Today’s quick review: Tokyo Godfathers. On Christmas Eve in Tokyo, Gin, an old drunk, Hana, a transvestite, and Miyuki, a teenage runaway, find a baby abandoned in a pile of garbage. They name the girl Kiyoko and set out to find her mother, with only a few clues to the woman’s identity. But the task isn’t easy for the trio of homeless, and a series of mishaps force them to confront their own life choices.
Tokyo Godfathers is a Japanese animated comedy with a heavy sentimental component. With richly colored animation, vibrant characters, and resonant themes, Tokyo Godfathers is a moving Christmas movie that gets at something fundamental about humanity. At the same time, its quirky style and mercurial writing keep it from fitting neatly into any molds. The result is a unique movie that is flawed but easy to love.
Tokyo Godfathers takes an unusual approach to storytelling. The plot meanders between random incidents and relies heavily on coincidences to move forward. The movie is not consistently funny, its comedy more the product of colorful characters and unlikely situations than overt humor, but every now and then a joke lands just right. The same goes for the emotional drama: not every arc has a great payoff, but the ones that do pay off big.
As such Tokyo Godfathers feels consistent in tone and inconsistent in accomplishment. The serendipitous plot would feel lazy in any other movie, but Tokyo Godfathers puts it to unusually good use. The movie cobbles together a thorough cross section of life from its many coincidences, its characters’ backstories, and its winding main plot. No one moment makes the movie, but the aggregation of many moments make the movie well worth watching.
Watch Tokyo Godfathers when you are in the mood for an offbeat Christmas story with a powerful human element. Although its odd style and unruly plot make it an unusual sort of film, Tokyo Godfathers has enough charm, insight, and artistry to make it a success.
7.9 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.5 for artistic vision and human spirit; your score will vary wildly depending on how its tone and story strike you.