What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedBlowfish
Kyung-Ran Jo · Book · 2025
If you loved Blowfish, start with Death's Game (Ha Byung-hoon, 2023) — a series on the same thread. Below: 4 films, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to Blowfish across media.
You were drawn to the way Blowfish transforms the lethal act of preparation into a haunting, meditative exploration of inherited trauma and inevitable endings.
Films on the same thread
Remarkably Bright Creatures
Olivia Newman · Film · 2026
Explores: Grief and healing, Intergenerational friendship, Hidden secrets.
Like the protagonist of Blowfish, Tova navigates the heavy weight of grief, finding that unconventional connections provide the only possible path toward understanding a life defined by loss.
Fireworks
Takeshi Kitano · Film · 1997
Explores: Moral Ambiguity, Redemption, Existential Crisis.
Just as the sculptor in Blowfish prepares for her final act, Nishi faces his own existential crisis, seeking a sense of deliberate closure within a world of moral decay.
Mickey 17
Bong Joon Ho · Film · 2025
Shares a thread with Blowfish: Existentialism.
The clinical, repetitive nature of death in Mickey 17 mirrors the meticulous planning found in Blowfish, forcing you to confront the absurdity of preparing for one's own end.
Hamnet
Chloé Zhao · Film · 2025
Shares a thread with Blowfish: Grief.
Blowfish shares with Hamnet a profound focus on the creative impulse born from tragedy, examining how the memory of a departed loved one shapes the living world.
Series on the same thread
The Glory
Kim Eun-sook · Series · 2022
Shares a thread with Blowfish: Trauma.
If the intergenerational trauma in Blowfish resonated with you, this story of calculated revenge offers a similarly intense look at how past suffering dictates future, irreversible actions and choices.
Death's Game
Ha Byung-hoon · Series · 2023
Explores: Suicide and Second Chances, Punishment and Redemption, Multiple Lives.
Death's Game echoes the preoccupation with suicide found in Blowfish, but shifts the focus toward the complex, repetitive cycles of punishment and the search for meaning before the end.
13 Reasons Why
Brian Yorkey · Series · 2017
Shares a thread with Blowfish: Trauma.
The lingering mystery of a tragic choice connects this narrative to Blowfish, as both stories force survivors to piece together the internal logic of a life cut short.
When Life Gives You Tangerines
Lim Sang-choon · Series · 2025
Explores: First Love, Childhood Sweethearts, Island Life.
While Blowfish focuses on the finality of death, this story serves as a counterpoint, exploring how the weight of the past impacts the resilience of those who remain.
Podcasts on the same thread
Slaggy Book Club
Podcast
Explores: Contemporary Literature, Book Recommendations, Literary Analysis.
For a deeper dive into the literary themes of grief and death that define Blowfish, these discussions provide the necessary context for understanding such complex, contemporary artistic works.
The Trial of Erin Patterson
Podcast
Explores: Poisoning, Family Dynamics, Murder Investigation.
The macabre intersection of food and fatality in this investigation mirrors the central premise of Blowfish, where the act of preparation becomes a chilling gateway to a permanent end.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is Blowfish based on a true story?
Blowfish is a 2025 novel by Kyung-Ran Jo. It is a work of fiction that explores the narrative of a sculptor learning to prepare a fatal serving of blowfish to end her life, drawing on the thematic history of her grandmother's suicide.
What is the central motivation of the sculptor in Blowfish?
The sculptor in Blowfish has decided she is going to die. She approaches this task with a focus on practice and preparation, viewing the creation of a fatal serving of blowfish as a delicate and artful method to ensure her life ends instantly and perfectly.
Where does the story of Blowfish take place?
The narrative of Blowfish spans two primary locations. The sculptor and the architect first cross paths in Seoul, and they meet for a second time in Tokyo, where the sculptor continues her preparations for the fatal act.
How does the past influence the protagonist in Blowfish?
The protagonist in Blowfish is influenced by her grandmother, who killed herself using a serving of blowfish in front of her husband and child. The protagonist seeks to replicate this method with a sense of guarantee, treating the act as a form of artful preparation.