San-X’s beloved Sumikko Gurashi franchise announced on Wednesday that a fifth anime film is in the works, slated for release in 2027. While an official title has yet to be revealed, the announcement was accompanied by a new visual illustrated by franchise creator Yuri Yokomizo, hinting that the shy cat character Neko will serve as the story’s protagonist.
About Sumikko Gurashi
Sumikko Gurashi launched in 2012 as a cast of slightly self-deprecating characters who share a love of hiding in the corner of a room. The main cast includes:
- Shirokuma — a polar bear who is sensitive to the cold
- Penguin? (the question mark is part of the name) — a penguin unsure whether it is actually a penguin
- Tonkatsu — a piece of pork cutlet that was left uneaten
- Neko — a timid, reclusive cat
- Tokage — a creature concealing the secret that it is one of the last surviving dinosaurs
A Look Back at the Four Previous Films
The first film, Sumikkogurashi – Good to be in the corner, opened in Japan in November 2019. It went on to sell a total of 1.22 million tickets and earned 1.4 billion yen (approximately US$12.8 million) at the Japanese box office as of February 2020. The film also took home the Best Animation of the Year award at the 29th Annual Japan Movie Critics Awards in June 2020.
The second film, Eiga Sumikko Gurashi: Aoi Tsukiyo no Mahō no Ko (The Magical Child of the Blue Moonlit Night), opened in November 2021, selling around 200,000 tickets and earning approximately 250 million yen (about US$2.22 million at the time) in its opening three days.
The third film, Eiga Sumikko Gurashi: Tsugihagi Kōjō no Fushigi na Ko (The Mysterious Child of the Makeshift Factory), opened in November 2023, moving 192,300 tickets for 242,553,320 yen (roughly US$1.63 million at current rates) over its first three days.
The fourth film, Eiga Sumikko Gurashi: Sora no Ōkoku to Futari no Ko (The Sky Kingdom and the Two Children), opened in October 2025, debuting at number four on the weekend box office chart. It sold 150,000 tickets for 183,974,840 yen (about US$1.19 million) in its first three days. Including November 3 — Japan’s Culture Day holiday — the four-day total climbed to 208,000 tickets and 253 million yen (about US$1.64 million).
Franchise Expands Beyond the Big Screen
The franchise has also been growing across other media. Its first-ever television anime series premiered in October 2023, and a puppet musical ran in Tokyo from August through September 2024. Most recently, a new series of anime shorts titled Sumikko Gurashi: Koko ga Ochitsukun Desu (This Is Where I Relax) began airing on NTV in April 2025, featured within the “ZIP! 1-Minute Anime” segment of the morning variety program ZIP!.
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