Review of 'Josee the Tiger and the Fish' Manga

The future is uncertain; you can dream and plan, but anything can happen. Somedays it feels like you’re on top of the world, other times it can feel like you haven’t caught a lucky break for months. A chance encounter intertwines the opposite lives of Josee and Tsuneo Suzukawa. Wheelchair bound since birth, Josee is strong-willed, but secretly afraid of the outside world that isn’t built for her to thrive in. Tsuneo is also a strong-willed character who had the opportunity to build his confidence through scuba diving, a passion that shaped his life goals. Together they create a tragically beautiful story of resilience.

Josee the Tiger and the Fish flips the typical ‘see the world from another person’s perspective’ story on its head. It’s all parallel. Starting with the meeting of the main characters, Tsuneo just started a second job and is trying to find it. He never makes it and probably quits it because instead he happens to round the corner as Josee is careening down unable to stop her chair. Her wheel catches on an uneven section of pavement, and she flies out of the chair landing only slightly softly on Tsuneo. This is only the first instance of Josee’s chair getting stuck causing her to take a tumble, this time because a kid pushed her. Every time after that though when Josee falls out of her chair it’s because she’s experiencing something new and hasn’t learned to navigate it in her own way. I noticed she tended to have near spills when she’s trying to be overly independent or isolating herself. Pushing her small support system away. As someone who has a hard time asking for help, I related her falling to my own failings that could have been avoided if I relied on more than just myself and half-watched YouTube video guides. Josee falls face first into the sand during her first excursion to the beach with Tsuneo, because she’s never been on that terrain before. She doesn’t take another tumble the whole time Tsuneo is with her helping guide her to find her confidence. The moment Josee starts to push him away after her grandmother dies and she’s alone convincing herself she doesn’t need anyone she gets caught on a crack in the concrete and starts to tumble. The person who catches her chair is the love rival Mai which is awkward and uncomfortable. The next time Josee falls from a crack in the concrete is when she’s dramatically trying to get away from Tsuneo and it changes everything.

Under the care of her grandmother, Josee is constantly told the outside world wasn’t built for her and she’ll get hurt. She is also babied with Josee’s grandmother informing Tsuneo that she can’t pour her own glass of tea. Josee’s grandmother barely wants to take Josee out on walks declaring the world is too dangerous. I think this line of thinking is what gives Josee her rebellious streak. Tsuneo mentions alternatives to help Josee adapt and do things in her own way like keeping drinks in water bottles instead of pitchers. He breaks through Josee’s stubborn independent façade slowly by taking her out around town to experience things she’s never seen like the beach. The beach inspires Josee to paint and the two bond over their love of the ocean. Tsuneo is independent, working two jobs to achieve his dream of being a marine biologist. He’s trying to get a scholarship to study abroad in Mexico. He is exactly what Josee needs to break down her walls because he’s broken his own down, being an independent person who’s worked hard to create the life he dreamed of. The dream is forced to be put on a hold when Tsuneo is hit by a car while trying to get Josee unstuck from a crosswalk. The story takes a rough heartbreaking turn from here. From cute romance to tragedy. Tsuneo’s ankle is destroyed by a compound fracture, ripping scuba diving away from him, his passion. He’s bed bound and now in a twist of fate he’s in Josee’s shoes and when faced with losing everything he’s worked for he gives up. Seeing Tsueno shut down after being a rock for the whole manga hurt. You watch his light fade in every panel, and I could feel it in my soul. He’s wheelchair bound and unlike Josee who wanted to leave her home and see the world Tsuneo shies away from the world that is now very different for him. Josee has to step up and bring his confidence and independence back to him. For her it’s like looking into a mirror of the past, she sees her old self and it’s scary to see that in the person who inspired her. Josee throws all her fears away to hep Tsuneo find himself and bring hope back to his life.

I enjoyed seeing Josee’s gradual growth from being nearly unable to speak to a librarian to reading her own hand painted children’s book to a group of children and Tsuneo during story time. I think this gesture was so meaningful to Tsuneo because he could see how much Josee was struggling she was still afraid of being in front of so many people and showing off her art, but she would scale mountains for him. The whole story was a love letter to Tsuneo about how he expanded her world. The book is also a symbol of Josee achieving her dreams just how she watched Tsuneo do. She wanted to sell her art, but it didn’t seem like a stable career path, and it would be a lot on her physically. She moved past her own self-doubt and already has so much to show for it.

The manga perfectly captures feelings from facial expressions especially between Josee and the love rival Mai. Every time the two interacted they looked uncomfortable and uncertain around each other. From one glance they both know they’re in love with Tsuneo and neither know who he’s going to pick. There’s a silent standoff between the two. The relationship between Josee and Mai is complicated for rivals. Mai has the guts to ask Josee to let Tsuneo go after he starts to feel like he needs to give up his dream to stay and continue assisting Josee. Selfishly Mai creates the rift between Josee and Tsuneo because obviously Josee doesn’t want Tsuneo to give anything up for her. Mai actually confesses to Tsuneo and is met with an icy response. The most interesting aspect of the relationship between Mai and Josee is how confident Mai is that she knows everything about Tsuneo. When listing those things they’re all surface level, like Tsuneo is terrible at splitting disposable chop sticks, which me too. Josee in turn yells that she knows his personality and spirit. She knows him on a different level, Mai could never understand they’re not compatible in that way. It’s a messy rivalry and I enjoyed it.

Josee the Tiger and the Fish is a gorgeous manga. The cover art looks like a painting, and the two-page spreads are show stopping. I paused at each one taking in all the small details. Anytime there was water the scene was especially beautiful, at the beach, diving, I could feel the love the artist Nao Emoto has for the beach. I’ve never seen the movie, but from the trailer it looks just as beautiful. Even more breath taking in color. I especially love how bouncy and thick Josee’s hair is. It feels like it’s part of her personality, which makes such a silent statement when she cuts it later.

Following your dreams is rarely easy, it can be even harder when you throw the everyday struggles of life on top. Josee and Tsuneo drew the extra short straws when it came to life tragedies. Josee the Tiger and the Fish shows that with the right support system you can overcome anything and achieve your dreams. Looking at life from another perspective is always easier with an extra set of eyes looking for ways to help you succeed. The manga is a big yes from me and now I want to watch the movie to see the gorgeous panels come to life.