Review of the Week:
Satoshi's Bums
2016 was a year where way too many artists lost their lives. Some of my favorite actors and actresses have died and that has left a massive hole in my heart and everyone else’s. Unfortunately, we’ve lost many other celebrities prior to this god-awful year, Anime fans lost an aspiring icon in 2010, acclaimed director Satoshi Kon. Despite directing only a hand-full of films Kon was instantly recognized for his brilliance, but wasn't able to reach his peak. For today, I’m going to be introducing you one his most beloved works: Tokyo Godfathers.
It’s Christmas Eve and everyone’s settling down for the
holidays, well almost everyone. While everyone’s enjoying the holidays, three
homeless people discover an abandoned baby among a pile of trash. The three-homeless
people, a transvestite, a washed-out gambler, and a runway, decide to take it
upon themselves to find the child’s parents and create a “holiday miracle”
before the new year.
A lot more happens in this film, but I don’t want to go
into more detail. This is something you must experience yourself and trust me
the journey is worth it. Now, unlike my previous anime reviews, this movie has
a more “normal” appearance. There’s no swords, guns, violence (to a certain
degree) and not whole lot of questionable material (again, to a certain degree).
This movie is much more grounded and this can be a factor in attracting people
to this film. A lot of the topics that Tokyo Godfathers discusses is very
relatable, the way most of the characters solve their problems are things that
the viewer can instantly connect to. It’s reasons like this are why, if people
are interested in checking out anime, should definitely check out this film as
a gateway into this form of entertainment.
So, if you’re looking for a film for New Year’s Eve, and
a gateway into Anime, then you should watch Tokyo Godfathers.
Final
Rating:
Tokyo Godfathers is
available on DVD, though not exactly at your local video-store, as
far as I can tell, you’ll probably have better luck online. Amazon or E-bay are
good places to look if you decide to buy the film, which I highly recommend you
do by the way. As alternate movie recommendations, I first point you towards
another film by Satoshi Kon, Paprika, if you were a big fan of Christopher
Nolan’s Inception, then you should check it out, and lastly, I recommend
watching Planes, Trains & Automobiles, it’s a non-traditional holiday film
like Godfathers and it’s an amazing movie overall. Are there any other films
you would recommend, then let me know in the comments below.
Until
Next Time, See You in the New Year…
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