Jellyfish

Jellyfish

Year: 2014

Runtime: 12 mins

Language: English

Director: Rowan Haber

FamilyDrama

Set in a remote Muslim fishing village in Borneo, this coming-of-age story follows Danice, a fourteen-year-old fisherwoman who supports her family. Her life changes when Riya, an alluring transgender woman, arrives. Danice experiences her first love with Riya, but her feelings become entangled in a complex situation involving Riya's desire for Danice’s father, creating conflict and challenging her understanding of love and family.

Whimsical
Happy ending
Moderately emotional
Medium intensity
Mixed pacing
Moderate complexity

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline & Setting – Jellyfish (2014)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Jellyfish (2014). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Modern-day Japan

The events unfold in contemporary times, with present-day schools, university festivals, and a research facility at the center of the town. Children use devices to summon and control their F.R.I.E.N.D.s, a technology-driven twist that anchors the story in a near-present setting. The tone relies on familiar modern conveniences and the everyday rhythms of school life, amplified by a mystic, otherworldly conflict.

Location

Suburban town with lush rice paddies

Masashi's family moves to a quiet suburban town flanked by emerald rice paddies along the road. The setting juxtaposes calm, everyday life with the town's underlying mysteries at the nearby research center and university. Local shrines and a familiar school environment ground the characters as extraordinary events unfold around them.

🏡 Suburban town 🌾 Rice paddies 🏢 Research center

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 07:42

Main Characters – Jellyfish (2014)

Meet the key characters of Jellyfish (2014), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Masashi Kusakabe (Takuto Sueoka)

A thoughtful, grief-stricken boy who hides his sadness behind a cheerful exterior as he adapts to a new life. He forms a deep bond with Kurage-bo and learns to lead with empathy, even when danger threatens his world. He struggles with trust, but grows into a protector of his friends and the town.

🎯 Protagonist 🌀 Grief 🧭 Leadership

Saki (Himeka Asami)

A classmate who carries family problems and becomes Masashi's ally. She harbors a reluctance toward fighting but discovers strength and purpose through friendship, ultimately joining forces to face the shared threat. Her bond with Masashi helps reveal the human cost of the conflict.

🧭 Ally 💪 Resilience 👫 Friendship

Kurage-bo

A charming jellyfish-like creature who loves chee-kama and forms the bridge between Masashi and his new world. Kurage-bo represents innocence and wonder, and its existence triggers the town-wide awakening to the power of friendship.

✨ Companion 🐙 Mystery 🛡️ Protector

Naoto (Takumi Saitoh)

Masashi's uncle who works at the local research center and acts as a voice of caution. He becomes entangled in the town's power struggles and ultimately exposes the darker motives behind the center's experiments.

🧭 Mentor 🕵️‍♂️ Conflict 🧪 Scientist

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 07:42

Major Themes – Jellyfish (2014)

Explore the central themes of Jellyfish (2014), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🤝 Friendship

Masashi forges an inseparable bond with Kurage-bo and with Saki as they navigate a culture of competitive battles among F.R.I.E.N.D.s. The pair learn to trust someone who appears different and find strength in shared goals. Their friendship becomes a refuge against fear and manipulation from adults seeking control over the energy around them. The theme culminates in a communal effort to reunite friends and restore balance.

🧪 Power & Control

A top-level research center secretly grants devices to children, turning play into a battleground for energy and influence. The cloak Four seek to exploit Masashi's potential to seed a new order by harnessing negative energy, raising ethical questions about science, consent, and manipulation. The conflict reveals how knowledge can be wielded as a weapon or a shield. The resolution emphasizes accountability and the danger of unchecked ambition.

🛡️ Courage

Masashi faces danger to protect his friends and the town, even as allies betray and the threat of the Oval looms. He endures loss, perseveres through fear, and uses newfound teamwork to strike the final blow. Courage here is collective as Koh and others rally to restore balance and return the friends to their rightful world. The story frames bravery as a choice to stay true to one's values under pressure.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 07:42

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Explore Movie Threads

Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Coming-of-age stories with identity discovery like Jellyfish

Young protagonists navigate life-changing encounters that challenge their worldview.For viewers who enjoyed Jellyfish, this collection features movies like it, focusing on young protagonists whose lives are transformed by unexpected relationships. These similar coming-of-age dramas explore themes of self-discovery, first love, and challenging family dynamics within unique cultural settings.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative pattern follows a sheltered protagonist whose routine life is interrupted by an enigmatic outsider. This relationship becomes a vessel for exploring first love, complex desires, and challenging the status quo of their family or community, culminating in a new, more nuanced understanding of themselves and the world.

Why These Movies?

Movies are grouped here for their shared focus on the emotional turmoil of adolescence, specifically how an external influence acts as a catalyst for growth. They share a tone that blends the melancholy of leaving childhood innocence with the hopeful excitement of self-discovery.

Movies with a whimsical melancholic vibe like Jellyfish

Fantastical elements blend with real-world emotional tension in isolated communities.If you liked the blend of whimsical and melancholic tones in Jellyfish, this list features similar movies. These stories often set in rural or isolated locations, use a light magical realism or quirky characters to explore deeper themes of love, loss, and belonging with a hopeful resolution.

whimsicalmelancholichopefulfantasticalnostalgicatmosphericrural life

Narrative Summary

Stories in this thread use a slightly fantastical or whimsical premise as a lens to examine real human emotions and conflicts within a close-knit, often isolated community. The narrative balances quiet, reflective moments of connection with bursts of tension, ultimately leading toward a resolution that affirms hope and human connection.

Why These Movies?

These films are grouped by their distinct tonal blend—a wistful, sometimes magical atmosphere that coexists with a grounded emotional core. The setting often acts as a character itself, and the pacing allows for both whimsical exploration and serious emotional development.

Unlock the Full Story of Jellyfish

Don't stop at just watching — explore Jellyfish in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Jellyfish is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

Jellyfish Summary

Read a complete plot summary of Jellyfish, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

Jellyfish Summary

Jellyfish Timeline

Track the full timeline of Jellyfish with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

Jellyfish Timeline

Jellyfish Spoiler-Free Summary

Get a quick, spoiler-free overview of Jellyfish that covers the main plot points and key details without revealing any major twists or spoilers. Perfect for those who want to know what to expect before diving in.

Jellyfish Spoiler-Free Summary

More About Jellyfish

Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about Jellyfish: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.

More About Jellyfish

Explore More About Movie Jellyfish

Jellyfish (2014) Plot Summary & Movie Recap

Jellyfish (2014) Scene-by-Scene Movie Timeline

Jellyfish (2014) Spoiler-Free Summary & Key Flow