Think a kodomomuke show like Shimajiro is all smiles and rainbows? Think again- the stories in this show has the emotional complexity and charge of shows meant for third grade kids despite targeting kids half that age.
- The episode where Ramurin moves away that aired in 2012 has been cited by the show’s own advertising
as one. They are not kidding.- Doubled down in the episode I'll Always Be Your Friend in 2016, when Buuta moves away.
- Granny Mei's backstory as revealed in the episode Dad is embarassing. She had an argument with her son many years ago. Said son ran away from home and she has never seen him or heard from him ever again since. Equally heartwretching was Shimajiro's initial attitude towards his dad after the incident- this is one of the few times we see Shimajiro's mom actually lose it. Luckily his dad was far more level headed and stopped her- that scene was even later edited out of newer revisions of the episode due to complains from Moral Guardians (although the episode on Netflix still retains the scene).
- In the episode Kanta and Noshi-Noshi, Kanta and the kids strongly believe that Kanta's pet turtle has died and both Kanta and Mimirin starts bawling.
- Then there's one episode where Richard throws out an old plush toy penguin. Part of the story is told as a autobiography from the toy's point of view. It has a happy ending, but it's not hard to feel sorry for the toy. The English version makes it even more heartbreaking by casting Michelle Ruff as the voice of the plush toy.
- Shimajiro's mom claiming that she quits being his mom. She goes cold with Shimajiro, but secretly gets Shimajiro's dad to help him instead, and it's clear that later she completely regrets the decision to dish out this unusual punishment.
- The 2021 Valentine's episode. Good lord. The girls all prepare candy boxes for the boys. But when it came time to give candy boxes to Shimajiro, Tamasaburo comes in and snatches. every. single. one. of. them. Shimajiro, being the lawful good he is, does not retaliate and tries to pretend that he is not bothered by the incident, but drops all pretense when he gets home. You can't help but feel sorry for poor Shimajiro after that. Especially the moment when he lets the tears flow when Hana gives him a candy box. And the ending of the episode is also a tearjerker but for a different reason.
- In one episode, the kids were playing when it started to rain. Torippi wishes that it would never rain ever again. Later, while they were playing at Professor Gaogao's lab, Torippi accidentally uses one of Gaogao's inventions that sent him into a book where he was turned into a Kappa. In the middle of a draught. The kids teleported in and tries to save him, but in vain and he nearly dies, he even spends a fraction his time left reflecting on his earlier remark. Seeing all the kids around him looking glum like that while he slowly loses his grip on mortality really hits it hard. Luckily, Deus ex Machina ensues and it starts raining.
- The 2014 movie has several, but in the climax, as the Giant Enemy Crab falls back into the depth of the ocean, it manages to snag Shimajiro's shirt with one of its legs. The gadget to help Shimajiro breathe comes loose and he nearly drowns. And then there's the ending where they have to part with the baby whale.
