ChaO Review: A Visually Dazzling Love Story That Struggles to Find (and Maintain) the Magic

GKIDS’s ChaO is a wonderful and creative breath of fresh air. The animation is eye-catching, gorgeous, and evocative. The eclectic use of animation can seem capricious at times, but the joyful madness on screen is ambitious and stunning to take in. There is a sense of wonder and enchantment in this beautifully crafted Japanese animated film.

If only the filmmakers were brave enough to go beyond classic conventions and not go down with a story that is physically, intellectually, or socially stunted to the point that you barely find the magic in ChaO, but barely, and before it is too late. Only when the director begins to put his foot on the brake does the story slowly become coherent enough to enjoy and appreciate.

What is GKIDS’s ChaO about?

The story follows a mermaid princess, ChaO (Mission’s of Love’s Anna Yamada), who is about to marry the man, as they say, of her dreams. Though this may seem like a match made in heaven, any arranged marriage has its bumps along the way. The hope is that this union will strengthen ties between merpeople and humans, as they learn to live together while balancing their personal and, at times, professional lives.

The film’s script uses a framing structure in an oral-history format. Set in Shanghai, the story follows a journalist interviewing Stephan (Oji Suzuka), ChaO’s human partner, as he recounts how their friendship, courtship, and relationship began. In doing so, it reflects how both cultures came to walk side by side, coexisting and building something entirely new through cultural integration.

The film flashes back to Stephan as a young man, more stressed, yet more driven than he is in adulthood. At his job with a shipping company, King Neptunus (Resident Evil 3’s Kenta Miyake) threatens to impose a blockade. Why? That’s because Human cargo ships rely on massive propellers, dangerous machinery that injures merpeople when they’re caught in their wake.

GKIDS’s ChaO Review

Ouji Suzuka, Anna Yamada, Yūichirō Umehara, Ryota Yamasato, Kavka Shishido, Cookie!, Kenta Miyake, Shunsei Ota, and Anna Tsuchiya in ChaO (2026) | Image via GKIDS

Then, in a flash of genius, Stephan finds a way to end the danger. He develops an air-jet system that would make these vessels safer for merpeople. Of course, once corporate interests get involved, namely Stephan’s boss, he refuses to invest in the project because of the cost. It turns out Stephan has a secret admirer (or stalker) in ChaO, who admits she’s loved him from afar.

Stephan agrees to marry her, but is it for fame, fortune, or love? In agreement with the merpeople, he marries ChaO, and she will provide the means to develop the technology. It is almost an arranged marriage of convenience, with strong community interests in mind. Can the princess and the engineer grow to love each other over time?

Like most GKIDS’s films, I know, only the distribution with this venture produced by Studio 4°C, the answer is much more nuanced and magical, as the story unfolds. While nowhere near the breathtakingly beautiful The Boy and the Heron, Director Yasuhiro Aoki and art director Hiroshi Takiguchi utilize anime juxtaposition, with humans drawn with less flair.

Is GKIDS’s ChaO worth watching?

Ouji Suzuka, Anna Yamada, Yūichirō Umehara, Ryota Yamasato, Kavka Shishido, Cookie!, Kenta Miyake, Shunsei Ota, and Anna Tsuchiya in ChaO (2026) | Image via GKIDS

At the same time, the merpeople are eclectic, kinetic, and vibrant. The hand-drawn animation is truly something, evoking the contrast between both worlds and, eventually, their assimilation, something that would be difficult for even the best CGI to achieve. The animation also seems to capture individual characters’ personalities, which you can catch despite the frenetic pace, especially with the titular character and other supporting parts.

Despite the obvious flaws, ChaO dazzles with vibrant, hand-drawn animation that is bold and imaginative. So much so, the film (and eventually the story) feels alive. While the first two acts of the script fail to live up to the visual style and flair, often leaning on familiar beats, beneath the frenetic pace lies a thoughtful story about coexistence and connection, making the film a trip worth taking.

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