Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
With dreams of diving abroad, Tsuneo gets a job assisting Josee, an artist whose imagination takes her far beyond her wheelchair. But when the tide turns against them, they push each other to places they never thought possible, and inspire a love fit for a storybook.
Josee, the Tiger and the Fish is a beautifully crafted anime romance that stands out most for its stunning visual artistry — the underwater sequences and painterly aesthetic are genuinely exceptional, elevating the cinematography well above average. The ending delivers a deeply satisfying emotional payoff that feels earned rather than sentimental, with the storybook framing landing with real resonance. The plot follows a somewhat familiar disabled-girl-meets-driven-boy arc, but handles it with enough sincerity and nuance to rise above formula. Voice performances (and their emotional delivery) are strong and authentic. Novelty sits in the middle — it refines the slice-of-life romance anime with care and craft, but its thematic territory isn't uncharted ground.