Back to trending
Crayon Shin-chan: Pursuit of the Balls of Darkness

Crayon Shin-chan: Pursuit of the Balls of Darkness

Animation · Comedy · 1997

The Noharas get caught between two rival clans when Himawari swallows a pretty bead that turns out to be a mysterious ball with hidden powers.

Movie details

Crayon Shin-chan: Pursuit of the Balls of Darkness

1997 Animation · Comedy 1h 39m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.3 / 10

Community rating

The Noharas get caught between two rival clans when Himawari swallows a pretty bead that turns out to be a mysterious ball with hidden powers.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Crayon Shin-chan: Pursuit of the Balls of Darkness?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

Crayon Shin-chan: The Legend Called: Dance! Amigo!

Crayon Shin-chan: The Legend Called: Dance! Amigo!

Comedy · 2006

Something sinister's afoot in Kasukabe. Shin-chan doesn't know what it is, but he's pretty sure it involves samba-dancing doppelgängers.

Cosmic Princess Kaguya!

Cosmic Princess Kaguya!

Animation · 2026

Iroha's life gets knocked off its orbit when Kaguya, a carefree runaway from the Moon, moves in and convinces her to perform in a virtual world together.

Crayon Shin-chan: Great Adventure In Henderland

Crayon Shin-chan: Great Adventure In Henderland

Animation · 1996

The Futaba Kindergarten kids are so excited for their trip to the Henderland amusement park, but Shin-chan soon learns there are evil forces at play!

Crayon Shin-chan: The Hidden Treasure of the Buri Buri Kingdom

Crayon Shin-chan: The Hidden Treasure of the Buri Buri Kingdom

Comedy · 1994

The Noharas win a vacation to the Kingdom of Buri Buri -- but the whole thing was just a clever ploy by an evil organization to kidnap Shin-chan!

Gintama: The Movie

Gintama: The Movie

Action · 2010

Odd Jobs Gin has taken on a lot of odd work in the past, and when you're a Jack of All Trades agency based in a feudal Japan that's been conquered and colonized by aliens, the term "Odd Jobs" means REALLY ODD jobs. But when some more than slightly suspicious secrets from the shadows of Gintoki Sakata's somewhat shady former samurai past and a new pair of odd jobs collide, the action is bound to get so wild and demented that only a feature film will do it justice!

Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn

Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn

Animation · 1995

Not paying attention to his job, a young demon allows the evil cleansing machine to overflow and explode, turning the young demon into the infamous monster Janemba. Goku and Vegeta make solo attempts to defeat the monster, but realize their only option is fusion.

Dragon Ball Z: Wrath of the Dragon

Dragon Ball Z: Wrath of the Dragon

Animation · 1995

The Z Warriors discover an unopenable music box and are told to open it with the Dragon Balls. The contents turn out to be a warrior named Tapion who had sealed himself inside along with a monster called Hildegarn. Goku must now perfect a new technique to defeat the evil monster.

Lupin the Third: Dragon of Doom

Lupin the Third: Dragon of Doom

Animation · 1994

The Lupin gang is once again dragged onto a wild treasure hunt! This time, the objective is a mysterious, small dragon statue that even Goemon's steel-rendering blade Zantetsuken cannot cut. The artifact, which once eluded even Lupin the Third's esteemed grandfather, rests deep undersea inside the infamous Titanic, and is the key to unlocking the mystery of Zantetsuken's almighty strength. A wealthy gangster, Lupin, and Goemon all want the statue for themselves!

Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV

Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV

Animation · 2016

The magical kingdom of Lucis is home to the world’s last remaining Crystal, and the menacing empire of Niflheim is determined to steal it. King Regis of Lucis commands an elite force of soldiers called the Kingsglaive. Wielding their king’s magic, they fight to protect Lucis. As the overwhelming military might of the empire bears down, King Regis is faced with an impossible ultimatum – to marry his son, Prince Noctis to Princess Lunafreya of Tenebrae, captive of Niflheim, and surrender his lands to Niflheim rule. Although the king concedes, it becomes clear that the empire will stop at nothing to achieve their devious goals, with only the Kingsglaive standing between them and world domination.

One Piece: Heart of Gold

One Piece: Heart of Gold

Animation · 2016

A girl named Olga is pursued by both the World Government and a man named Mad Treasure, as she is the only one who knows the location of the Pure Gold, a substance that can buy the entire world. Olga ends up sailing with the Straw Hat Pirates, and they journey to find the Pure Gold on the lost island of Alchemi, which is located inside the stomach of a large angler fish named Bonbori.

Where it lives

Watch in your region.

Cinema release signals and current streaming, rental, and purchase options for your region.

Streaming availability data supplied by JustWatch.

Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Keiichi Hara

Written by

Keiichi Hara

Akiko Yajima

Akiko Yajima

Shinnosuke Nohara (voice)

Miki Narahashi

Miki Narahashi

Misae Nohara (voice)

Keiji Fujiwara

Keiji Fujiwara

Hiroshi Nohara (voice)

Satomi Korogi

Satomi Korogi

Himawari Nohara (voice)

Ako Mayama

Ako Mayama

Shuyuryo's mother (voice)

Chie Sato

Chie Sato

Bo-chan (voice)

Daisuke Gori

Daisuke Gori

Rose (voice)

Court is in session

Put Crayon Shin-chan: Pursuit of the Balls of Darkness on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Arthouse Gremlin

“Its refusal to behave is the point.”

The strange choices create the kind of friction that follows you out of the theatre and into the argument.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Oddness is not depth.”

A film can break every rule and still leave nothing behind but the memory of how hard it tried to be singular.