ChaO

"He's on the hook."

2025 1h 30m JA

🙌

8.2

BANGER

★8.2TMDB · 15

AnimationFantasyRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In a futuristic world where humans and mermaids coexist, the life of mild-mannered office worker Stephan is upended when he is suddenly proposed to by Chao — a princess from the mermaid kingdom. With no time to make sense of what's happening, Stephan soon finds himself living with the unpredictable, wholehearted Chao, and her sincere love begins to break down his emotional barriers.

“He's on the hook.”

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Cast

Ouji Suzuka
Stephan (voice)
Anna Yamada
Chao (voice)
Kavka Shishido
Maibei (voice)
Yuuichirou Umehara
Roberta (voice)
Kenta Miyake
King Neptunus (voice)
Shunsei Ōta
Juno (voice)
Anna Tsuchiya
Editor-in-Chief (voice)
Kunihiro Kawashima
Ambassador Omede / Photographer / Shop Owner (voice)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Yasuhiro Aoki
Writers: Saku Konohana, Yasuhiro Aoki, Shougo Furuya
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

90 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released last year.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Yasuhiro Aoki, shot by Takanori Nakajima. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Takatsugu Muramatsu. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Ouji Suzuka and Anna Yamada and Kavka Shishido carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "He's on the hook.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt36592916 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 15 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Yasuhiro Aoki directs. Takanori Nakajima behind the camera. Takatsugu Muramatsu scores. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

190 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Released last year.
3Directed by Yasuhiro Aoki, shot by Takanori Nakajima. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Takatsugu Muramatsu. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Ouji Suzuka and Anna Yamada and Kavka Shishido carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "He's on the hook.".
7IMDB entry: tt36592916 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 15 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
9Classified under 9 themes, including "princess", "marriage proposal", "mermaid", "futuristic society".

The technical file

Cinematography: Takanori Nakajima
Original score: Takatsugu Muramatsu
Runtime: 90 min · 1h 30m
Status: Released
Original language: JA
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: ChaO (2025)

Also by

Yasuhiro Aoki

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Chris Sawin2026-04-11
★ 8/10
ChaO delivers in that it spans a wide range of genres and makes you feel a spectrum of emotions in the span of an hour and a half. Its unusual animation style makes it more memorable, since it doesn’t look like anything else out there and will be remembered for its extraordinary, one-of-a-kind aesthetic. It also helps that it’s hilarious. https://bit.ly/MermanChaO

Production companies