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Tokyo Godfathers

Review by Matthew Anderson

Movie

Company: Columbia/Tri-Star

Running Time: 95 minutes

Region: 1

Rated: PG-13 for thematic elements, violent images, language, and some sexual material.

EXTERNAL EXAM

Hana, Gin and Kiyuki are three homeless people living on the streets of Tokyo. While looking through the trash for a Christmas present, the three of them discover an abandoned baby. Taking it back to their shack, the three argue about what they are going to do. Hana decides that they are going to find the kids mother. Calling the baby Kiyoko, they head out into the vast world of Tokyo.

As they travel, they encounter a strange and interesting group of people who help them on their quest. Sending everything from gangsters to transvestite angels in their path, it seems that God is guiding their journey.

Through Kiyoko, they learn that just because you throw your life away, doesn't mean that it's not worth saving.

DVD VISION TEST

VIDEO: The DVD quality is excellent. On all three of our video systems, there was nary a pixel, color bleed, or wrinkle to be found. On our Samsung, I magnified it X4, and it still was flawless.

AUDIO: This DVD has an excellent 5.1 Japanese audio track. It has a full bodied sound, with great directionality. It's not that they really need it with all the dialogue, but it's nice to have.

EDITS: No edits at all. This is clean and uncut.

EXTRAS: Pretty thread bare when compared to their "Cowboy Bebop: The Movie" DVD. All you get is a 22 minutes making of, which really more of an interview segment. You get some trailers of other Asian Cinema releases from Columbia/Tri-Star, but that really doesn't count as extras.

WIDESCREEN REVIEW

STORY: This is a very uplifting and entertaining story. Keiko Nobumoto (who wrote Cowboy Bebop The Movie) and director Satoshi Kon has given us a story aimed squarely at adults, but not quite as manipulative as their previous films. Sure, Keiko and Kon will push your buttons quite nicely, but they balance the heavy drama with comedy. The dialogue is also sharp, felling much like a 40's road comedy at times.

ACTING: Absolutely wonderful. This is one of the best acted films I have seen to date. All three of the main voice actors Toru Emori (Gin), Yoshaki Umegaki (Hana), and Aya Okamoto (Kiyuki) do an excellent job at carrying the film. Yoshaki Umegaki is an absolute stitch as the motherly, yet prissy drag queen Hana. Yoshaki Umegaki's Gin has a very dry sense of humor, a good counterpoint to Hana's emotional ranting. Kiyuki is a bridge between the two, and Aya Okamoto is able to switch from cynical to comedic in a snap.

FAN SERVICE: Well, there is some nudity, but it's in the context of something natural. On the "in-joke" side, there are plenty of hidden Christmas and Satoshi Kon movie references.

FINAL EXAM

Honestly, I was a little nervous about watching this movie. You would think that a movie with an abandoned baby found by homeless people would be full of heart-wrenching emotional moments. I knew it would be good but I was worried that this movie would be a royal downer.

Well, I wasn't wrong about the emotional moments. There are plenty of them. I was wrong about "Tokyo Godfathers" being a depressing movie. This is actually one of the most uplifting films you will ever see. It's a well written, superbly acted, and captivating film. Truly a modern classic.

Right from the start, I found myself caught up in the story. Writers Satoshi Kon and Keiko Nobumoto did an excellent job at keeping me involved. I was right there with our three Godfathers as they trolled the city, looking for the home of their wayward child. The further we go, the more we learn about the three of them. This story was so compelling, I could not wait to see what happened next.

Boy did a lot of stuff happen. Darn funny stuff at that. Instead of 90 minutes of three people shuffling around Tokyo, boring us with long bouts of dialogue, it's 90 minutes of weird coincidences. Even when there are long chunks of dialogue, Director Kon keeps things going with lots of motion and injections of comedy. Just when you think things are going to get ugly, something off the wall happens, and turns your frown upside down.

There are a lot of religious elements, without being overly religious. All three believe that some force is guiding them, especially Hana. Every time something weird happens, he insists that it's God protecting his little angel Kiyoko. I have to agree. Some of the things that happen fall way outside "lucky chances".

God is also looking out for these modern three wise men. While searching for clues of Kyioko's mother, the three must face their pasts. Instead of punishing them for their sins (they have done fine by themselves), God is trying to get them home, using Kiyoko as a beacon of hope.

The emotional moments are brought to tear-jerking prominence by the awesome acting talents of Toru Emori (Gin), Yoshaki Umegaki (Hana), and Aya Okamoto (Kiyuki). The three of them relate so well together, you feel they are a family. They have great dramatic range, able to deliver the laughs right before they put a lump in your thought. The supporting cast is also excellent, with Kyoko Terase giving a sterling performance as Sachiko, the end of their journey.

I give Sony credit for not dubbing this movie. Many of the emotional reactions are very Japanese in nature and they would not translate well into English. While there are some English voice actors that could do a wonderful job, no dub could do this film justice.

The animation is awesome. Anytime you have Madhouse involved in a project, it's going to look fantastic. The characters are drawn fairly realistic, with very little cartoon (or rare-gag) looks. The level of detail is so superb it looks almost real. One fine example is when Kiyoko breaks down while talking to her father. You see her steely eyed glare slowly melt into a mass of tears. While the color isn't the brightest pallet you will ever see, it fits the mood and tone of the story.

I only wish we had the extras like the "Cowboy Bebop" movie. The light "making of" piece really doesn't do this movie justice. Then again, this movie doesn't need bells an whistles to make it enjoyable.

"Tokyo Godfathers" is one of the best anime ever made, period. Surpassing Kon's work on "Millennium Actress", this tale of three heroes is one that everyone should experience. This should be a new part of your Christmas tradition.

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