The popular anime "Crayon Shin-chan" (TV Asahi, Saturday 4:30 pm) was broadcast on April 26th, and Kumamon, the PR mascot for Kumamoto Prefecture, made a surprise appearance. In the preview for next week's episode, which was broadcast on April 19th, a completely black screen was shown with the announcement, "Next time, we'll be collaborating with a popular person whose name includes 'Mon'!" This became a hot topic on social media, and on that day's broadcast, it was revealed that the collaborating partner would be Kumamon.
In "Crayon Shin-chan," the story is set in Kasukabe City, Saitama Prefecture, while the father, Hiroshi, is from Akita Prefecture and the mother, Misae, is from Kumamoto Prefecture. In 2022, the three prefectures of Akita, Saitama, and Kumamoto signed a "family city" agreement. With the goal of "doing things that will cheer up the whole of Japan," the three prefectures have been deepening their ties by holding various events. "Crayon Shin-chan chan" began serialization in "Manga Action" (Futabasha) in 1990, and this year marks its 35th anniversary, and Kumamon's 15th anniversary since its debut, marking the occasion of this anime collaboration.
The April 26th broadcast started with Shinnosuke's introduction, "This year marks the 15th anniversary of Kumamon's debut! I'm good friends with Kumamon, and we played together the other day." In the collaboration episode, "Kumamon Has Come," Kumamon plays a major role in the world of "Crayon Shin-chan."
While Shinnosuke, Kazama, Nene, Masao, and Bo were playing at Futaba Kindergarten, the cheetahs started picking on them. The group confronted each other, but the cheetah called out to Kumamon, saying, "Please help me, teacher!" Shinnosuke and his friends had a great time playing with Higo tops, a traditional folk craft that Kumamoto is proud of. Meanwhile, Kumamon was making some disturbing moves, and there was a scene where he seemed to be a spy for Kumamoto Prefecture. In the "Higo Temari Dodgeball" game, Shinnosuke and Kumamon faced off against each other.
To commemorate this collaboration, a giveaway is being held in which five people will win a "Kumamon Plush Toy Shin-chan Version." The deadline for applications is May 3rd at 4:30 pm.
