College student Tsuneo loves the ocean and the creatures it harbors, and he dreams of studying abroad in faraway waters. All he needs is enough funds to go, so when a girl in a wheelchair suddenly barrels into his life, he readily agrees to work part-time as her caretaker. Getting close to the prickly Josee is easier said than done, but before he can give up, an impromptu trip to the beach shows them both that sometimes, they must take that first plunge to see the wonders that await. The hit animated film based on the striking story by Seiko Tanabe has been beautifully illustrated by Nao Emoto and collected in this single omnibus edition! Gr 8 Up—Tsuneo loves the ocean and dreams of becoming an oceanographer. He is offered a chance to study abroad, but he doesn't have the funds to achieve his education and goal. A chance encounter literally comes his way when he stops a runaway wheelchair, occupied by a young woman named Josee. After the incident, Josee's grandmother hires Tsuneo to look after Josee, who is against the idea; while her grandmother wants to limit her interactions with the outside world, fearing the prejudices she has faced for having a disability, Josee yearns for more experiences of her own. Tsuneo strives to reach Josee through the wall she puts up between them, until finally the two bond over an impromptu trip to the beach, leading to a friendship that ultimately evolves into a romance. Without shying away from the ugliness of ableism, this manga charts a gradual arc of hope and possibility, as Josee begins to experience life and love on her own terms. The artwork captures the magic of the ocean and the dreams Tsuneo and Josee both share, and is sure to enrapture readers. VERDICT A beautiful story about achieving one's dreams, while showing compassion without being condescending.—Renee Scott Born in 1928 in Osaka, Seiko Tanabe was the author of many award-winning books, among them the novel Sentimental Journey, recipient of the prestigious Akutagawa Prize in 1964 as well as her biography of the poet Suifu Kishimoto which won her the 1998 Izumi Kyoka Prize for Literature and the 1999 Yomiuri Prize. Tanabe was designated a Person of Cultural Merit by the Japanese government in 2000 and then awarded the Order of Culture eight years later. She died in Kobe, Japan in 2019 at the age of 91.