Josee, The Tiger and The Fish

Josee, The Tiger and The Fish is not a spin-off of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon but is the story of the relationship that develops between a handicapped paraplegic young woman named Josee (played by the ever-so cute Chizuru Ikewaki – Strawberry Shortcakes) and a university student named Tsuneo (Satoshi Tsumabuki – Dororo). Tsuneo is a run of the mill university student as he enjoys to drink, party and sleep around when he is not studying or working at his part time job at a mah-jong parlour. One day at work he hears some customers talking about the strange old lady who is seen pushing a pram around town, when supposedly her child died ten years prior. This leads to various speculations as to what is being concealed in the pram, and guesses range from a mummified version of her dead child to drugs. It is Tusneo who is the first to find out, as when asked to take out his bosses’ dog for a walk he steadies the pram of which the old woman loses grip of. He peaks inside only to have a young woman thrust at him with a knife. This is Josee and apparently she has the knife to defend herself against any curious onlookers who decide to “attack” her. This meeting is the first step in a very touching relationship as after being invited back to Josee and her grandmother’s run down house, Josee makes him some food which Tsuneo finds delicious, although Josee at this point is very curt and disdainful towards the student, possibly because of her isolated existence, kept company only by a withering grandma and the hundreds of books that she collects for Josee to read from their neighbours’ rubbish bins.

As Tsuneo begins to visit Josee on a daily basis he must also contend with his life outside of that little household, moreover with a girl he has started to see romantically named Kanae; who by all standards is very sweet and considerate. In fact it is her ambition to be a social worker that leads her to advising Tsuneo on renovating Josee’s house at a discount, but her good will doesn’t last long as Josee steals away Tusneo from Kanae leaving her bitter and with sharpened fingernails.





Other characters include Koji a man who was at the same orphanage as Josee and of whom he ran away with as a child. He is a very obnoxious and rude character, and when he is visited by Josee he constantly threatens to kick her ass and to shut up, not because of any genuine hatred for her but more along the lines of a sibling disharmony, and the fact that he is still an immature vandal. There is also Tsuneo’s younger brother who plays a kind but cool guitar shop employee, making sure his older brother is well fed whilst dating girls who aren’t afraid to parade their right to be nude in front of others. One last noteworthy character would be ‘the pervert’ who is Josee’s next door neighbour. He is a desperate man who will take out your rubbish if you let him feel your boobies.

Josee is obviously a fighter and has had to be because of her condition and this has left her with a lack of social skills made up for through her strong character and resolve. She is not the kind of girl who relies on others, except for the necessary things, and has a quiet dignity that initially shields her from Tsuneo’s affable attempts at small talk. However once he breaks through that shield leaving Josee in a fit of tears and pleading for his eternal companionship, the real Josee is let out of the box and we see a beautiful, happy but inexperienced person introduced to the world and all the things she has been missing out on. Trips out with Tsuneo let her confront her fears (see the title) and see things, such as the sea, which leave her exasperated and grateful to be alive just to be able to take in its majestic beauty. Being concealed from the world, or at the bottom of a seabed as she puts it, has made Josee unwise, despite all the knowledge she has from her books.

Tsuneo is genuine and passionate throughout, becoming more and more hypnotised by Josee’s discreet charm and allure which motivates him to do all he can for her (whether it be to get her a book she has desired for a long time or show her the world); not out of pity but out of a true desire he has to spend every moment he has with her.

Josee, The Tiger and The Fish is a film I heartily recommend you see, and if you search the Internet you’ll find I am not in the minority in saying this. There is nothing negative to say about it as it manages to dance the line dividing a meaningful drama from silly humour. Seeing Josee become more able to feel comfortable with her need to love someone is gratifying; as just as alluring it is to see her brood, it is even more appealing to see her smile and giggle in the throes of a love she never thought she would experience. As with most J-films the pacing is slow and steady, aided by the naturalistic choice of symbolism, the occupations (both literally and figuratively) and the basic plot driven narrative.