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Cel Shaded
Jason Yadao
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‘Shin-chan’ changes; ‘Gospel’ ends
Picking up on a few topics covered here and in "Drawn & Quartered" over the past few months:
As of the deadline for this column (Thursday), three different episodes of "Crayon Shin-chan" have aired in Cartoon Network's Adult Swim lineup. Names and voices have been changed in what has been called a "reversioned" show by licensee Funimation in the closing credits. The show's opening has been reduced to a few seconds, and the closing theme -- the one with "Party party join us join us" in the chorus -- has new English lyrics.
Oh, yes, and Shin-chan's "Mr. Elephant"? Digitally censored.
But perhaps the biggest change that will disappoint fans of "Shin-Chan" from his days on KIKU-TV are the Americanized jokes and cultural references. In short, the series has gone from raunchy with a touch of innocence to just plain raunchy.
That strategy might have worked with projects like ADV's "Super Milk-Chan Show" or "Ghost Stories," and it might help the show gain more of the audience that made shows like "Tom Goes to the Mayor" (ugh) Adult Swim staples. Local fans and purists, though, will likely cringe and hope the DVD release offers an untouched version ...
Meanwhile, those of you who read "Project T," a "Drawn & Quartered" miniseries by Wilma J. and I about the works of Rumiko Takahashi, might remember that the manga artist has left one series unfinished for several years now: "One-Pound Gospel."
(And if you don't remember or never read "Project T," look it up on starbulletin.com. This has been a Shameless Plug.)
An announcement in Young Sunday magazine in Japan and reported online at Rumic World (www.furinkan.com) stated that Takahashi intends to finally finish this tale of a boxer and a nun in five installments starting Nov. 22. This wraps up a story that started running in 1987 ...
Cel Shaded, a look at the world of Japanese anime and manga, appears every Monday. Reach
Jason S. Yadao at
jyadao@starbulletin.com