Shinchan – A threat to children?

By Meghna Roy

 
Shinchan is not just a cartoon, but an emotion in the hearts of many children, not only in the Indian context but also worldwide. Parents generally have their ways to educate their children according to their belief system. But in contemporary times, most parents are working, so cartoons become the ultimate source of entertainment for kids. Cartoons or animation are not only entertain a child but also educate him or her. The animation series Shinchan first got attention from the Japanese society, and it first started as a manga. The show follows a 5-year-old boy named Shinnosuke Nohara, popularly also known as the character Shinchan, who frequently makes jokes that are not suitable for a young child, such as speaking back to parents or pulling skirts can have a detrimental impact on the mind of a child.
 
Shinchan is a cartoon more suited to be served to a mature audience. The younger audience still don’t know the difference between good and bad. Parents are of the opinion that it can cause serious psychological problems in a child. For example in the cartoon on episode 18 it was shown Shinchan was waiting for his mom and his mom left some clothes hanging outside their house and it starts to rain. Shinchan goes outside and starts to take off the pin that hold the clothes and he starts hanging outside in the hope of being able to get drenched in the rain. It is very inappropriate for Shinchan, even though his intention was good, but it’s better to ask an elder before a young child does something, even if it is with a good intention.
 
Even though Shinchan looks like a child, his behavioural attributes don’t match those of a child. Even if the audiences are children, they must view it under the supervision of adults. In some cases, it has been seen that after watching Shinchan, children are becoming aggressive towards their parents, and it has also been seen that they are getting addicted to it as young children cannot depict the difference between good and bad.

Meghna Roy is a student of B.Sc. Graphics and Animation, Semester 5, School of Media and Communication, Adamas University