This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

A less experimental & more grounded effort when compared to his earlier works, Tokyo Godfathers is a funny, poignant & melancholic story that unfolds without playing with the viewers' sense of reality but still packs enough twists n turns to keep them guessing.Taking place on Christmas Eve, the story of Tokyo Godfathers follows 3 homeless friends, a middle-aged alcoholic, a former drag queen & a runaway girl who while foraging through the garbage encounter an abandoned newborn and later set out to unite the baby with his parents.Co-written & directed by Satoshi Kon, his third feature film is a departure from his reality & imagination blending projects such as Perfect Blue & Millennium Actress but it still carries a sense of mystery that requires the full attention of its viewers, for the plot takes many unexpected turns before reaching its final outcome.The illustrations of the hand-drawn animation are slightly different as well but it's rich & finely detailed. Humour is sprinkled throughout the narrative but there is a somber tone to it as well. The mystery surrounding the baby's parents takes them on a series of adventures, and the ending provides a proper closure to the arcs of each one of them.Covering the themes of loss, family, abandonment, homelessness & forgiveness in a warm, accessible fashion and staying true to the Christmas spirit with a miracle that redeems all, Tokyo Godfathers unfolds at a much calmer pace than expected but the reward for sitting through it is a satisfying one. The film shows a different side of Satoshi Kon's creativity but it's another fine addition to his oeuvre.

Director Satoshi Kon took his inspiration, and part of his title, from Jon Ford's western 3 Godfathers (1948), in which three rough and ready outlaws find themselves caring for a baby. At heart it's a Christmas card to Tokyo, and expression of good will and a reminder to spread a little kindness in a world that is increasingly cold and intolerant. The film mixes comedy, drama, pathos and action. There are, of course, Christmas references galore. There are also references to a Tokyo many anime fans may find as incredible as Santa Claus. Kon reminds us this is no fairyland, but a real, living city with 21st century problems that no robot army can solve - shanty towns, tramps scavenging in graveyards, predatory teenagers beating up old men, and illegal immigrants scraping a living in the black economy. Above all else, though, there's a happy ending, without which no Christmas film could possibly be a Christmas film. It comes, not from any flashy bit of magic, but from the everyday miracles in the hearts of ordinary people whose humanity redeems their failings. Kon captures the beguiling neon glow of Tokyo in the film's many night scenes, turning the city into a magical setting for a tale of Christmas miracles.

This film is unlike the late Satoshi Kon's other films in that the viewer doesn't wonder if what they are watching is meant to be taken as real or if it is a dream, fantasy or delusion; here it is all real. The fact that it has a traditional narrative doesn't mean it is any less engrossing than his other films though. Set in winter in Tokyo this film follows the lives of three homeless people, one an alcoholic gambler, one a transvestite and one a runaway teenaged girl. On Christmas Eve they find a baby, which they call Kiyoko, abandoned amongst the rubbish and decide that they must return her to her parents. Their self-given mission will lead them to confront they own pasts and the reasons they are homeless and find redemption with those they have wronged. They may be on the bottom rung of the social ladder but for this one week they seemed to be blessed with amazing luck; a man they help just happens to be the future father in-law of the former employee of Kiyoko's mother, a nurse they meet in hospital in the daughter of one of the men and the teenager's father is the policeman who brings Kiyoko's parents to the homeless trio when they want to thank them.This was another brilliant film from Satoshi Kon; it is a tragedy that this brilliant director died so young. It is impossible to imagine what he would have gone onto achieve. The story, which he wrote as well as directed, is genuinely moving without ever being overly sentimental. The characters are well designed and the animation was first class throughout. While this isn't a comic film there are plenty of moments that made me laugh as well as one or two that almost made me cry. Even if you aren't usually a fan of animated films I'd recommend this.These comments are based on watching the film in Japanese with English subtitles.

I will admit right at the start, I'm not a big fan of subtitled anime. I always prefer to watch with an English dub track, unless the dub is really bad. I prefer to watch what is happening on the screen rather than having to constantly flick between the picture and the words.For this reason, I put off watching Tokyo Godfathers for a long time. I had seen Satoshi Kon's other releases. I found Perfect Blue very uncomfortable to watch. Millennium Actress used clever storytelling but I felt a bit too distant from the story itself (I suspect this was because there were a lot of Japanese cultural and historical references in it). Then I found Paranoia Agent and thought it was excellent (despite the strange ending). In the end I bit the bullet and watched Tokyo Godfathers and wished I hadn't put it off for so long.The story may be a little unconventional, both for anime films and also Christmas films, but Kon makes it work. This film will certainly go on my "must watch at Christmas" list, along with Nightmare Before Christmas (another unconventional animated Christmas film).Some reviewers have criticised the number of coincidences that occur in the story, but personally I feel that the viewer can interpret this however they want to. If you believe in a higher power you can take the numerous references to 12-25 and the event that saves Hana as an indication that a higher power is pulling the strings. If you don't believe in such things, you can take it as serendipity or just a story with several happy endings.The film itself is a little different from Kon's other works. It doesn't try to blur the line between fantasy and reality (except for one short dream sequence). Despite the subject matter (three homeless people) it's actually a pretty happy film on the whole, with only a couple of slightly unpleasant scenes. It'll make you laugh, it'll make you cry, it'll make you go "awww".I do still hope that one day this film will be re-released with an English dub track. But even with subtitles the dialogue moves slow enough that you can take in the film and the subtitles without feeling you're having to rush your reading or that you're missing some beautiful visuals.I am now eagerly awaiting seeing Kon's next film - Paprika.