Tokyo Godfathers.

Review #1535: Tokyo Godfathers.

Cast: 
Tôru Emori (Gin), Yoshiaki Umegaki (Hana), Aya Okamoto (Miyuki), Shôzô Îzuka (Ota), Seizô Katô (Mother), Hiroya Ishimaru (Yasuo), Ryûji Saikachi (Aged Man), Yûsaku Yara (Miyuki's Father), Kyôko Terase (Sachiko), Mamiko Noto (Kiyoko, Gin's Daughter), Akio Ôtsuka (Doctor), Rikiya Koyama (Bridegroom), Satomi Kôrogi (Kiyoko, the Gangster's Daughter), Mitsuru Ogata (Hidenari Ugaki) Directed by Satoshi Kon.

Review: 
"The human brain is mysterious; we can't share the time axis in our memory with other people. I'm interested in trying to visualise those nonlinear ways of thinking."

Interesting art can come from any animator or illustrator, no matter the amount of work they make in their lives, mostly because quality in telling a good story is what matters most in delivering entertainment - whether for audiences in Japan or abroad. It made perfect sense to add Satoshi Kon to the list of directors to follow in animation because what he managed to do for Japanese animation. Kon had numerous influences growing up, such as artists like Yasutaka Tsutsui alongside anime and manga such as Space Battleship Yamato (1974) before deciding to attend Musashino Art University with initial aspirations at being a painter before shifting to illustration, and it was during that period that he did his first short manga for a contest (held by Young Magazine). He did work with Katsuhiro Otomo (best known for his manga/film Akira) as an assistant before and after graduating from university, and it was with Otomo that he worked with in his first anime (acting as art director and set designer) with Roujin Z (1991). He would once again collaborate with Otomo as writer/layout artist/designer for a segment in the anthology Memories (1995, "Magnetic Rose", which like the other shorts were based on stories previously written by Otomo). While he did do manga of his own like Opus (1995-96), Kon would move on to directing with Perfect Blue (1997), which received notice for its blurring of fantasy and reality, and it would be the first of four features directed by him before his death in 2010.

Admittedly, there never is a wrong time to view a Christmas movie, particularly one as dazzling in its own touch of animation and realism as a loose interpretation of Peter B. Kyne's novel The Three Godfathers. It is a sprawling film that dazzles the senses with its animation that depict the visual beauty that come showing the sights and streets of Tokyo with fair honesty, with Kon looking at it as a film with a mix of serious drama with fantasy based settings that Kon also wrote the story for and co-wrote the screenplay with Keiko Nobumoto. It looks upon the fringes of society with an open eye for warmth that make a capable comedy-drama, hitting its marks when it needs to in emotional touches without being drawn to too much crude sentimentality that keeps its coincidences in check. It moves with its three main characters in a way that makes moving material very quickly while still playing nicely with one's expectations for 92 minutes that tells their stories and shows what it means to rise above being left in the margins of society, whether that involves a drunk, a cross-dresser, or a runaway that is a great representation of stylized animation well-suited for audiences mature enough to handle it.  Emori (known primarily for his work in television, particularly taiga dramas) makes a wise head of our trio, doing well in generating pathos with sobering conviction for what is needed of this "family" sort of drama. Umegaki does just as well in pulling the film forward in good grace and timing without needing to play to too many cheap jokes for what is needed that pays off for family presence. Okamoto lends herself well to finishing the trio off with capability and quick temper that suits the family angle quite well in her unique perspective of youth (or at least sound like one, since she sounds passable enough to voice a teen without a stumble). Îzuka, Katô, and Terase round out the ones to really focus a bit on in support, and they each do fine in what is needed. On the whole, the film moves itself well in showing its own nuance to holiday charm within the edges of society that is charming and weird enough to distinguish itself as a good recommendation for those looking for something deeper in anime and for a director interesting enough to cultivate it usefully enough.

Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.