Summary
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Studio 4°C is making a new anime film titled ChaO, which will premiere in the summer of 2025 in Japan.
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The film has been in production for seven years, hand-drawn with over 100,000 drawings.
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Directed by Yasuhiro Aoki, the plot revolves around a mermaid princess who asks an office worker to marry her.
Quick links
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Directed by Naruto: The Last Assistant Animation Director
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Chao's plot premise looks like some kind of funny little mermaid tale
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Studio 4°C is working on a new original anime film! The project was announced during Toei's 2025-2026 press conference, as Toei (Dragon Ball, One Piece) will distribute the film, at least in Japan.
Founded in 1986, 4°C has been increasingly involved in anime production since the 2000s — they animated series before the 2000s, but their involvement in this type of production was more sparse. They produced some Animatrix (2003) episode and also animated Berserk: Golden Age Arc trilogy.
The new one the movie is called Chaoand it will debut in the summer of 2025 in Japan. Since Toei is involved in this production, there's a chance they'll aim to release it internationally, whether in theaters or directly to streaming services.
No international release information has been revealed so far, but Studio 4°C posted about the film in English, also giving the impression that they want the film to reach overseas audiences:
According to OriconStudio 4°C has been working on this film for seven years, and the production is hand-drawn, with over 100,000 drawings.
Directed by Naruto: The Last Assistant Animation Director
Yasuhiro Aoki is responsible for the direction. He credited as assistant animation director on The Last: Naruto the Moviea movie that leads to Naruto and Hinata's wedding and is considered canon by many fans. He also worked, this time as a director, on Senjutsu Choukoukaku Orion, Honey Tokyo and Section 4 of Batman: Gotham City.
Hirokazu Kojima (Deadman Wonderland) is the character designer and animation director, while Hiroshi Takiguchi (Yay, Winds with you) is art director. The lead writer (or writers) have not been revealed, but there is a chance that Aoki will also write the script.
Chao's plot premise looks like some kind of funny little mermaid tale
The story takes place in the future, but a future where mermaids and humans live together. In this scenario, Chao, a princess of the Mermaid Kingdom, suddenly asks an office worker named Stephen to marry her.
No international release information has been officially announced.
Source: MyAnimeList, ANN
