Enough to melt all the tigers in the world to butter

The expression “Enough to melt all the tigers in the world to butter” is Watanabe’s extravagant answer when Midori asks how much he loves her. It gives comic, impossible scale to a sincere declaration: faced with a request for reassurance, he reaches not for measurement but for an image of overwhelming force. Midori’s satisfied response and her request to be held again make the hyperbole part of a moment of renewed intimacy.

The Exchange

Midori first tells Watanabe that he must be fine as he is, then asks how much he loves her. He answers, “Enough to melt all the tigers in the world to butter,” and she replies, “Far out,” with a hint of satisfaction. The phrase does not quantify love so much as make it imaginatively immense, transforming an ordinary question into a fanciful declaration.

Intimacy and Tone

The exchange moves directly from spoken reassurance to physical closeness: they get into Midori’s bed, hold and kiss each other, and listen to the rain. Their conversation ranges from the formation of the universe to how hard they like boiled eggs, while Midori wonders what ants do on rainy days. The scale of Watanabe’s image—every tiger in the world—sits beside this domestic, whimsical talk, letting extravagant affection and everyday companionship occupy the same scene.

Significance

The expression matters through its immediate effect rather than as a recurring formula: Midori is satisfied, asks to be held, and shares an extended moment of closeness with Watanabe. Its impossible transformation of tigers into butter gives love a playful, disproportionate force, while the scene grounds that declaration in mutual affection, kissing, conversation, and the sound of rain.