When thinking about the best Christmas movies, box office hits that remain classics to this day come to mind, like Alone at home and Jingle until the endwhile among the lively options, hits like The Nightmare Before Christmas and Klaus stand out. However, what many viewers don't know is that although there aren't many anime films or series related to these holidays, there's a fun and heartwarming film to watch at Christmas, directed by none other than acclaimed director Satoshi Kon and by the same writer Cowboy Bebop.
Far from the psychological approach of his acclaimed films Perfect Blue and Actress of the MillenniumSatoshi Kon created his most realistic and underrated work Godfather of Tokyoand for more than 20 years. Not only is the film filled with Christmas spirit with a touch of magical realism, but it has also become the Japanese equivalent of Alone at home, being presented every year in cinemas and having an impeccable balance between moving and hilarious scenes that makes The Tokyo Godparents, the perfect Christmas classic that more people should know and revisit every year.
Tokyo Godfathers is a groundbreaking film about unconventional heroes in the holiday season
Satoshi Kon's film presents a miraculous encounter on Christmas Eve with a touch of social criticism
With incredible animation and beautiful composition far ahead of its time making it still look fresh, Tokyo godparents is an underrated anime film that revolves around three homeless people: Gin, an alcoholic; Hana, a trans woman; and Miyuki, a runaway girl who finds a girl abandoned in a dumpster on Christmas Eve. The bickering trio experience a series of unlikely coincidences and fantastic deus ex machina that can be considered small miracles during the tortuous search to discover the whereabouts of little Kiyoko's parents.
Despite not being the typical protagonists, impeccable and well put together Gin, Hana and Miyuki are a great representation of complex and human characterseach with their own circumstances and struggles, but who willingly engage in heroic actions, driven by their desire to find Kiyoko a place to belong and by their attempts to escape their own past.
Furthermore, meeting the baby is the catalyst that leads the protagonists to face their problems and reconcile with themselves, at the same time as they prove that they are better people than they thought they were, which conveys the true sense of altruism. Christmas of doing things for others without waiting. something in return. Furthermore, the film shows the weakening of family ties, unemployment, exclusion, social failure, discrimination against homeless people and the perspective of those who become invisible to society, in addition to having a frenetic and hilarious pace that makes the audience laugh despite the difficult themes it covers.
Just like Home Alone, Tokyo Godparents is an atypical Christmas film
Both films are powerful stories about family, feelings of abandonment and valuing others.
Although many people have often debated whether Alone at home is a Christmas film, as its plot could have worked even if it were set at any other time of the year, it has become a certified classic not only for its ornaments and decorations, but for its message of family and his sense of humor that helps viewers to forget their worries a little and have fun, which is the same case of Tokyo godparentsas this is the reason behind the film's setting, according to one iinterview published by The Austin Chronicle with Satoshi Kon:
I'm an animation writer/creator. I wanted to send my message to the viewers throughout this feature, to make them feel relieved from their problems, worries and discontents of everyday life, by using the 'homeless' characters, who are socially disadvantaged people who live their lives in a vital and lively, with human warmth. and good hearts.
Likewise, while Alone at home entertains viewers with a child defending his home, delving into Kevin McCallister's loneliness when he was forgotten by his parents and his relief after they are reunited again, Tokyo godparents takes a step forward, becoming not just a funny story, but a journey of self-discovery as This trio of homeless people goes through a lot of fun situations while trying to protect Kiyokowhich forces them to recognize their own feelings of abandonment and at the same time discover an improvised family based on mutual care that transgresses blood ties.
Furthermore, although the characters in Tokyo godparents are not particularly interested in the symbolic values of the date and the film features unique displays of figures such as angels, Santa Claus and even a fairy godmother, it is the perfect demonstration of solidarity in line with the meaning of the holidays. In this way, Satoshi Kon's most underrated work results from the unique companionship, tolerance, humanity, and awareness of those less fortunate that make Tokyo godparents not only appropriate to watch at this time of year, but also a better viewing experience than Alone at home and deserving of the title of best Christmas film.
Source: The Austin Chronicle.