Impressions of the Chiikawa movie from a fan of the original work!!

Hello.
Thank you for reading my first post last time!
I was so happy that more people read it than I expected!!

Now, as I mentioned last time, I would like to write my impressions of the Chiikawa movie.

How I discovered Chiikawa

I actually don't know when I started liking Chiikawa, but when I looked it up, the anime started airing on Mezamashi TV in April 2022, and I remember it being before that, so I've been a fan for at least four years.
That's too long!!
At first, I just liked them because the characters were cute, but as I read the manga on X, I became fascinated by the way the Chiikawa characters live, which is not just cute but also very human.

Watching 'Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of Mermaid Island'

The day before the movie was released, I found out that the Chiikawa movie was starting the next day, so I hurriedly invited my boyfriend and went to see it on the first day!
He had bought the advance tickets, so with the cute Mubi-chike, the bonus file, the admission bonus key chain, and popcorn in hand, we were ready for the show to start!!


First of all, I was moved by how beautiful the art was.
I feel that when a manga is adapted into a movie, even if it's not a complete collapse of the art style, it ends up looking a bit different from the original, so I was worried it might change, but in Chiikawa, the characters remained true to the original, and the nature scenes were depicted with such grandeur that they were comparable to live-action, and I was moved right from the start by the dedication of the production team.

There might be spoilers from here on out

From here on, I will be touching on the content of the movie, so please be careful if you don't want to see spoilers.
First of all, Siren is cute!!
Not just that squishy body and face, but above all, the voice is cute... It was truly the perfect, adorable voice for a Siren. She's also good at singing!!
I hope to have a Siren plushie someday.

Interesting even if you know the ending

I was following the story in real-time when the original work was being posted on X, so I knew the ending, but the story structure was so compelling that I was drawn in until the very end, even though I knew what would happen.

I remember getting chills when I finished reading it back then. Tansan, tansan... so that's what it meant, haha.
That's why when Hachiware asked the two islanders for carbonated water (tansan) at the beginning of the movie, I was happy thinking, 'It's carbonated water!'
Many people might have thought, 'Carbonated water for seasickness...?', but this was actually a huge piece of foreshadowing.

If I talk about the content, I feel like I'll spoil everything from 1 to 10, so I'll refrain, but the best way to enjoy Chiikawa after finishing a story is to soak in the lingering feeling while looking at theories...
The theories back then were amazing, but when it comes to a movie, it was great to be able to read theories from even more knowledgeable people.
What I was particularly moved by was the theory about the song that appears in the movie.

I just thought, 'The mermaid chorus has a bit of an eerie atmosphere. Well, maybe it's meant to be scary because they're enemies.' But someone else pointed out that one of the three notes in the chord is missing. 'Could this be representing the three mermaids that originally existed as a chord, and the music is expressing that one of them is gone?' (maybe the content is a little different 💧), and I felt the difference in our levels.

Talking about my favorite Chiikawa character

My favorite was Momonga, but this time his slightly wicked side stood out, and it was cute 🙈
My boyfriend who watched it with me also likes Momonga, but he was a bit put off, asking, 'Was Momonga always this mean-spirited?', which was funny haha.
Because of that, Chiikawa's earnestness and kindness stood out, and I grew to like Chiikawa even more. Usagi doesn't talk either, but I like him even more for being reliable when it counts, showing his support through actions, and being a free spirit!
I never get tired of watching Chiikawa no matter how many times I see it.

My thoughts on 'Is it okay for children to watch?'

On X, I saw many parents saying they thought Chiikawa was for children, but after seeing everyone's impressions, they weren't sure if they should let their kids watch it, so I'll write my thoughts on that.

To conclude, I personally think it's fine.
However, it might not be suitable for children who are extremely afraid of scary things and cry just by feeling a scary atmosphere, or for those who only want to watch the fluffy side of Chiikawa.

When I watched it, there were many small children like elementary and preschool students, and my impression was that they all said it was quite interesting after it ended.
I didn't see any children crying. They watched quietly during the movie, so I think it was a movie that even small children could watch without getting bored.
Since impressions like 'it was scary,' 'it has deep darkness,' and 'it's not for children' are being posted on X and various other social media, I think many people are wondering if it's not for children.

Outside of the movie, there are many fluffy stories for children, but as for this movie, while there are no jump scares, it had a kind of 'human fear' vibe that slowly creeps up on you if you understand the content.

The ending isn't a classic happy ending either, and it's one of the most thought-provoking stories among the many Chiikawa stories, so those who only know the usual cute Chiikawa might be surprised.


However, it's a satisfying story where you can feel the dedication of the production team throughout, and I felt that it hits harder in a movie theater than watching it at home, so if you are even a little bit interested, why not visit a movie theater? 🎥🍿

If you are really worried, you should be able to read the original work if you search on X, so I recommend reading it once to prepare yourself before going to watch it ᐡ•̥ ·̫ •̥`

Finally

It was a wonderful movie that was very interesting, cute, and allowed me to feel the goodness of Chiikawa—that each character has their own life and it's not just about being cute!!

I want to go see it a second time if I have time.
Thank you for staying with me until the end!

Everyone, please drink some carbonated water and stay cool 🫧
Make sure to watch the movie until the end credits!