Crayon Shin-chan: Pursuit of the Balls of Darkness

A strange organisation appears in Kasukabe and starts hunting balls of darkness from every corner of the world. Once assembled they will release a great power. Shinnosuke's family becomes involved by accident, and the five-year-old ends up the only obstacle to the plan. The subject is not adventure but the odd durability a family shows in saving one another. The known template of the Shin-chan films operates here too: a narrative that runs on crude jokes arrives unexpectedly at an emotional passage, and a production written for children suddenly addresses the parents. The form is broader than the television episodes. The action sequences are long, the locations change often, and the structure is arranged as a world tour. It is the fifth film in the series and Keiichi Hara's first as director of a Shin-chan feature. Hara went on to give the series its most recognised films in the years that followed, and this is counted as the beginning of that period. Akiko Yajima voices Shinnosuke. Who it is for: viewers following the Shin-chan series and anyone who likes Japanese family animation. Who it is not for: anyone who dislikes crude humour; the film applies no brake at all.