Yoshito Usui, Shin-chan's creator. [Global Times]

A lesson to be taught

"I think the introduction of Crayon Shin-chan is a milestone for Chinese cartoons," said Sheng Tao, a senior cartoonist in Shanghai who has drawn comic strips for more than ten years.

He said he was shocked when he first read the Shin-chan comic books several years ago. "The drawing is awful, but the story is wonderful," he said. The cartoons on the mainland always emphasize the beauty of the drawing itself rather than the story.

Sheng still found the comic very attractive. He and his colleagues never believed that a comic strip without creative artwork could be successful. "Cartoonists like Usui are more like novelists, and the stories are designed for adults, especially for young adults," he said.

The Shin-chan series inspired one of Sheng's cartoonist friends to try to imitate Usui's style in the friend's own comic strip. But few magazines were willing to publish his work and finally he gave up.

"The comics published in mainland are usually required to have some educational significance," Sheng said. He is now drawing newspaper comics that promote environmental protection and popular science. He says the newspaper has been told to add more educational value to his comics.

"The environment does not allow you to stretch your imagination, so we do not have a comic character as influential as Shan-chan," Sheng said.