Chiikawa Anime Review: Why Is Everyone Obsessed With It?

How did Chiikawa, an anime with 90-second episodes, take over the internet? We dive into why fans can't get enough of these tiny, cute creatures.

Within just a few years, Chiikawa has become one of the most famous and successful titles worldwide, and people in Asia are absolutely crazy for it. Compared to most shounen titles, Chiikawa is still young, but it has already reached a level that most titles never reach.

It may be hard to believe if you haven't started your Chiikawa journey yet, but it has actually become one of the most successful titles out there. In almost every field it has entered, it has ended up with amazing results. The anime and movie are no exception, and it's now famous enough that an English dub is coming our way too. Chiikawa is definitely a title worth exploring, so in this post, I'll dive deep into it and share how it took over the internet.

Source: 「ちいかわ」アニメ公式 Official X account

The cute and amazing trio: Chiikawa, Usagi and Hachiware

Quite different from famous shounen titles like Demon Slayer, My Hero Academia, Chainsaw Man or even One Piece, the story of Chiikawa is actually simple and straightforward, and it only involves a few characters. In Chiikawa, there are only three important characters we need to remember: Chiikawa, Usagi and Hachiware.

Although there are only three important characters, please don't underestimate them. Chiikawa, Usagi and Hachiware have something that makes people go crazy for them! Like many people in Asia, I got to see pictures of them quite early, and I became a fan instantly!

For those who are unfamiliar with Chiikawa, please allow me to first introduce these cute and amazing creatures. First of all, Chiikawa is both the name of the title and the name of the main character. It's quite obvious once you look at the characters, Chiikawa is the one whose whole body is white.

Usagi and Hachiware are also quite easy to recognise. Usagi is just like its name: "usagi" (うさぎ) means rabbit in Japanese, so Usagi is the yellow rabbit. Once we know which ones are Chiikawa and Usagi, we can immediately tell that Hachiware is the cute creature with blue hair. Let me share a fun fact with everyone: 'hachiware' (ハチワレ) is the Japanese word for cats with a split, 八-shaped pattern on their forehead, just like Hachiware's hairstyle.

Source: 「ちいかわ」アニメ公式 Official X account

Chiikawa and Chiikawa: What does the unique title mean?

After sharing some information about the characters, let's now take a look at the unique title. You may think the title Chiikawa has no meaning at all, or that it just uses the main character's name, like Detective Conan, but for Chiikawa, it's quite the opposite.

You may have never heard about it before, since it isn't widely shared in the English-speaking fandom, but the title Chiikawa actually has a funny meaning behind it. Chiikawa's full title in Japanese is なんか小さくてかわいいやつ, which basically means "that kinda small, cute thing." Its short form is ちいかわ: chiisakute + kawaii = Chiikawa.

Once you understand that Chiikawa stands for chiisakute + kawaii, you can start to get a feel for its unique story and narrative style. Unlike most stories you are familiar with, Chiikawa's story doesn't really follow a set formula. It's all about these small, cute creatures living all kinds of lives in their own world.

Long before Chiikawa became what it is today, the series was all about the author, Nagano (ナガノ), imagining all kinds of things and thinking, "I want to live like that." As the series got more likes and attention and started to grow, the author added many more characters, enemies and even mysteries. But no matter how much was added, the core of Chiikawa is still that imagination of a cute lifestyle.

Here’s a great YouTube video worth checking out.

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Beyond the cuteness: What is it feels like to live in a fantasy world

Once you give Chiikawa a try, you'll immediately see that the whole anime is super cute. The main characters, their actions, their voices and even the opening are all cute. But if you dive deeper into it, you'll realise that there is something beyond the cuteness.

Chiikawa wouldn't have reached this level on cuteness alone. Inside the work, there are actually a lot of problems and enemies that our main characters have to face. In terms of the anime, I think the biggest reason Chiikawa has become a phenomenon is that the characters show us the purest emotions.

The characters in Chiikawa don't hide or fake their emotions; they show whatever they feel. Whether they're scared, hopeless, crying or even feeling greedy, they let everyone know exactly what they're thinking, which ultimately allows them to show us the purest version of themselves. In a lot of current works, it's hard for characters to show their true selves. In anime like Gachiakuta or Spy x Family, the characters always need to hide something or lie to survive, but Chiikawa is different.

Here’s a great YouTube video worth checking out.

Things aren't easy for Chiikawa and its friends, just like in our own lives, but they always choose to be kind, good and true to themselves, which is quite the opposite of what many of us in Asia grow up with. As Asians, many of us are used to hiding or faking our feelings, so when we come across a work whose characters stay true to themselves, we can't help but be drawn to them.

When I watched Chiikawa, I really fell for these cute creatures. As an adult, it's really hard to enjoy a simple life and simple pleasures with friends, but Chiikawa, Usagi and Hachiware are different. They're just so pure and enjoy their lives to the fullest, which has really shown me another great way to live.

Chiikawa and its best friends don't live in a world that's absolutely safe. In fact, it's quite far from it: their world is full of danger and weird creatures. It may be very hard for them to live happily, but the three of them still choose a positive lifestyle, and they love and treasure each other very much, which is why so many people have fallen in love with them.

Here’s a great YouTube video worth checking out.

Another success of Chiikawa: The Chiikawa merchandise empire

Besides the success of its anime and manga, Chiikawa has also been hugely successful with its merchandise empire. You may not know this, but Chiikawa is famous enough to have collaborated with Taiwan's China Airlines and held an exhibition in Hong Kong. Chiikawa isn't just a Japan thing; all of Asia is crazy about it, and it's really hard to find another merchandise empire like it.

Of course, the main reason Chiikawa's merchandise has succeeded is that Asian fans just love it so much, but there's also another reason behind it. Unlike most manga-based anime you're familiar with, like Fairy Tail, Bleach, Naruto or even Dragon Ball, Chiikawa didn't actually start as a serialised manga, but as artworks posted on X (formerly Twitter).

This is important information for everyone, because unlike serialised manga, where the copyright is also held by the publisher, Chiikawa didn't start under a big publisher, which makes producing merchandise much easier. That's one of the reasons why a popular anime like Sakamoto Days gets less merchandise than you'd expect for its popularity: when the copyright is held by so many parties, things become difficult.

Before Chiikawa became so famous and had such a huge influence, it was already a regular partner of 7-Eleven Japan and had released a lot of merchandise. The buying power of Chiikawa's fans is amazing; they have supported it and helped it grow to where it is today. In Japan, Chiikawa once collaborated with an aquarium, and now it even has its own bakery, park and land. These places are always packed, and fans are still happy to visit and buy merchandise of their favourite characters.

Here’s a great YouTube video worth checking out.

Conclusion:

Thank you for reading this post. Chiikawa is truly a miracle in the entertainment industry; it has built an incredible legacy in such a short time. As a fan of Chiikawa, of course I'm very happy to see it keep reaching new levels, and to see how much people love it.

Here’s a great YouTube video worth checking out.

Different people have different tastes, but currently in most Asian countries, Usagi's merchandise seems to sell the best. I think the main reason is that everyone just loves how free-spirited Usagi is. If you haven't tried Chiikawa yet, please give it a try. I'm sure you'll love it instantly! I'll be publishing more content soon, including anime plot explanations, character deep-dives and much more, so please stay tuned. While you wait for my next post, please give OshiFlash a try! It brings you the anime from your era, so you can quickly mark every show you've watched and finally have it all in one list.