Crayon Shin-chan: Action Mask vs. Leotard Devil

Action Mask, the superhero from television, actually turns up in Kasukabe one day and wants something from Shin-chan. The reason is a plan by a villain called Haigure Maou to take over the world, whose weapon changes people's clothes in an instant. Five-year-old Shin-chan, his family and his friends end up in the middle of this absurd threat. This is the first feature film in the Crayon Shin-chan series. Directed by Mitsuru Hongo, it keeps the television register: crude jokes, fast cuts, and references hidden for adult viewers. Superhero parody is the film's main axis, and the Action Mask motif that runs through the series is established here. The narrative is simple but the tempo is high; the family passage at the end tries out for the first time the emotional note the later films would repeat. Who it's for: Crayon Shin-chan viewers and anyone who likes 1990s anime comedy and superhero parody. Who it's not for: The humour rests on body jokes and what comes out of the child's mouth will strike some viewers as inappropriate. Newcomers also lack the context.