In Satoshi Kon’s third full-featured film, the character Hana is a drag queen that longs to be a mother. It starts with him taking in the runaway Miyuki and continues when they find the baby, Kiyoko. Instead of finding a suitable home for the abandoned child, Hana decides to become its foster parent. It’s not hard to be judgmental when it’s snowing in the dead of winter and your idea of shelter is a cardboard box. Luckily for Hana, baby Kiyoko seems to bring luck wherever they travel. In one scene, the quartet saves the life of an influential figurehead and finds shelter from the bitter cold as a result.
Miyuki’s tale is less tragic and more unfortunate. She ran away from home after committing a seemingly unforgivable act. It isn’t until she sees a member of her family that she begins contemplating returning home. The explanation for the events leading up to unfortunate incident requires a leap of faith in its rationality. It could be the writer’s way of creating a mundane cause for the Miyuki’s homelessness. It’s a commentary on the nature of runaway teens and the futility of leaving a situation prematurely instead of handling with an iota of maturity.
Tokyo Godfather’s tone is slightly different from Satoshi Kon’s other work. In Paprika and Millineum Actress, Satoshi Kon uses different plot devices to add life to the story. Instead of solely relying on the material to move the narrative forward, different gimmicks are used. In the example of Paprika, lavish offbeat dream sequences leave you with a “wtf” moment during different intervals in the film. It creates an ostentatious aura around the movie that’s intertwined with the reality that the story makes senses. It causes the reader to go deeper into the character’s motives and takeaway a more substantive meaning behind the films narrative. Meanwhile in Millennium Actress, the story is told from the unique perspective of the director and cameraman. These time traveling bandits piggyback on the memories of an aging joyu. Tokyo Godfathers puts an emphasis on both the character development and their interactions. A run of the mill mystery about a baby’s biological parents transforms into a story about love, loss, redemption, homelessness and tolerance.
Grade: B
Director: Satoshi Kon
Character Design: Kenichi Konishi & Satoshi Kon
Production Studio: Madhouse
Release Date: 8.30.2003
Screenplay: Keiko Nobumoto & Satoshi Kon
Music: Keiichi Suzuki
