Crayon Shin-Chan: Shiro and the Coal Town is the second fusion of Crayon Shin-Chan, beloved anime, and the cult favourite Boku no Nasuyatsumi series. If I’ve lost you already, don’t worry, same. I’ve got zero familiarity with half of this equation — I’ve definitely heard of Shin-Chan, but I’ve never seen an episode or movie, or read any manga. Judging by what the game presents, there’s a real wit and charm to it, almost like an adult’s perspective of being five again. This sense of youth makes it a perfect match for the other half of the equation.
Boku no Nasuyatsumi. In brief — you’re a kid, it’s a rural summer holiday, go make your own fun. You catch bugs, fish, help out villagers and family alike. You’re everything being a kid entails — free, untethered (bar a bedtime). The days yawn, memories are made, the sun goes down. Rinse, repeat. This is paired with a wistful, nearly melancholic vibe that runs underneath — looking back as an adult at what shaped you into who you are today.
Shiro and The Coal Town manages to walk this line of wistfulness, despite being more of a “gamey” game than other adjacent titles. There’s the pre-rendered backgrounds for one, which are beautiful renditions of the Japanese countryside in the summer light. Rice fields stretch out like veins, distant hills roll, the houses are close but very distinct. This contrasts nicely against the way characters are rendered — a transplant of Crayon Shin-Chan’s style to 3D. They all have such a spirit to them, everyone looks unique and is wonderfully expressive, more than making up for a penchant for repeated dialogue.
Of special note is the titular Coal Town. This odd, magical realist place is in a sort of permanent sunset, an autumnal contrast against the summery village. The presence of industry, and its impact on workers and townsfolk, is rife. Gigantic machines, cogs, wheels, dust and dirt. And it’s all rendered in angles, in shonky roofs and wavy streets, summoning Studio Ghibli to mind. As a bonus? The game works fantastically on Steam Deck!
However. Sadly, all is not well. As mentioned before, the handful of dialogue finds itself repeating frequently. This sucks the life out of the game very slowly, which works so well to build through animation and visual design. It’s a shame that the townsfolk and villagers never manage to escape the artifice, because it really underscores how repetitive a game of this nature is.
Later in the game, you’re tasked with gathering large quantities of stuff to progress. I understand the point – you don’t have to do it in a single in-game day — but I saw the quantities and I saved and I quit. I came back, of course, but the goal worked against the sort of feeling of scrabbling around for cool rocks and fun fish. When the aim is simply to find them all, or not, it’s easy to fish all day. When I have to catch two rare ones to check off a list? I am no longer a silly kid on holiday, I am working.
However, the main thing that shines underneath this, and carries it forward, is Shin-Chan himself. This five year old is an absolute blast. He’s this wee ball of earnest goofiness, just wants to help. And the running animation! All Butt Alien is simply one of the silliest, greatest animations of all time. It’s so difficult to maintain a grudge against the checklist style design, the feeling of having to min-max a summer holiday, when you get to inhabit the shoes of this menace.
His oddball sensibilities contrast fantastically against the wider atmosphere. Yasujirō Ozu peaks round the curtain once more in its love of naturalistic pillow shots — shots of the environment, domesticity, in between scenes — and the general meditative pace. It’s a really warm, homely game.
If only to experience the wonder that is Shinnosuke Nohara, it is well worth checking out the next train to Coal Town.
Crayon Shin-Chan Shiro and The Coal Town is available on PC and Nintendo Switch.
