Shimajiro Hesoka: A thorough evaluation of the appeal and educational value of children's animation

Shimajiro Hesoka - A fusion of early childhood education and entertainment

"Shimajiro Hesoka" is an anime series starring the popular character "Shimajiro" created by Benesse Corporation. This work was broadcast on TV Tokyo and other TV stations nationwide from April 5, 2010 to March 26, 2012, and was loved by many children and their families as educational entertainment for young children. This series, which consists of 101 episodes, provides children with surprises and learning experiences through the everyday adventures and fantasies of Shimajiro and his friends on "Challenge Island."

Overview

"Shimajiro Hesoka" was broadcast every Saturday morning from 8:30 to 9:00 in a 30-minute slot. The show was divided into two parts, a live-action part and an animated part, with the animated part lasting 8 minutes. It was broadcast mainly by TV Tokyo, but could also be viewed on TV stations all over the country, including TV Setouchi, TV Hokkaido, TV Aichi, TV Osaka, and TVQ Kyushu Broadcasting.

This anime was created by Benesse Corporation, produced by studio Pierrot+, with animation production support from Azeta Pictures. It is directed by Masahiro Nakata and Akira Shigino, and the copyright belongs to Benesse Corporation and Shimajiro.

story

Set on "Challenge Island," this animated series depicts the daily lives of Shimajiro and his friends, and is full of "Oh, I see!" moments that nourish the minds of young children. Through familiar and fun episodes about friends, family, and kindergarten life, children can learn many things and sometimes feel kind. Through the various events and actions that occur in everyday life, Shimajiro and his friends learn many values, such as friendship, family love, and understanding of nature.

Commentary

"Shimajiro Hesoka" is positioned as a new sensation kids variety show full of "Oh, I see!" moments. The content is sure to delight the mind and heart, stimulating children's curiosity and providing an opportunity to deepen their knowledge. This work, which combines early childhood education and entertainment, has been highly praised as an anime series that parents and children can enjoy together.

cast

The voice actors for the main characters are as follows:

• Shimano Shimajiro - Minami Omi
• Midorihara Mimirin - Takahashi Miki
• Sorano Trippy - Takumi Yamazaki
• Ranch Ramurin - Saori Sugimoto

Main Staff

Many staff members were involved in the production of this work. The main staff members are introduced below.

• Original idea - Benesse Corporation
• Planning - Kodomo Challenge, Naoki Sasada (Dentsu)
• Original character design: Masayuki Kunimoto, Hanna Miyashita, Hiroko Suzuki
• Logo design - Kenjiro Sano, MR_DESIGN
• Character Supervision - Yukinori Haruna
• Animation Character - Takayuki Shimura
• Guest character design - Noa Kawai
• Edited by Seiji Morita
• Art - Masuo Nakayama
• Color design - Megumi Saito
• Costume design - Shinya Tokoro
• Sound Director - Kazunobu Kasuga
• Music - Akifumi Tada
• Music Production - Sony Music Direct
• Animation part - studio Pierrot+
• Producer - Shintaro Nozaki
• Live-action part - Kyodo Television
• Producers: Seiichi Hirano, Kaori Hagiwara
• Animation series composition - Toshio Tani
• Animation Director: Akira Shigino
• Director: Masahiro Nakata
• Producers: Shinichi Yamaoka (TV Setouchi), Shin Furukawa (Dentsu)
• Produced by: TSC (Television Setouchi), Benesse Corporation, Dentsu

subtitle

The subtitles for all 101 episodes are as follows:

• Episode 1 - A Friend's Friend (2010/04/05)
• Episode 2 - Real Name (2010/04/12)
• Episode 3 - I want to meet the bees (2010/04/19)
• Episode 4 - Important Words (2010/04/26)
• Episode 5 - Dad's Feast (2010/05/03)
• Episode 6 - My Bow (2010/05/10)
• Episode 7 - Kind Ramurin (2010/05/17)
• Episode 8 - Run! The Train (2010/05/24)
• Episode 9 - Wonderful Words (2010/05/31)
• Episode 10 - Helping makes it delicious (2010/06/07)
• Episode 11 - Where Does the Rain Come From? (2010/06/14)
• Episode 12 - I didn't do it on purpose! (2010/06/21)
• Episode 13 - Protect! The Stick of Friendship (2010/06/28)
• Episode 14 - Nanton Nanton Yum Yum (2010/07/05)
• Episode 15 - Red Sea (2010/07/19)
• Episode 16 - Fireworks Present (2010/07/26)
• Episode 17 - Good Luck, Kabu-chan (2010/08/02)
• Episode 18 - Ocean Adventure (2010/08/09)
• Episode 19 - I want lots! (2010/08/16)
• Episode 20 - The City of Dreams! (2010/08/23)
• Episode 21 - Be delicious (2010/08/30)
• Episode 22 - Let's do our best until the end! (2010/09/06)
• Episode 23 - Talking!? Nono-chan (2010/09/13)
• Episode 24 - I made a promise (2010/09/20)
• Episode 25 - Autumn Hide and Seek (2010/09/27)
• Episode 26 - Exciting Sports Day (2010/10/04)
• Episode 27 - Leave it to the Captain! (2010/10/11)
• Episode 28 - Pull! Potatoes (2010/10/18)
• Episode 29 - Hana-chan's Treasure (2010/10/25)
• Episode 30 - Let's sing together! (2010/11/01)
• Episode 31 - Mimirin's Dress (2010/11/08)
• Episode 32 - The Prince of Bokkuri Mountain (2010/11/15)
• Episode 33 - Goodnight, Kamepon (2010/11/22)
• Episode 34 - Am I Important? (2010/11/29)
• Episode 35 - Mysterious Postcard (2010/12/06)
• Episode 36 - Stop Fighting (2010/12/13)
• Episode 37 - A Mysterious Snowy Day (2010/12/20)
• Episode 38 - Captain Cat's Treasure (2010/12/27)
• Episode 39 - New Year's Request & Director's Cut Special (2011/01/10)
• Episode 40 - Rise to the Sky! (2011/01/17)
• Episode 41 - Genki Ninjutsu Cold Fighting (2011/01/24)
• Episode 42 - Hana-chan's Friends (2011/01/31)
• Episode 43 - Surprise in the Dark! (2011/02/07)
• Episode 44 - The Secret of Snow (2011/02/14)
• Episode 45 - Delicious bread! (2011/02/21)
• Episode 46 - Recover Friendship! (2011/02/28)
• Episode 47 - Protect the Dragon Palace! (2011/03/07)
• Episode 48 - I've become small! (2011/03/14)
• Episode 49 - Message to Mom (2011/03/21)
• Episode 50 - Dandelion's Journey (2011/03/28)
• Episode 51 - Friends of Challenge Garden (2011/04/04)
• Episode 52 - Mommy Every Day (2011/04/11)
• Episode 53 - Two Shimajiros? (2011/04/18)
• Episode 54 - Let's Play in the Forest (2011/04/25)
• Episode 55 - Everyone's Carp Streamers (2011/05/02)
• Episode 56 - A Sign of Light (2011/05/09)
• Episode 57 - Challenge Sports Day (2011/05/16)
• Episode 58 - Showdown! Playing Shopkeeper (2011/05/23)
• Episode 59 - The Missing Decosan (2011/05/30)
• Episode 60 - Rain, Rain, Touch (2011/06/06)
• Episode 61 - Broken Car (2011/06/13)
• Episode 62 - What I can do (2011/06/20)
• Episode 63 - Exciting! Night at Challenge Park (2011/06/27)
• Episode 64 - Tanabata Wish (2011/07/04)
• Episode 65 - Lots of marks! (2011/07/11)
• Episode 66 - My First Pool (2011/07/18)
• Episode 67 - The Treasure Cave (2011/07/25)
• Episode 68 - Hana-chan's Kabutan (2011/08/01)
• Episode 69 - Cooler Robot Cooler (2011/08/08)
• Episode 70 - Are we alike? (2011/08/15)
• Episode 71 - Aliens at Challenge Park (2011/08/22)
• Episode 72 - Hero? Pontaro (2011/08/29)
• Episode 73 - The Great Energetic Plan! (2011/09/05)
• Episode 74 - Tell me! Grandma (2011/09/12)
• Episode 75 - Secret Promise (2011/09/19)
• Episode 76 - Happy!? Half and Half (2011/09/26)
• Episode 77 - Hana-chan's Gold Medal (2011/10/03)
• Episode 78 - Let's run with my brother! (2011/10/10)
• Episode 79 - Come on! Toy Farm (2011/10/17)
• Episode 80 - Elephant's Secret Hideout (2011/10/24)
• Episode 81 - Collecting Chestnuts on Chestnut Hill (2011/10/31)
• Episode 82 - The Jungle (2011/11/07)
• Episode 83 - Holding Hands (2011/11/14)
• Episode 84 - Are you ready? (2011/11/21)
• Episode 85 - What's that round thing? (2011/11/28)
• Episode 86 - The Irritable Bug and the Crunchy Bug (2011/12/05)
• Episode 87 - Shimajiro Runs Away (2011/12/12)
• Episode 88 - A Present of Happiness (2011/12/19)
• Episode 89 - Song and Dance Request Special! (2011/12/26)
• Episode 90 - Eat rice cakes and bubbling away (2012/01/09)
• Episode 91 - Strange Rules (2012/01/16)
• Episode 92 - Fluffy yet rock hard! (2012/01/23)
• Episode 93 - It's Not Cold (2012/01/30)
• Episode 94 - Don't let the wind get you down! (2012/02/06)
• Episode 95 - Warm and Cozy! (2012/02/13)
• Episode 96 - Let's all jump! (2012/02/20)
• Episode 97 - Our Dolls (2012/02/27)
• Episode 98 - Ant Nest Adventure (2012/03/05)
• Episode 99 - What kind of person will you be when you grow up? (2012/03/12)
• Episode 100 - Swim! Medaka-kun (2012/03/19)
• Episode 101 - Goodbye Ramurin (2012/03/26)

Related Titles

"Shimajiro Hesoka" was produced as part of the Shimajiro series. Related works include the following:

• Shimajiro Series
• I love discovering and experiencing! Shimajiro
• Shimajiro's Wow!

Theme songs and music

The theme songs and music for "Shima Jiro Hesoka" are as follows.

Opening Theme

• OP1 - Sora Sora ☆ Aozora
• Lyricist: Shinko Ogura, Masahiro Nakata
• Composer - Shinko Ogura
• Arrangement - Shinko Ogura
• Sung by Aki Toyosaki
• OP2 - Rainbow
• Lyricist - Yusuke
• Composition - Yusuke, Yoshiyasu Ichikawa
• Arrangement - CHOKKAKU
• Song - Yusuke

Ending Theme

• ED1 - Shimamimitoriram
• Lyricist: Masahiro Nakata
• Composer - Tadao Harazaki
• Sung by: Fusanosuke Kondo
• ED2 - Happy Jam Jam (HE SO KA version)
• Lyricist: Takeshi Yokoyama
• Composer - Nobuhiko Kashihara
• Sung by: Tomomi Ukumori

Ratings and Recommendations

"Shimajiro Hesoka" has received very high praise as an anime for young children. In particular, the content that stimulates children's curiosity and deepens their knowledge is also popular among parents. Below, we will introduce the evaluation of this work and the recommended points in detail.

Educational value

Shimajiro Hesoka features content specialized for early childhood education. Each episode focuses on various problems and questions that children face in their daily lives, and Shimajiro and his friends provide children with a wealth of learning opportunities as they solve these problems. For example, in the episode "Where does the rain come from?", children can learn about the origins of rain and the water cycle. In the episode "Helping others makes it delicious," children can learn about the importance of cooperation and gratitude. Through these episodes, children can naturally acquire knowledge about natural science, social skills, and moral values.

Entertainment

The appeal of "Shimajiro Hesoka" is that it is not only educational, but also highly entertaining. Children will not get bored with the humorous exchanges between Shimajiro and his friends, and the story is full of fantasy elements. The subtitles of each episode are also unique, and are designed to capture children's interest. For example, many of the themes that excite children are featured, such as "Red Sea" and "Fireworks Presents." The combination of these elements allows children to learn while having fun.

Parent-child communication

"Shimajiro Hesoka" is an animated series that parents and children can enjoy together. By watching with their children, parents can discuss what their children have learned and resolve any questions they may have. In addition, the themes of each episode often coincide with the values ​​and lessons parents want to impart to their children, which can serve as an opportunity to deepen communication between parents and children. For example, episodes such as "Stop Fighting" and "I Made a Promise" are a good opportunity for parents to teach their children the importance of friendship and promises.

Character Appeal

The appeal of Shimajiro and other characters is also a major selling point for Shimajiro Hesoka. Shimajiro is popular with children for his curious and caring nature. His friends, Mimirin, Torippi, and Ramurin, also have their own unique personalities, so children can find their favorite characters. The stories woven by these characters will inspire and move children, helping to enrich their minds.

How to watch

Even after the TV broadcast of "Shimajiro Hesoka" has ended, you can still watch it on DVD or through internet distribution services. In particular, streaming services such as Amazon Prime Video and Netflix allow you to watch all 101 episodes at once. This allows children to enjoy their favorite episodes as many times as they like at their own pace. Also, each volume of the DVD is divided into a different theme, so you can choose according to your child's interests and what they want to learn.

Recommended audience

"Shimajiro Hesoka" is an anime series aimed primarily at children between the ages of 2 and 6. However, the content is enjoyable for both parents and children, so we recommend watching it with the whole family. We also recommend it to kindergarten and nursery school teachers, as it can be useful in educating children. Furthermore, it is a must-watch for fans of the Shimajiro series and those looking for anime for young children.

Conclusion

"Shimajiro Hesoka" is a wonderful animated series that combines early childhood education with entertainment. The content stimulates children's curiosity and deepens their knowledge, and has been highly praised by parents. In addition, the charming characters of Shimajiro and his friends and the humorous storyline will keep children entertained. This work can be enjoyed by parents and children together, and it can also be an opportunity to deepen communication between family members. We hope that many people will watch it and that it will help support children's growth.