“ChaO” depicts a futuristic world of mermaids you would want to travel to
According to the CinemaDrame news agency, IndieWire has spoken with director Yasuhiro Aoki and character designer Hirokazu Kojima, exploring the creation of the entirely unique world of “ChaO”—a futuristic paradise where mermaids and humans live in a fragile coexistence.
The history of cinema is filled with stories of humans falling in love with mermaids, from Splash to Disney’s adaptation of The Little Mermaid. But none of them are like “ChaO,” a new anime released in the United States this April by GKIDS.
The story takes place in a vague yet beautiful futuristic world (referred to in the credits as “20XX”), where robots exist and mermaids are a recognized species living in a fragile peace with humans. “ChaO” follows the life of Steven, an ordinary employee at a shipbuilding company with big dreams that no one takes seriously. When ChaO, the daughter of King Neptune of the mermaids, suddenly enters his life and proposes to him, Steven—more overwhelmed by the media attention and the social status this marriage could bring than by the energetic and kind princess herself (who appears human and beautiful underwater but looks like a large, chubby goldfish on land)—agrees to the proposal, a status that ultimately helps validate his ambitious ship design. However, ChaO is truly in love with him, and through this strange marriage, Steven gradually learns to care for someone so different from himself.
“ChaO” is the first feature directorial work of Yasuhiro Aoki, who has spent two decades at Studio 4°C. He previously worked as a key animator on realistic-style projects such as The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim (2024) and the Psycho-Pass film series. For his directorial debut, he chose a completely different path, resulting in a fluid, exaggerated, and elastic visual style that makes “ChaO” stand out.
Aoki told IndieWire: “Perhaps as a reaction, I wanted to go completely in the opposite direction. But I know how to do things properly, so it’s a mix of highly exaggerated manga-like expression and a bit of realism.”
To build the world of “ChaO,” Aoki drew inspiration from a short film he created in 2006 for the Amazing Nuts! anthology titled Kung Fu Love, which featured an impressionistic visual style and loosely structured characters. For designing the city where Steven and ChaO live, he conducted research in Shanghai and was struck by how futuristic it felt compared to Japanese cities. His observations led to painted, atmospheric backgrounds depicting a glowing metropolis that feels both unfamiliar and warmly familiar.
In the world of “ChaO,” a variety of unusual characters appear—some with highly unconventional designs, and not limited to mermaids. Some ordinary humans, such as Steven’s self-centered boss, are portrayed as giant moving egg-shaped figures, while others resemble bobblehead dolls. Character designer Hirokazu Kojima explained that Aoki initially provided design concepts influenced in part by classic comedic manga such as Dr. Slump by Akira Toriyama, the creator of Dragon Ball Z, which Kojima used as a foundation for final designs.
Kojima said: “We wanted different kinds of people to exist in this film’s world, because its theme is coexistence.”
For the protagonist’s dual forms, Kojima designed ChaO’s fish-like land form as a direct reflection of her larger personality—clumsy, bulky, and unsteady. In contrast, her more human-like underwater form, with fair skin and water-like flowing hair, was designed as a kind of “ideal woman” image. Steven’s journey of learning to love her beyond appearance forms one of the central themes of the story.
Although The Little Mermaid may seem like an obvious inspiration, Aoki insists he did not think about either the original fairy tale or Disney’s adaptation during production. His primary reference was actually James Cameron’s Titanic, a tragic love story between two ill-fated lovers at sea. Aoki says the 1997 film directly influenced the narrative structure, where a journalist in a world where humans and mermaids live more closely together interviews Steven years later to uncover the story of his disappearance with ChaO.
While “ChaO” is primarily a romance between its two leads, Aoki fills its world with charming supporting characters whose paths intersect with the protagonists. The two leads form friendships with a robot inventor and a kung fu fighter, who themselves are in a romantic relationship. The future journalist interviewing Steven also shares a playful, friendly relationship with his mermaid editor. Aoki says these side stories were intended to create a world that feels realistic despite its fantasy setting.
He added: “What I really wanted to make sure of with the characters in ‘ChaO’ is that they have lives even outside the frame. It’s not just Steven who has a big life—everyone has a big life.”
“ChaO” is currently playing in theaters.
