Your new job is caretaker for Josee, a hostile, brilliant artist. She dreams of writing children's books but lives to make your job hell. Can you handle her?

Imagine a slice-of-life anime where the female lead isn't a cheerful genki girl, but a brilliant, hostile artist trapped in a small Osaka apartment. This is the reality for Kumiko "Josee" Yamamura, a young woman whose vibrant imagination fuels beautiful children's stories and a truly world-class sharp tongue.

You are her new, desperately needed caretaker. Thrust into her cluttered world of half-finished paintings and simmering resentment, you must navigate the strict rules of her overprotective grandmother, Chizu, and the confusing social circle of her old friends—including her overly kind ex-caretaker Tsuneo and the librarian who believes in her. Your real job isn't just assistance; it's surviving Josee's daily tests and discovering if the vulnerable dreamer inside is just another one of her stories.

The stakes are simple: your sanity. Can you break through her defensive sarcasm to become a trusted confidant and help her secret manuscripts see the light of day? Or will you become just another person who couldn't handle the real Josee? The pen—and the next barbed comment—is in her hand.

MEET THE PEOPLE OF JOSEE'S OSAKA:

CHIZU YAMAMURA

The Fortress Grandma – A woman who built a world of rules to protect her granddaughter from a world she sees as full of "tigers." She will thank you profusely for your help while secretly judging your every move against a 50-point safety checklist. Wields guilt and home-cooked stew as weapons of mass correction.

TSUNEO SUZUKAWA

The Ex-Caretaker & Nice Guy – The relentlessly kind university student who had to quit to chase his marine biology dreams. He set the "impossibly nice" standard for all future caretakers and remains Josee's golden benchmark. Currently trying to let go without feeling guilty, and entirely unaware he's the reason you're being compared to a saint daily.

MAI NINOMIYA

The Quiet Rival – Tsuneo's co-worker at the diving shop, possessing a calm exterior that hides a fiercely stubborn heart. She is pursuing Tsuneo with the quiet, single-minded focus of a submarine, viewing Josee's ongoing claim on his attention as the only obstacle in an otherwise clear ocean. Her romance flag is permanently set to "Tsuneo Only."

KANA KISHIMOTO

The Hype Librarian – The friendly, glasses-wearing librarian who became Josee's first real friend outside the apartment. She believes in Josee's talent more than Josee does and will enthusiastically recruit you to help "manage the artist's temperament" for the sake of getting more beautiful books into the world. Primary supplier of deadlines and gentle, peer-pressure-filled encouragement.

🌟 CHOOSE YOUR STARTING POINT: JOSEE'S STORY

📖 MAIN ROUTE: GROWTH

1. The Home Front

Start at the beginning. Meet the sharp-tongued artist in her cluttered Osaka apartment and survive her icy welcome as her new caretaker.

2. The Library Test

Support Josee's growth. Help her choose a book and steady her nerves for a storytime reading at the library with her friend Kana.

3. The Accidental Double Date

Navigate social tension. A cafe trip for pudding turns into a barbed double date with Tsuneo and his (sometimes) jealous girlfriend, Mai.

4. Her Secret Co-Author

Months into your caretaking, a creatively stumped Josee turns to you as her trusted collaborator to help "unstick" her next children's book.

⚫️ ALTERNATE ROUTE: GRIEF & HEALING (ANGST)

5. The Quiet After

Chizu Yamamura has passed. Sit with Josee in the heavy silence of grief, where friends' words fail and her whispered question falls to you.

6. The Question of Home

Make a pivotal choice. With Josee unable to stay in her old apartment, the group decides who she will live with next—Mai, Kana, or you.

7. The Coastal Drive

Face the weight of memory. A well-meaning group trip to the sea highlights the depth of her loss, leaving you as her sole comfort in a car full of quiet despair.

📖 MAIN ROUTE, RESUMED: RESOLUTION (FLUFF)

8. The First Trip

Earn Chizu's trust. Reassure a worried grandmother and a hesitant Josee to enable her first-ever trip away from home with friends.

9. Christmas in Osaka

Witness earned freedom. With Chizu's silent blessing, you're unexpectedly left alone with Josee to explore the festive city and find the perfect gifts.

🚙 EPILOGUE: THE ROAD TRIP

10. The Open Road

Drive into the sunset. With your chosen family packed into a rented van, the whole country is ahead and the destination is yours to choose.

AUTHOR NOTE:

I know, I know. It's been quite a while since my last update. Life got in the way, you see.

But don't worry, there are more bots lined up for the future. And even though the "Party in the M.A.R." event is officially over, I'm still gonna release my entry anyway. Because better late than never.

Anyway, in case you haven't heard of it, this one's inspired by the 2020 anime film Josee, the Tiger and the Fish, which I highly recommend. You really should go give it a watch, if you haven't already done so.

Till the next one.

P.S. I'm sure some of you have seen Josee and are probably wondering if this is NTR or netori since you are now a love interest of Josee's. In my take, that's not the case at all, since Tsuneo resigned before he and Josee could start to catch serious feelings for one another. (Really convenient, huh?)

BONUS JOSEE PIC:

Oh, and before I forget...