Josee, the Tiger and the Fish 2020

Tsuneo Suzukawa, Taishi Nakagawa, a university student who also works part-time at a shop in Osaka, finds himself stepping into the life of Josee, Kaya Kiyohara, a wheelchair-using young woman with a fierce, guarded personality. When Josee accidentally sends her chair rolling down a steep road, Tsuneo acts quickly and, at the invitation of her grandmother, Chizu Yamamura, Chiemi Matsutera, spends the night at her house and becomes her caretaker. What begins as a rescue gradually unfolds into a tentative companionship, as the two push past the barriers of fear and independence to discover a quiet, shared rhythm. The early days are filled with small discoveries and mutual protection, and the bond that forms is both tender and transformative for both of them.

Their relationship deepens through simple, intimate moments. They spend long hours by the beach, sharing stories and silences, and Josee slowly allows Tsuneo to glimpse the world she keeps at arm’s length. Josee later lands a job at the library, thanks to a friend, Kana Kishimoto, Lynn, and Tsuneo’s world widens as he receives a scholarship and an offer to study in Mexico, though he keeps this future from Josee. The quiet, ongoing struggle between desire for independence and the need for companionship becomes a central thread, weaving through their days together and testing their commitment to one another.

After Chizu’s sudden death from a heart attack, Josee finds herself told she will be leaving the house for a time. Mai Ninomiya, [Yume Miyamoto], a coworker, pushes Josee to “redeem herself and set Tsuneo free,” and the story ominously pivots toward changes that will force both characters to redefine their paths. In the months that follow, Josee shifts from pursuing art to taking on an office job, while Tsuneo earnsestly pursues his own hopes. A harsh blow arrives when Tsuneo suffers a serious car accident, fracturing his right leg and spending two months in the hospital. The professor, Kanji Obana, informs him that another student will replace him for the school and the trip, prompting Tsuneo to question his future and to momentarily retreat from the dreams they once shared. Mai’s visit to Josee—urging her not to waste what she and Tsuneo have—adds a wrinkle of emotional pressure, and the pair feel the weight of choices that could pull them apart.

As Tsuneo begins rehabilitation, Josee returns to her artistic roots, and a glimmer of hope appears. A friend, Hayato Matsūra, [Kazuyuki Okitsu], helps escort Tsuneo from the hospital to the library, where Josee reads a story she has drawn called “The Mermaid and the Radiant Wings.” The tale becomes a deep, allegorical reflection of their own relationship, inspiring Tsuneo to rededicate himself to physical therapy, working with renewed determination to walk again. When Tsuneo asks Josee to be there before his discharge, she answers in a way that makes clear her love, even as she warns that the road ahead will be complicated. He leaves the hospital to return to an empty house, only to discover that Josee has vanished.

The pursuit crystallizes in a stark, wintery moment: Tsuneo follows the snow-tracked signs of Josee’s movements, from the zoo where she once watched a tiger to a snowy road where a careless stranger topples her wheelchair. Josee is saved by Tsuneo once again, the moment echoing their first meeting and sealing a renewed confession of deep feeling. They speak of a future together—Josee longs to become a storybook illustrator, and Tsuneo asserts that he will stay by her side. When Josee asks about Mexico, Tsuneo makes a simple, decisive promise to return home for both of them. He travels to Mexico, while Josee leaves the house to make room for demolition, and the following year sees Tsuneo return to Japan to continue building a life with her.

redeem herself and set Tsuneo free

Together, they navigate the uncertainties of distance, illness, and the pressures of personal ambition, choosing to hold fast to the bond that began with a rescue and matured into shared dreams. The story closes with a quiet, hopeful sense that their partnership can endure the test of time, that art and love can coexist, and that they can find a future built on mutual care and unwavering commitment.