Literature / The Rose Flower and Joe

"I love you so much. When I'm near you, I feel happy inside."

I'm a dirty, homeless dog
You're a beautiful, pure-red rose
We're too different
The Rose sang to the wind: I love you, Joe
From the bottom of my heart
The Rose Flower and Joe
The Rose Flower and Joe

— English translation of Joe and the Rose Flower's Love Theme.

The Rose Flower and Joe (バラの花とジョー "Bara no Hana to Joe") or Rose Flower and Joe/The Rose and Joe is a 1977 Japanese animated short by Sanrio Animation based on a children's story by Takashi Yanase (best-known as the creator of Anpanman), who also directed the animated short. It's about a kindhearted homeless brown dog named "Joe" (voiced by Minori Matsushima) who quickly falls in love with a pink rose flower. Throughout the short, Joe has to protect The Rose Flower from a mean spirited crow.

The short's musical score was composed by Hisao Nishiwaki, with the short's theme song sung by Youko Seri, with lyrics written by Takashi Yanase.

That same year, Sanrio released another animated short called Little Jumbo which is also based on Yanase's works. The team behind this short film would later go on to make a feature film adaptation of Chirin no Suzu (known as Ringing Bell in the West) which started production at the time of this short's release. An English translation (via Closed Captions) can be viewed here. Another version of the short was uploaded that contains subtitles instead of close captions. If you would like to see a flash animation adaptation by Storygate Picturebooks, choose this link.

The animation team behind this short and other Sanrio adaptations of Yanase's stories would go on to create an animated pilot in 1979 called Unico: Black Cloud and White Feather, which marked the animation debut of Unico, created by Osamu Tezuka.

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The Rose Flower and Joe provides examples of:

• Adaptation Expansion: The 1977 animated short adds three lengthy dream/imagination sequences involving Joe's love of The Rose Flower, and two lengthy fight and chase sequences between Joe up against a crow (with the addition of three other crows). The black crow also had more moments of screen time compared to the original picture book. The original story was much shorter, with Joe's dream of The Rose Flower only occurring once.
• Art Shift: During Joe's first imagination sequence where he's dressed up and dating The Rose Flower. The art style shifts to Takashi Yanase's own illustrations compared to the rest of the short. Yanase's art style would later return during a sequence after Joe faints after getting attacked by a crow including the closing credits.
• Animated Adaptation: The short is based on a children's story by Takashi Yanase.
• Anthropomorphic Shift: Joe's two imaginations sequences features him drawn more anthropomorphic. Compared to the rest of the short where Joe acts like an actual dog, but is able to talk.
• Aside Glance: Joe is seen looking at the viewer twice in the short. The first is after The Rose Flower suddenly gives him a kiss and after he wakes up from daydreaming (as seen on the page image). The Japanese cover also showed Joe looking at the viewer.◊
• Badass Adorable: Joe since he will go out of his way to prevent the crow from attacking the rose. At the same time, he looks so cute when he's saving The Rose Flower due to his romantic relationship.
• Bittersweet Ending: Joe ends up blind after getting attacked by the crow and passes out. Near the end of the short, Joe finally confronts the crow and attacks him causing both of them to fall down a cliff straight into a waterfall where the crow drowns in. The story ends with Joe (now extremely weak) reuniting with the rose and both die together, with Joe's body covered in snow à la The Little Match Girl style. The final scene shows Joe as an angel reuniting with the pink rose and shares a kiss in heaven.
• Blind People Wear Sunglasses: Near the end of the short, Joe is seen wearing black sunglasses after losing his ability to see after getting attacked by the crow. He has to use his sense of smell to know where he's going.
• Bloodier and Gorier: Compared to the original story and 1977 anime short. In the 2003 flash adaptation by Storygate Picturebooks, both of Joe's eyes are actually bleeding after getting attacked by a crow.
• Bloodless Carnage:
  • Joe has zero scratches, brushes, or blood drawn after fighting off the black crow and the other in the entire short. Even when the crow ends up attacking his eyes, he's still in good shape.
  • The 2003 flash adaptation of the story actually depicts both of Joe's eyes bleeding during the aftermath after defeating the crow.
• Blush Sticker: The Rose Flower is depicted with rosy cheeks while Joe is giving pink rosy cheeks during his first fantasy sequence.
• Canon Foreigner: The three unnamed crows that attack Joe and The Rose Flower are exclusive to the 1977 anime short.
• Cardiovascular Love: Hearts are used frequently in this short, such as hearts flying around Joe after The Rose kisses him and Joe kissing The Rose as an angel.
• Compressed Adaptation: The Storygate Picturebooks flash adaptation from 2003 cuts out Joe's dream/imagination sequences of the story.
• Creepy Crows: The main antagonist is a black crow, who antagonizes the main protagonist and wants to destroy The Rose Flower.
• Dark Reprise: A somber variation of the short's theme song is heard as Joe's dying as he's talking to The Rose Flower for the final time. It is also played after Joe and The Rose Flower dies. However, it later becomes more heartfelt and upbeat as we see Joe (now as an angel) landing on the same cloud that The Pink Rose Flower resides in.
• Death by Adaptation: The crow that opposes Joe and The Rose Flower ends up dead after falling down a waterfall alongside Joe. The original story and Storygate Picturebooks have the crow live after successfully making the young pup blind.
• Early-Bird Cameo: An earlier version of the story, published in 1971, was featured in Takashi Yanase's Twelve Pearls along with his other works.
• Eyelid Pull Taunt: When the black crow alongside a blue and red crow continue to torment Joe and the rose. Joe uses this gesture to lure the crows away from the flower.
• Eye Scream: Joe loses his ability to see after the crow attacks both of his eyes. The Storygate Picturebooks adaptation actually shows both of his eyes bleeding after fighting off the crow.
• Fantasy Sequence: Used frequently throughout the film, notably the scene where Joe imagines himself dancing with The Rose Flower complete with fancy clothing and hat. Alongside the scene where Joe is riding on a white swan and sitting on top of a hill after going blind.
• Family-Unfriendly Violence: While Joe and the crow's fight in the original story and 1977 anime is played more comical and cartoonish. The Storygate Picturebooks adaptation has both of Joe's eyes bleeding after he finishes fighting off the crow.
• Fully-Dressed Cartoon Animal: During Joe's first imagination sequence, he's fully dressed in brown clothing while wearing a top hat and black shoes.
  • Joe is also seen briefly wearing a military outfit after successfully getting rid of the black crow after his first attempt at attacking The Rose Flower.
• Go Out with a Smile: Joe is seen smiling as he peacefully dies next to The Rose Flower.
• Ghibli Hills:
  • The entire short takes place at a peaceful and pretty meadow surrounded by greenery, filled with beautiful flowers, trees, and hills.
  • While the Storygate Picturebooks adaptation is similar to the 1977 short and original story when it comes to its setting. The ending reveals that it's located near factories polluting the air as a new explanation for the death of both Joe and The Rose Flower.
• Hand Behind Head: Joe does this gesture after the rose tells him that she loves his "black, round button nose". He gets very flattered and rubs his back head, especially after a water droplet falls on his nose.
• Hate Sink: The short's main antagonist is a black crow that constantly terrorizes Joe and The Rose Flower. He's frequently seen laughing at Joe's misfortune that he caused. Eventually, the crow ends up blinding Joe without warning and still mocks him, which ends up biting him in the butt.
• Killed Offscreen: The death of the black crow isn't shown to the viewer after a Joe and the crow fall down a large cliff and down into a waterfall.
• Lighter and Softer: Compared to Yasashii Lion (The Kindly Lion) and Chirin no Suzu (Ringing Bell) where both works end in tragedy and have a melancholy tone. The Rose Flower and Joe is considered to be most the lighthearted and upbeat work by Sanrio Animation and Takashi Yanase.
• Love Theme: "Bara no Hana to Joe'' is the love theme for Joe and The Rose Flower which is played throughout the short.
• Interspecies Romance: Joe (a dog) develops a romantic crush on a pink rose flower.
• Minimalist Cast: Joe, The Rose Flower, and an unnamed black crow are the only characters in the short. While we do see three other crows, they only have a couple minutes of screen time and never reappear in the film. The unnamed angels that are wearing hats and control the weather don't count as characters since they don't interact with the main characters.
• Mood Whiplash: After Joe defeats three crows from attacking The Rose Flower. Joe is extremely proud for saving her once again with the rose feeding him a drop of water from its petal. However, the mood is quickly ruined once the black crow decides to attack Joe instead of The Rose Flower causing him to become blind.
• No Name Given: Besides Joe, The Rose Flower and the black crow (later joined by two crows) are never given a name.
• No One Should Survive That!: While Joe managed to survive falling down a large cliff and into a waterfall. It's clear that Joe is very close to death's door, since he's no longer smiling, weak, and can barely jump between a cliff. He manages to smile again after reuniting with The Rose Flower before dying for real.
• Precious Puppy: Joe is an extremely adorable brown dog, which makes his romantic relationship with a rose flower very endearing.
• "Pan Up to the Sky" Ending: The credits shows the spirits of The Rose Flower and Joe (represented as pink and brown stars respectively) on top of a single cloud, going all the way up to the very top of the sky. The final shot shows the pink and brown stars leaving the cloud and heading straight up to heaven.
• Snow Means Death: After Joe and The Rose Flower both die in the middle of Fall. It suddenly begins snowing and covers The Rose Flower and Joe's body in the process.
• Stock Footage: The animation of Joe's cute "power up-ish dance" is reused a couple times in the short. Which is only performed to prepare himself with confronting the crow alongside to boost up his confidence and bravery.
• Soulful Plant Story: The entire film is about a dog protecting and developing an emotional relationship with a rose flower.
• Title Drop: The Japanese title is used for Joe and The Rose Flower's love song.
• The Big Damn Kiss: The short ends with Joe as an angel, giving The Rose Flower a big kiss alongside kissing it's steam.
• The Faceless: The angels that are seen controlling the weather and interact with the environment have their faces obscured by their top hats.
• The Hero Dies: Joe now extremely weak and dying finally reuniting with the pink rose and dies with each other. On the positive side, we do see Joe as an angel with the rose in heaven and shares a kiss.
• Together in Death: Joe and The Rose Flower both die together. On the bright side, they do reunite in heaven and share a kiss.
• Undying Loyalty: Joe is very loyal to The Pink Rose due to developing a close relationship with the rose since he was a young puppy. As a result, he develops a romantic relationship with the rose and will go to great lengths to prevent the rose from getting destroyed and harmed. Even when he ends up blind, he decides to head straight back to The Rose where he eventually dies with.
• V-Sign: Joe is seeing giving the peace gesture after defeating the crow after ending up blind and later faints.

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