#YoshiakiUmegaki

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Blu Christmas Holiday Movie Asplosion 2022! ⛄ Chapter 30: Tokyo Godfathers 🦌 Next on this little animation block, one I only saw for the first time last year but has already moved up a decent bit. This blu-ray has a remastered transfer from a 4K scan, and it does look good, though to be fair, I never saw it in any form before this blu-ray. There are a couple problematic elements in the story, but they mostly at least seem to fall in line with flawed characters, rather than cruel writing. That said, apparently the newer English dub leans a little less on the "comedy" of the trans woman being who she is, and also, she is played by a trans woman in that one (which is the sound I use). The film is in turns, funny, heartbreaking, wild, whimsical and beautiful to look at, even in the grungiest settings. The director referred to it as a twisted sentimental story, which seems about right. 🌲 ❄️ 🎄 🎅 #TokyoGodfathers #2003 #SatoshiKon #ShakinaNayfack #JonAvner #VictoriaGrace #YoshiakiUmegaki #TooruEmori #AyaOkamoto #KeikoNobumoto #KariWahlgren #KateBornstein #4Kscan #BluChristmasHolidayMovieAsplosion2022 #iLoveMovies #christmasmovies #holidaymovies #xmas #christmasspecials #holidayfilms #holidays #movies #christmas #iLoveChristmas #blurays #bluray #MovieNerd #abluchristmas #christmasfilms #christmasmoviemarathon . https://www.instagram.com/p/CmanKFlu1Dobzuwp9XfEEuLHesq8u5nXKzjTN00/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[adamwatchesmovies]

Tokyo Godfathers (2003)

Part of the reason why we have so many Christmas films is that there are so many facets of the holiday to explore. Gifts and commercialism, family, rebirth, charity, etc. One theme that often gets forgotten is "miracles" but even we had dozens of them every year, Tokyo Godfathers would still stand out. Heartwarming, heartbreaking, hilarious, harrowing, and unconventional, it’s an instant favorite.

After watching a nativity play, three homeless people - alcoholic Gin (voiced by Tooru Emori), drag queen (or perhaps transgender) Hana (Yoshiaki Umegami), and teenage runaway Miyuki (Aya Okamoto) - discover an abandoned newborn among nearby garbage. As they follow clues to find the child’s parents, the group encounters all sorts of strange adventures.

In most films, coincidences are a sign of the writers’ laziness. “How do I get these characters out of a jam? They happen to bump into the right person, at the right time.” There are many coincidences in Tokyo Godfathers but on December 25th, these events mean something different. As the trio walks through the lonely snow-covered streets of Tokyo, they are forced to confront the past that drove them to homelessness through the unlikeliest scenarios. A man they rescue happens to be tied to Gin’s past. This discovery sends the group spiraling in unexpected directions like beams of light through crystals. You never know where things are headed next and each encounter is so wild they should feel out of place but instead feel perfectly at home. There’s something special about this night, this child, this specific group of people on this specific quest. Every chance is a one-in-a-million chance, which makes each discovery epic. All of these interconnected lives are being changed by this one mysterious child.

It's uplifting but Tokyo Godfathers is not light as snow. The harsh truths of homelessness are addressed frankly. While the miracle of a virgin birth permeates every frame, some people we encounter are cruel and still see the destitute as if it were any other day. Christmas is a magical day but that doesn’t make hospital bills, alcoholism, loneliness, or trauma disappear. Just when you think you’ve got this movie figured out, it’ll pull this jaw-dropping revelation out of left field. It fits perfectly with everything else but there’s no way you could’ve seen it coming.

I nearly forgot to mention a crucial aspect to the picture’s success: the animation. The visuals remove you slightly from reality - making all the happenstances feel organic - and then bring you back to reality by having characters who look "real”. Each design gives the members of the mismatched family so much personality you could “get” what they’re all about without hearing them utter a word. It’s beautiful but also ugly; a perfect harmony of style and story.

Every aspect of Tokyo Godfathers feels like it was meticulously considered. It’s so much more than the sum of its parts, a movie that fills you with all sorts of emotions and delivers a holiday tale like no other. You’ll see it once and feel compelled to return to it over and over. (Original Japanese with English Subtitles, December 11, 2020)

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Another one I'd never seen before (and thus far the only anime one I believe I've ever done in these marathons). ❄️ 🎄I'll Have a Blu Christmas Holiday Movie 'Asplosion 2021!🎄 💿 Chapter 19: Tokyo Godfathers 🎞️ While there are one or two little things I think could've been handled differently (not surprising for anime from 2003), on a whole, I quite liked this. It was very unique, beautifully animated, and had a fine tragicomic sensibility, and a good feel of adventure, considering the circumstances and setting may not have made one expect it. And of course, actually having a lil' trans representation in one of these films is a very rare thing indeed. 🏳️‍⚧️ ⛄ • • • • • #TokyoGodfathers #2003 #SatoshiKon #ToruEmori #YoshiakiUmegaki #AyaOkamoto less #FictionAndReality more #CoincidenceAndFamily #MeaningfulCoincidence #Remastered from #4Kscan #AnimeHolidayFilm #Anime #illHaveABluChristmasHolidayMovieAsplosion2021 #iLoveMovies #christmasmovies #holidaymovies #xmas #christmasspecials #holidayfilms #holidays #movies #christmas #iLoveChristmas #blurays #bluray #MovieNerd #abluchristmas #christmasfilms #christmasmoviemarathon (at Jersey City, New Jersey) https://www.instagram.com/p/CW1_bHjN5cb/?utm_medium=tumblr