Tokyo Godfathers (2003)

A drunk, a runaway and a transvestite have one heck of a Christmas in store! IMPORTANT NOTE: This movie has only been released in Japanese, so there is no English dub. But the DVD has subtitles, so if you can't stand reading the subtitles, do not watch this film. The Story The story is a black comedy about three homeless men finding an abandoned baby on Christmas eve. The story is very unique in it's storytelling. It's style is a hybrid of Miyazaki films and the American TV series, South Park. It has quite a lot of humour that some people maybe offended by. but it's those comedic moments help move the story along. The humour helps because this film is not afraid to have it's darker moments. Even though this film has a lot of comedic moments, it is not a light hearted. So it is not for you if you are looking for a cheerful film to watch at Christmas eve. Unlike Miyazaki films that show a small part of the 'human experience', this film focuses on the human psyche which makes the film more realistic and how humans act in certain situations. Which arguably, makes this film better than some of Miyazaki's films. The Characters The characters in the film are some of the best not just in anime, but in film in general. All of them get their own backstories, some are told more subtly than others. The characters work perfectly off each other in the humour department. With each one playing their own version of the 'straight man' and the 'dumb man'. Which one is which is something for you to figure out. But I can guarantee that each person would come up with a different answer. Because every character has a reason for their actions. Whether trivial or actually helping out the other two. Even the minor characters get plenty of character development. Even those who have been on screen for less than five minutes. To put it all in one sentence, the characters are just amazing. The Animation/Special Effects The animation is beautifully drawn and well animated. The character designs are done in a more realistic style than most anime films. Some people might find the style a bit off putting at first, but people will get used to it and realise that the style suits the story and characters well. Final Thoughts I am going to sum this up in one sentence. Satoshi Kon is a genius in the art of film! And yes, I think he is a better director than Miyazaki just by viewing this film alone. It is a very controversial statement I know. But allow me to explain. Two of my favourite films by Miyazaki are Nausicaä: of the Valley of the Wind and Princess Mononoke. But their is a flaw that plague most if not all of his films. His films end leaving too much to be desired afterwords to the point of saying 'then what happened?' Which leaves the desire of a sequel that in this rate will probably never come, (not so much Nausicaä because the manga much further than the film) Princess Mononoke especially suffers from this problem. You don't get this problem in this film. The ending leaves subtle hints (some of which is written Japanese which I didn't have a problem with because I can read Japanese) so it leaves the viewer satisfied more with it's ending than with all of the Miyazaki films I have seen. It is sad that Satoshi Kon is no longer with us and that Tokyo Godfathers is the only film available to review on FILMCLUB. But as soon as another one of his films are available to review, I will almost likely to be one of the first to do so. The perfect film has not, will it ever exist. But this film came the closest to being that foretold 'perfect' film. The Story 5/5 The Characters 5/5 The Animation/Special Effects 5/5 Overall 5/5