Going a few steps further than they would publicly for many of their anime acquisitions, Sentai announced they have entered into a multi-year merchandising and programming license for Chiikawa, the franchise which they claim is “the vibrant, adorable new franchise taking Japan by storm”. Originally launching as a web comic, the series features characters and concepts from the mind of illustrator nagano, who has collaborated with other popular series such as Pokémon and Sanrio. The world of Chiikawa is all about small, cute things, and Sentai are hoping these “colorful, emotive characters are poised to take on the world”.
An anime adaptation is incoming during the Summer 2022 Japanese anime season, and will stream exclusively on HIDIVE in supported regions including North America, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Ireland, South Africa, the Netherlands, Scandinavia and Nordic Countries, Spain, Portugal, Central and South America, the Middle East and North Africa. Additional distribution on select platforms and networks will follow based on “upcoming licensing deals”.
The anime series is produced by Doga Kobo studios (Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun, Tada Never Falls in Love, Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle) and directed by Takenori Mihara (A Bridge to the Starry Skies). The anime series stars the ten-year-old Haruka Aoki in her first voice acting role as the titular character, Chiikawa.
We are thrilled to introduce Chiikawa to fans outside Japan and provide a platform for this exciting new franchise. Chiikawa’s character design lends the IP universal appeal, and we’re confident our forthcoming Chiikawa collection will bring to life the characters fans have already come to know and love in Japan and around the world.
John Ledford – President and GM of Sentai
While starting with the anime season, expect more merchandising and branding announcements to come in the future.
