In this blog post, I’d like to discuss the way love is portrayed in this film by exploring everything from why I came to love ‘Josee, the Tiger and the Fish’ to the personalities and relationships of the main characters—including Josee and Tsuneo—how it differs from conventional romance films, and the direction and meaning behind the scenes that left a lasting impression on me.

Why I Love “Josee, the Tiger and the Fish”

I love movies. To be honest, back in high school, I used to say I loved movies, but I didn’t actually watch that many. I finished high school as a bit of a “pretend” movie fan, but once I entered college, I gradually began to watch more and more films. At first, I mainly watched commercial films that were just released, but after discovering places like Seoul Art Cinema and Art Cube, I was able to experience a wider variety of films.
It was then that I started watching Japanese films—a genre I’d previously had no interest in—and as time went on, I began seeking out and enjoying an even wider range of Japanese films. Perhaps it was because the unique Japanese sensibility resonated well with me. I think I was drawn to the Japanese sensibility, which is different from ours yet, in some ways, very similar. When I watch Japanese films, I think of sushi. Simple and clean, yet slightly stimulating…
It was while watching various Japanese films like this that I came across ‘Josee, the Tiger and the Fish’. I’d say this movie taught me what “cool love” is—or rather, whether this kind of love can truly exist.
In fact, even before that, I had gained some understanding of how Japan’s younger generation loves and the trends surrounding it through the works of Japanese authors like Haruki Murakami and Shuichi Yoshida. But the love stories I’d encountered up to that point didn’t capture this kind of love. This was partly because I tended to choose slightly cheesy, happy-ending love stories like ‘Bridget Jones’s Diary’ or ‘Notting Hill’, but it might also be because I simply wasn’t ready to accept this kind of love until then.
But as I gradually grew older, I came to realize that there are many different ways to love, and through ‘Josee, the Tiger and the Fish’, I felt that their way of loving could also be wonderful and beautiful. That’s why I love this movie.

The Movie’s Plot and the Love Between Josee and Tsuneo

The movie is set in Osaka, Japan. Tsuneo (Satoshi Tsumabuki), a college student working part-time at a mahjong parlor in Osaka, hears rumors about an elderly woman who pushes a suspicious-looking stroller around every dawn. One day, he happens to help her and discovers that the person riding in the stroller is her granddaughter, Jose (Chizuru Ikéwaki). Jose is a woman with a disability that prevents her from using her legs.
After helping the two of them, Tsuneo begins having breakfast at Jose’s house, and as he spends more time there, he gradually grows closer to her. Just as they start to get close, Jose’s grandmother opposes their relationship, and their bond faces a crisis when it is revealed that Tsuneo has a girlfriend, Kanae (Juri Ueno). However, after Jose’s grandmother passes away, Tsuneo returns to Jose’s home, and the two begin a serious romantic relationship and move in together.
A year later, Tsuneo—who had been growing increasingly weary of his relationship with Jose—reunites with his ex-girlfriend, Kanae. Jose and Tsuneo then go on a trip together, but shortly after it ends, they ultimately break up.

Another Perspective on the Film

It is also worth examining expert perspectives on this film. An article titled “Love Is in Motion,” written by reporter Kim Young and published in ‘Film 2.0’ on October 25, 2004, effectively explains the appeal of ‘Josee, the Tiger and the Fish’.
The article discusses “negative space” as one of the film’s most important characteristics. Although the film runs for nearly two hours, the original work is a short story of around 20 pages. Rather than indiscriminately adding lengthy scenes not found in the source material, the film fills the gaps with restraint and silence, leaving room for the audience to reflect on their own experiences and emotions.
Furthermore, the film does not confine its characters to stereotypes. At first glance, José—who cannot walk and must use a wheelchair, and who shuts herself away in a small room at home to read—seems pitiable. Yet she sits on a ladder and displays exceptional culinary skills, and she bounces down from it as if it were nothing, moving about the house with ease. The clear, transparent gaze with which José stares intently at Tsunéo and the audience renders meaningless any view that sees her merely as an object of pity. These characters are special yet not all that special; at times they are eccentric, but for the most part, they are down-to-earth.
The love between Jose and Tsuneo is also not much different from that of other couples. As they meet, part ways, and reunite, they are drawn to each other for no clear reason, and drift apart for no clear reason either. In the meantime, time flows inexorably; while a few sad memories linger, others gradually fade away.
Director Itshin Inudo chooses to cut the story short and opt for silence precisely at the moments when the audience might be moved to tears. This allows the audience to imagine for themselves the depth of the sorrow left behind. As explained by the director in an article by reporter Kim Young, this film can be viewed less as a movie about people with disabilities and more as a sad love story that was, from the very beginning, somehow incomplete.
Ultimately, ‘Josee, the Tiger and the Fish’ makes us reexamine the definition of love that we’ve taken for granted. The film quietly conveys that love can change, that the beginning and end of a relationship aren’t necessarily due to someone’s fault or mistake, and that love may not be perfect from the very start.

Love and Relationships Through the Eyes of Five Characters

The five main characters driving this film are Jose, Tsuneo, Jose’s grandmother, Kanae, and Kojiro. Each character possesses a distinct personality, past wounds, and way of loving; by examining their relationships, the nature of love that the film seeks to portray becomes even clearer.
First, Jose is neither particularly beautiful nor does she wear stylish clothes. Furthermore, she has a disability that prevents her from using her legs, and she lives in a home where her grandmother struggles to make ends meet. It’s no exaggeration to say she possesses all the conditions that would make her seem pitiful by the world’s general standards. In this environment, Jose was taught by her grandmother to keep her distance from outsiders, and as a result, she developed a personality that is aloof toward others.
When Tsunéo, who visits her home for the first time, eats her food and says it’s delicious, Jose retorts, “Of course it is. Who do you think made it?” She even goes so far as to say he’ll get an upset stomach from eating the rolled omelet. This scene clearly reveals José’s prickly and reserved nature.
However, José is the kind of person who continues her strolls with the baby carriage to see flowers and cats, even when under attack by enemies. She prefers to be called “José”—a name taken from a novel by her favorite author, Françoise Sagan—rather than her real name, and she becomes very excited over the sequel to that novel. Outwardly, she appears cold and rough, but deep down, she is a tender and sensitive “girl.”
It is through her encounter with Tsuneo that José steps out into the world and learns about love. And after he leaves, she chooses to use an electric wheelchair, enabling her to live independently. Immediately after her grandmother’s death, José seemed so fragile that she looked as if she might collapse at the slightest touch. However, through her love for Tsuneo, she gained the strength to live on her own.
In contrast, Tsuneo is the complete opposite of Josee. He socializes easily with many people and is skilled at maintaining those relationships. As a proponent of free love, he sometimes acts brazenly, approaching other women even while in a sexual relationship with someone else. In some ways, he could be described as someone who isn’t fully committed to love.
But when a woman named Josee enters Tsunéo’s life, things begin to change. He falls in love with Josee, who has a disability, and eventually moves in with her. However, as time goes on, he gradually grows weary of their relationship. Although his love for Josee remains, he ultimately leaves her when faced with the harsh realities of life. Through Tsunéo, we see the reality that just because you love someone doesn’t mean you can stay together until the very end.
Jose’s grandmother is a woman who cherishes and loves Jose deeply. Every dawn, despite her frail health, she pushes the stroller carrying her granddaughter around to show Jose “flowers and cats.” She tries to prevent anything that might harm Jose, even in the slightest.
To protect Jose, the grandmother teaches her to keep her distance from others and even drives away Tsuneo, who is gradually growing closer to Jose. This is because she feared Jose might get hurt as a result. While the grandmother’s love stems from her desire to protect Jose, it also prevents her from connecting with the world. However, even as she cherishes Jose so dearly, the grandmother eventually passes away.
Kanae is Tsunéo’s school friend and the girlfriend he was dating before he met Jose. When Tsuneo leaves her for Jose, Kanae feels resentment toward Jose. Eventually, she goes to find Jose and slaps her across the face. However, she is also a fragile character who, because of that incident, ends up throwing away the future she had built for herself. Later, just as Tsuneo is growing weary of his relationship with Jose, she meets him again and begins a new relationship with Tsuneo, who has left Jose.
Finally, Koji can be considered Jose’s only friend. Jose understands Koji, whose heart is as wounded as her own, and becomes his “mom.” Although Koji speaks harshly to Jose when she approaches him, he, too, cares deeply for her. He acts tough toward Tsuneo as well, but he is one of the few people who genuinely worries about the relationship between Jose and Tsuneo.
In this way, the five characters love, get hurt, protect others, or walk away in their own distinct ways. In particular, the personality differences between Jose and Tsuneo and the changes they undergo through their love form a crucial part of this film.

How is ‘Jose, the Tiger, and the Fish’ different from conventional romance films?

This film can be classified as a romance. Romance is a long-standing film genre in which the story unfolds around the romantic relationships of the protagonists. “Josee, the Tiger and the Fish” also possesses the basic characteristics of a romance film in that it deals with the love between two people. However, it also displays aspects that are slightly different from typical romance films.
To examine these differences, I used the six formulas for romance films explained in Lee Kyung-ki’s ‘Encyclopedia of World Cinema’ as a reference. This book identifies the following characteristics of romance films: an emphasis on the theme of love; a preference for happy endings over tragedy; a plot centered on the romantic relationship between a man and a woman; three key elements—atmosphere, music, and manners; beautiful and charming protagonists; and social or economic disparities between the male and female leads. Based on these criteria, I will examine the ways in which the film follows the established formulas of the romance genre and the ways in which it deviates from them.
First, the film remains faithful to the characteristics of the romance genre in that it unfolds around a love story between a man and a woman. In fact, I wonder if there is another romance film that focuses quite so intently on a love story. The stories of the characters surrounding the protagonists are not prominently featured in the film. Furthermore, the film barely depicts the reactions of those around them—reactions one might expect when a person with a disability and a person without a disability form a romantic relationship. To that extent, the film focuses entirely on the love between Jose and Tsuneo.
Second, the film features the so-called “3Ms”—Mood, Music, and Manners—that every romance film should have: the excellent music, Tsunéo’s polite demeanor, and the atmosphere of the scenes where the two share their love. The music, in particular, stands out. Music is an indispensable element in most films today, and in this film as well, Kururi’s emotional and poignant music blends perfectly with the overall atmosphere, guiding the story along smoothly.
Third, there are many memorable scenes centered on love. Among them, the scene where Tsuneo attaches a skateboard to a newly modified stroller and rides around town with Jose is both lighthearted and a beautiful illustration of their love. Furthermore, the conversation the two share in a magical atmosphere after making love against the backdrop of the aquarium beautifully reveals their fatal yet beautiful love.
While it shares similarities with conventional romance films, ‘Josee, the Tiger and the Fish’ has several key characteristics that set it apart from typical romance films.
First, the film does not have a happy ending. One of the formulas for romance films, as explained in the ‘Encyclopedia of World Cinema’, is a preference for happy endings over tragedy. Most conventional romance films feature a conclusion where the two protagonists overcome various trials and obstacles to finally be together. However, in ‘Josee, the Tiger and the Fish’, the story ends with the two ultimately parting ways. For viewers who expected an ending where love overcomes all difficulties and lasts forever, this conclusion may feel unfamiliar.
Second, this film differs from other tragic romance films. The tragedy for the two protagonists does not arise from their struggle to be together, but rather from their decision to give up on love.
This difference becomes clear when considering films like ‘Romeo and Juliet’ or ‘Titanic’. In ‘Romeo and Juliet’, the two protagonists lose their lives because of their love. In ‘Titanic’, tragedy also strikes as they sacrifice their lives to protect the one they love. As such, in many tragic romance films, tragedy arises in the process of trying to protect and fulfill love.
However, the tragedy in ‘Josee, the Tiger and the Fish’ is different. Josee and Tsuneo fall in love and live together, but ultimately fail to overcome the barriers of reality. Their tragedy does not arise from trying to preserve their love, but rather from letting go of it—more precisely, from Tsuneo’s decision to give up on love. In this respect, their story stands apart from conventional tragic romances.
Third, a woman with a disability appears as the central character in the romance. Of course, since South Korea also has films like ‘Oasis’ that feature women with disabilities as major characters, the appearance of a woman with a disability is not entirely unfamiliar. However, it is not very common for a woman with a disability to appear as the protagonist in mainstream romance films.
The ‘Encyclopedia of World Cinema’ also lists one of the formulas of romantic films as featuring a handsome man and a beautiful woman who exude a neat and stylish appearance. In fact, even when the protagonists of many romantic films find themselves in difficult financial situations, they are often portrayed in a way that makes them physically attractive.
However, Jo-je is a woman with a disability—she cannot use her legs—and she does not appear as stylish and sophisticated as the typical heroine in a romance film. Most of the clothes she wears look like something her grandmother might have picked up somewhere. Jo-je’s appearance differs from the image of a female protagonist commonly expected in romance films. And I believe this is precisely what makes this film unique.
Fourth, many of the scenes that would typically bring emotions to a climax have been largely omitted. If you look at the mainstream romance film “You Are My Destiny,” which was released around the same time, there are many devices designed to tug at the audience’s heartstrings—such as the scene where Eun-ha and Seok-joong meet across a prison window, or the scene where Seok-joong causes a commotion at the police station to see Eun-ha after she’s been arrested.
Most romance films include scenes where emotions explode as the couple’s happiness, conflict, or external obstacles reach a climax. This draws the audience deeper into the protagonists’ emotions.
However, ‘Josee, the Tiger and the Fish’ omits a significant portion of these scenes. The film uses subtitles to depict the one year the couple spent together before their breakup. During that year, there must have been moments when their happiness reached its peak, as well as times when they gradually grew weary of each other. Yet the film does not show this entire process in detail. It even omits the scene where the two tell each other they want to break up—a moment when their emotions could have been revealed most dramatically.
This film contains plenty of elements capable of moving the audience to tears. The love between a woman with a disability and an able-bodied man, opposition from those around them, the time they spent together, and their eventual parting—there isn’t a single element that fails to stir the emotions. Yet, rather than amplifying those emotions, the film chooses to omit key moments.
Through these various characteristics, ‘Josee, the Tiger and the Fish’ breaks away from the formula of conventional romance to create a new form of romance. While its approach to love is familiar, the way it portrays and concludes that love differs from what we typically expect from a romantic film.

The Most Memorable Scene: The Physical and Emotional Distance Between the Two

The scene that left the deepest impression on me in this film is when Tsuneo visits Jose’s home to talk after hearing the news that her grandmother has passed away. In this scene, the two reaffirm their love for one another and subsequently begin living together. In that sense, this scene can be considered the decisive moment when Jose and Tsuneo’s true love begins.
What’s particularly noteworthy in this scene are the three key shots and the distance between the two characters expressed within them.
In the first shot, Jose brings up the topic of the man next door, gets angry at Tsuneo, and tells him to leave. When Tsuneo puts on his shoes, intending to actually leave, Jose grabs him from behind and pleads with him not to go. At this moment, the camera captures the two of them from Jose’s perspective, looking at Tsuneo.
The second shot shows Tsuneo head-on, allowing the audience to read his emotions. Then, in the third shot, just as Tsuneo promises to stay with Jose, the camera frames the two protagonists from the side, revealing their figures.
In this scene, Jose’s line—“If you’re the kind of guy who’d actually leave just because I told you to, then go ahead and leave”—feels slightly clichéd but still cool. Above all, what stands out is the mise-en-scène that expresses the psychological distance between the two protagonists through their physical distance.
At first, Jose and Tsuneo sit across from each other at the dining table and talk, but there is a clear distance between them. Just as they are physically separated by the table, the distance between their hearts is also vast. That distance reveals the state of the two—who harbor feelings for each other yet cannot easily draw close.
Then, when Jose tells Tsuneo to leave, and Tsuneo actually starts to walk away, the physical distance between them grows even wider. I believe this scene isn’t merely about Tsuneo physically moving away from Jose, but rather illustrates how their psychological distance is widening.
However, Jose eventually approaches Tsuneo and holds him back. She then leans against him. At this moment, we can see Jose’s desire to rely on Tsuneo. Although she tried to hide her feelings and push him away, she ultimately does not want Tsuneo to leave. Her action of approaching and holding him back directly reveals her desire to bridge the psychological distance between them.
On the other hand, Tsuneo has not yet closed the emotional distance as much as Jose has. Even though Jose is leaning against him, he briefly turns his back on her. Physically, the two have grown closer, but it seems Tsuneo’s heart has not yet fully opened up to Jose.
However, Tsuneo soon closes the emotional distance toward Jose as well. He pulls her into an embrace and kisses her. In this moment, as the two finally draw near to one another, we witness a perfect psychological alignment that mirrors their physical closeness.
This scene is particularly striking because it does not rely on extensive dialogue or dramatic devices to convey the characters’ emotions. The characters’ movements—as they gradually draw closer after being apart—and the camera’s framing alone are sufficient to convey the emotional shifts they are experiencing.
Jose tells Tsuneo to leave, but in reality, she is afraid of him leaving; Tsuneo hesitates for a moment before approaching Jose, but ultimately embraces her. The shifting distance between them naturally reveals their conflicting desires—to push each other away while simultaneously wanting to hold on. Through this process, we can sense how much Jose longs to rely on Tsuneo, and how Tsuneo reaches out to her once again.
This scene isn’t simply about the two confirming their love. It shows the process by which the two characters, starting from different distances, gradually bridge the gap between their hearts. That’s why I think the mise-en-scène in this scene stands out so much.
Ultimately, ‘Josee, the Tiger and the Fish’ shows that love is not always eternal or perfect. Josee and Tsuneo clearly loved each other and were transformed by that love, but in the end, they cannot stay together. Tsuneo, despite loving Josee, leaves her when faced with the barriers of reality, and Josee gains the strength to live on her own after experiencing their love.
Their love is different from the happy-ending romances I used to enjoy. But now I realize that a story doesn’t have to end with a happy ending to be beautiful. After all, there are many ways to love, and many ways for love to end.
What this movie taught me was precisely that possibility of love. So even though Jose and Tsuneo’s love has ended, I still find their love wonderful and beautiful.