KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 21 — While the rest of the world is sending Spider-Man: Brand New Day to the top of the box office, Japan’s moviegoers are flocking to a very different movie.

Don’t be fooled by the cutely drawn characters in the poster for Chiikawa The Movie: The Secret of the Mermaid Island.

Japanese viewers of the movie have suggested on X (formerly Twitter) that a reading of Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment would be the best way to prepare yourself for the experience.

The film earned ¥990 million (RM25.2 million) on opening day or nearly a billion yen.

From its opening day, Friday, through Sunday the film sold 1,508,500 tickets and grossed ¥2.24 billion.

Of course I was intrigued.

Instead of Dostoevsky, I read the source inspiration for the film, the webcomics created by Japanese illustrator Nagano.

They first debuted on X and quickly gained a following with some fans being enamoured with the characters themselves without having read their origins.

Chiikawa the series has even been dubbed the “ibuprofen of the youth” due to the characters and their day-to-day struggles being relatable to youngsters in an age fraught with uncertainty and gig working.

So if you’re going into the film blind, here’s the least you should know — the main characters are the hamster-like Chiikawa, the catlike-but-insists-they’re-not-a-cat Hachiware and a rabbit named, predictably, Usagi (Japanese for rabbit) whose catchphrases are “Ya-ha!” and “Eh?”

The movie is about their adventure on Mermaid Island, where they’re lured by the prospect of a huge monster bounty and free, delicious food.

Yes, I too could possibly be lured to a strange island for the promise of free dessert.

Of course, there’s a huge catch and a darker, more sinister tale behind this all-expenses-paid journey to Mermaid Island.

I came in knowing what would happen from reading the comics but the film was still very charming, with very expressive voice acting, adorable songs and delightful animation.

The webcomic has been made into an animated series and the original voice actors are also in the movie with Aoki Haruka as Chiikawa, Tanaka Seijin as Hachiware and Ozawa Ari as Usagi.

Chiikawa’s voice actor turns 15 this year and having an actual youngster being the voice for the character adds to the charm.

Anyway, back to the movie.

The movie is rated P12 in Malaysia for a reason; there is some heavy subject matter and scary moments that could give young kids or unprepared adults nightmares.

Yet as I left the theatre I got to thinking about the nature of crime, of consequences, of whether doing something unspeakable because you think you have no other choice is morally acceptable.

University professor and film buff Mineo Takamura thinks that children will be perfectly fine watching the film (are Japanese children made of sterner stuff I wonder).

In a long review on X, Takamura wrote that he found the film very interesting.

“Philosophically, it reminded me of Martin Hagglund’s discussions on mortality. In essence, immortality is a prison, and only finite life is true existence. But this work isn’t really about ‘solving mysteries,’ and I think it’s great that it leaves behind the opposite — an ‘open’ feeling instead,” he wrote.

At least we do agree that underneath the disarmingly cute animated sequences are universal themes that leave an impression beyond adorable eye candy.

So is it for you? If you like animated films, sure. While it’s not an artistic marvel in the vein of Ghibli, the film doesn’t shy away from the reality that life can be cruel and hard.

Yet even in all this present darkness and monsters imagined or real, Chiikawa finding joy and comfort in good friends and good food is something we can all take our own comfort from, maybe from the comfort of a cinema.

Tickets for Chiikawa The Movie: The Secret of the Mermaid Island are already on sale at GSC and TGV with free posters while stocks last.