If you were hoping for a steady stream of new Chiikawa episodes this autumn, bad news: the show is taking a breather. The anime’s official website confirmed on Friday that regular broadcasts of new episodes are being put on hold for now.
Instead of fresh installments, fans are getting a “revival” run — 25 older episodes that the staff considers among the most influential in the series’ history. That rebroadcast is scheduled to continue through December 25.
And it’s not a random selection, either. The lineup leans heavily on two things: episodes from the very early days of the anime, and episodes tied directly to Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of Mermaid Island (Eiga Chiikawa: Ningyo no Shima no Himitsu). If you’ve been meaning to catch up on the film’s story beats, this is basically a curated primer.
Why this feels familiar
This isn’t the first time Chiikawa has hit pause. Back in April 2025, the anime wrapped up regular airing and slipped into rebroadcasting what the team called “pivotal” episodes — right up until the new series launched in July 2025.
So the pattern is established. When production needs room to breathe, the show fills the slot with its own greatest hits rather than going dark. Whether that’s a smart move or a frustrating one depends on how patient you are, but at least the timeslot stays alive.
For context on how the series got here: Chiikawa premiered in April 2022 and originally aired every Friday inside Fuji TV’s morning program Mezamashi Terebi. In April 2023, it expanded to two episodes a week, airing on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Where to watch
For English-speaking viewers, Sentai Filmworks handles the license and streams the anime on HIDIVE with English subtitles. Over the summer, ODK Media’s North American platform Amasian TV also started streaming a 20-episode selection, beginning August 20.
The voice cast is worth noting, too. Child actress Haruka Aoki voices Chiikawa — her first television anime role — while Makoto Tanaka plays Hachiware and Ari Ozawa voices Usagi.
The movie is still the story here
Let’s not pretend the timing is a coincidence. The Secret of Mermaid Island, the first film adaptation of Nagano’s manga, opened in Japan on July 24. It has since pulled in over 15.84 billion yen — roughly $100 million — on about 10.86 million tickets sold, making it the highest-grossing film in Japan this year.
Those are monster numbers for a franchise built on tiny, quietly sad mascot characters. It also explains why the anime is steering viewers back toward the episodes that connect to the film.
The manga itself has humble origins: Nagano began posting it on X (then Twitter) in January 2020 under the title Nanka Chiisakute Kawaii Yatsu. From a casual web comic to the biggest movie in Japan — not a bad five years.
For now, expect reruns through December 25. We’ll update this piece as soon as the anime’s site announces when new episodes return.
Featured image: Chiikawa anime visual, via Anime News Network.
