Funimation Announces Theatrical Release for BONES' Josee, The Tiger and The Fish

The award-nominated Josee, The Tiger and The Fish is coming to theaters in the United States and Canada this summer.

Funimation announced via press release that it will distribute the animated coming-of-age romance. Animated by studio BONES, the animation house behind Fullmetal Alchemist and My Hero Academia, Josee, The Tiger and The Fish was directed by Noragami's Kotaro Tamura and is based on a 1985 short story written by Akutagawa Prize-winning author Seiko Tanabe. The movie was nominated for Best Animation in the 75th Mainichi Film Awards and Animation of the Year for the 44th Japan Academy Film Prize.

Josee, The Tiger and The Fish tells the story of Tsuneo Suzukawa, a college student with a passionate love for scuba diving, who takes on a summer job as a caretaker for the wheelchair-bound artist Josee. The dour and demanding attitude from Josee initially puts her at odds with Tsuneo, but their relationship eventually evolves into a romance as they explore each other's worlds. The film features the voices of Taishi Nakagawa, an actor who may be best known to anime fans in the west for portraying Tenma Hase in Boys Over Flowers Season 2 (the live-action adaptation of the Hana Nochi Hare manga,) and Kaya Kiyohara, who also appeared in the movie versions of Chihayafuru and March Comes In Like A Lion.

The BONES animated film is the third adaptation of Seiko Tanabe's short story to be made. Josee, The Tiger and The Fish was made into a live-action film in Japan in 2003 and was adapted for film again in South Korea in 2020.

Josee, The Tiger and The Fish will premier in select theaters on July 12. Preorders for tickets will be available at participating theaters starting on June 18.