Tokyo Godfathers - Blu-ray

From the late and great director Satoshi Kon (director of Perfect Blue, another stunning and must see anime film.) comes this absolutely brilliant and heart-warming anime film of three homeless people (Hana who is an optimistic drag queen, Gin who is a pessimistic alcoholic and Miyuki who is a teenage runaway still quite new to the streets.) who find an abandoned infant on a junk pile on Christmas Eve and go on an epic quest across Tokyo to find her real mother.The plot follows these three citizens of the streets on their christmas journey with this infant and along the way discover what actually caused them to be where they now and how they must learn to stay together through the cold or be alone in the dark. It is a very well written story that has a very heart-warming aura to it which is helped by some good and well-timed humour along the way. That's not to say it doesn't show the darker side of the streets, because it dose at times deal with the darker and sometimes more violent subjects that the homeless face every day living on the streets, even if the film is mostly an optimistic romp at its soul. The unique cast of characters themselves are instantly very likable and also very well written and the Japanese voice actors do a fantastic job in breathing emotion in to them and bring them to life. It also boosts a great soundtrack which helps set the emotional tones at every step of the way very well.The animation is also a big highlight as it is simply beautiful. This is a film that uses colour beautifully to show the cold streets of Tokyo that these people walk along but the true highlight is within the character animations which really must be praised. The animators have done a very impressive job in not only designing the characters but showing there expressions and emotions in a realistically manner, which is something you rarely find in other anime films and series and it ends up giving the film a unique and fresh feel about it which I for one really liked.The film is around an hour and a half long but despite this running time I did feel like it could have been paced out a little more, and there are several big events that feel far too coincidental at times but these are only a few minor complaints in an otherwise brilliant film.For those who are wondering, this DVD does not have an English dub of the film like many other animes come with and comes only with the original Japanese track along with a Spanish one, both with subtitles. There will be some who may not like this fact, but I personally don't mind the lack of dub as in my opinion the Japanese cast is normally always superior to the English dubs in quality. The DVD also lacks any real extras bar some trailers, which is a shame as some interviews really would not have gone a miss.All in all, Tokyo Godfathers is a brilliant and beautifully directed film witch may start with a dark and near depressing premise but soon turns in to something quite heart-warming and near magical. This is a must watch for anime fans, those who enjoy Christmas films and for fans of feel good story's in general.

`Tokyo Godfathers' is another great anime film from Satoshi Kon.When three homeless people in Tokyo find an abandoned baby their lives are turned upside down as they struggle to look after her and find her parents. A variety of seemingly unrelated events come together until the film reaches it's heart warming and satisfying ending. Traipsing all over Tokyo they follow various clues in their hunt for the babies parents, whilst their own life stories unfold before us.The dysfunctional homeless family make for humorous viewing, with an old geezer for the dad, a flamboyant gay man as the mother and a bitter, yet sensitive, girl as the `daughter'. There's makes for a complex but touching family relationship.The animation is very good and whilst not as lush or beautiful as Ghibli films, this is more gritty and realistic. This film has a 12 certificate, but this is an animated film aimed more at adults. The themes, language and some scenes are more adult orientated that other anime films out there.This feels quite bleak at times due to the winter landscapes and muted colours, as well as the storyline in general. But, it is very well made and everything comes together perfectly at the end. If you are a fan of anime films in general then this should please you and if you a fan of Satoshi Kon in particular, then this should leave you delighted. A worthy addition to your anime film collection.Feel free to check out my blog which can be found on my profile page.

This is a warm, spiritual story set in a cold and snowy Tokyo one Christmas. It finds the right balance being not too sentimental or moralising. That the major characters are homeless is not an invitation for the makers to preach about society and inequality. They are homeless for different reasons and even though they may have their faults I found it very easy to sympathise with them and like them. They are very human.A 12 certificate is deserved not just because the content involves some quite adult issues but there is no dubbing and subtitles are not every youngsters cup of tea.I found the story quite spiritual with possible divine intervention here and there. But, it is not Christian or Shinto or preaching anything.I did wonder why such a story was animated. But the animation creates an artistic interpretation of reality which is almost subliminal. Every frame of film has been created and analysed to invoke a mood and I was left in a very fine mood indeed with the movie's amounts of humour, pathos and drama balanced in equal proportions.I was looking for alternatives after finishing Studio Ghibli's ouevre and this is the first of Satoshi Kon's movies I have seen - I will be watching more.

Before I saw it, I read in one of the customers' reviews that while watching this animation people tend to believe the characters being under impression that this is a live movie with real actors. I watched it today - it is totally true!I could see realistic emotions of drawn characters, which I never experienced watching animation. And I loved the story. Don't believe to trailer; what you saw there is not what you will find in the movie... the story develops in a very dynamic way with absolutely unexpected result! That was really entertaining, and thanks to other customers for not disclosing the plot in their reviews! Intrigued? Watch it!By the way, please keep your children out of this DVD, as there is some violence, a few explicit talks, and lots of serious social problems, which you would never be able to explain to them....