It's about a month late to be writing a review on this animation, but I'd much rather write about it now than have to wait an entire year; especially when someone may read this, watch it, and absolutely love it.
At its core, Tokyo Godfathers is a Japanese Christmas animation. Released in 2003, it holds a similar feeling to that of Disney Pixar's classics, even Disney itself before they got a bit too big and turned evil.
Its narrative is simple: three homeless people discover an abandoned baby while searching for food on Christmas Eve. They're good people, and attempt to use the hints of an identity to find the parents and return the child. There's a few hiccups along the way, as they uncover a series of hurdles both personal and unexpected.
Tokyo Godfathers uses a dark, gritty palette to display the lifestyles of the homeless, and it actually results in some amazing backgrounds and environments with wonderful detail.
It's similar to that of Studio Ghibli's classic animations and style from the late 80's and 90's. There's a level of incredible attention to detail that's found in the production quality from a small Japanese studio mostly known for small hits.
Living as a dysfunctional family, the three homeless characters hold very little in common: a father, a runaway daughter, and a transvestite with the delusions of becoming a mother. It shows their desperation to rely on each other in order to survive a difficult and dangerous life on the streets of Tokyo, reduced to homelessness due to circumstances out of their control.
There's a mix of heartwarming narrative, sadness, hopelessness, and some optimism. Throughout their journey, the three come to terms with their lifestyles and truly recognise their relationships together.
