Shin Chan- Animated series, Hungama TV
This is one of my old reviews published elsewhere in 2007. The serial on topic is shown no more on TV and I understand it was banned. Read further to know why a children’s serial should be banned.
What is it?
Most, may hear this name for the first time. When we think of Hungama TV or Pogo, obvious name comes to our mind probably is, “Takeshi’s Castle”, where Japanese folks generally make fool of themselves while we laugh at Javed Jaffery’s Hindi elucidation. Takeshi’s castle compared to Shin Chan is like Bay watch to Playboy late night.
Shin Chan is a comic animated series of Japanese origin (named Crayon Shin Chan). The show here is dubbed in Hindi. I have seen the show aired at late night 10:30pm on weekdays, which most likely, is a repeat. The regular timing is in the morning and late enough to be missed by the school going kids. I was surprised to discover that Shin Chan is a universally acclaimed series. Shin Chan fans are called “Bastard Brigade” .
Now the real inexplicable part- The show just looks like a kids show, it’s actually not ? I am unsure this series is meant for kids or their parents? I will try to cover the main characters & the contents; MS intelligentsia may apply their judicious wisdom to decide the suitability for kid’s viewing! BTW the Shin Chan official website says it’s an adult show!
Shin Chan is the name of a 5-year-old Japanese kid, the protagonist of the series. The series is created on Japanese art of animation (Manga); meaning- limbs, faces and expressions are somewhat exaggerated and made weird to portray any specific emotions or situation. White drops of perspiration on the head and rapid radical change in facial complexion, included.
Characters & Content
Sin Chan is a story about the everyday life of Nohara family centered on Shin Chan. Nohara family consists of Sinshan’s dad, mom, his sister and their puppy. The puppy is named Sheroo (in Hindi). Sin Chan goes to a KG school where he has fellow classmates, a class teacher named Yoshinaka madam, the school principal, another teacher called Matsuzaka. The commonly featured friends of Sinchan are Masao and Hitoshi. There are some others as well, but its difficult to remember and pronounce Japanese names.
The official website of Shin Chan (yes, it has one) and Wikipedia says:
“Shin chan is a 5-year-old boy with a devilish charm, carefree attitude and a natural quality of inviting trouble. He can single-handedly turn a pleasant afternoon into a never-ending battle of wits.
One can hardly blame him for being a one-kid disaster squad, as these qualities are adopted by him from his own parents. ……, Shin Chan takes you through a hilarious series of events.”
Apparently, the description above reminds us of Dennis the menace. But it’s greatly different from the innocence of Dennis series. Each episode of Sin Chan deals with a various situation faced by Nohara family- his school & student outings, visit to the local departmental store, an weekend trip to the zoo, visit to a hospital to see someone unwell, mother’s back-pain, drunken spree of dad, buying something for the house, a visit to the library, a day of home alone, training for earthquake protection, etc etc. The show demonstrates how Shin Chan’s bizarre and wicked tricks invariably leads to major embarrassment to all involved and finally makes his disgruntled parents go red with infamy. The size & shape of consequential swelling on Shin Chan’s cranium is directly proportional to the fury of his mother. Acutely enough, his dad gets the same treatment as well. The series indeed is somewhat insane.
Animated innuendo?
The humour in the original Japanese series is rooted on Shin Chan’s inappropriately distorted commonly used phrases, coupled with his uncanny behaviors, thus creating awkward situation for his parents. Though, the Hindi translation fails to capture the same linguistic exclusivity, this setback is attempted to overcome by using really eerie kid voices for Shin Chan & his friends and some apt contextualization in the naming.
Shin Chan is obsessed with some part of female anatomy, especially his teachers’. He is notoriously clever to provoke that sales girl in miniskirt climb atop a table, for his viewing pleasure. He forces his dad to think about a supplement “model” mom in a bikini. He sings “barsaat ke raat mein humse mile tum…” with his drunken dad in an obnoxious tone to wake the entire neighborhood up at mid night. He is infamous in school for triggering professional rivalry between his teachers into lewd catfights. His comments towards his parents, teachers, and even complete strangers are horribly gawky. He leaves his Principal blush in indignity; Doctors succumb to insults, librarian shout like dog, and his parents exhausted & hopeless. No kidding here.
Inference
All of us, who are in the life’s sole & toughest task of bringing up kids, may closely connect with a heartfelt association with Shin Chan, the series. However, I do not have any doubt towards the serial’s enlightening value to parents. It may be shown to a kid for “what not to do”. But then, in today’s context where most kids are smarter than their parents, they may implement few of the tricks learnt from this series. However, like all impish & uncanny, these series do infuse a sense of noxious attraction towards this weird comedy show, and makes us parents grin to the satanic charm of Shin Chan!
Corollary
1. Everything animated may not be for kids.
2. When kids watch something on TV, keep an eye…;-), you may like it too
AEIOU ¿ ® 