lives in an abusive relationship with her husband. In various episodes there are clues that suggest she is preparing to take flight and in fact attempts to in an episode until slowed by Shin-chan.

Nene's Father (ネネちゃんのパパ Nene-chan no Papa?)
He is considered to have a cool personality. He likes to go to cherry blossom festivals and often invites the Nohara family, much to his wife's chagrin.
Even though he has not appeared in the FUNimation dub yet, through the dialogue it is mentioned that he is an abusive husband.
Mineko Kazama (風間 みね子 Kazama Mineko?)
Kazama-kun's mother. She has the appearance of a rich man's wife. She has her son Kazama-kun do many extracurricular activities such as learning English, playing piano, swimming, jazz dancing etc. Unlike Moeko, Mineko is not unruffled by Shin-chan easily, and prefers to stay out of his way when they happen to meet.
Kazama's Father (風間くんのパパ Kazama-kun no Papa?)
He is a businessperson, or as it is more commonly called, a "salaryman." Apparently richer than most of Shin-chan's friends' parents, he has traveled abroad several times. He has a very easy going attitude and gets along fine with everyone including the Nohara family.
Masao's Mother (マサオくんのママ Masao-kun no Mama?)
She is a little plump. Her face looks almost identical to that of Masao-kun. She plays tennis.
Boo's Mother (ボーちゃんのママ Bō-chan no Mama?)
She has appeared only once in the comic books and never on TV. Shin-chan, Kazama-kun, Nene-chan, and Masao-kun have tried to imagine what she looked like.
Kuroiso/Hideki (黒磯 Kuroiso?, Mr. K (FUNimation))
Ai-chan's bodyguard and driver. He always wears a black tuxedo suit and sunglasses. He is very obedient to Ai-chan's orders. Most of time its because she had found out his dark deeds (such as accidentally breaking one of her parent's priceless pieces of art and using super-glue to reattach it). He has dated Ageo-san, a Futaba kindergarten teacher. He hides while Ai-chan is in class (for example, in the top of the playfield's trees, but Shin-chan always finds him out. In the FUNimation dub, Boo has referred to him as "Mr. Shades" due to his sunglasses. It is also suggested that he may carry a handgun but has also carried Novacaine-treated pieces of candy.

[edit] Matazuresou Apartments residents

There was a time when the Nohara family moved into apartments called Matazuresou (またずれ荘 Matazuresō?) (Falling Apartments in the Funimation dub). They were forced to move out when the house was being reconstructed after a gas explosion that destroyed the house completely and left nothing but dirt in its lot. The name literally translates to "Will Fall Apart Again."

Nushiyo Ooya (大家 主代 Ōya Nushiyo?)
She is the landowner of the whole building of apartments and so all rent payments went to her. She has very strict rules such as being very quiet in the corridors and not allowing pets. She spends her free time piling her collection of dentures into a tower. Her cold attitude toward children can be attributed to the fact that her husband and her 3-year-old daughter died in a traffic accident 30 years ago.
Yonro (四郎 Yonrō?)
He lives next door from Shin-chan's family at room 201. He attended Tokyo Kasukabe University, not Tokyo University as Misae had mistakenly believed. Misae and Hiroshi frequently invited him over to fancy dinners at their house being very supportive of him so that one day when Yonro goes into a successful political career, he would thank them with lots of money and gifts. When Misae and Hiroshi found out that he wasn't attending Tokyo University, they practically abandoned him. He has visited Shin-chan's family when they moved back into their old house. He works at a supermarket as a part-time job. In FUNimation's dub, Yonro is a sci-fi nerd and supposedly a chronic masturbator who has been repeatedly denied admission to a local technical school, due to the character's appearance.
Atsuko Kutsuzoko (屈底 厚子 Kutsuzoko Atsuko?, Summer (FUNimation))
She is the 18-year-old mother of a 2-year-old daughter. Her actions and style reflect the Japanese younger generation. In the FUNimation dub, she is portrayed to be an American. In the anime, she rents room 205. (She does not live in the apartment in the manga.)
Atsumi Kutsuzoko (屈底 アツミ Kutsuzoko Atsumi?, Paris (FUNimation))
She is the 2-year-old daughter of Atsuko. Her personality is seen to be geared towards an obsessively trend-conscious teenager. (She does not live in the apartment in the manga.) As revealed in the Episode 34 Short "Summer Baby," she is a 6 year old who suffers from dwarfism, which Shin calls "dorkism."
Atsushi Kutsuzoko (屈底 アツシ Kutsuzoko Atsushi?)
Atsuko's husband. He is a truck driver. (He doesn't appear in the manga.)
Kyuji Oda (汚田 急痔 Oda Kyūji?, Barnie Ota (Funimation))
An undercover police officer who works with Kyousuke on a narcotics control case. He rents room 204, although he does not actually live there. He and Kyousuke have gone to Shin-chan's kindergarten to teach the children street smarts. (He and Kyousuke rent room 205 instead in the manga.) He and his partner pose as father and son so as not to draw suspicion. In FUNimation's dub they pose as a homosexual couple.
Kyousuke Nigariya (にがりや 京助 Nigariya Kyōsuke?, Ken Nakatomi (Funimation))
An undercover police officer who works with Kyuji on a narcotics control case. He rents room 204, although he does not actually live there. He and Kyuji have gone to Shin-chan's kindergarten to teach the children street smarts. (He and Kyuji rents room 205 instead in the manga.) He and his partner pose as father and son so as not to draw suspicion. In FUNimation's dub they pose as a homosexual couple.
Yuu Yakutsukuri (役津栗 優 Yakutsukuri Yū?)
She is the resident of room 203 who wants to become an actress. In her second appearance in the FUNimation dub, she confused the Nohara family (particularly Misae) by portraying herself as a man before showing her true identity.
Shinobu Sakai (酒井 しのぶ Sakai Shinobu?)
A college student who has held many part-time jobs to put herself through college, only to lose them often due to Shinchan's antics. She absolutely despises him, but due to her frequent jobs involving customer service, she has to put up with him.

[edit] TV stars and fictional characters

Action Mask (アクション仮面 Akushon Kamen?, Masked Muchacho (phuuz), Action Bastard (FUNimation))
, Action Kamen (hungama)
Shin-chan's favorite superhero in the cartoon within the cartoon. Action Kamen is a spoof of Japan's tokusatsu shows (most notably, the Kamen Rider shows). The phrase "muchacho" means "boy" or "young man" in Spanish. In the European Spanish version he is called Ultrahéroe (Ultrahero) as there he is considered a knock-off of the Ultraman series.
Mimiko Sakura (桜 ミミ子 Sakura Mimiko?, Loli Pop (FUNimation))
Action Kamen's young sidekick in combatting enemies. She is seen to deliver crucial weapons to Action Kamen or give him instructions for new moves.
Buriburizaemon (ぶりぶりざえもん Buriburizaemon?)
A talking "heroic" but actually quite cowardly, lazy, treacherous, and funny pig that appears in some episodes/chapters about ancient Japan. His appearances were limited since his voice actor Kaneto Shiozawa died in 2000. He is, not surprisingly considered a demon or 'rakshas' in the Indian version. In the Star Wars parody Shin Wars (Crayon Wars in Japan), Buriburizaemon was named Ham Solo.
Kantam Robo (カンタムロボ Kantamu Robo?)
Another of Shin-chan's favorite anime character. Kantam Robo parodies the mecha anime genre. The name 'Kantam' is a spoof on the Gundam name, as the Katakana characters 'Ga' (ガ) and 'Da' (ダ) in Gundam (ガンダム) were replaced with the characters 'Ka' (カ) and 'Ta' (タ) instead.
Mahou Shōjo Moe-P
A moe-driven magical girl parody. In the FUNimation dub, Moe-P is renamed Yaz Heiress and is supposedly rich from her dead father's inheritance, spreading the message "Money makes life happy!" to girls everywhere. Georgie has a secret obsession with the character.

[edit] Other characters

Kenta Musashino (武蔵野 剣太 Musashino Kenta?)
Shin-chan's Kendo Master. Age 34. He first appeared in the April 26, 2003 episode "I'm a Kendo Master!" (オラは剣の達人だゾ) to teach Shin-chan the ways of Kendo. Has a habit of always stepping into dog feces whenever he walks away. He made his last appearance in a three episode story-arc on January 31, 2004, when Shin-chan participated in the Kasukabe Budokan Kendo Tournament and won. In the FUNimation dub they made him into a delusional person obsessed with a sci-fi story, convinced that Shin was the prophesied messiah "Dildor".
Atsushi Ōtani (大谷敦士 Ōtani Atsushi?) & Risa Koizumi (小泉リサ Koizumi Risa?)
The two main characters from the shōjo anime/manga series, Lovely Complex. They appear in the episode "It's a Lovely Complex!" (ラブ★コンだぞ Rabu★Kon dazo!), where the two ended up in Kasukabe after they got lost when travelling to Asakusa from Tokyo. As the two begin to blame one another for taking the wrong destination, they encounter Shin-chan, who sees them as a stand-up comic duo (a referrence to both Atsushi and Risa as they are described in Lovely Complex as a couple, and Shin-chan's description of the Saitama Red Scorpions as being comedians rather than an all-female gang). Atsushi and Risa are portrayed by their voice actors from the Lovely Complex anime, Akira Ogata and Akemi Okamura, respectively.

[edit] Notes and references

  1. ^ Official Shin chan website from FUNimation
  2. ^ クレしん質問箱の中身

[edit] English-language adaptations

[edit] English anime

[edit] Vitello/Phuuz Production

The Shin-chan anime had an English dub produced by Vitello Productions in Burbank, California in 1994. The dub, with character names changed, ran on Fox Kids (now JETIX) in the United Kingdom, and on RTÉ Two in the Republic of Ireland in the early 2000s. The dub is of American origin, with actors and actresses such as Kath Soucie, Russi Taylor, Grey DeLisle, and Pat Fraley playing major roles (Soucie plays Shin himself, and his mother). Despite the American origin, this dub was never licensed in North America, likely something to do with the large amount of content that would be considered questionable for children by American censors; although the dub is edited for content, many scenes—including the frequent appearance of Shin's naked buttocks, humor relating to breast-size, transsexualism and other sexual concepts—remain in the finished product. RTÉ Two has not shown the series since 2003, and Jetix only usually shows it as shorts in between programs, with even more edits. Vitello's dub was succeeded by Phuuz Entertainment inc. in 2003, which featured a new cast of voice artists.

An English subtitled version of Crayon Shin-chan ran on KIKU-TV in Hawaii from April 1, 1993 - December 1, 2001. (1)

[edit] English FUNimation version

FUNimation Entertainment has acquired the license for the Shin-chan anime in the US as of 2006. [1] As per all international licenses for the series, TV Asahi remained a licensing partner for North America. The new dub received a month-long test run on Cartoon Network on the Adult Swim programming block. Season 1 returned to Adult Swim on April 9th, 2007, at a 12:30 am EDT timeslot. [2]

The new dub features a Texas-based cast of voice actors, and English scripts written by television writers Jared Hedges, Joel Bergen, Alex Muniz, and a few part-time writers. Comic and television writers Evan Dorkin and Sarah Dyer also contributed to the early scripts (episodes 1-6 and 8) for polish/punch-up. The dub is directed by Zach Bolton, and occasionally Laura Bailey.

FUNimation's dubbing of "Shin Chan" takes many liberties with the source material. Since most episodes do not feature extensive continuity, FUNimation has chosen to take advantage of this by producing episodes of the series out of their original order. As a result, characters such as Ai are introduced much earlier than in the series' original Japanese run.

The FUNimation dub is adult-oriented, with many sexual references, black humor, and references to current popular American culture, the latter of which makes the series appear to be set in the "present day" (2007), rather than in 1992 (the year the series was first broadcast in Japan). For example, in one scene, Ai and Penny argue over which one of them is Jessica Simpson (whose first album wasn't released until the late 90s) and which one is Ashlee Simpson (whose first album wasn't released until the early 2000s), which is very different from the original Japanese script that dealt with many social issues within Japan at the time. At least two episodes reference Rudy Guliani and his unsuccessful bid for President.

The show also created new, previously non-existent backstories, as well as significantly different personalities for the characters, including, but not limited to, Penny Milfer's father (who has yet to appear in the series) being physically abusive toward both his wife and daughter, a running gag that the show uses for black humor. The Principal of Shin's school ("Super Happy Fun Time American School" in the dub) has also been substantially changed, becoming a half Gypsy, half Peruvian man with a complicated prior life that includes a stint as a magician, in which he accidentally killed/castrasted scores of audience members. Miss Polly, one of the teachers, has been rewritten as a kinky nymphomaniac, while Shin's schoolmate Georgie (Kazama in Japanese) has been turned into an absurdly hawkish conservative.

The use of modern American pop culture references to a show otherwise dated by the times was also used in Geneon's dub of the Lupin the 3rd 1977 series. Most episodes of the American dub have received a rating of TV-14, for its relatively strong suggestive dialogue (D) and coarse language (L). However, some episodes are rated TV-MA for more offensive language, stronger sexual dialogue, and objectionable humor/content deemed too strong for a TV-14 rating. Outlines of the episodes used by FUNimation can be found here.

FUNimation episodes are streamed online weekly at Adult Swim's free broadband service, Adult Swim Video, which is available worldwide, as well as being shown on Adult Swim. Also, the tenth episode that was dubbed is available at AdultSwim.com for free as an interactive video. In addition to watching the episode, one can watch video commentary from the FUNimation staff, booth recordings, script comparisons, bios, show artwork, and other special features. The episode can be viewed here.

The first thirteen episodes are scheduled for release on DVD May 13, 2008, by FUNimation Home Entertainment. Season 2 began airing on Adult swim on April 12th, 2008, and continues with new episodes each week in its current time slot of Saturdays, 1:30-2:00 am ET/PT.

[edit] English manga

ComicsOne has translated ten volumes of Shin-chan into English and released it in the United States. Occasional pop culture references familiar to Americans, such as Pokémon and Britney Spears, were added to increase the appeal to American audiences. The comic is oriented to read left to right. Starting with the sixth volume, many of the names were changed to the ones used in the Phuuz English version of the anime, even though the anime never appeared in North America. This translation is rated Teen.

Since then, American publisher DrMaster took over the licenses of several manga series, including Crayon Shin-chan, from ComicsOne. No new volumes of Crayon Shin-chan were released under the DrMaster imprint.

On July 28, 2007, DC Comics' manga division CMX announced the acquisition of the Crayon Shin-chan manga. The CMX version is rated Mature instead of Teen from ComicsOne, because there is no censorship in this version, and so there is nudity, sexual humor, and bad language.

The first volume was released on February 27, 2008, with uncensored art, and the style of jokes that frequent the adult swim dub, but with some throw backs to the original version, such as his original greeting. Unfortunately, cultural references which Comics One would normally pick up on and add footnotes to are generally glossed over in the CMX version. That's not to say the new version has been Westernized as much as given a simplified Japanese setting. While that might not affect the story, it might affect the enjoyment of a non-Japanese reader interested in gaining more insight into Japanese culture.

[edit] Shin-chan in other countries

Crayon Shin-chan is also very popular in many other countries, especially East Asian countries where many of the jokes can be translated (that is, if they aren't censored).

In China, the show and title La Bi Xiao Xin (traditional Chinese: 蠟筆小新; simplified Chinese: 蜡笔小新; pinyin: làbǐ xiǎoxīn) can be viewed on local channels mostly uncensored and well translated. Despite the fact that legal DVD sets and comics are published, most manga/videos bought in China are counterfeits as with Shinchan merchandise. Shinchan merchandise are especially popular among teenagers who often have them as accessories. (eg. cell phone straps) His visage can also be seen next to Doraemon, Garfield, Pokemon and Disney characters in video and toy stores.

In Taiwan, the publisher of Crayon Shin-chan is Tong Li Comics. A Chinese subtitled version of Crayon Shin-chan in Japanese premiered in Taiwan on ETTV on April 13, 1992

In Vietnam, the series' first 5 books were released in July - August 2006. However, Crayon Shinchan received a bad reaction from the Vietnamese society due to some impertinent scenes contained within the books ,especially the sex-related stories (starting from The Workers Newspaper).[1] Even VTV (one of the two nationwide broadcasting systems) criticized the series on its main news program. As a result, Kim Dong publisher (distributor of Shinchan's stories in Vietnam) must stop releasing the series.[2]

In South Korea, the show and comics, titled 짱구는 못말려 (Jjanggu the Unstoppable, literally), are also tremendously popular. Shin-chan's name is changed into "Shin Jjanggu" (신짱구), which is coined by his original Japanese name and the Korean word "jjanggu" (짱구) for "protruding forehead." In Korea, the animated version is severely censored - compared to the original Japanese version. Most South Koreans consider it a kids' cartoon, since many toys and website games there center around 짱구 and is represented as an icon for childish fun there. Scenes revealing Shin-Chan's genitals are mostly censored, with exception to few scenes in which exposure is inevitable, and only few scenes with his buttocks shown remain. Some episodes explicitly displaying adult material are censored, and all mature-themed jokes in the original Japanese version are dubbed into rated-G jokes in Korean to make the series more suitable for children, who were considered the main audience for the show in Korea. However, the comic book version is mostly uncensored, labeled as "for 19 or above."

Shin-chan is one of the most popular anime characters in Indonesia. The Indonesian actor who dubbed Shin-chan's voice (a man aged about twenty but looks like a 12 year old because of a genetic defect), Ony Syahrial, has released multiple records and is even said to resemble Shin-chan. The anime itself was extremely popular yet controversial. It is the first animated show to have a BO (an Indonesian equivalent to the United States rating "PG"). All the dubbers of the anime found success thanks to the show.

Shin-chan found a devoted following in Spain, where the show is broadcast through Cartoon Network, Antena 3 and several autonomic channels in five different languages: Valenciano, Catalan, Euskara, Galician and Castilian/Spanish. The show is uncensored, and in Barcelona (for instance) you can see children wiggling their buttocks and saying "Culet! Culet!" (in the show, Shin Chan says "Buttocks! Buttocks!" when he performs his trademark buttock dance) and is slowing replacing Dragon Ball as an iconic Japanese reference for younger people. Additionally many food products (candies, doughnuts and so on) use Shin Chan on the product packaging. It has proved so successful that several Shin-chan movies have seen a theatrical release nationwide. Also, Spain is the only country outside Japan where a Game Boy Advance game [3] based in the character was released (in 2005 by publisher Atari), with a sequel to follow in Q3 2006 [4]. Despite its success, some TV channels had to move the show to night programming or drop it completely after complaints by parents associations who claimed Shin-chan was not appropriate for children, the biggest followers of the show. Yoshito Usui visited Barcelona in 2004 in order to promote the Spanish release of the manga, when the show was already airing on Catalonia's public television channel TV3. Usui was so impressed by Shin-Chan's popularity he decided to thank his Spanish followers [5] by making an episode that takes place in Barcelona. A curious fact is that the episode is extremely accurate to real life Barcelona (Taxi cabs are in the same specific livery as you can find them in Barcleona)making the episode quite interesting.

The show is also very popular in the Netherlands. Since its start in 2003 on the local Fox Kids / Jetix channel, it was - at first - mostly popular among kids aged 6-12, but not much later also got started a huge following among teens and even young adults. Due to the many sexual jokes and naked buttocks (even though in an edited and sometimes even censored form), and Fox Kids / Jetix being mainly a kids channel, the broadcaster started getting complaints from parents. Putting the facts together that the show appealed to an almost completely different target group, and the many complaints from parents, the channel reduced the amount of airing slots to once or twice a week. Than soon after to one episode short (ten minutes) a week, before being completely fased out. Shins popularity remains, but adult and teen oriented channels remain hesitant of airing the series, due to cartoons having a reputation in the Dutch culture as being 'just for kids', no matter if there's sexual content or not.

In Malaysia, Shin Chan's comic is titled as Dik Cerdas, which roughly means "brilliant kid". Shin Chan's voice in the Malay language version of the anime happens to be voiced by a 15-year-old. Like in South Korea, pictures revealing Shin-Chan's genitals were all censored by cutting the scenes. Mandarin versions however, are not as heavily censored. They are rarer, however and can only be found in places with high Chinese speaking populations.

This show was broadcast in the Philippines, uncensored and dubbed in Filipino. Shin-Chan was voiced by Andrew E., a local rapper notorious for his suggestive lyrics. For some reason, his mother was called "Carmen",his father was called "Bert" and his dog was named "Puti" which means white.

In Latin America, Shin-chan was originally shown on Fox Kids / JETIX in 2003, but was later moved to a new channel at the time, Animax, in mid 2005. There the episodes are shown weekdays, 3 to 4 times a day, and are dubbed over the English edited versions of the anime.

In India Shin-chan is aired on Hungama TV. Shin Chan is growing its fame rapidly in India. Bō is renamed to Suzuki for some reason. For promoting other shows on Hungama TV, the show parodies other shows like Doraemon, which airs just before Crayon Shin-chan. Because it is dubbed in Hindi, the Japanese songs are changed into popular Bollywood numbers. Hungama TV has started airing new episodes from 1st January, 2008. Indian version is one of the better dubbed versions of the show with little or no censor applied in later episodes. However beer has been renamed to juice in later versions. Also whenever Shin Chan gets naked, the groin area is either blurred by pixels or the screen is simply zoomed to the other side to remove the nakedness.

In Poland Shin-chan was aired on Fox Kids / Jetix on 11 pm. with polish dub. Polish version is based on American and uncensored.

[edit] Running times

Crayon Shin-chan's running time varied over time. The show usually broadcasts in a 30-minute time frame but the actual running time is shorter than the time slot allots. When specials or movies are broadcast on TV, the running time is longer, varying from 1 hour to 2 hours.

[edit] Japan

All the times listed here are in Japan Standard Time.
Running Time Starting Date Ending Date Effects
7:00 pm - 7:30 pm on Mondays April 13, 1992 March 18, 1996 The beginning of Crayon Shin-chan show on television.
7:30 pm - 8:00 pm on Fridays April 12, 1996 March 17, 2000 Replacement of a low popularity show in the time slot, right after Doraemon.
7:30 pm - 7:54 pm on Fridays April 14, 2000 March 22, 2002 Shortened running time in order to allow a longer running time for the next show, Music Station. Formerly, one episode out of the three was shortened significantly and the ending theme and new episode broadcast announcements were condensed together. Sometimes, the short episode was shown right before the opening theme. After a while, the show reduced to two episodes per broadcast and the ending theme and episode broadcast announcements were separated to restore into original run format.
7:00 pm - 7:30 pm on Saturdays April 20, 2002 September 13, 2003 Moved to Saturdays in order to allow the broadcasting of a new show, Atashin'chi. Since the running time increased, the number of episodes per broadcast increased from two back to three.
7:00 pm - 7:28 pm on Saturdays November 8, 2003 September 27, 2004 Shortened running time in order to allow a longer running time for the next show, Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo. During this time, there was no ending theme.
7:30 pm - 7:54 pm on Fridays October 22, 2004
——
 Moved to replace Atashin'chi for other programs to broadcast in its time slot on Saturdays. The number of episodes per broadcast again decreased from three to two.

[edit] India

All the times listed here are in Indian Standard Time.
Running Time Starting Date Ending Date Effects
10:00 am - 10:30 am
3:00 pm - 3:30 pm
5:00 pm - 5:30 pm
10:30 pm - 11:00pm
Mondays through Fridays
1:30 pm on Sundays		 June 2006 April 2007 The beginning of Crayon Shin-chan show on Hungama TV in India. Re-runs are on weekends. January 2008
7:00 am - 7:30 am
1:00 pm - 1:30 pm
3:00 pm - 3:30 pm
5:00 pm - 5:30 pm
8:00 pm - 8:30 pm
10:30 pm - 11:00 pm
Mondays through Fridays
2:30 pm - 7:30 pm on Saturdays
1:30 pm on Sundays
 April 21, 2007 January 1, 2008 Airing of new episodes and increased number of time slots.

[edit] United States

All times listed here are Hawaiian Standard Time
Running Time Starting Date Ending Date Notes
9:30 pm - 10:00 pm
(Days of week unknown)
April 4, 1992
December 1, 2001
 Subtitled run on KIKU-TV, limited to station broadcast area in Hawaii.[3]
All times listed here are North American Eastern Time
Running Time Starting Date Ending Date Notes
12:30 am - 1:00 am
Mondays through Thursdays
11:30 pm - 12:00 am on Saturdays
August 19, 2006
September 9, 2006
 Test run of American-dubbed Shin-chan on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim.
12:30 am - 1:00 am
Mondays through Thursdays
April 9, 2007
June 7, 2007
 The beginning of Shin-chan show on Adult Swim - Season 1.
11:30 pm - 12:00 am
Saturdays
June 9, 2007
August 11, 2007
 Season 1 replays.
12:30 am - 1:00 am
Mondays through Friday
December 10, 2007
February 15, 2008
 The remainder of Shin-chan: Season 1. Replays of Season 1 thereafter.
11:30 pm - 12:00 am
Saturdays
April 5, 2008
April 26, 2008
 Season 2 airs.
1:30 am - 2:00 am
Saturdays
May 3, 2008
----------
 Season 2 continues.

[edit] Canada

All the times listed here are in North American Eastern Time.
Running Time Starting Date Ending Date Effects
10:00 pm - 11:00 pm
Mondays
 September 17, 2007 shin Chan Canceled from Adult Swim In Feb. Beginning of Shin-chan on Razer - Season 1. Razer will also broadcast the adult-aimed FUNimation version.

Shin Chan is also aired on SIC channel in Portugal.

[edit] Theme Songs

[edit] Opening Themes

  1. "The Zoo is a Nightmare" (動物園は大変だ Dōbutsuen wa Taihen da?)
  2. "The End of a Dream is Always an Eye-Opener!" (夢のENDはいつも目覚まし！ Yume no END wa Itsumo Mezamashi!?)
    • October 12, 1992 - July 5, 1993
    • Lyricist: Daiko Nagato / Composer: Tetsuro Oda / Arranger: Takeshi Hayama / Singers: B.B.QUEENS
    • Episode Range: 22-57
  3. "I am Super Popular" (オラはにんきもの Ora wa Ninki Mono?)
  4. "Let's Go With Pakappo!" (パカッポでGO！ Pakappo de GO!?)
  5. "All Year Through Crazy For You - 'I Want You'" (年中夢中"I want you" Nenjū Muchū "I want you"?)
  6. "Fly Fly Ladies" (とべとべ おねいさん Tobe Tobe Oneisan?)
  7. "The Song of No's" (ダメダメのうた Dame Dame no Uta?)
    • June 2, 2000 - January 11, 2003
    • Lyricist/Composer: LADY Q / Arranger: Toshiya Mori / Singers: LADY Q and Shinnosuke Nohara (Akiko Yajima) and Misae Nohara (Miki Narahashi)
    • Episode Range: 359-458
  8. "PLEASURE"
  9. "Leisurely De-O!" (ユルユルで DE-O！ Yuruyuru de DE-O!?)
    • October 22, 2004 - February 23, 2007
    • Lyricist: Yuji Muto / Composer/Arranger: Yasunari Nakamura / Singer: Shinnosuke Nohara (Akiko Yajima)
    • Episode Range: 509-594
  10. "Leisurely De-O! Crayon Friends 2007 Version" (ユルユルで DE-O！ 2007クレヨンフレンズVersion Yuruyuru de DE-O! 2007 Kureyon Furenzu Version?)
    • March 9, 2007 - June 15, 2007
    • Lyricist: Yuji Muto / Composer: Yasunari Nakamura / Arranger: Takafumi Iwasaki / Singer: Shinnosuke Nohara (Akiko Yajima) and Crayon Friends from AKB48
    • Episode Range: 595-602
  11. "Leisurely De-O!" (ユルユルで DE-O！ Yuruyuru de DE-O!?)
    • June 22, 2007 -
    • Lyricist: Yuji Muto/ Composer: Yasunari Nakamura / Arranger: Takafumi Iwasaki / Singer: Shinnosuke Nohara (Akiko Yajima) and Crayon Friends from AKB48
    • Episode Range: 603-???

[edit] Ending themes

  1. "Sing a Song" (うたをうたおう Uta o Utaō?)
  2. "I Want to be Honest" (素直になりたい Sunao ni Naritai?)
    • October 12, 1992 - July 5, 1993
    • Lyricist/Composer/Singer: Hiromi Yonemura / Arranger: Itaru Watanabe
    • Episode Range: 22-57
  3. "Why?" (DO-して DO-shite?)
  4. "Shin-chan Ondo" (しんちゃん音頭 Shinchan Ondo?)
    • June 6, 1994 - August 29, 1994
    • Lyricist: Moichi Kato / Composers/Arrangers: Ozutairiku and Yasuhiko Hoshino / Singers: Yuko and Shinnosuke Nohara (Akiko Yajima)
    • Episode Range: 100-112
  5. "Parijona Military Maneuver" (パリジョナ大作戦 Parijona Daisakusen?)
    • September 5, 1994 - September 18, 1995
    • Lyricist: Marron Koshaku / Composer/Arranger: Takashi Kimura / Singers: Marron Koshaku and Shinnosuke Nohara (Akiko Yajima)
    • Episode Range: 113-160
  6. "REGGAE"
    • October 9, 1995 - May 24, 1996
    • Lyricist/Singer: KOTONE / Composers: KEISUKE and Yoichi Yamazaki / Arranger: Yuzo Hayashi
    • Episode Range: 161-188
  7. "Shin-chan Ondo ~Dance With Me!~" (しんちゃん音頭～オラといっしょにおどろうよ!～ Shinchan Ondo ~Ora to Issho ni Odorō yo!~?)
    • June 7, 1996 - September 13, 1996
    • Lyricist: Moichi Kato / Composers: Ozutairiku and Yasuhiko Hoshino / Arrangers: Daisaku Kume and Kiyohiko Semba / Singers: Haruo Minami and Shinnosuke Nohara (Akiko Yajima)
    • Episode Range: 189-202
  8. "Boys Be Brave" (BOYS BE BRAVE～少年よ勇気を持て～ BOYS BE BRAVE ~Shōnen yo Yūki o Mote~?)
    • October 11, 1996 - September 26, 1997
    • Lyricists: Aki Okui and Lemon Saito / Composer/Singer: Aki Okui / Arranger: Akitoshi Onodera
    • Episode Range: 203-248
  9. "The Night of Gently Falling Moonlight" (月灯りふんわり落ちてくる夜 Tsuki Akari Funwari Ochite Kuru Yoru?)
  10. "I Love My Girl" (スキスキ♡マイガール Sukisuki ♡ Mai Gāru?)
  11. "Today I've Got a Date" (今日はデート Kyō wa Dēto?)
  12. "I Love All of You." (全体的に大好きです。 Zentai Teki ni Daisuki desu.?)
  13. "The Song of My Contract with My Mother" (ママとのお約束条項の歌 Mama to no Oyakusoku Jōkō no Uta?)
  14. "The Ant Song" (ありの歌 Ari no Uta?)

[edit] Movies

  • July 24, 1993: Crayon Shin-chan: Action Kamen vs Haigure Devil (クレヨンしんちゃん アクション仮面VSハイグレ魔王 Kureyon Shinchan: Akushon Kamen tai Haigure Maō?)
    • Theme Song: "I am an Eternal Child" (僕は永遠のお子様 Boku wa Eien no Okosama?)
    • Lyricist: Shizuru Ohtaka / Composer: Osamu Masaki / Arranger: Yuzo Hayashi / Singer: Mew (Miyuki Kajitani)
  • April 23, 1994: Crayon Shin-chan: Treasure of Buri Buri Kingdom (クレヨンしんちゃん ブリブリ王国の秘宝 Kureyon Shinchan: Buriburi Ōkoku no Hihō?)
    • Theme Song: "Promise to See You!" (約束See You！ Yakusoku See You!?)
    • Lyricist: AIKO / Composer: Akira Shirakawa / Arranger: Mari Konishi / Singer: Kyoko Kishi
  • April 15, 1995: Crayon Shin-chan: Plot of Unkokusai (クレヨンしんちゃん 雲黒斎の野望 Kureyon Shinchan: Unkokusai no Yabō?)
    • Theme Song: "Help Me Kesuta" (たすけてケスタ Tasukete Kesuta?)
    • Lyricist: Nozomi Inoue / Composer: Yasuo Kosugi / Arranger: Yuzo Hayashi / Singer: Sachiko Sugimoto
  • April 13, 1996: Crayon Shin-chan: Adventure in Henderland (クレヨンしんちゃん ヘンダーランドの大冒険 Kureyon Shinchan: Hendārando no Daibōken?)
  • April 19, 1997: Crayon Shin-chan: Pursuit of the Dark Tama Tama (クレヨンしんちゃん 暗黒タマタマ大追跡 Kureyon Shinchan: Ankoku Tamatama Daitsuiseki?)
    • Theme Song: Himawari's House (ひまわりの家 Himawari no Ie?)
    • Lyricist/Composer/Arranger/Singer: Kazuo Zaitsu
  • April 18, 1998: Crayon Shin-chan: Blitzkrieg! Pig's Hoof's Secret Mission (クレヨンしんちゃん 電撃！ブタのヒヅメ大作戦 Kureyon Shinchan: Dengeki! Buta no Hizume Daisakusen?)
    • Theme Song: "PURENESS"
    • Lyricists: IZAM, SAKA Chan / Composers: KUZUKI, SHAZNA / Arrangers: Nobuhiko Sato, Kazuhisa Yamaguchi, SHAZNA / Singers: SHAZNA
  • April 17, 1999: Crayon Shin-chan: Boom! Exciting Battle at the Hot Spring/Kureshin Paradise! Made in Saitama (クレヨンしんちゃん 爆発！温泉わくわく大決戦／クレしんパラダイス！メイド・イン・埼玉 Kureyon Shinchan: Bakuhatsu! Onsen Wakuwaku Daikessen/Kureshin Paradaisu! Meido In Saitama?)
    • Theme Song: "It's Good Hot Water" (いい湯だな Ii Yu da na?)
    • Lyricist: Rokusuke Ei / Composer: Taku Izumi / Arranger: Mumon Toyama / Singers: The Nohara Family & Onsen Wakuwaku '99
  • April 22, 2000: Crayon Shin-chan: The Storm Called Rumble in the Jungle (クレヨンしんちゃん 嵐を呼ぶジャングル Kureyon Shinchan: Arashi o Yobu Janguru?)
    • Theme Song: "Goodbye Thank You" (さよならありがとう Sayonara Arigatō?)
    • Lyricist: Takashi Matsumoto / Composer: Toshiaki Matsumoto / Arranger: Motoyoshi Iwasaki / Singer: Sachiko Kobayashi (Chorus: Otowa Yurikago-kai)
  • April 21, 2001: Crayon Shin-chan: The Storm Called: The Adult Empire Strikes Back (クレヨンしんちゃん 嵐を呼ぶ モーレツ！オトナ帝国の逆襲 Kureyon Shinchan: Arashi o Yobu: Mōretsu! Otana Teikoku no Gyakushū?)
    • Theme Song: "In Good Spirits" (元気でいてね Genki de Ite ne?)
    • Lyricist: Mitsuko Shiramine / Composer/Arranger: Motoyoshi Iwasaki / Singer: Sachiko Kobayashi
  • April 20, 2002: Crayon Shin-chan: The Storm Called: The Battle of the Warring States (クレヨンしんちゃん 嵐を呼ぶ アッパレ！戦国大合戦 Kureyon Shinchan: Arashi o Yobu: Appare! Sengoku Daikassen?)
    • Theme Song: "In Two Fantasies ~Girls Taking a Break During Phys. Ed.~" (二中のファンタジー～体育を休む女の子編～ Ni chū no Fantajī ~Taiiku o Yasumu Onnanoko Hen~?)
    • Lyricist/Composer/Singer: Dance☆Man
  • April 19, 2003: Crayon Shin-chan: The Storm Called: Glorious Grilled Meat Road (クレヨンしんちゃん 嵐を呼ぶ 栄光のヤキニクロード Kureyon Shinchan: Arashi o Yobu: Eikō no Yakuniku Rōdo?)
  • April 17, 2004: Crayon Shin-chan: The Storm Called: The Kasukabe Boys of the Evening Sun (クレヨンしんちゃん 嵐を呼ぶ！夕陽のカスカベボーイズ Kureyon Shinchan: Arashi o Yobu! Yūhi no Kasukabe Bōizu?)
    • Theme Song: "Let Me Circle" (○（マル）あげよう Maru Ageyō?)
    • Lyricists: Teruyoshi Uchimura with Boon Companions and Emi Makiho / Composer/Arranger: Yasumasa Sato / Singers: NO PLAN
  • April 16, 2005: Crayon Shin-chan: The Legend Called Buri Buri 3 Minutes Charge (クレヨンしんちゃん 伝説を呼ぶブリブリ 3分ポッキリ大進撃 Kureyon Shinchan: Densetsu o Yobu Buriburi: Sanpun Bokkiri Daishingeki?)
    • Theme Song: "CraYon Beats"
    • Lyricist/Singer: AI / Composers: AI, Kenji Hino, DJ YUTAKA (813) / Arrangers: Kenji Hino, DJ YUTAKA (813)
  • April 15, 2006: Crayon Shin-chan: The Legend Called: Dance! Amigo! (クレヨンしんちゃん 伝説を呼ぶ 踊れ！アミーゴ！ Kureyon Shinchan: Densetsu o Yobu: Odore! Amīgo!?)
    • Theme Song: "GO WAY!!"
    • Lyricist/Singer: Kumi Koda / Composer/Arranger: Hiroshi Komatsu
  • April 21, 2007: Crayon Shin-chan: The Legend Called: The Singing Bomb (クレヨンしんちゃん 嵐を呼ぶ 歌うケツだけ爆弾！ Kureyon Shinchan: Arashi o Yobu: Utau Ketsudake Bakudan!?)
    • Theme Song: "Cry Baby"
    • Lyricist: Naoki Takada / Composers: Naoki Takada and Shintaro "Growth" Izutsu / Arranger: Shintaro "Growth" Izutsu / Singer: SEAMO
  • April 19, 2008: クレヨンしんちゃん　ちょー嵐を呼ぶ　金矛の勇者
    • Theme Song: "Let's go as a popular person!" (人気者で行こう！ Ninkimono de Ikō!?)
    • Singer: DJ OZMA

There have been other specials in which feature-length movies were broadcast on television rather than in theaters.

[edit] Voice actors

[edit] Original japanese version (seiyū)

[edit] English version

The first dubbed cast (produced by Vitello Productions) included:

In December 2004, a second dubbed series of Shin-Chan began to air on Fox Kids UK (now JETIX UK), and it was immediately evident that the entire English cast had been replaced. While the actors are clearly still American, Some companies like JETIX' habit of cutting the closing credits from many of its shows means that they are unidentified.

The Second dubbed cast (produced by phuuz entertainment inc.) includes:

The third dubbed cast (produced by FUNimation) includes:

[edit] Galician version

  • Ana Lemos - Shinnosuke "Shin-chan" Nohara

[edit] Tagalog version

[edit] Polish version

  • Brygida Turowska - Shinnosuke "Shin-chan" Nohara
  • Cynthia Kaszyńska - Mitsy Nohara
  • Jarosław Domin - Harry Nohara
  • Dorota Kawęcka - Cosmo
  • Anna Wiśniewska - Nini
  • Lucyna Malec - Max
  • Leszek Zduń - Bo
  • Miriam Aleksandrowicz - Marty
  • Ewa Serwa - Miss Uma

[edit] References

  1. ^ NLĐO - Tre con se hoc tap gi o “Shin - cau be but chi”? ~ Trẻ con sẽ học tập gì ở “Shin - cậu bé bút chì”? - BẠN ĐỌC VIẾT
  2. ^ Ngừng phát hành "Cậu bé bút chì"
  3. ^ KIKU-TV listing of Crayon Shin-chan in schedule archive

[edit] External links