I did not really know what to expect from this movie, so I went in with mild expectations and what I received was only slightly higher than that.

From the trailer, Josee, the Tiger and the Fish seemed to have an intriguing plot and eye-catching characters, but the movie itself was not as groundbreaking as I expected. There were many moments where I thought to myself, "Ah, I know what's going to happen next," and the movie did just that. The plot was rather predictable and easy to follow, however its exposition was very well done. The animation and visuals were the strongest out of everything—making the predictable story still very touching. I enjoyed the recurring image of

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Tsuneo catching Josee despite it being cliché and the parallels between Josee's grandmother's "beast" warning and the tiger at the zoo.

Josee’s art especially brought the plot to life in my opinion and, paired with the soundtrack and Eve’s complementing voice, propelled the movie forward.

The characters were a little two-dimensional,

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Mai's confession had the whole theater collectively groan

and I did not find myself too attached to any of them. But nonetheless, I still cried. Despite the predictability, there were moments that evoked sighs and very real emotions (both in the characters and in me as a viewer) which I think the movie portrayed well.

The pacing was also too fast during certain parts, with scenes I felt were only put in to get to the next emotional scuffle as soon as possible. For example, the development in Tsuneo and Josee's relationship was rushed quite a bit. It would have been more enjoyable had there been some more dialogue between them—if we got to see the progression in real time rather than just a montage of scenes. Additionally,

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both Josee getting mad at Tsuneo's work and the death of her grandmother came with little to no buildup, making them feel much more like plot devices than anything else. It really felt lacking that she and Tsuneo didn't even discuss it afterwards—there was no explanation behind Josee’s outburst at all besides what the audience could put together themselves and her brief discussion with Kana.

Overall, the movie was pretty enjoyable to watch. While the plot was kind of simple, the movie still held its charm and didn't make me feel bored. If you're looking for a cliché romance that is touching in its own way then this movie is for you. It checked off all the boxes for a satisfying love story. How viewers feel about the movie and its characters really depends on what expectations they have for it going in.

Thank you for reading and I hope this was helpful!