Friday, December 22, 2023

Tokyo Godfathers (2003)

 'Tokoyo Godfathers' is a Christmas anime movie, perhaps the only one. Inspired by the 1948 American film '3 Godfathers', which in turn was a comic riff on the three wise men from the Nativity story, and probably also the inspiration for 'Three Men and a Baby'. 

Three unhoused persons, a drunken bum of a man, a theatrical trans woman and a reticent run away teen girl, find an abandoned new born baby in some garbage. The trio debate options ranging from keeping the child to turning her into the police, but ultimately decided to try tracking down the baby's parents. 

The trio thus embark on an epic journey across Tokoyo, using some pictures and a key left with the child as clues to her origin. The baby is seemingly endowed with serendipitous powers, our hero's surving things they shouldn't and encountering providential people along the way. We slowly learn each characters backstory and how they ended up on the street, with all being forced into personal growth as they attempt to help the baby find its proper home. A sweet tail of grit, a tragic and heartwarming adventure. ***1/2

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