It has been revealed that an IMAX version of " Chiikawa: The Secret of the Mermaid Island," an animated film based on Nagano's popular manga " Chiikawa, " will be screened. It will be shown simultaneously with the regular version on July 24th. As a poster for the IMAX version, a "MAX" visual has been released featuring Chiikawa of Chikawa, Hachiware, and Usagi that are so large they spill out of the frame.
The theatrical film will be an animated adaptation of the popular feature-length story "Siren Arc," which Nagano wrote 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, known for the theatrical film "Uma Musume Pretty Derby: The Door to a New Era," will produce the film.
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 4.8 million followers on X. It has won the "Japan Character Award Grand Prix" four 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.
