Tokyo Godfathers (2003) - A Review

 

Tokyo Godfathers is a different kind of Christmas movie.

Tokyo Godfathers is a dramatic comedy animated (anime) movie released in Japan in 2003. It was written (along with Keiko Nobumoto) and directed by Satoshi Kon and features the voice talents of Yoshiaki Umegaki, Tōru Emori, Aya Okamoto, and Satomi Kōrogi.

From left: Gin, Miyuki (with Kiyoko), and Hana.

 In Tokyo Godfathers, three unhoused people, Gin (voiced by Tōru Emori), Hana (voiced by Yoshiaki Umegaki) and Miyuki (voiced by Aya Okamoto) find a newborn baby in trash nearby on Christmas Eve. With the baby is note saying to take care of her, and a key that leads to clues to who the parents are. Hana, a dramatic transgender woman, wants to find the parents. Gin, an alcoholic gambler, wants to take the baby to the police. Miyuki, a teenage runaway, also wants to take the baby to the police, but she goes along with Hana's plan.

Naming the baby Kiyoko, they care of her as they make their way across the city in search of her parents. Along the way, our trio encounter some very coincidental incidents. Frankly, you could call these coincidences miracles. We find out their tragic back stories, and why they ended up in their current situation. These coincidences and their pasts intertwine to bring them closer and closer to their goal...

Like family, Gin, Miyuki, and Hana argue a lot.

Tokyo Godfathers is a beautifully animated movie, with an engaging and interesting story. The characters are complex and flawed but likable; you will hope for the best for them throughout the movie. Though a lot of the situations are somewhat serious, there is a lot of comedy in Tokyo Godfathers as well. Hana's over-emotional personality is humorous (and makes her very likable), as well as some of the situations they find themselves in. Not everything is a joke, though. The main characters are portrayed respectfully (though some of the other characters they meet are not respectful to them). Gin, Hana, and Miyuki are basically a family, though they are not related.

The situations Gin, Miyuki, and Hana get into are pretty surreal.

The animation (meaning 'fluidity of movement') is excellent; everything moves smoothly and realistically. The character design is semi-realistic, with more cartoonish flourishes during highly emotional reactions from the characters. I really like how the characters look in this, as well as the 'world' they live in. The voice acting (I watched it in its original language, with subtitles) is superb. The characters all talk realistically and naturally, with some great vocal touches that make the characters seem like real people. This movie is just art.

As you can imagine, I highly recommend watching Tokyo Godfathers! It has a touching story, interesting characters, comedy, drama, tragedy, and adventure. There are some violent scenes (and nudity) but those aren't the focal points of the movie. The movie is about family and about facing the past. The plot takes some twists and turns, too. It can get quite emotional as well. Tokyo Godfathers will leave you wondering, was everything happening by pure coincidence or was it all a miracle? Satoshi Kon was one talented person! We are lucky he left us this beautiful piece of art.

Reviewed by David Williams