Funimation, the market leader in anime serving fans worldwide, announced they are opening the heart-warming animated film Josee, the Tiger and the Fish in Los Angeles on November 5. The film, which is in Japanese with English subtitles and dubbed, will play at the Laemmle Monica Film Center (1332 2nd Street, Santa Monica). Tickets are on sale now.
The emotional and cinematic coming-of-age love story is directed by Kotaro Tamura and produced by studio Bones (Fullmetal Alchemist, My Hero Academia). The film follows an unlikely pair, Josee, a gifted artist and disabled woman struggling to find purpose, and Tsuneo Suzukawa, a passionate scuba diver. The duo come together out of necessity and find they have a shared passion. (98 minutes, unrated.)
Based on a 1985 short story written by Akutagawa Prize-winning author Seiko Tanabe, Josee, the Tiger and the Fish was released in Japan in 2020 and nominated for Best Animation by the 75th Mainichi Film Awards and Animation of the Year for the 44th Japan Academy Film Prize.
Synopsis: Tsuneo, an ordinary college student and avid diver, unexpectedly becomes the caretaker of a wheelchair-bound young woman in order to raise money for this dream to go diving in Mexico. This young woman, who calls herself Josee after her favorite book character, is sullen and demanding, but as Tsuneo helps Josee interact with the outside world and learns more about Josee’s unique perspective, their feelings grow into love. The two begin to support each other in ways beyond just romance.
The original and dubbed versions of the film feature the voices of Taishi Nakagawa (Japanese) / Howard Wang (English) as Tsuneo, Kaya Kiyohara/Suzie Yeung as Kumiko (Josee), Yume Miyamoto/Dani Chambers as Mai and Kazuyuki Okitsu/Zeno Robinson as Hayato. Jerry Jewell was ADR director. Music by Evan Call (Violet Evergarden).
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