Lead: The official Chiikawa anime site announced a Chiikawa anime temporary halt on new episodes, swapping in a 25-episode “revival” rebroadcast through December 25, 2026 after the franchise’s hit theatrical film.
What happened
On Friday, September 25, 2026 Japan time (reported September 24 evening EDT by Anime News Network), the Chiikawa television anime’s official website said regular new-episode airings will pause. In their place, the show will run a revival slate of 25 older “influential” episodes through December 25. ANN and Japanese entertainment coverage (including Comic Natalie via ANN’s sourcing, plus Crank.in/Infoseek write-ups) describe a mix of early-run favorites and episodes tied to the recent film Eiga Chiikawa: Ningyo no Shima no Himitsu (Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of Mermaid Island).
Japanese reports specify the revival package begins with the October 2 broadcast, then shifts into themed “series” weeks (for example, the Nantoka Vania / “Somehow Vania” block). Ground TV continues to air opening segments on Tuesdays and Fridays inside Fuji TV’s Mezamashi Terebi block, while Friday companion videos that stitch full story arcs are planned for limited free windows on the Mezamashi YouTube channel, FOD, and TVer. New-episode production is framed as returning around January 2027.
The short-form anime has aired since April 2022, moving to a Tuesday/Friday cadence in 2023. A fresh run of new episodes had resumed in July 2025 after an earlier pause. Separately, the Mermaid Island film that opened July 24, 2026 has crossed roughly 15.84 billion yen (about US$100 million) at the Japanese box office—Japan’s top film of 2026 to date.
Why it matters
A Chiikawa anime temporary halt during a box-office peak looks less like a quiet cancellation and more like a capacity and catch-up move. The film has pulled in casual viewers who never watched the morning shorts; a curated revival plus week-long free compilations is an on-ramp while the staff resets for 2027 new work.
For English-speaking fans, the timing sits next to the franchise’s newly launched international YouTube push and announced English-dub episode drops (already reported mid-week). Even if the Japanese TV block goes into reruns, global discovery is still accelerating. Drawing readers get a scheduled tour of early designs and film-adjacent episodes instead of waiting for brand-new cuts every slot.
What we know vs what is rumored
- Confirmed: new TV episodes pause in favor of 25 revival broadcasts through December 25, 2026; focus on early and film-linked episodes; October 2 start called out in Japanese coverage; Tuesday/Friday Mezamashi airings continue in revival form; Friday full-arc special videos planned on Mezamashi YouTube / FOD / TVer; new episodes aimed for January 2027; Mermaid Island film ~15.84 billion yen Japan gross (official site via ANN; Natalie; Crank.in).
- Unconfirmed: the complete numbered list of all 25 revival picks beyond early examples, whether HIDIVE/Sentai’s English-sub catalog will mirror the revival order, and any theatrical windows for Mermaid Island outside Japan.
What happens next
Track the Chiikawa anime official site and Mezamashi digital channels for each week’s revival title cards starting October 2. Treat January 2027 as the working window for new episodes unless staff posts a firmer calendar. International viewers should watch the official English YouTube channel’s weekly cadence in parallel—that pipeline is separate from the Japanese terrestrial pause.
Sources: Anime News Network — Chiikawa Anime to Temporarily Halt New Episodes; Crank.in / Infoseek — Chiikawa revival broadcast details (JP); Anime News Network — Chiikawa film box office context