Chiikawa: Ningyo no Shima no Himitsu (Chiikawa: The Secret of Mermaid Island) has become the biggest Japanese film of 2026, earning ¥15.84 billion at the box office and drawing 10.857 million admissions in just 59 days of release, according to data from Kogyo Tsushinsha. The film now sits at No. 1 on Japan’s 2026 theatrical ranking.
From X to Cultural Phenomenon
Chiikawa is a manga by illustrator Nagano, originally serialized on X (formerly Twitter) beginning in 2020. The series follows the small, endearing characters Chiikawa, Hachiware, and Usagi through daily lives that are simultaneously heartwarming, melancholic, and surprisingly tough. Its popularity has never slowed — the franchise earned a Japan Character Grand Prix Hall of Fame induction and commands fans across all generations.
The anime adaptation, which began airing in 2022, has also been a global hit, surpassing 500 million views in catch-up streams on YouTube alone.
The First Film Adaptation Tackles the “Siren Arc”
For its theatrical debut, the franchise adapts the beloved long-form “Siren Arc” — one of the most distinctive and popular story arcs in the series. The film is directed by Kei Oikawa and produced by Saipic, the studio acclaimed for its high-quality animation work on Uma Musume Pretty Derby: New Generation’s Gate. Nagano supervised the entire production, with music composed by Tokumarushūgo and Kamimizutaru Riki.
The film opened on July 24, 2026 and has resonated with both longtime fans and newcomers encountering Chiikawa for the first time. Social media has been flooded with praise for the story’s thematic depth, its rewatchability from multiple perspectives, and the sheer power of its soundtrack. New characters introduced in the film — Shimajiro, Siren, Hitoha, and Futaba — have also exploded in popularity.
New Scene Cuts and Special Screenings
Alongside the box-office announcement, the production team released new scene stills featuring Chiikawa, Hachiware, and Usagi — one set capturing the trio’s excited expressions just before departing for the mysterious island, and another showing their refreshed, satisfied faces after overcoming the adventures that await them.
Special screening formats including 4DX and cheering screenings (Ouen Joei) have also been drawing attention, giving audiences the feeling of adventuring alongside the characters themselves. Momentum for the film shows no signs of slowing.
Staff & Cast
Staff
- Original Story & Screenplay: Nagano
- Director: Kei Oikawa
- Character Design: Tomoko Tsuji
- Concept Art: Masaki Hashimoto
- Prop Design: Takumi Kozuma
- Color Design: Ayaka Nagai
- Art Director: Moe Masaki
- CG Director: Yoshinori Nakano
- Photography Director: Masaharu Okazaki
- Editor: Ayumu Takahashi
- Sound Director: Masaki Tsuchiya
- Sound Effects: Hiromune Kurahashi / Otonarium
- Music: Tokumarushūgo / Kamimizutaru Riki
- Animation Producer: Kan Mizoguchi
- Animation Studio: Saipic
- Distributor: Toho
Cast
- Chiikawa: Haruka Aoki
- Hachiware: Masato Tanaka
- Usagi: Ari Ozawa
- Momonga: Yuka Iguchi
- Kurimanju: Takayuki Asai
- Rakko: Yuma Uchida
- Shisa: Miyuri Shimabukuro
- Furuhon’ya: Momono Harumi
- Shimajiro: Tsuguki Mogami
- Siren: Minori Suzuki
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