Japanese Director Yasuhiro Aoki’s “ChaO” Wins French Anime Award

Jiji Press

14:32 JST, June 15, 2025

Paris (Jiji Press)—Japanese director Yasuhiro Aoki’s “ChaO” won the Jury Award in the feature films category at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in southeastern France on Saturday.

“ChaO” is a romance story between an office worker and a mermaid princess in a future society where humans and mermaids coexist.

The film stars two actors Ouji Suzuka, who voices the office worker, and Anna Yamada, who plays the role of the mermaid princess. It is scheduled to hit the screen in Japan in August.

In the short films category, Japanese director Ryo Orisaka’s “The Graffiti” received the Off-Limits Award, which recognizes films that explore experimental or unconventional anime techniques.