Review: 'Crayon Shin-chan: Invasion!! Alien Shiriri' has a more likeable Shinnosuke

Secret ending: Yes! It resolves a major plotline.

Running time: 103 minutes (~1.75 hours)

“Crayon Shin-chan: Invasion!! Alien Shiriri (クレヨンしんちゃん 襲来!!宇宙人シリリ)” is a Japanese 2D animated adventure comedy in Japanese that’s the 25th instalment in the “Crayon Shin-chan” franchise. Crayon Shin-chan is also known as 蠟筆小新, or La bi Xiao xin, in Chinese.

The film revolves around the titular alien Shiriri. Shinnosuke’s family must help Shiriri return to his father, and their quest takes them to some unexpected places.

“Crayon Shin-chan: Invasion!! Alien Shiriri (クレヨンしんちゃん 襲来!!宇宙人シリリ)” is directed by Masakazu Hashimoto and written by Yoshito Usui. It features the voice talents of Akiko Yajima (Shinnosuke Nohara), Miki Narahashi (Misae Nohara), Toshiyuki Morikawa (Hiroshi Nohara), Satomi Korogi (Himawari Nohara), Miyuki Sawashiro (Shiriri), Hiroyuki Miyasako (Shiriri’s father).

“Crayon Shin-chan: Invasion!! Alien Shiriri (クレヨンしんちゃん 襲来!!宇宙人シリリ)” is the fourth “Crayon Shin-chan” film to feature aliens. Other films also feature otherworldly races, but those come from different dimensions or fantasy realms. As far as “Crayon Shin-chan” films go, this is a pretty entertaining instalment. It features more of Shinnosuke’s family rather than his friends, although they do make an appearance later in the film. Be sure to watch the post credits scene to understand the story better!

Highlights

Hilarious as usual

The film is as hilarious as ever, with a wide mix of jokes ranging from wordplay to visual humour. Rather notably, it doesn’t feature as many crass jokes as the series normally does, choosing instead to showcase a variety of comedy. It’s a pleasant surprise, and makes this film funnier than previous “Crayon Shin-chan” movies.

Shinnosuke is less bratty

Shinnosuke (Akiko Yajima), the protagonist of the series, is also less vulgar in this film. If anything, it shows a different, kinder side of Shinnosuke. He’s less of a tiny pervert here, and more of a boy who makes a new friend. This change is rather refreshing for such an old character. Of course, he still keeps some of his trademark antics in the film.

Shiriri is literally ugly but adorable

The other main character of the film, Shiriri (Miyuki Sawashiro), looks hideous, as does the rest of his species. Despite this, he eventually grows on you and even becomes adorable. For such an awful-looking character, he displays a large range of emotions that elicit sympathy from you.

An unexpected plot twist

The premise of the film takes a different turn in a startling development midway through the movie. “Crayon Shin-chan: Invasion!! Alien Shiriri (クレヨンしんちゃん 襲来!!宇宙人シリリ)” might be a comedy, but there’s a surprising amount of story in there. What happens in Act Three contributes to Shiriri’s character development and cuteness.

Letdowns

Feels extremely long

“Crayon Shin-chan: Invasion!! Alien Shiriri (クレヨンしんちゃん 襲来!!宇宙人シリリ)” clocks in at 103 minutes, which is a decent length. Yet this running time feels like it’s two hours long, thanks to how the exposition is delivered and how it keeps teasing Shiriri’s end goal. The pacing could have been tighter and more consistent.

A terribly draggy Act Two

A large factor in why “Crayon Shin-chan: Invasion!! Alien Shiriri (クレヨンしんちゃん 襲来!!宇宙人シリリ)” feels so long is that Act Two goes into random segues and scenes for jokes that don’t always work. Shinnosuke and his family find themselves in all sorts of ludicrous situations which aren’t exceptionally funny, nor are they visually exciting. It feels like filler material to stretch the movie’s length, and could have been judiciously trimmed for a faster film.

“Crayon Shin-chan: Invasion!! Alien Shiriri (クレヨンしんちゃん 襲来!!宇宙人シリリ)” gives us a more likeable Shinnosuke which, in turn, creates greater humour and more emotionally stirring scenes. It might not be the most memorable “Crayon Shin-chan” movie, but it adds dimension to a character who’s normally portrayed as a caricature.

Should you watch this at weekday movie ticket prices? Yes.

Should you watch this at weekend movie ticket prices? If you’re a “Crayon Shin-chan” fan.

Score: 3.0/5

“Crayon Shin-chan: Invasion!! Alien Shiriri (クレヨンしんちゃん 襲来!!宇宙人シリリ)” opens in cinemas:
– 20 July, 2017 (Singapore)
– 12 July, 2017 (Philippines)

Marcus Goh is a Singapore television scriptwriter, having written for “Police & Thief”, “Incredible Tales”, “Crimewatch”, and “Point of Entry”. He’s also a Transformers enthusiast and avid pop culture scholar. You can find him on social media as Optimarcus and on his site. The views expressed are his own.

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