Tokyo Godfathers
Released By: Manga Entertainment
Rating: 12
Running Time: 92 mins
Audio: Japanese 2.0 Stereo/ Japanese 5.1 Dolby and English subs
Due Out: 15/10/2018
Reviewed By: Sandra Scholes
Yes, it's that time of year again. You know, the one after Halloween, Guy Fawkes Night and Thanksgiving? Christmas is upon us, and every year there is always a Christmas themed anime series or movie to inspire some fun, cheer, comedy or all three.
Tokyo Godfathers is the story of a handful of homeless people gathering at a nativity play on Christmas Eve, hoping that after they watch it, they will get a bit of food to sustain them through the chill of winter. Hana, Gin and Miyuki hope for a good Christmas, but a miracle seems to have passed them by so far - until Hana spots something in a rubbish dump that turns out to be an abandoned baby.
At the most wonderful time of the year, for most people, the homeless have less of the Christmas cheer, and are more concerned with having a full belly and a place to stay for the night. When Hana and her friends are most desperate for a miracle, they find a child with a single note written by the mother telling whoever finds her to look after her. Hana is a transexual who has to deal with prejudice on a daily basis from other homeless people who don't understand. Miyuki is a young teenage runaway who tells her fellow homeless friends she can go back home when she wants to, but you get the idea she might be lying or hiding something wrong in her life. Gin, an older man is a born skeptic, but has a softer side to him both Hana and Miyuki didn't realise.
Written by Satoshi Kon of Paranoia Agent, Perfect Blue and Paprika fame has put his usual characterisation and grittily realised portrayal of Japan in the modern day into this anime movie. What viewers will notice is how well the stories are interwoven and how the story plays out for the three characters it concerns who unwittingly become the baby's godfathers.
What we find out from Gin is that he used to be a man who had a wife and child, but his situation of needing money fast to take care of the baby wound up with him becoming homeless. What is impressive is his past of being a competitive racer in his youth, but as expected, he faces disaster and his life doesn't meet his expectations. Hana always wanted a baby, being transexual and homeless, she views she is unlikely to find a man who will adopt a baby with her in the future, so this is the answer to her prayers.
There is a debate that the real mother can't have cared much about her baby if she has dumped it, and with her only leaving a note with a key, there isn't much for them to go on, other than to try and track her down at the train station locker the key belongs to. When they reach the locker, they find it full of strange things; clothing, underwear and photographs they assume to be of the mother and her boyfriend/husband, but it becomes only too clear why she abandoned the baby when they find business cards that point to a hostess club called Club SWIRL.
Tokyo Godfathers is as watchable as Satoshi Kon's other work, and even more so with the message of a miracle happening to people who are less fortunate at this time of year. It gives a sense of hope, but also fulfills the longing each of these characters feel to be wanted, or loved, and to be able to take care of a baby is one aspect of their lives they never thought would happen. Hana, Gin and Miyuki make for a funny trio who have to find a way to get on in such a cruel world, even at such a festive time of year.
Bonus Material: Animax Making of and Trailers for other anime releases.
Summary: Paprika, Paranoia Agent and Perfect Blue are some of the favourites for Satoshi Kon fans, but this one is a festive favourite that brings home the message of Christmas cheer for us all.
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