Spoilers ahead, which should be expected since this thread is a discussion of the movie, thus everything related to its plot
"Trainwreck" is probably the ideal term to describe this entry in the Crayon Shin-Chan "cinematic universe".
It is really surprising to see this movie failing in so many areas, since "Bakumori! Kung Fu Boys" simply takes satisfaction in following the formula that was established way back when Crayon Shin-Chan films were still something new for the japanese public. Even the jokes are mostly a repeat of what was previously done in the franchise. So, at least, the movie should work on a surface level: I mean, Crayon Shin-Chan, even at its weakest, is still usually decently entertaining thanks to its charming cast of characters and also its crazy / way over-the-top situations.
Yet, nothing works here. The numerous intrigues all lead to a finale that feels cheap: Ran becoming evil and imposing her visions on the people living in this Chinese district could have led to an emotional sequence in which Shinnosuke and his friends try to make sense of the situation, and act consequently. However, that never happened. Instead, we got a musical number that kind of came out of nowhere. It was not funny, nor was it relevant to the plot. So, why did the staff feel the need to include that? I wonder.
The twist that I described and spoiled is really representative to the whole narrative. The movie goes nowhere, does nothing with its setting (besides taking the stereotypical route of representating chinese culture with kung fu and ramen) and is not funny. Most of the time, you ask yourself the question "why": why is it here and why is it so mediocre?
"Bakumori! Kung Fu Boys" is even filled with lots of musical scenes that add nothing to the whole experience. It really feels like filler contents that were merely used to extend the length of the film.
Even visually, it had nothing interesting to offer, which is truly a shame since Shin-Chan is at its best when it tries to bring its own animation style on the table. Here, that was not the case unfortunately: the sakuga moments felt like a water-down version of that we are used to see in this franchise.
It may sound absurd to refer "Bakumori! Kung Fu Boys" as the most "nothing" Crayon Shin-Chan movie ever released, since I can imagine people finding some enjoyment out of it, but I truly felt that way from beginning to end. Usually, I try to watch every Shin-Chan film twice before making my final judgement, but I could not even bring myself to do that in this case, which is quite telling.
I can only hope that movie 27 is way better than such a mediocre mess (which it seems to be, since I heard many good things about it) and that we can all move on from this. I mean, it is just one film from a franchise that counts 27 movies, so it is not big deal, right? Yet, there is a part of me that is really sad about the fact that "Bakumori! Kung Fu Boys" is the last cinematic story that Akiko Yajima voiced for the series. |