A movie about love, as told to Sunshine Aquarium staff: "Love is in the sea, in the fish."

Sunshine Aquarium is a place where you can see the fascinating creatures that live in the water. What film makes the staff who work there feel their love for aquatic life? We asked them to share their thoughts about them.

photo: Shu Yamamoto / text: Ryota Mukai

Love Movie Opinion Poll: Aquarium Staff Working with Fish

date: October 6, 2023 (Friday) 8:00 AM
Place: Sunshine Aquarium, Ikebukuro

Love, the sea, and the fish

Toshihiro Imai, Kanan Watanabe, and Shotaro Shimamori
From the left, Shimamori Shotaro, who is in charge of all the aquarium's facilities, Watanabe Kanan, who is in charge of marine animals, mainly penguins, and Imai Toshihiro, who is in charge of fish and special exhibition planning. They discuss movies before the morning assembly. The location is the back yard, directly above the Sunshine Lagoon, the largest aquarium tank. From here, they enter the tank to feed the animals and clean it.

Kanan Watanabe

I'm sure most people who work at aquariums have seen "Finding Nemo" and "Finding Dory."

Toshihiro Imai

Both films are about family love and friendship. But I'm curious about the parent-child relationship in Nemo... The sex of clownfish is determined by the size of the individuals they live with. In descending order, there's the mother and father, and the rest are undecided. There are only two Nemo individuals in the film, so they must be the mother and father.

Shotaro Shimamori

You're right (laughs). It's true that I do sometimes look at animals from the perspective of keeping them as pets.

Watanabe

It's hard to see a concept like our love in the actual relationships between fish... But it's so captivating. I can't watch emotional fiction featuring animals in the cinema because I cry so much it's embarrassing. But if it's something related to my work, I'll watch it for reference.

"Human Document: The Dolphin Who Received a Fin" is a non-fiction book about a dolphin named Fuji. It tells the story of how a dolphin who lost his tail fin due to illness is artificially restored, a process that would be equivalent to a prosthetic limb for humans. The film based on this, "Dolphin Blue: Fuji, Once Again in the Sky," is also very moving.

Island Forest

Documentaries can be viewed as precious footage without getting too emotionally invested. "Earth" and "Deep Blue" are both calm and yet well worth watching.

Imai

I've been watching "Bering Sea Getaway" for several seasons. It's a show that follows the work of fishermen. Come to think of it, fishing was one of the reasons I fell in love with fish.

Island Forest

Me too. I love fish and the sea, so I like a lot of movies that feature the sea. "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" is a road movie about two people who go to see the sea before they die, and it's a movie full of friendship and love. I also like "The Shawshank Redemption," which also depicts friendship, maybe because the final scene is set in the sea (laughs).

Aquarium staff talk about love movies

Movies about love, as told to fifth graders. "Love is a problem that even elementary school students struggle with."

A movie about love, as told to a senior in life. "Love is always imperfect, and knowing when to leave is crucial."

A doctor talks about movies about love. "Doctors are always facing love, too."

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