Super Shiro
Promotional poster
スーパーシロ
GenreComedy
Anime television series
Directed by
Produced by
  • Eunyoung Choi
  • Takanobu Sano
  • Kensuke Suzuki
  • Rika Tsurusaki
  • Yuki Yoshida
Written by
  • Kimiko Ueno
  • Masaaki Yuasa
Music by
StudioScience SARU
Licensed by
Original networkTV Asahi
English network
Original run October 14, 2019 – September 7, 2020
Episodes48

Super Shiro (Japanese: スーパーシロ) is a Japanese anime television series produced by Science SARU. A spin-off of the popular Crayon Shin-chan franchise, the series focuses on the adventures of Shiro, a seemingly-normal family dog who, when the Earth is threatened, secretly transforms into a canine superhero to protect the planet from nefarious villains. The series, consisting of 48 five-minute episodes,[1] aired in Japan on the TV Asahi-affiliated streaming platforms AbemaTV and Telasa from October 2019 to September 2020,[2] and was subsequently aired on Cartoon Network in Australia, India, and throughout Southeast Asia.[3][4]

Premise

Shiro, a seemingly ordinary dog, lives with the Nohara family and leads a seemingly ordinary life. With his human family often involved in various adventures, Shiro is frequently left to his own devices, and it is during these times when he is alone that the secret life of this extraordinary dog is revealed.

For Shiro is no regular hound - he is Super Shiro, a superhero dog tasked with protecting the Earth from nefarious evil-doers. Whenever he puts on his super hero badge, he transforms into an ultra-cool canine protector of justice (complete with a deep, ultra-cool superhero voice). His mission is to find and secure the "Bobobobobone," a legendary dog bone that, it is said, grants its owner the power to rule the world. But Shiro isn't alone in this quest: the scheming canine scientist Dekapoo is also after the bone and hopes to use its powers to make himself World President. Complicating matters is that neither Shiro nor Dekapoo knows what the legendary bone looks like. They only know it by reputation: that it is supposedly "glorious, elegant, and wild" (attributes which can be determined by smelling the bone). Shiro is aided in his search by Bibo, an alien ally stationed at Super Hero Space Headquarters, a space station distant from Earth. Whenever Shiro finds a bone he thinks might be the one, he must send it via a teleporter to Bibo... but if he's gotten it wrong and the bone isn't the right one, it will cause an explosion and Shiro will be sent back to square one on his quest. Before long, the search attracts other doggy attention, including from Can Can, a stylish lady hound who's just as eager to make the "Bobobobobone" hers. Can Shiro get the mysterious bone before it falls into the wrong paws?[2]

Characters

Super Shiro (スーパーシロ)
Voiced by: Mari Mashiba (as Shiro); Akio Ōtsuka (as Super Shiro)[2]
The titular character of the series. When Shiro is in the form of a normal dog, he speaks/barks in his normal "doggie voice" (played by Mari Mashiba). However, when he transforms into his superhero self, he gains a deeper "hero voice" (played by Akio Otsuka). Shiro's "hero voice" serves as an internal monologue (his inner thoughts, as well as the narration of the story), but whenever he speaks out loud, he still has his normal "doggie voice." Director Masaaki Yuasa noted that his intention with Shiro's "hero voice" was to make him sound like as cool of a character as possible, since this is the voice that Shiro speaks with in his heart.[5] Shiro's task is to find the "Bobobobobone" before any ill-meaning miscreants can use it to oppress or destroy the world. Yuasa described Shiro as "a hero who doesn't cooperate, unless he's asked to."[5]
Dekapoo (デカプー)
Voiced by: Anri Katsu[2]
Super Shiro's nemesis. A mad genius scientist and inventor, he is always using his latest creations to try and defeat Shiro. Dekapoo is obsessed with finding the "Bobobobobone" so that he can rule the world.
Bibo (ビボ)
Voiced by: Yukana[2]
Super Shiro's alien ally, Bibo helps direct Shiro's quest for the "Bobobobobone" and provides helpful advice. According to Yuasa, Bibo has "a coworker's detachment" from Shiro in that he is just someone she has to work with, though the natural kindness in her voice helps balance this out.[6]
Can Can (キャンキャン)
Voiced by: Ibuki Kido[7]
A stylish female dog who has lived a life of privilege: anything she wants, she "can" have. She sets her sights on acquiring the "Bobobobobone" to have even more friends, parties, and luxury. Yuasa identified her as a character he particularly likes.[5]
Aura (オーラ)
Voiced by: Setsuji Satō[8]
A mysterious crow always looking to stir up mischief. Yuasa described him as a character with a particularly interesting appearance and manner of speaking.[5]

Production

Production of Super Shiro arose out of director Masaaki Yuasa's longstanding affiliation with the Crayon Shin-chan series. Yuasa first became involved with the franchise in 1992 while early in his career as an animator, where he took on a variety of creative roles including key animation, storyboarding, set and background design, prop and vehicle design, and contribution of story concepts and ideas.[9] Over the course of the next decade, he specialized in imagining, designing, and animating the inventive visual climaxes of the annual Crayon Shin-chan films.[10] Crayon Shin-chan was not only an important early work in Yuasa's career, but also provided him with the first project he truly enjoyed and felt he had artistic freedom to express his own style;[11] moreover, his creative success while working on the series inspired his desire to become a director.[9] Even after becoming a director, Yuasa periodically returned to the Crayon Shin-chan franchise, directing Shin-men (2010-12), a group of special episodes embedded within the main Crayon Shin-chan television series,[12] and contributing the production resources of his studio Science SARU to the production of two franchise films, Crayon Shin-chan: Intense Battle! Robo Dad Strikes Back (2014) and Crayon Shin-chan: My Moving Story! Cactus Large Attack! (2015).[13] As such, Yuasa's involvement in the Super Shiro project represented a return to his origins as an animator and creator in the industry.[14]

In addition to Yuasa, the Super Shiro series featured the contributions of other Crayon Shin-chan franchise veterans. Chief director and character designer Tomohisa Shimoyama, who made his series directorial debut with Super Shiro after a long career as an animator, had earlier provided animation on two of the Crayon Shin-chan films.[15] Lead screenwriter Kimiko Ueno previously wrote three films in the franchise,[15] and co-composer Akifumi Tada wrote music for four of the franchise's films.[16]

Development

Yuasa set out to create a short-format, slapstick comedy series in the style of the American cartoon series Tom and Jerry (1940-present), where (unlike in Crayon Shin-chan), the camera and perspective of the narrative is from a "dog's-eye view" of the world.[17] According to Yuasa, Tom and Jerry was an extremely influential inspiration for the series, not only in regards to the comedic approach, but also in terms of the storytelling. The idea to use a narrator (whom the characters would hear and react to) was inspired by Tom and Jerry, with the American sitcom Bewitched (1964-72) serving as an additional inspiration.[6] With regard to the slapstick format, Shimoyama stated that the series afforded him, Yuasa, and the animators an unusual degree of freedom.[17] Shimoyama and Yuasa described the depiction of movement, particularly fast movement, as the most important thing for determining whether the comedy aspects would succeed.[5]

The music for the series was written early in the development process, which allowed the animation team to create sequences with specific musical cues in mind. This was another inspiration from Tom and Jerry, as the classic shorts were made in this way, with the music existing before the animation.[17][18]

Casting

According to Shimoyama, Yuasa initially pitched the idea for Super Shiro as a dog superhero voiced by Akio Ōtsuka. As such, Ōtsuka was always envisioned in the lead role.[6] For the role of Aura, Setsuji Satō was also envisioned from the beginning, as he had previously played a mysterious character in Yuasa's anime series The Tatami Galaxy (2010). Yuasa had been looking to work with him again, and Super Shiro provided an ideal opportunity.[6] Anri Katsu, who played Dekapoo, was identified by Shimoyama as a master of ad-libbing moments which enhanced the visual slapstick; as a result, many of his line additions and alterations were incorporated into the episodes. Shimoyama ultimately decided to keep Dekapoo's scripted lines to a minimum, allowing Katsu to fill in the rest based on the suggestion of the storyboards and animated visuals. Katsu helped inspire the other actors with interpreting the visuals (which were often not finished at the time of dialogue recording) to have a better sense of how to play each scene.[19]

Business Development

Super Shiro was a joint production between TV Asahi (the longtime broadcaster of Crayon Shin-chan) and Turner Asia Pacific, with Turner securing broadcast rights for the series across the Asia Pacific region (excluding China) in exchange for a significant financial investment. The collaboration represented the first regional deal between TV Asahi and Turner.[20]

Music

The series theme song, "Super Shiro Gymnastics" (スーパーシロ体操), was performed by singer-songwriter Mewhan.[1] The music video for the song was a hit on social media, receiving over 16 million views on TikTok. Mewhan subsequently performed the song in a live concert which was filmed and released on Blu-ray in May 2020.[21]

Release

Super Shiro was originally released in Japan on October 14, 2019, on the streaming platforms AbemaTV and Telasa. The release continued with one episode per week and concluded on September 7, 2020.[2] An international release on Cartoon Network throughout Southeast Asia and Australia continued in 2020, and the series premiered on Cartoon Network India on February 22, 2021.[4]

Home Video Release

In Japan, the first half of the series was released on DVD on April 27, 2021. The DVD release of the second half, as well as a compilation Blu-ray set of the complete series, are scheduled for release on September 28, 2021.[22]

Reception

The series was nominated in the category of Best 2D Animated Program at the 2020 Asian Television Awards.[23]

Crayon Shin-chan Special Crossover Episode

Following the conclusion of Super Shiro, Science SARU and main Crayon Shin-chan production studio Shin-Ei Animation collaborated on a special crossover episode of Crayon Shin-chan. The special, which aired in Japan on TV Asahi on October 10, 2020, consisted of three short mini-episodes which featured the Super Shiro characters interacting with the main series characters.[15][24]

Manga Adaptation

A manga version of the series, written and illustrated by Kenta Aiba and published by Futabasha in Monthly Manga Town magazine, was released in conjunction with the anime. The first compiled volume of the manga was published in Japan on May 12, 2021.[25]

Sanrio Character Crossover

In October 2020, character goods company Sanrio entered into a collaboration with the Super Shiro series, featuring Shiro and the Sanrio characters Cinnamoroll, Pompompurin, and Pochacco grouped together on assorted merchandise. Additionally, Sanrio's indoor theme park Sanrio Puroland hosted an online Halloween music festival on October 30, 2020, in which Shiro and series theme song artist Mewhan performed alongside the Sanrio characters.[26]

Web Browser Game

In Japan, the content sharing website GIFMAGAZINE posted a Shiro Bobobobobone Catching Game on March 29, 2020, which could be played via a web browser.[27]

References

  1. 1 2 Hodgkins, Crystalyn (October 12, 2019). "Mewhan Performs Theme Song for Super Shiro Anime Shorts". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Pineda, Rafael Antonio (July 11, 2019). "Masaaki Yuasa's Shin-chan Spinoff Super Shiro Reveals Cast, October 14 Debut in Video". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  3. ↑ Frater, Patrick (February 18, 2019). "Super Shiro Anime Series Inspired by 'Crayon Shin-chan'". Variety. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  4. 1 2 Hazra, Adriana (February 4, 2021). "Cartoon Network India Airs Super Shiro Anime on February 22". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "The pet dog Shiro of the Nohara family in Crayon Shin-chan is a superhero!? The secret story of Super Shiro as told by the creators (Part 2)". Animate Times (in Japanese). December 25, 2019. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "The pet dog Shiro of the Nohara family in Crayon Shin-chan is a superhero!? The secret story of Super Shiro as told by the creators (Part 3)". Animate Times (in Japanese). December 25, 2019. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  7. ↑ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (December 19, 2019). "Crayon Shin-chan's Super Shiro Anime Casts Ibuki Kido as Can Can". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Summary of Super Shiro Streaming Availability". Chobirichi (in Japanese). December 13, 2019. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  9. 1 2 "Interview: Masaaki Yuasa". Wave Motion Cannon. April 6, 2016. Archived from the original on February 13, 2021. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
  10. ↑ Ettinger, Benjamin (May 4, 2005). "Yuasa's Shin-chan". Anipages. Archived from the original on February 7, 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  11. ↑ Oguro, Yuichiro (December 2, 1998). "An Interview with Masaaki Yuasa". Animage (in Japanese). No. February 1999. Tokuma Shoten. pp. 82–85.
  12. ↑ Ettinger, Benjamin (April 3, 2012). "Masaaki Yuasa's Buriburizaemon". Anipages. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
  13. ↑ "Science SARU - Works". Science SARU. Archived from the original on January 31, 2021. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
  14. ↑ Aguilar, Carlos (February 11, 2019). "Masaaki Yuasa To Direct New Crayon Shin-Chan Spin-off Series". Cartoon Brew. Archived from the original on February 15, 2021. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
  15. 1 2 3 Pineda, Rafael Antonio (October 5, 2020). "Super Shiro Spinoff Anime Collaborates With Crayon Shin-chan in Special Episode". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
  16. ↑ "Akifumi Tada Artist Profile". Imagine Music. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
  17. 1 2 3 "The pet dog Shiro of the Nohara family in Crayon Shin-chan is a superhero!? The secret story of Super Shiro as told by the creators (Part 1)". Animate Times (in Japanese). December 25, 2019. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  18. ↑ How Bill And Joe Met Tom And Jerry (Documentary featurette). 2004.
  19. ↑ "The pet dog Shiro of the Nohara family in Crayon Shin-chan is a superhero!? The secret story of Super Shiro as told by the creators (Part 4)". Animate Times (in Japanese). December 25, 2019. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  20. ↑ "Turner APAC Partners with TV Asahi on Super Shiro Series". WarnerMedia. February 18, 2019. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
  21. ↑ "The latest PV release that introduces the live video of the theme song for Super Shiro". Super Shiro Official Website (in Japanese). August 24, 2020. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  22. ↑ "Super Shiro DVD Volume 1 Released on April 27!". Bandai Visual (in Japanese). April 22, 2021. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  23. ↑ "2020 Nominees - Asian Television Awards". Asian Television Awards. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  24. ↑ "Crayon Shin-chan: Broadcast of Shiro's anime SUPER SHIRO and a Dream Collaboration Shiro Haninkimono SP". Mantan Web (in Japanese). October 3, 2020. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  25. ↑ "Super Shiro Manga Volume 1 will be released on May 12th (Wednesday)!!". Super Shiro Official Website (in Japanese). May 12, 2021. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  26. ↑ "Super Shiro x Sanrio Characters collaboration goods on sale! Appearance at online music festival!!". Super Shiro Official Website (in Japanese). October 7, 2020. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  27. ↑ @gifmagazine (March 29, 2020). 意外と難しいかも・・・？TVアニメ「#SUPER SHIRO」より、ボボボボボーンキャッチングゲーム うまくGIFをタッチして上から落ちてくる「ボボボボボーン」をキャッチしよう！そのほかのGIF (Tweet). Retrieved June 17, 2021 – via Twitter.
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