Review of Tokyo Godfathers

For me, Satoshi Kon's best film is Paprika. That said, all of his films are ones to be highly recommended, they Paprika especially can have a tendency to be challenging, which can delight or alienate viewers, but they are gorgeously animated, compelling and I think very unique. Tokyo Godfathers is not quite as good as Paprika but it is a truly beautiful film and of Kon's work I'd go as far to say that it also is his most accessible. The animation is beautiful and detailed if in a different way to the more surrealistic styles of Perfect Blue and Paprika, here very intricate with very expressive character design, and very fitting with the film's tone. The music is memorable and beautifully composed, complimenting the story perfectly. The dialogue is thoughtful with some humorous touches, matching the nature of the story that is full of charm and pathos- bringing some optimism and hope into a cold world and society- without ever feeling mawkish or dull. The story is slow-folding but in a deliberate sense. The characters are full of emotions and we identify with them no matter the flaws, in short they are very true to life, none of the idealistic stereotypes I've seen all too often. Hanna is the one that stood out to me the most. The voice acting is as dynamic as you'd expect, more so in the Japanese dub rather than the English. All in all, beautiful and highly recommended. 9/10 Bethany Cox