TOKYO GODFATHERS

DESCRIPTION

CAST

ANIME DramaMousou Dairinin

REVIEWS

• 

  Harunobu

  70/100
  Depicting Realism in a Christmas Film

  __Depicting Realism in a Christmas Film__

  Ahhh, the Christmas season. It's that time of the year when you can spend time with your family and enjoy the festivities that come with the season. It's also the best time of the year to binge-watch everything that you can and have missed. For me, I always try to find an anime to watch that fits my current mood or setting, and so when Christmas comes along, I often turn to live action movies because there is no anime that truly fits the themes of the holiday season...except for this.

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  Story:
  Three homeless people rummage through the garbage in the hopes of finding Christmas gifts on Christmas Eve. You have Hana- a transvestite and former drag queen, Gin- an alcoholic and former cyclist, and Miyuki -a teenage runaway girl. The three of them form a family of sorts and as they rummage through the garbage, they find an abandoned baby that becomes an addition to their family. Hana names the baby Kiyoko meaning "pure child". This baby is a symbol of purity and is the catalyst for the events that will unfold as the three protagonists set out on a journey to not only find the baby's parents, but also to seek redemption.

  

  Tokyo Godfathers was inspired by _3 Godfathers_, a 1948 western film that is steeped in Christian symbolism. While the two films do share similarities with one another, Tokyo Godfathers substitutes the desperadoes for three homeless people with individual problems. Neither film is actually action-packed despite 3 Godfathers having a premise of three bank robbers going on the run. However, it goes without saying that on a general level, both films are still fun to watch.

  In Tokyo Godfathers, as the three protagonists go along on their journey, they experience several coincidences that puts them in some of the craziest situations. One moment they are walking around the streets of Tokyo, the next moment, they find themselves coincidentally involved in an action scene that seems like it's straight out of a Hollywood film. Not only are there coincidences that happen in this film, but there are also miracles because what Christmas film isn't complete without miracles? Seemingly enough, these miracles may actually end up being the result of divine intervention (as what happens in many other Christmas films to be honest). Now, the film starts off with a recital of 'Silent NIght', an obviously popular Christmas carol. However, this scene is important because it generalizes what this film is going for.

  "We have seen a star in the east. It told us the Son of God is born."

  This quote symbolizes that there will be a baby in this film and what follows is a shot of Hana and then Gin. But there is also the fact that this film is a reference to 3 Godfathers meaning that the recital at the beginning of the film is also meant to reveal that there will be Christian symbolism in this film, similar to what happens in 3 Godfathers. The two motifs of coincidences and miracles become the driving force of the narrative, and they end up actually making the story absurd. However, for all its optimism and absurdity, there are melancholic undertones to this film which adds realism to it.

  Beyond the absurdity, miracles, coincidences, and Christian symbolism is a real world focus on issues that the three protagonists are dealing with. These three protagonists deal with issues that many people deal with in real life. While they do form a family of sorts, the three protagonists each deal with a problem relating to their biological families and it is because of this that they seek redemption. Their journey to find the baby's parents is what gives them hopes in the face of bleakness; a chance for redemption.

  

  This film is also not afraid to be explicit with its depiction of social ostracism but is held back by the fact that it also tries to be optimistic and uplifting. For what it's worth though, I believe that people should definitely check this film out because it is a good movie with themes of family, love, and forgiveness.

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  Characters:
  It is important to note that the most important aspect ofTokyo Godfathers is its characters. The film's three protagonists are a joy to watch because they are all misfits. At the same time, their journey to redemption is as equally enjoyable to watch, albeit heartwarming as well.

  As I stated earlier, these characters all face problems related to their biological families. It's not so much that people have done them wrong, but more of the fact that there is a lack of forgiveness. A feeling of self-guilt which they all have. Their journey of redemption sees them face the wrongdoings of their past as they try to learn to forgive themselves.

  

  Then we come to the issue of social ostracism. Beyond the characters' individual problems is a look at destitution, homelessness, homosexuals, etc. Although the film does not delve deeper into this issue, it depicts the said groups in a realistic manner. The protagonists and the characters that they encounter throughout the story are not meant to be pitied because that's not what this film is going for. After all, it is meant to be an uplifting story and not a feels ride. These characters are meant to be empathized with and I think that they accomplished that with this film.

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  Sound and Music:
  The soundtrack serves as a nice compliment to the film, blending well with several moments in the story. Besides original pieces, there is music that you often hear during Christmas such as 'Ode to Joy' and 'Silent Night'. In regards to the voice acting, I think it's cool that they chose voice actors who prior to this film, had no involvement in anime voice acting. It adds freshness to the table as opposed to hearing those generic anime voices, and it also makes the characters stand out as being real.

  

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  Art and Animation:
  When it comes to visuals, Tokyo Godfathers holds up pretty well despite the fact that it was released in 2003. You won't get a heavy amount of symbols like in other Satoshi Kon works such as Perfect Blue and Paprika, but the symbols are definitely present. This is showcased by the fact that there are things in the film that are shown in pairs. This is done in order to show a connection or tie that people and objects share with one another.

  The film is also a love letter to Tokyo. As the three protagonists traverse the city, we get to not only view the landmarks, buildings, and streets of Tokyo, but also the underside of the city. We get to see places that are far less prominent like alleyways, nightclubs, and places that only gangsters would really think of going to. This detailed presentation of Tokyo adds realism to the film because it brings the city to life.

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• 

  fffillyy

  90/100
  Funny and well-written. A great film worth watching.

  Tokyo Godfathers is a comedy-drama anime film about three homeless friends who find an abandoned baby as they were rummaging through trash and this is a great set-up which leads to an effective payoff which is also immensely hilarious. This is a film which feels quite fast-paced, but there are moments when this film does slow down and it allows for in-depth character development with the three main characters. This film heavily relies on coincidence to progress the plot but this is not necessarily a problem as it uses it as a core theme to convey the miracles and happiness that Christmas gives. The story also has a bit of mystery to it which makes the film enticing to watch and helps with the flow of this film. This film is well-written and blends everything in an organised and clever manner.

  The animation in this film is spectacular. I like the dark colour palette that this film goes for as it complements the dark side of this film and the dark essence that the audience feels when watching this. This is perfectly contrasted with the witty humour that gives this film a slight dark-comedy vibe.

  The voice acting in this anime film was also great. The voice acting cast conveyed the emotion of the characters in a believable way and this allows those who watch this anime film to get invested in the characters through their emotional hardships. The soundtrack blends well with the coincidental plot progressions that this film has. The soundtrack also adds tension to suspensful scenes and it is effective at doing so.

  Character development was done incredibly well in this film. This film was well-written and the film shines an empathetic light on these otherwise homeless characters. They managed to have characters who are viewed as "dirty" and "scum" as human beings with emotions like everyone else that others can sympathise with. In terms of the story, it is quite fast paced. However, it does slow down at points in order to develop the characters and understand their emotions in order for the audience to feel invested in these characters and to sympathise with them. The character development in this film is one of its strong points.

  This is a film that many will find enjoyable to watch, especially those who like comedy films. It features a great story that is heavily sprinkled with humour and guided by the well-written characters, the incredible work the voice acting cast put to portray they believable emotions of the characters aiding the depthness of the characters' development, and the theme of "coincidence".

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• 

  Pockeyramune919

  74/100
  An unorthodox take on Christmas that, while far from perfect, still manages to be a good watch.

  Christmas is among the most popular holidays. One way that this manifests is through film — Christmas has more movies than other holidays. Because of this, Christmas movies often follow the same beats. I love Christmas, so I don’t scoff at the tropes. Still, I like to keep things fresh and watch more unorthodox Christmas movies. I decided to get my family so we could watch an anime movie I’ve had my eyes on for some years now; Tokyo Godfathers.

  Boy, oh boy, that sure was an interesting decision.

  First, a bit of a lesson in film study. The auteur theory refers to a movie director whose style is so apparent, that they could be said to be the author (“auter” comes from the French word for “author”) of a film. An auteur director’s style is unmistakable, and you could easily tell that from watching a movie that they directed it. In my opinion, anime directors more easily stand apart from each other (and thus can be more easily said to be auteurs) due to the fact that, unlike live-action movies, art styles are also a factor.

  The late Satoshi Kon is a critically acclaimed director, and one who few would argue is an auteur. Prior to Tokyo Godfathers, the only Kon movie I saw as Perfect Blue, a chilling, stylistic psychological horror revealing the darkside of idoldom. From what I could tell, other movies of his were also somewhat unsettling. My question going in was how the director of Perfect Blue would tell a Christmas story. Could he?

  He could, but it would be inarguably a very Satoshi Kon film, regardless, for better or for worse.

  This is somewhat somewhat in the plot. The story follows three homeless people in the streets of Tokyo — Gin, an alcoholic; Miyuki, a runaway teenager; and Hana, a former drag queen (or trans woman, according to some sources). One night, they found a baby abandoned in the trash. They become the baby’s godparents as they search for its family.

  Characters are drawn in the style that Kon had come to be known for — quite realistic (at least relatively) and somewhat unsettling.

  The story is frank and unglamorous. The characters are homeless, and thus, for them, Christmas isn’t as carefree as it is for the rest of the population; it’s just another day where they must fight to survive. There’s one scene where the group goes around a cemetary, looking for offerings in order to eat. The world we’re treated to is stark. Just like Satoshi Kon showed the downsides to being an idol, he showed how Christmas can really suck for some people. This lends to a very stark and at times, dark story that may make viewers uncomfortable.

  Not helping matters is the mean-spirited tone that persists throughout the movie. The movie pretty much begins with a fistfight between two of the main characters, and I was disgusted by how many times Gin called Hana a “faggot.” Being a Christmas movie, I was waiting for the part where everyone became nicer, but that part didn’t ever really come. As far as getting a warm and fuzzy feeling, it just might not come for you. It didn’t really come for me, at least not the same way that came when watching The Grinch, Toradora, or Tokyo Marble Chocolate.

  Then again, everything wasn’t gloom and doom. In addition to a drama Tokyo Godfathers is a comedy, and we laughed due to the bizarre and comical situations the characters found themselves in. The film gets downright zany at times, especially at the end. The climax is really great and we were all at the edge of our seats at the end. It’s a Satoshi Kon film, so everything is up in the air.

  As pointed out by my brother, as serious as the story can be, it relies on a lot of coincidences, which can be a bit jarring once you start noticing them.

  And yet, despite all the flaws, the movie still ended up being sweet. While it goes about it in a unique way, Tokyo Godfathers still shows the spirit of Christmas, it still shows love, caring, and family. You could even say it’s more genuine due to the perspective of the disenfranchised, still helping out others despite their lot in life. While I’m not sure it’s the best family Christmas movie, I can see why people watch it annually.

  I don’t think I’m as gaga over Tokyo Godfathers as most watchers are, but I don’t regret watching it. I was unsure of my thoughts at first, but ultimately, I’m grateful for such a unique Christmas movie and I might visit it again someday. If you don’t mind your Christmas hot cocoa dark, then you should take a sip of Tokyo Godfathers.

  7.4/10

  C

  
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