Tokyo Godfathers

On Christmas Eve, three homeless friends: Alcoholic Gin, Transgender Hana and runaway teen Yuki, discover an abandoned baby while searching through trash.  Despite being from different walks of life and each with their own personal scars, the trio bands together to locate the newborns parents.  In a journey that spans the week from Christmas to New Years, Gin, Hana and Yuki will reconnect with their pasts like never before and, through an adorable baby, discover even they still have a future to look forward to with hope.

When you think of the name Satoshi Kon, you think of some of the most terrifying psychological thrillers in all of Anime like Perfect Blue and Paranoia Agent.  In his sadly shortened career, Kon proved he was a master of that particular field.  So color me very surprised when I came across Tokyo Godfathers.  While it still has several of Kon’s visual and psychologically driven storytelling tropes, Tokyo Godfathers is nowhere near as intense as many of his other works.  I dare say that (baring Millennium Actress, which I still haven’t seen yet), Tokyo Godfathers might just be Satoshi Kon’s most feel good movie ever.  And it’s a Christmas movie to boot.
 
While the premise of Tokyo Godfathers is a simple on: three homeless friends embark on a journey to reunite as lost baby with her parents, the layers of complexity Kon is best known for are still here, making things anything but simple but not in a bad way.  Each of our three leads is a fun character with a sad story that you cant help but love immediately.  Personally my favorite of the trio is Hana, whose theatricality yet penchant for quieter reflections offers some of the best laughs and most moving segments of the entire movie.  Gin and Yuki are great too, showcasing a lost relationship both miss terribly in their lives and have somehow found again through their dysfunctional but successful family unit with Hana.  Lest I forget, Baby Kiyoko is the least annoying baby in…well anything it seems.  Kon’s team animated an incredibly adorably little tyke you would actively help return to her lost parents if she fell into your lap.  Also she’s luck as all get out, trust me, you wont believe how many scrapes and disasters Gin, Hana and Yuki avoid just by having Kiyoko in their presence, it’s crazy.
 
At its core, Tokyo Godfathers is about reflecting on the things lost in life that many believe cant ever be gotten back.  Obviously, the key topic is family.  A lost husband, losing family because of gambling debts, running away for fear of not being forgiven, Satoshi Kon doesn’t shy away from tackling these very serious matters and seeing just how they affect the human mind, especially during a time of year when Family is essential.  However, rather than delving super deep into the disparity of it all, a la Perfect Blue, Tokyo Godfathers embraces the uplifting power of the holiday spirit, showing that even those who have hit rock bottom can find purpose and hope, especially if it comes in the form of an infant whose life is just beginning and doesn’t deserve to start things in a dumpster of all places.  Personally, one of my favorite scenes is Yuki forming a connection with a new young Mother who only speaks Spanish and yet the two find a way to establish a beautiful connection that helps flesh out Yuki’s character nicely.  Hope is key and you feel it build within our trio of heroes with each new adventure they discover in their search.  It’s nothing short of beautiful and very befitting of the holiday season.
 
That’s not to say that the movie cant go full on bonkers sometimes or crossover into some tradition Satoshi Kon tropes.  Everytime Hana and the gang freak out and engage in a footrace across all of Tokyo either to rescue Kiyoko or one of their own party, Tokyo Godfathers gets incredibly fun  Everyones facial expressions are well done from the quiet reflective moments to the “HOLY CRAP” moments.  It’s very cartoonish at times, especially in the finale that’s as crazy as it is wildly entertaining.  The pacing is great and there’s an equally good balance between the feel good humor and a few snippets when one character begins acting like a more traditionally traumatized Satoshi Kon protagonist (it might be off putting for a second but only for a second).  I’ll admit though, with everything going on, and sometimes it's a lot, some plot points are seemingly forgotten or seldom spoken of again with next to no resolution.  It’s not a major strike against Tokyo Godfathers but it gives a slight air of incompleteness.  Then again, the main story is the priority and when Kiyoko’s life is at stake, everything else is rightfully secondary.
 
Tokyo Godfathers is, simply put, another amazing movie from Satoshi Kon, probably my second favorite after Perfect Blue.  Gin, Hana and Yuki are three amazing unlikely heroes looking after a kid with seemingly divine protection.  The artstyle is whimsical, fun and fitting and Kon is able to stretch his more lighthearted writing muscles with a perfect blend of humor and reflection that gives life to another group of great characters under his care.  This could very well be the most perfect Anime Holiday Movie ever made and, save for a couple of intense yet real moments, is one the entire family can enjoy…cant really say that about most Satoshi Kon movies (legendary as they may be).  Yep, Tokyo Godfathers rightfully deserves as spot on anyones Christmas Movie marathon list along with Die Hard and Love Actually.  Yep, Satoshi Kon knows what makes the season so great: Hope. Family & Possibility.
 
9/10