I went a theater to watch the Chiikawa Movie just to check if kids and adults really show distinct reactions.
Mon Sep 21
* This article does not spoil anything other than what is included in the trailers.
If you walk in a Japanese city in 2026, you may find it’s impossible to avoid framing this character in your sight. This is “Chiikawa, なんか小さくてかわいいやつ = something small and cute”.
What is Chiikawa?
Chiikawa was originally a manga series posted on X. It gradually became a nation-wide hype, got a one-minute TV series a few years ago, and now it’s on screens.
As you might know, Japan is known for massive character marketing. But, Chiikawa didn’t only get a typical one. In the last year, I saw Taipei had a much bigger pop-up shop than any mid-size Japanese city. It’s no wonder why the movie came to Taiwan, too.
If you don’t read Japanese much, I highly recommend you watch this video by JadenAnimations for the overview, and this video to see what’s going on here. Basically, the series is a classic dark fantasy or a caricature with a modern cute/kawaii skin, which also encourage us to thrive in our day-to-day lives, because the message is SO REAL.
I went to a movie theater
So, last month, I finally went to a movie theater. There was a 4DX version coming up, but I chose a normal version because 4DX had a height limitation, which meant I wouldn’t see small kids’ reactions. And the IMAX version had just ended at this time.
At first, I didn’t plan for this. I already knew the story through the original manga. What’s the point of going to the theater to see it in action when I value the storyline the most?
But there was a rumor that the movie gives roughly two types of reactions based on the audience’s age.
- Kids get confused and ask “Mom (or Dad), what was that…?”
- Adults are like, in a “funeral mood”
The more time passed, the more reactions like this I saw on social media. And I was too curious to miss the opportunity (it was released as a “family movie” for the summer, too)…
Just before the end of August, I went to the theater alone, just to know if the rumor was true.
Then, three minutes later: It was worth!
Not only did the movie add more in-between frames than the TV version (the action style was similar to the Magical Chiikawa MV (a spinoff) made by one of the studios for this movie), but the HQ sound delivered a tropical feeling that was equally perfect to enjoy in the summer.
Of course, the amazing things weren’t only from the technical side.
The storyline
I found no obvious difference from the original manga, when it comes to the storyline. However, according to the pamphlet, there were many minor modifications, such as dynamic camera movements, and “Welcome To Shima (island)” added to a banner probably reflected the rising global popularity of the series.
About the global popularity, as I said before, I was surprised by the gigantic Chiikawa Market in Taipei in 2025. Taiwan also had another gigantic thing, floating Chiikawa and Hachiware on Love River Bay (Kaohsiung City). Nearby Taiwan, Shanghai has a Chiikawa Market, too.
I feel Chiikawa events and sites overseas use a lot bigger spaces. It’s maybe because of the rarity.
Though the movie added some accessibility features for a global audience, it didn’t add almost any furigana (phonetic guide) even to second grade level kanji, which screamed this was not particularly for families 😅
In fact, adults and kids all became serious and calm as soon as the first relaxing minutes had passed.
The time allocation
The final battle ended at around 60 minutes out of 99 minutes, and the last 30 minutes were to think about the justice, who was right and wrong. This fact alone screams that this movie is clearly not just for families.
Personally, I had more experience with battle movies stretch the final battle until the last 10 minutes. Compared to those terrified me if the story would really end, the Chiikawa movie was the total opposite. I think this is one of the reasons why it’s called “a movie about moral education”.
Something might be sensitive
Fans often bring the Yaobikuni legend as the Island arc’s reference. I agree, but the first encounter of Siren and islanders also reminded me of a few historical moments like the arrival of Black Ships to Uraga harbor at the end of the Edo period, and how common people reacted to GHQ at the end of World War II.
A combination of a big power and an isolated environment typically results a delicate relationship. I might have overthought, though.
People’s reactions
There were two boys around 8-9 years old (apparently, friends) and a father of one of them.
When the story ended, a boy said, “It was scary, wasn’t it?”, and I was internally excited like “Wow. You understand!” Turned out he was scared of the Siren’s attack. The other boy simply enjoyed the movie as a battle anime.
Their conversation might have been more interesting if they were just one or two years older than now.
On the other hand, the father was clearly stunned when a kid said “I want to eat Curry (for lunch)!” I saw distinct reactions between a kid and an adult here.
The others also never showed any typical hype after a summer movie like commenting “Shimajiro was so cool!”, or playing Hachiware by shouting “Nantoka nare! (Let be all right (somehow)!)”. Instead, most people had an oddly solemn face regardless of their age.
This movie is a must. But be careful…
To be honest, I had a mild emotional shock from this movie which lasted for a week. I apologize for underestimating the value just because I knew the story beforehand. It was definitely a movie that makes a person think deeply. I highly recommend it to adults as well, but I also advise you to have some mental preparation before watching.