Tokyo GodfathersFamily isn't governed exclusively by blood, but by the bonds which come from understanding and camaraderie. So when a trio of homeless people in Tokyo stumble across an abandoned baby one Christmas night, they set upon the task--albeit after some debate--to reunite the infant with her mother, tracking her down by searching high and low across the Japanese metropolis, following clue after clue, and ultimately risking life and limb in the process. It is an unlikely adventure, but one which is not only done out of benevolence, but an inner need for each of them to realize some calling left neglected within themselves, and the families they left behind.
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Tokyo Godfathers is a surprising animated feature, filled with charm and maturity, as well as serious issues including impoverishment, familial responsibility, and holiday blues, while remaining taut and gripping with action and developed characters. It is a rare bird indeed, one of the few films created by the animation auteur, Satoshi Kon, whose perished from pancreatic cancer at a relatively young age, leaving a legacy of but a handful of marvelous films, with Tokyo Godfathers among them. The film is about the three refugees from society seeking the true parent of the abandoned baby they have named "Kiyoko". These "Tokyo Godfathers" include the sarcastic teen runaway, Miyuki, the alcoholic and gruff Gin, and the transgender Hana, occasionally given to reciting impromptu haiku and who is convinced that Kiyoko's coming is a Christmas miracle, since she cannot bear children. Aside from the individual characteristics, if Tokyo Godfathers sounds familiar, it should come as no surprise; the film has been a popular plot in movies for decades, going back to the western, 3 Godfathers, remade into films like Three Men and a Baby, all of which recall the biblical tale of the Three Magi, the "godfathers" of Jesus Christ. Set in the sprawling metropolis of Tokyo, Miyuki, Gin, and Hana carry their own "gifts" with them in the process of seeking Kiyoko's home, although these gifts are fundamentally the memories which haunt them and have left them destitute in the first place. Over the course of their journey, the three are forced to confront their own demons haunting them, which have left them running from themselves. Miyuki confesses her own sorrow to a Latin American refugee who nurses Kiyoko, recalling her bloody fight with her father (a police detective), which forced her to flee from her homestead. Gin encounters a fellow homeless man, much older, who on his deathbed recalls that he has been fleeing his former life for reasons only hinted at in the conclusion. Even Hana's past comes flooding back when she returns to the drag queen bar where she once was a performer, and recalls the untimely loss of her lover. All of these recollections expand on our heroes, turning them from mere homeless stereotypes into authentic, living, breathing people with unique identities, personalities, and pasts--a fact often neglected when one considers the homeless in real life, or others destitute and struggling to survive, more than just faces in a crowd.
Satoshi Kon has often been able to capture a sense of striking realism in his medium, and Tokyo Godfathers is no exception. Backgrounds look as though they were photographed from Tokyo itself, and characters move with the manner of a real human being. The animation, however, affords the ability to convey emotions and reactions with a degree of exaggeration otherwise uncommon in live action, and makes the outbursts that come for our heroes reasonable and understandable. The three "godfathers" act like a family would, living out of a makeshift shack in the park as many homeless do. How they came to live together will remain a mystery, but one suspects that the three of them all satisfy some absentee familial desire they each crave. Gin regrets that he abandoned his wife and child due to his drinking and gambling, Miyuki has run out on her mother and father out of guilt at her bloody outburst, and Hana has long craved to have a child, as well as understanding what it means to be a mother...and why her own mother abandoned her as a child. In essence, the three of them are already a family unto themselves, but Kiyoko's appearance forces them to reevaluate their perception of family, as well as their own responsibilities to those they have left behind, more so for Gin and Miyuki. Tokyo Godfathers is a film that is fundamentally about family. It is set during the holidays, when one's nostalgia and longing for family is at its peak, and they realize that although they have been enabling one another in their efforts to run from their pasts, they have a responsibility--like the responsibility they know that Kiyoko's parents have for her. Their trek to reunite Kiyoko is an arduous task, but one they all believe in and pursue with passion. Gin jokingly exclaims that they are "homeless, not action heroes", an observation which proves more ironic as a variety of tense situations crop up courtesy of their quest, everything from an upper-crust wedding which leads into an assassination attempt, to multiple chases. Even Gin, who lies about having been a bicycle racer, finds himself racing on a bicycle to rescue the baby from a dreaded fate when he is pressed, his parental instincts jump-started by the chance to play "dad" again. Tokyo Godfathers is a touching film about love and family, about friendship and understanding, and about how important it is to think twice before you are quick to dismiss another human being out of hand for their station in life; you might be surprised to discover just what it is and who is affected by what you throw away.
Recommended for: Fans of a charming and heart-warming animated tale of love and responsibility, full of action, humor, emotion, and even tenderness. It is also a crucial entry into the library of anime which can tell a tale of maturity and humanity simultaneously, and with a relatable and honest story about family.
Satoshi Kon has often been able to capture a sense of striking realism in his medium, and Tokyo Godfathers is no exception. Backgrounds look as though they were photographed from Tokyo itself, and characters move with the manner of a real human being. The animation, however, affords the ability to convey emotions and reactions with a degree of exaggeration otherwise uncommon in live action, and makes the outbursts that come for our heroes reasonable and understandable. The three "godfathers" act like a family would, living out of a makeshift shack in the park as many homeless do. How they came to live together will remain a mystery, but one suspects that the three of them all satisfy some absentee familial desire they each crave. Gin regrets that he abandoned his wife and child due to his drinking and gambling, Miyuki has run out on her mother and father out of guilt at her bloody outburst, and Hana has long craved to have a child, as well as understanding what it means to be a mother...and why her own mother abandoned her as a child. In essence, the three of them are already a family unto themselves, but Kiyoko's appearance forces them to reevaluate their perception of family, as well as their own responsibilities to those they have left behind, more so for Gin and Miyuki. Tokyo Godfathers is a film that is fundamentally about family. It is set during the holidays, when one's nostalgia and longing for family is at its peak, and they realize that although they have been enabling one another in their efforts to run from their pasts, they have a responsibility--like the responsibility they know that Kiyoko's parents have for her. Their trek to reunite Kiyoko is an arduous task, but one they all believe in and pursue with passion. Gin jokingly exclaims that they are "homeless, not action heroes", an observation which proves more ironic as a variety of tense situations crop up courtesy of their quest, everything from an upper-crust wedding which leads into an assassination attempt, to multiple chases. Even Gin, who lies about having been a bicycle racer, finds himself racing on a bicycle to rescue the baby from a dreaded fate when he is pressed, his parental instincts jump-started by the chance to play "dad" again. Tokyo Godfathers is a touching film about love and family, about friendship and understanding, and about how important it is to think twice before you are quick to dismiss another human being out of hand for their station in life; you might be surprised to discover just what it is and who is affected by what you throw away.
Recommended for: Fans of a charming and heart-warming animated tale of love and responsibility, full of action, humor, emotion, and even tenderness. It is also a crucial entry into the library of anime which can tell a tale of maturity and humanity simultaneously, and with a relatable and honest story about family.