Josee, the Tiger and the Fish

Tsuneo is a young man with plans to train as a diver and see the world, but he takes a job caring for Josee, a young artist who uses a wheelchair. Josee lives mostly inside her own vivid imagination, painting scenes she longs to experience, and Tsuneo’s practical ambitions clash with her dream-driven outlook. As they spend time together, their routines shift, they learn to rely on one another, and a tender romance grows amid everyday challenges and family pressures. The film follows their changing relationship and how each reshapes the other’s sense of possibility, without revealing how it all ends.

Directed by Kotaro Tamura and released in 2020, Josee, the Tiger and the Fish credits Seiko Tanabe and Sayaka Kuwamura as its creative sources. The feature is a Japanese animated romantic drama, voiced by Taishi Nakagawa, Kaya Kiyohara, and a supporting cast that brings the characters to life.

The film opened in theaters in 2020 and later reached international viewers through festival screenings, streaming platforms, and home video, which broadened its audience beyond the initial theatrical run.

Audiences have responded strongly, reflected in an average rating of 8.295 out of 10 from 555 votes. Reviewers highlighted the detailed animation and the honest emotional beats, noting how the story balances youthful ambition with domestic reality. Key themes include the limits and freedoms around physical disability, the role of art as escape and expression, the push and pull of young love, and what it means to pursue a dream while caring for others.

Josee, the Tiger and the Fish helped bring renewed attention to Seiko Tanabe’s original story and to quieter, character-driven romances in anime. Its visual moments and emotional scenes have circulated widely online, sparking conversations about representation, accessibility, and how love can change the way people imagine their futures.