My lunch break is almost over, so I don't have time for a long post, but I wanted to point out at least briefly a film that I think is well worth some attention.

In brief, this is an anime film in which 3 homeless folks (an alcoholic, a teen runaway, and a gay cross-dresser) find an abandoned baby on Christmas Eve. The artwork was well-done, the story line was interesting with some nifty nearly-Dickensian twists, and I found that it beautifully explored some noteworthy spiritual themes: the possibility for the miraculous, the value of 'the least of these,' and the need for meaningful community. There were some very funny moments, to boot, and I loved how it interweaved the chorus from Beethoven's 9th into the soundtrack and storyline on a few occasions in a very relevant way.

It's not a perfect film - I found the cross-dressing character to get a bit grating in places, for one thing - but I'd give it 4 stars out of 5. The more I think about this film, the more I like it, and that's usually a good sign.

Yeah, I picked this up last week. Like you, I think I like it more in hindsight, though while I was watching it I found it a bit dull in places (and I also agree the crossdressing character got a bit grating, though he also had some of the best scenes). I think I'll need to see it again before I really solidify my opinion.

Have you seen Millennium Actress? It's by the same director, and came out prior to Tokyo Godfathers. It's well worth checking out, and in some ways, is probably more satisfying than Tokyo Godfathers.

It's films like these that prove that anime is capable of so much more than Pokemon and Dragonball Z, and why it's so much more superior than American animation (Pixar notwithstanding).

I agree with both your comments. Definitely worth seeing despite some a few clumsy touches. And Millennium Actress is a more complex and refined film.

Thanks for these comments. I put Tokyo Godfathers on my Netflix queue after seeing a preview a couple of months ago, but am still waiting for it to come up...maybe I'll move it closer to the top of the list!

I'll be eager to hear your take on the film, Beth, if and when you see it.

Opus: I can understand your comment about TG being dull in parts: actually, with both this film and 'Millennium Actress,' I found parts in the first half to be slow going and debated whether to continue watching. In both cases, though, I felt the films became much stronger as they progressed, and felt more than amply rewarded for having stuck with them.

Just thought I'd mention that Satoshi Kon has a new series coming out on DVD tomorrow - Paranoia Agent.

So far, I've read nothing but good things. I'm especially excited about the DVD release, as it has an interview with Satoshi Kon, which is apparently quite informative (unlike some of the other interviews I've seen).

Thanks, Opus - I've added it to my Netflix queue.

As have I. I didn't realize Millennium Actress was done by the same director of Tokyo Godfathers -- I'll have to add that as well (I've been thinking about renting it every time I see the case at Blockbuster). Good thing this thread was revived!

Tokyo Godfathers was a completely new experience in anime for me when I saw it. Up until then I had only seen films like Akira, Spriggan, Ninja Scroll, Ghost in the Shell, Cowboy Bebop and the less violent but still fantastic (fantasy based) work of Hayao Miyazaki. I was a bit thrown at first, but I warmed up to the film quickly. Since then I've also seen the very moving Grave of the Fireflies.

Yeah, Satoshi Kon is definitely in a league of his own, IMHO.

As I've said before, I like Tokyo Godfathers, but I think Millennium Actress is a much better and more satisfying film. And I'd also recommend Kon's first movie, Perfect Blue. It's much darker than anything else he's done, and is very violent, but is also an excellent Hitchcockian thriller that just blew me away when I finally saw it.

Just watched the first volume of Paranoia Agent, and wow, I'm blown away. Far darker than anything else Kon has done (Perfect Blue was more graphic, but not as overall disturbing), but also incredibly intriguing and compelling. The basic premise sounds fairly cheesy on paper - a series of seemingly random individuals who are all going through various trials and tribulations are senselessly attacked by a rollerblading kid wielding a golden baseball bat.

But it's essentially a treatise on modern alienation, how society has clouded and divided people from eachother, and how it might take a violent act to wake people up (there's a suggestion at the end of the volume's final episode that the victims seem better off). The storytelling device is quite interesting as well. Although the victims seem completely unrelated, the series does a brilliant job of subtly bringing to light how they are connected together, through flashbacks, random encounters, and whatnot.

And the opening credits is one of the more memorable I've seen in a long time, a triumphant-sounding theme about giant mushroom clouds and tsunamis whilst the various characters stare at the screen laughing hysterically amidst scenes of disaster.

Finally, the Tokyo Godfathers worked their way up to the top of the Netflix queue, and we watched it tonight. DH is always initially skeptical about anything animated, but agreed to give it a chance. I was surprised by [spoiler]distinctly Christian overtones in the sermon in the opening scene[/spoiler], which certainly set the tone for the whole film. I agree with Andrew that it's not perfect--a bit long (even at 90 min) and overly twisty (even for Dickens), even though "miraculous" is intended to be one of the themes, but some genuinely moving moments, and certainly worthwhile overall.

I was interested in the "making of" featurette to see how it was promoted. The voice actors seemed to be not anime regulars--all 3 seemed to be known as live-action actors, not for voice work. And everyone talked about how different TG is from most anime, both thematically, and in its characters, who are not flashy or young (except for Miyuki), and its setting is the contemporary city, not a future galaxy or a fantasy world.

I read somewhere that this movie is loosely based on Three Godfathers, dir. Boleslawski, 1936, or dir. John Ford, 1948, with John Wayne?

Anyway, I liked it, and am looking forward to Millennium Actress, which I expect to be more "typical" anime.

I'm glad you enjoyed it, Beth. I should give it a second look.

::Anyway, I liked it, and am looking forward to Millennium Actress, which I expect to be more "typical" anime.

Not as I recall (here, too, it's been a while, though). Like 'TG,' this seemed to drag in a couple of places, but it was also quite moving and well worth the time.

I don't think you could ever mistake Satoshi Kon's work for "typical" anime. He truly seems concerned with compelling ideas and original stories rather than the trotting out the same old cliches that are so prevalent in the genre - which is why his work always generates a buzz. Don't get me wrong - I like giant robots and cute girls packing big guns as much as the next guy* - but even Kon's weakest work is more noteworthy than 99% of the stuff that out's there.

* - Believe me, anime is much more complex than that... but it's early and I'm feeling snarky.

Just found out a little bit about Satoshi Kon's latest work. It's titled Paprika, which is based on a Japanese sci-fi novel of the same name. The main character is a female detective who investigates cases by entering peoples' dreams with the help of a special device. The device gets stolen, and those who created it begin manifesting various psychoses. On one hand, it seemed a little more straightforward and stereotypical than Kon's other projects. On the other hand, this is Satoshi Kon we're talking about, so I'm sure things will get plenty bizarre.

And for anyone who is interested in tracking down the film's inspiration, John Ford's Three Godfathers is being released as part of the John Wayne: John Ford Film Collection DVD set in June. I haven't seen it, but it's regarded as a film that really emphasizes Ford's Catholic inclinations.

One of my favorite Ford's, and one of the most bizarre, surreal and beautiful Christmas movies ever. I'd like to suggest drugs were involved, but I think it's just Ford's art. As usual, melancholy meditations on death and suicide abound. And funny too, in the Ford style. Pedro Armendariz refers to a fat, squat, barrelhead cactus as "a gringo head cactus". And dare I say that Antonioni was inspired by the desert tones, compositions and empty spaces for the Passenger...

I'm glad they're releasing it at last. I've been waiting for it for a while.