"Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of the Mermaid Island": Non-Credit Opening Video Released – Yuka Iguchi and Other Voice Actors Comment

The opening video for the film "Eiga Chiikawa: Ningyo no Shima no Himitsu" ("Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of the Mermaid Island") has been released in a version without credits. The sequence, conceived by Nagano, the creator of the webcomic series of the same name, begins with Chiikawa waking up. After a round of radio calisthenics, the little creature stumbles around sleepily and rubs its eyes, while Hachiware captures the moments with a camera and Usagi joins in. In addition to the main characters Chiikawa, Hachiware, Usagi, Momonga, Kurimanju, Rakko, Shisa, and the antique shop owner, the video also features Yoroi-san and his companions, Ano ko, and Dekatsuyo. Scenes from the characters' daily lives are woven in—such as weeding, sticking on lemon stickers, or monster hunts. The sequence is accompanied by the film's opening song "Kutsuzure," sung by Hachiware's voice actor Makoto Tanaka.

Alongside the video, the voice actors have commented. Yuka Iguchi, the voice of Momonga, says she saw the film in the cinema on opening day and was swept away by the carefully drawn faces, the sparkle of the sea light, and the impact of the big screen. At the same time, she is amused by her own character: Momonga turns out to be an "incredibly reckless fellow" in the finished version, whose appearances made the audience in the theater giggle—a reaction that greatly relieved her. Takayuki Asai (Kurimanju) says the efforts of the small, vulnerable heroines and heroes have deeply moved him as a voice actor time and again; the audience's tears and laughter make the story complete. Yuma Uchida (Rakko) is pleased that his character, besides her love for sweets, also proves her strength as a high-ranking fighter. Miyuri Shimabukuro (Shisa) wanted to show the otherwise rather laid-back character in a slightly buoyant mood and raves about a scene where Shimajiro lulls a siren to sleep with wave sounds and the scent of the sea. Finally, Momo Harumi, who lends her voice to the antique shop owner, has already seen the film three times; she is particularly taken with the slow approach between Hitoha and the mermaid as well as the encounter by the campfire.

"Eiga Chiikawa: Ningyo no Shima no Himitsu" opened in Japanese theaters on July 24 and adapts the fan-favorite story arc about the sirens, for which Nagano also wrote the screenplay. Directed by Kei Oikawa, the animation was produced at Studio Cypic, with distribution by Toho. Other voice roles include Haruka Aoki (Chiikawa), Ari Ozawa (Usagi), Tsuguo Mogami (Shimajiro), Minori Suzuki (Siren), as well as Momoka Terasawa and Sayumi Suzushiro as the island residents Hitoha and Futaba. The original work is published as a manga on X (formerly Twitter) and has already been adapted into a TV series. In the first 20 days through August 12, the film has grossed approximately 8.07 billion yen and reached more than 5.63 million viewers. The opening video had previously been shown in a special program broadcast on Fuji TV on August 2 to mark the film's release. In recent days, the team also released a detailed interview with Nagano about the creation of the siren arc and the casting; since August 8, the second admission gift in the form of stickers in a Bombon Drop design has been distributed.