Several years back I was introduced to a hilarious Japanese cartoon
called "Crayon Shinchan" (I have seen some different variations on the
spelling of Shinchan, put it is pronounced like "Shin Shawn"). The
tapes I saw were recorded broadcasts of a English subtitled version on
a local TV station in Hawaii. Unfortunately, I have not seen any since
then, and I have lost contact with the person who originally loaned
the tapes to me.
My problem is that I haven't found anywhere to purchase recordings of
the show. Searches I've done have turned up mostly fan sites and toys
and such. Here's what I'm looking for:

* - A source for either VHS or DVD recordings of the program with
(preferably) English subtitles or english dubbing. I don't understand
Japanese or any other asian language.

* - PLEASE try to find DVDs which have no region code or are region
coded for North America. I don't want to buy special equipment or put
my electronics under a soldering iron to watch them.

* - Try to find fairly reputable merchants. i.e. I don't want sketchy
sites selling VCD CD-Rs. While I'm not necessarily requiring strict
compliance with copyright and import laws, understand that I'm
hesitant to send my credit card number off to someone overseas mailing
back a CD-R

Hi mrmcd-ga,

Unfortunately, the Crayon Shinchan shows are not available in DVD or
VHS formats right now. However, I found a reputable site that sells
them in the VCD format. I know that you expressed concern about this
format, but it is the primary mode in Japan right now, and thus it is
the only way to get the shows. The link which I will provide below is
from an "authorized online retailer" of VCD's, and sells the entire
Crayon Shinchan collection.

The station where Shinchan is aired, KIKU TV, does not sell the shows
officially- here is an exerpt from their website regarding this
matter:

"May I purchase copies of KIKU programs?
Due to copyright constraints, we are not allowed to make, rent, or
sell copies of programs airing on KIKU. However, we do rebroadcast
some shows, which allows viewers to watch episodes missed during the
first run. We do make available our original programming"
http://www.kikutv.com/faq.html

After extensive research (in English only), this is the only place
where I was able to find the Crayon Shinchan shows for sale. This
appears to be a good place for you to purchase the shows. Here is the
link:
Get VCD's
http://www.getvcds.com/collection/crayon.shtml

On their website they explain why VCD is the primary format:

"VCDs are very popular in Asia and are gaining popularity in United
States, Europe and Australia. Nowadays, VCDs have practically replaced
video cassettes in Asia. The main reason is because VCD is cheap
compared to DVDs and the quality is even better than VHS."
http://www.getvcds.com/faq.shtml

The company also assures that their VCD's will not have regional locks
and can be played anywhere:

"All video CD can be played anywhere in the world. It does not have
lockout codes that disallow you playing movies that are bought
elsewhere except from your region."
http://www.getvcds.com/faq.shtml


Additional Links

KIKU TV (Shinchan section)
http://www.kikutv.com/shows/crayon_shinchan/
Shinchan Guide
http://www.tcp.com/~jly/crayon/shin-chan.html

Shinchan Homepage
http://home.netfront.net/~patrick/shinchan/shinchan.html

Shinchan Net
http://www.q-net.net.au/~mario/csmp/index.html

Anime Archive
http://community.animearchive.org/amdb/taid.html?28


Google Search Terms Used

Shinchan retail

Shinchan dvd

Shinchan vhs

shinchan tapes

shinchan for sale

**shinchan vcd
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF8&q=%22crayon+shinchan+vcd%22

I know this isn't exactly what you were looking for, but it appears
that it will serve your needs.
Good luck!
-Anthony

The answer didn't tell me anything I didn't already know, (other than
"I can't find anything either"). The information was all stuff I had
already found on my own, but were all dead-ends, hence my willingness
to pay for what I WAS looking for. The VCDs from the site the
researcher suggested are all in chinese (dubbing and subs), which is
not what I requested. Unfortunately I can't say that the money I spent
on this has helped me at all.

One thing I would say - the VCDs mentioned above do not have any
English dubbing or subtitles. I too have searched for Crayon Shinchan
VCDs or DVDs in English, but without success.

If you know someone in England, he or she may be able to tape them for
you, since they are shown on Fox Kids at 4pm on weekdays (Fox Kids is
a cable/satellite channel only).

Sorry, I dropped the ball on the subtitles. For some reason I just
assumed the subtitles were in english since it was an english language
site. Again, I apologize.

Have you tried eBay?

Hi!  While I've not wached this show myself, may I suggest some Google
searches that incorporate the word 'fansubs'?  While not technically
legal, they might be your only bet (they'll also likely be VHS tapes.)
 I've found some sites that have the movies and maybe one or two
volumes fansubbed, but nothing too complete.  However, I'm sure that
with a little effort you'll be successful!  (Also, it's sometimes
called 'Crayon Shin-chan' at some sites.)

Good luck!

if ya ever find the tapes, ya could get someone to translate for you
and write them down. Then it'd be sorta like subtitles. Or they could
edit the video or something.