Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Anime comes of age, May 31, 2004
I consider this movie a breakthrough. It is the first I've seen that equals - or passes - good live-action movies for subtle development and interaction of characters.It took the first 30-45 minutes to get going, but that time was used to establish the characters and the setting. Be patient - it's worth the wait. After that, the movie is really about families. I don't mean the "Leave it to Beaver" kind, with Mom, Dad, and their children by each other. I mean the real families these days, where the ideas of Mom and Dad need to flex and where the children are unrelated to one or both. I mean a real family with real problems, holding together because everyone is struggling to hold it together. The animation is good and the character animation are very good, but excellence is the norm these days. The plot and story are what make this movie stand out. As an aside, I was interested to hear a few English words adopted into the Japanese idiom, "homeless" and "godfather" being the most obvious. I was also interested to see that the Spanish speech wasn't subtitled - English speakers will need to puzzle it through, same as the Japanese listeners did. This isn't an "adult" movie, but there's not a lot here for kids. That's fine. Kids have their own movies, and we need ours.
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30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Christmas fairy tale, September 11, 2004
With such films as "Perfect Blue," "Millennium Actress" and now "Tokyo Godfathers, " Kon Satoshi has rapidly ascended to the ranks of the masters of animation in Japan, side by side with such dignitaries as Miyazaki Hayao, Takahata Isao, Otomo Katsuhiro and Oshii Mamoru.
Like his other films, "Tokyo Godfathers" takes place in modern Japan and part of the joy of the film is seeing the wonderland of Tokyo come alive in vivid animated splendor. To achieve this particular look, Kon filmed live scenes of Tokyo, then animated overtop of the backgrounds, to give his characters a completely realistic environment in which to live their fantasy. The overall effect is really amazing.
The characters are three homeless people, each with a hidden background of severe pain that buries their proverbial hearts of gold. They form a strange, nomadic family, with Gin, a decade-long veteran of the Tokyo streets with a sad and mysterious past, Hana, a slightly pathetic aging drag queen who wants to play the role of mother to the odd clan, and Miyuki, a hard, aggressive teenager who isn't quite sure about the decisions that lead her to this life. Add to that Kiyoko, a foundling baby abandoned in a sack of garbage and discovered on Christmas eve, and the family is complete.
As with "Millennium Actress," Kon effectively weaves together several stories into an complete picture, each thread joining together briefly as it touches the lives of one of the three characters, then separating as they part. However, in the world of "Tokyo Godfathers" there are almost no strangers, and each person met along the path contributes something to the Christmas miracle of Kiyoko.
"Tokyo Godfathers" is very touching and sentimental, as a proper Christmas movie should be. But it is the sentiment and love won through hardships and pain, and the film does not lack for an edge. And then there are miracles, and wonder.
A really excellent movie altogether. It would be a shame if more people didn't get the chance to see it.
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17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Animated Drama You Can't Refuse!, April 25, 2006
I'll be the first to admit that my preference in anime and movies in general tends to be for the magic, the larger than life adventures, the epic battles and the surreal mind trips through other worlds. But anime isn't all magical girls, mecha, battle action and hentai-and Tokyo Godfathers isn't any of those things. Director and writer Satoshi Kon is a past master of dramatic tension and character development and those who have scene Millennium Actress or Perfect Blue may have more of an idea what to expect from this movie-but I suspect even they won't anticipate how the story twists and turns.
The setting is Tokyo at Christmas time. The characters are three homeless people: Hana, an aging drag queen, Gin, an embittered drunkard, and Miyuki, a smart mouthed teenage runaway. This unlikely "family" is about to find their lives forever changed by the discovery of a newborn baby abandoned in the trash. Sounds kind of depressing, doesn't it? The characters don't seem like they'd be likable at first, the animation isn't forgiving-these characters aren't idealized stereotypes. And then the "magic" begins. Satoshi slowly and subtly unveils his characters through the movie's unexpected twists and turns. What starts as a quest to return a baby, becomes a journey of self-discovery, adventure and redemption for these three remarkable characters. And by the end, you're breathlessly along for the ride. It's a movie that's a reminder of how incredibly good character development can be-and rarely is, even on the live action screen. For a viewer like myself, it was a surprising and touching treat. And belongs in any decent anime collection.
The animation style is gritty and realistic. Don't expect the typical big eyes or wild hair. Nor are there the stylistic chibi-cuteness moments, or wild takes that are so common in anime. It's not cute, and it doesn't try to be. This isn't an anime for the kiddies-there's tough stuff to deal with here. The nudity and sexuality of this story is pretty minimal-a few boob comments and a shot or two of babies breastfeeding. The violence isn't gory or showy-but when it's included it cuts right through the viewer. The real reason this isn't for kids is because it will take a mature audience to understand what's going on. I don't think most youngsters will appreciate the subtlety, or be ready for the types of issues presented. The message at the heart of this movie, however, is universal. It's about all the connections and permutations of family, about the ties that bind us and bring people to care. It's about small miracles.
If you are already an anime fan and you're willing to try something different from the usual fantasy or SF fare, this is a great place to start. If this is your first foray into anime, or you've been put off from the medium before, this is also a great place to start. If you're looking for curvy girls with saucer sized eyes and gumdrop colored hair, bouncy theme songs, cute fuzzy sidekicks and tricked out robot giants, find something else-this isn't the anime you're looking for. If you like this, you might also want to check out Satoshi Kon's other work, especially Perfect Blue and Millennium Actress.
Happy Viewing! ^_^ Shanshad
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