A trailer for the animated film " Chiikawa: The Secret of the Mermaid Island," based on Nagano's popular manga " Chiikawa ," has been released on YouTube. The approximately 90-second video shows Chikawa and her friends enjoying local cuisine and sightseeing after receiving a warm welcome on an island. It is revealed that the real reason Chiikawa and her friends were invited to the island was to defeat sirens that were attacking the islanders. The trailer shows Chiikawa looking bewildered when the islanders hand her a long pole weapon, Hachiware being determined to protect the island, and Usagi confronting the sirens and mermaids with her "Binyoyo" pole weapon. A mysterious character named Shimajiro, who is eating curry, also makes an appearance.
It was also announced that Hachiware, voiced by Makoto Tanaka, will sing the opening theme, "Kutsuzure." This is a new song by Hachiware, with lyrics written by the original author, Nagano. Hachiware previously sang the ending theme "Hitorigotsu" for the TV anime series, and will now be in charge of the opening theme for the theatrical film. In the trailer, the song "Shima no Uta," whose lyrics were memorably depicted in the original manga when Chiikawa visited the island, was unveiled as music for the first time.
Additional cast members have also been announced, with Tsuguo Mogami playing Shimajiro, the owner of Shimajiro's shop that Chiikawa finds deep in the forest, and Minori Suzuki playing Siren, who possesses the mysterious power of song.
Mogami, who plays Shimajiro, said, "I myself, and everyone around me, love Chiikawa, so to be able to participate in this project as Shimajiro is a great feeling... but I still can't quite believe it. He's the ultimate reliable big brother type who appears out of nowhere with that overwhelming visual presence...! He can cook, he's loyal to his friends, and he has a broad back and a shining butt. He's the epitome of a cool older man. I'm very happy to be able to play a part in Shimajiro."
"This ' Chiikawa the Movie' offers a slightly different perspective when viewed from the viewpoint of characters other than Chiikawa, and it has some parts that make you think deeply. It's a story that I, too, really love, and it has a strong Nagano-sensei feel to it. I hope everyone will enjoy this movie from beginning to end. Look forward to it...!!" he urged.
Suzuki, who plays Siren, commented, "When I was chosen for the role of Siren, I was so happy I wanted to shout 'Yay!' at the top of my lungs! It was an honor just to be able to audition for ' Chiikawa,' but Siren is full of the charm that I have always wanted to try out, so I felt a sense of destiny in this encounter. For the audition, I read the original work thoroughly, thought about it a lot, and acted with all my might and enjoyment so that I would have no regrets. I turned the joy of knowing that my version of Siren reached Nagano-sensei and the production team into confidence...! I approached the voice recording with a sense of responsibility."
"My impression of Siren is that she's a straightforward girl who cares deeply for her friends! If I were the same species as Siren or a mermaid, I wouldn't mind anything she said or did, and I'd want to become friends with her! That's what I think when I see how well she gets along with the mermaids. When I was acting, I made sure to cherish that Siren-ness. Rather than focusing on her position in the story or in relation to Chiikawa and the Chiikawa, I prioritized Siren's own feelings, focusing on being straightforward with her goals and enjoying each day. I'm looking forward to seeing how that comes across to everyone! The movie adaptation of the 'Siren Arc' that everyone has been waiting for, and Siren's appearance...! I did my best to play and sing Siren to meet those expectations," she said, reflecting on the recording.
"The film faithfully recreates the world depicted by Nagano-sensei, and is packed with unique cinematic expressions. Siren will make a spectacular appearance! And of course, familiar characters like Chiikawa will also play a major role! I was constantly excited by how cute she was during the voice recording. Fans, please look forward to it...! This summer is sure to be Chiikawa summer!" she said, highlighting the film's key features.
The theatrical film will be an animated adaptation of the popular "Siren Arc," a feature-length story written by Nagano specifically for the film. Nagano will be in charge of the script, and Kei Oikawa, known for the "Uma Musume Pretty Derby" series, will direct. Cypic, which also produced the theatrical film "Uma Musume Pretty Derby: The Door to a New Era," will produce the film. It will be released on July 24th.
In the "Siren Arc,"Chiikawa are led to an island after receiving a suspicious flyer that reads, "We invite you to a special island." The flyer promises, "Earn 100 times the reward for an easy monster hunt on the island," and "Limited island ramen, limited sweets, everything sweet and spicy is practically free." Although suspicious, the group is lured to the island by the rewards and ends up having an unforgettable summer.
"Chiikawa" is a manga series that Nagano has been posting on X since 2020. The contrast between the small, cute characters and the harsh worldview has made it popular, and the series has over 4.7 million followers on X. It has won the "Japan Character Award Grand Prix" three times, and the total number of views for the YouTube catch-up streaming of the short anime series that began airing in 2022 has exceeded 400 million, making it a hugely popular content loved not only in Japan but all over the world.
