The Age of Commercialism

Just perfect...

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

A John Wayne film from 1946 gives us the initial thrust of plot, three homeless bums discover a baby in the trash and take it upon themselves to deal with it. It's a film so full of coincidence and magic happenstance, the kind of which produces oddball but heartwarming scenarios for characters not ready to deal with the, yet at the same time it doesn't ever ring false because it's about miracles of life and miracles are only false if we don't believe in them. I'm not generally taken in by animation but Satoshi Kon does some amazing things here, the atmosphere of Christmas in a country that celebrates it only passingly is unique, the streets are empty and there's a faint bell going off in a Shinto temple somewhere in the dark, and the painted faces emote like real people, they pout and scowl and snarl like real people do. And I loved Miss Hana/Uncle 'Bag', she's one of the most interesting characters of the decade I think, a woman born a man who takes the part of both mother and wife but repudiates her roles as both in search of family. The film is trying to make us 'feel' Christmas, it wants us to not be the cynic onlooker who observes plot contrivance but rather be conflated with the contrivance so that it becomes meaningful. This should be one of the great Christmas movies, where things are bitter funny and snow whirls under the lamp posts of cold empty streets, then they're sad and faith-restoring but we know it's all a feelgood fantasy that says 'everything will be alright'. I like how Satoshi Kon injects complex human behaviour here, one of the protagonists is in drag, another takes us in through a weepy personal story which is later revealed to be the complete fabrication of a cowardly man, the girl is like a cipher of teenage rebellion, stabbing her father seemingly over a cat.

This was quite an amazing movie. The story kept twisting around while never being confusing, and stayed surprising till the very end. While childish in many ways it touched on quite adult issues in others. Homelessness and the various reasons for it, Japanese healthcare, Yakuza, Immigrants, Drugs, Violence in its many facettes and, as always in Satoshi Kons movies till now, the human psyche. While many of those issues are only touched briefly (including psychology), it seems like the director wanted to show a crossover through society. Thus the movie is quite packed, and thus the movie is quite entertaining to say the least. Strangely enough though, no sex whatsoever.The characters were unique in their own way and believable on the stage the movie provided. The character animation was OK. We've all seen better, but with this movie that's hardly the point. Satoshi Kon definitely overused the deus ex machina in this one, but then again he always does (altough I still have to see Paranoia Agent), so I was expecting it. Plus he always does it in such unpretentious ways that I can simply enjoy it. So what? Coincidences DO happen. Especially on Christmas. ^^ I wouldn't want to exchange the end of this movie for anything more believable, its just to... fitting.In short I could find nothing wrong with this movie. While it didn't get me thinking, it certainly entertained me from start to finish. Well... I didn't care for the dancing skyscrapers.8/10One other thing though. I'm utterly sick of hearing comparisons to Miyazaki. It's like fanboys comparing every Fantasymovie or book with LotR. Seriously, HOW, can anyone compare this movie, or even more, something like Perfect Blue with Totoro, Chihiro or Laputa? What mindbending techniques are necessary to accomplish this task, I ask you? Comparing Miyazaki with Kon is like comparing Spielberg with del Toro. They just make different kinds of movies. Miyazaki and Kon are both terribly talented Directors and writers, they both make brilliant movies and they both happen to work in Japan. The End

What do you think when you pass a homeless person? I know things that I have thought in the past are:They are drug addicts Veterans who have been wronged Good-for-nothing bums "Tokyo Godfathers" was co-directed by Satoshi Kon, "Millenium Actress" and "Paprika," and Shogo Furuya, Animator Director of "Millenium Actress" and "Spirited Away." It deals with three hobos who find a baby abandoned in the trash bins and the mishaps and adventures they have in trying to find the baby's mother. The three of them are as different as you can imagine. One is a man, a girl, and a transvestite. We discover their stories and dreams during the search, and how the baby brings them all luck and hope in different ways.I think that all parents should sit down with their children and watch this movie. It will teach them that you shouldn't be so quick to label people and be judgmental about their lives. Also, that they always have a chance to turn things around. Everyone is going to make mistakes in life because as we all know, no one is perfect. The people who don't give up and try to make up for these mishaps are the ones who are the real winners. This movie represents this and makes you feel positive that you can always be reborn. As that saying goes, "You can sleep when you're dead."Another reason that I loved the film is that it showed that if someone really loves you, he/she will always forgive you. In the end, life is about second chances and forgiveness. You will not hold grudges for the rest of your life when you love because as another of my favorite saying goes, "Love is never having to say you're sorry."The movie showed great life lessons in a way that children and adults alike could enjoy. My children and I laughed throughout the movie and never wondered when it would be over. It's definitely a movie that I would add to my collection of treasured films.

I will admit right at the start, I'm not a big fan of subtitled anime. I always prefer to watch with an English dub track, unless the dub is really bad. I prefer to watch what is happening on the screen rather than having to constantly flick between the picture and the words.For this reason, I put off watching Tokyo Godfathers for a long time. I had seen Satoshi Kon's other releases. I found Perfect Blue very uncomfortable to watch. Millennium Actress used clever storytelling but I felt a bit too distant from the story itself (I suspect this was because there were a lot of Japanese cultural and historical references in it). Then I found Paranoia Agent and thought it was excellent (despite the strange ending). In the end I bit the bullet and watched Tokyo Godfathers and wished I hadn't put it off for so long.The story may be a little unconventional, both for anime films and also Christmas films, but Kon makes it work. This film will certainly go on my "must watch at Christmas" list, along with Nightmare Before Christmas (another unconventional animated Christmas film).Some reviewers have criticised the number of coincidences that occur in the story, but personally I feel that the viewer can interpret this however they want to. If you believe in a higher power you can take the numerous references to 12-25 and the event that saves Hana as an indication that a higher power is pulling the strings. If you don't believe in such things, you can take it as serendipity or just a story with several happy endings.The film itself is a little different from Kon's other works. It doesn't try to blur the line between fantasy and reality (except for one short dream sequence). Despite the subject matter (three homeless people) it's actually a pretty happy film on the whole, with only a couple of slightly unpleasant scenes. It'll make you laugh, it'll make you cry, it'll make you go "awww".I do still hope that one day this film will be re-released with an English dub track. But even with subtitles the dialogue moves slow enough that you can take in the film and the subtitles without feeling you're having to rush your reading or that you're missing some beautiful visuals.I am now eagerly awaiting seeing Kon's next film - Paprika.