Crayon Shin-chan: Pursuit of the Balls of Darkness

1997 1h 39m JA

👍

7.3

SOLID

★7.3TMDB · 58

AnimationComedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The Noharas get caught between two rival clans when Himawari swallows a pretty bead that turns out to be a mysterious ball with hidden powers.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Akiko Yajima
Shinnosuke Nohara (voice)
Miki Narahashi
Misae Nohara (voice)
Keiji Fujiwara
Hiroshi Nohara (voice)
Satomi Korogi
Himawari Nohara (voice)
Ako Mayama
Shuyuryo's mother (voice)
Chie Sato
Bo-chan (voice)
Daisuke Gori
Rose (voice)
Fumihiko Tachiki
Satake (voice)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Keiichi Hara
Writers: Keiichi Hara, Keiichi Hara
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

29 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Crayon Shin-chan Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Keiichi Hara, shot by Toshiyuki Umeda. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Toshiyuki Arakawa. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Hajime Okayasu shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Akiko Yajima and Miki Narahashi and Keiji Fujiwara carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0406672 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 58 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Keiichi Hara directs. Toshiyuki Umeda behind the camera. Toshiyuki Arakawa scores. Hajime Okayasu cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

129 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Part of the "Crayon Shin-chan Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
3Directed by Keiichi Hara, shot by Toshiyuki Umeda. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Toshiyuki Arakawa. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Hajime Okayasu shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Akiko Yajima and Miki Narahashi and Keiji Fujiwara carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0406672 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 58 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Toshiyuki Umeda
Original score: Toshiyuki Arakawa
Editing: Hajime Okayasu
Runtime: 99 min · 1h 39m
Status: Released
Box office: $2,305,994
Original language: JA
Certification (US): 7
IMDB: Crayon Shin-chan: Pursuit of the Balls of Darkness (1997)

Part of

Crayon Shin-chan Collection

The regular series follows the adventures of the five-year-old Shinnosuke "Shin" Nohara and his parents, baby sister, dog, neighbours, and friends and is set in Kasukabe, Saitama Prefecture.