Why Satoshi Kon’s ‘Tokyo Godfathers’ Is the Ultimate Christmas

Satoshi Kon’s tragicomic adventure anime released nearly a quarter of a century ago tokyo godfathers (2003) is as relevant and impactful now as it was when it first came out – admittedly, to some extent director’s business card. timeThe film tells the story of three homeless people who discover an abandoned baby on December 24th. While this may sound like a recipe for the weakest, most tear-jerking movie ever made, it’s actually one of the greatest Christmas movies ever made. Here’s why:

All Christmas Tropes

Learn about Christmas in Japan

Japan doesn’t actually celebrate Christmas very much. December 24th and 25th is basically a couple’s holiday, kind of like Valentine’s Day 2: Cupid’s Revenge. The country does have a celebration Feel But, like Christmas: New Year. called Daeshengjin, This is a time for Japanese families to reunite, forgive old grudges, eat seasonal foods, and arrange special decorations. It was an all-around magical moment, which explains why tokyo godfathers On New Year’s Day, the three protagonists – Gin, Hana, and Miyuki – reunite an abandoned baby with her parents (technically a spoiler, but in this movie, the journey is more important than the destination.)

However, due to its undeniable Japaneseness, the anime manages to cram almost every known Christmas movie trope into its roughly 90-minute runtime. tokyo godfathers Christmas Eve kicks off with a nativity scene and a Christian sermon, before ending by showing you the Twelve Days of Christmas-like religious themes such as miracles, rebirth and salvation through the grace of a purer being. It’s all handled very subtly, though, with no indisputable supernatural elements or evangelism. The film is ultimately secular.

But Christmas metaphors don’t have to be spiritual; tokyo godfathers There are those too, from musings on found family to mutual aid, charity and surprising coincidences that feel otherworldly but could easily be dismissed as luck. tokyo godfathers Granted, this isn’t the story of a working woman from a big city who leaves everything behind for a small town lumberjack or anything, but these are the Christmas beats romantic stories, so don’t expect to find them here.

this Die Hard Christmas anime (but better)

forget Die Hard. tokyo godfathers is a Christmas action movie because it doesn’t just treat Christmas as a cheerful backdrop for people to shoot each other. As discussed earlier, tokyo godfathers Full of real Christmas moments, which is why it’s so surprising, it also manages to find room for truly heart-pounding action scenes. While that’s perhaps what to expect from a film inspired by John Ford’s 1948 Western 3 Godfather.

Without giving too much away (because here meeting Ruined Journey), Qin, Hana and Miyuki become involved in gangs, assassination attempts, shootouts and bloodshed in the search for their baby’s parents. final, tokyo godfathers It can’t be called an action movie per se, but its action scenes are powerful compelling moments because they appear suddenly after scenes of silence, stillness, or just people talking.

return to Die Hard In contrast, a key scene in the film even takes place on a rooftop with the characters teetering dangerously on the edge, which could be a very sneaky homage to the Bruce Willis film. Probably not, but it’s worth mentioning tokyo godfathers It does also involve people who screw up marriages, which is another important detail Die Hard. Again, while this anime isn’t an action movie, it’s sure to whet the appetites of fans of the genre while dripping with red and green from a story that’s filled with Christmas spirit.

Echoes and Invisibility of Homelessness in Tokyo

For much of the film, gin, flowers, and Miyuki fade into the background of Tokyo life, occupying a kind of parallel space hidden behind colorful billboards and neon lights. The plot, storyboards, and photography are all works of art, constantly portraying the characters as beings from another world, only noticed when they enter the realm of “normal” people, like when they board a train and are scolded for their smell.

Too often, the homeless trio are barely treated as human beings. There are decent characters in it. tokyo godfathersBut society as a whole doesn’t smell like roses in Satoshi Kon’s Christmas movie. Ultimately, Jin, Hana, and Miyuki are invisible because society doesn’t look for them, despite or perhaps because the three are just like them, which the film explores through the use of echoes.

period Tokyo Godfathers, The name “Kiyoko” kept repeating. It was first given to abandoned babies, inspired by the Japanese title ” Christmas Eve, But then it shows up again and again through various characters. Additionally, there are scenes throughout the film where a character says something off the cuff and then has an unrelated person do it, or where multiple characters abandon their families. These symmetries unite humanity as a whole, erasing the differences between the homeless trio and those around them. They are us and we are them, and the main difference between us is more luck than most people would like to admit.

in the end, tokyo godfathers Celebrates the magic of the holidays while also entertaining action fans, but it’s not a movie that sits comfortably in the background. It demands your full attention in order to understand all that it has to say, and it rewards you with one of the greatest, most action-packed and profound Christmas movies ever made.

Related posts

Updated on December 15, 2025