Josee, the Tiger and the Fish

A few unnecessary elements (the love triangle, the injury) frustrate but do not overwhelm an otherwise exuberant film. It’s beautifully animated, and it’s lovely to see a wheelchair user as a protagonist. Misses extraordinary, but settles nicely for pleasant and colourful.

Within the standard boy-meets-girl coming-of-age structure, Kotaro Tamura finds a unique perspective on the joys of living. Although the themes are very much influenced by Naoko Yamada (a positive sign for the future of animation as far as I'm concerned), the dramatic swells of Evan Call's soundtrack and the slightly older ages of the protagonists gives their renewed sense of living and uncertainties of the future a different flavor from Yamada's normal high-school setting.

This is a pretty standard Japanese romantic drama but the direction and animation were very solid. The music worked well and helped uplift all the scenes. But it was the great acting that really elevated things for me.

rvw

Sweet, and fun to watch.