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Tokyo Godfathers Movie Review

Tokyo Godfathers is a 2003 tragicomedy anime film directed by Satoshi Kon. It is the director’s best and most accessible feature.

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“I always wanted to die drunk in a nice, old house.

I’m halfway there“

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Middle-aged alcoholic, a teenage runaway and a former drag queen are a trip of homeless people living as a makeshift family on the streets of Tokyo. Once they stumble upon an abandoned baby, they search all over the city to find the baby’s parents. I am not the biggest fan of Satoshi Kon, but even I have to admit that this movie is pretty sweet. It’s his best film by far and it was shamelessly snubbed by the Academy.

Gin, Hana and Miyuki made for an instantly iconic anime family. Gin is an alcoholic who has probably the most realistic backstory of the three while Miyuki is a teenage runaway and Hana is a former drag queen and a trans woman. The fact that this film actually depicted a trans woman and with respect is admirable and way ahead of its time.

Hana is the most memorable character of the three. I loved her over-the-top and emotional personality and the film showed so much warmth in her character and her motherly instincts. The dynamic between all three characters was lovely and they truly felt like a family of sorts. Depicting that family isn’t just tied by blood but you can make one on your own, the movie’s heart and soul is that family dynamic that is both playfully funny and meaningful.

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Tokyo Godfathers is at its best when it’s focusing on the plight of this trip, but also the humor. There are so many moments here that made me laugh as the dialogue is phenomenal – witty and grounded in reality. What I particularly appreciated was that diverse tone that mixed serious with immature in equal measure, succeeding at both with flying colors.

Then why am I giving this movie four stars and not a higher rating? What did I not love here? Well, that has to be that problematic third act. I do get that Kon wanted to portray that mixture of realistic and unrealistic, in essence depicting the unrealistic in a realistic fashion, which was an interesting choice for sure. However, it did not work. It worked in the first half for the most part, but the third was so melodramatic, so contrived in its plot twists and so implausible that it took me out of it completely.

You can make an argument that this is an enchanting Christmas movie, which it certainly is, but still the first half is so grounded, so I expected a more believable ending myself. The movie sat at that in-between area between cartoony and realistic logic, but never fully committing to either. I would have either gone to overly colorful and even fantastical territory or remain fully grounded and not stay in this inconsistent limbo.

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The animation is excellent. It’s rather colorless at times, but that made it more raw and earthly. The character designs were strong and the background work was outstanding. The score, sound and editing were all terrific and so was the confident directing by Kon. It’s his most streamlined and universal movie for sure. The voice acting is naturally amazing with everyone doing a great job and elevating their already great roles even further.