Korean Expat Community for National Disasters

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Chiikawa is everywhere right now. In Korea it’s called Meonjakgwi, a shortened form of its Korean title, which roughly means “some small, cute thing.” I already liked the anime before this, so it’s interesting to watch it become this popular. It comes up more often now when people talk about characters or anime.

The series looks simple on the surface. The characters are small and round and drawn in a soft style, and a lot of the early episodes are about everyday things like eating, working, and spending time with friends. That’s probably the first impression most people have, which is why it’s often called a healing anime.

A Chiikawa movie came out recently, so I went to see it. Going in, I assumed it would be a comforting, relaxing film in the same way. But once you read into it, there were parts that felt scary.

The merchandise is worth mentioning too. The anime itself is popular, but most of the popularity comes from the characters, and that’s why character goods are doing so well. The designs are simple and easy to recognize, so they work well on small items that you carry around or keep on a desk. Even people who haven’t watched the anime can like the characters just from seeing the goods, which probably helps the trend spread beyond existing fans. As someone who liked it before it got this famous, it’s nice to see. The movie wasn’t the relaxing experience I expected, but I enjoyed it.