Tokyo Godfathers
Encyclopedia
is a 2003 anime
film by the late Japanese
director
Satoshi Kon
.
Tokyo Godfathers was Kon's third animated movie, which he wrote and directed. Keiko Nobumoto
, noted for being the creator of the Wolf's Rain
series and a head scriptwriter for Cowboy Bebop
, co-wrote the script with Kon.
Tokyo Godfathers received an Excellence Prize at the 2003 Japan Media Arts Festival
.
Themes=
The movie puts an emphasis on the theme of "coincidences". Movie critic George Peluranee notes that "Tokyo Godfather is a film that shows
the small yet significant ties that each of us have with supposed strangers, and tells well the story of miracles, family, love, and forgiveness"
in present day Tokyo
, three homeless
people — , a middle-aged alcoholic, , an okama and former drag queen
, and , a runaway girl — discover an abandoned newborn while searching in some trash. Deposited with the unnamed baby is a note asking the finder to take good care of her and a bag containing clues to the parent's identity. The trio sets out to find the baby's parents. The baby is named Kiyoko, "pure child" as she is born on Christmas Eve.
Outside a cemetery, the group encounters a high-ranking yakuza
man trapped under his car. The man happens to know the owner of the club Kiyoko's mother used to visit; he is getting married to the man's daughter. At the wedding, the groom tells them that the baby's mother is a formal club member named Sachiko. He gives them Sachiko's address, but the party is interrupted when a maid is revealed to be a Hispanic hit man in disguise, attempting to shoot the bride's father with a Tokarev TT-33, the hit man kidnaps Miyuki and the baby and takes them back to his home. There, Miyuki befriends the hit man's wife and shows her some pictures of her family.
Hana searches for Miyuki and Kiyoko while Gin takes care of an old homeless man whom he finds dying in the street. The old man dies after giving Gin a little red bag. Some teenagers show up to beat Gin and the deceased old man. Meanwhile, Hana finds the girls and they go off to find a place to stay.
Hana takes them to a club he used to work at. Gin, who was found by another member of the club, is also there. The trio sets out to find Sachiko's house. They're informed of the unhappy marriage Sachiko shares with her husband. The group rests at a store until they are told to leave by the shopkeeper. Hana collapses and is taken to a hospital. At the hospital, Gin finds his daughter who works as a nurse. Hana humiliates Gin in front of his daughter and storms out of the hospital. Miyuki follows with Kiyoko.
Hana and Miyuki find Sachiko about to jump off a bridge
. Sachiko insists that her husband got rid of the baby without her knowledge, and they return it to her. Meanwhile, Gin finds Sachiko's husband, who reveals that Kiyoko is actually a baby that Sachiko stole from the hospital. The chase for Sachiko and the baby begins. After an intense car chase through the city, Miyuki follows Sachiko as she escapes to the top of a building. Sachiko tries to jump off the building, but her husband comes out of his apartment (just across the street) and encourages her to start a new life. Sachiko jumps off nevertheless and accidentally drops the baby off of the building. Hana jumps after Kiyoko. He catches the baby and miraculously lands safely.
Hana, Miyuki, and Gin are taken to the hospital. Miyuki hands Gin his cigarettes and drops the old man's small red bag on the floor, revealing a winning lottery ticket. Kiyoko's real parents want to ask the trio to become her godparents. When a police inspector introduce them to the trio, the inspector is revealed to be Miyuki's father.
Additional voices by Hidenari Umezu, Mitsuru Ogata
, Eriko Kawasaki, Chiyako Shibahara
, Akiko Takeguchi, Kazuaki Itō, Nobuyuki Furuta, Atsuko Yuya
, Toshitaka Shimizu
, Bin Horikawa, Yūto Kazama, Masao Harada
, Tsuguo Mogami, Yoshinori Sonobe, and Akiko Kawase
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
film by the late Japanese
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
Satoshi Kon
Satoshi Kon
was a Japanese anime director and manga artist from Kushiro, Hokkaidō and a member of the Japanese Animation Creators Association . He was a graduate of the Graphic Design department of the Musashino Art University. He is sometimes credited as in the credits of Paranoia Agent...
.
Tokyo Godfathers was Kon's third animated movie, which he wrote and directed. Keiko Nobumoto
Keiko Nobumoto
is a Japanese screenwriter. She is best known for having written the screenplay for Cowboy Bebop and having created Wolf's Rain.-Filmography :*Wolf's Rain *Tokyo Godfathers...
, noted for being the creator of the Wolf's Rain
Wolf's Rain
is an anime series created by writer and story editor Keiko Nobumoto and produced by Bones Studio. The series was directed by Tensai Okamura and featured character designs by Toshihiro Kawamoto with a soundtrack produced and arranged by Yoko Kanno. It focuses on the journey of four lone wolves...
series and a head scriptwriter for Cowboy Bebop
Cowboy Bebop
is a critically acclaimed and award-winning 1998 Japanese anime series directed by Shinichirō Watanabe, written by Keiko Nobumoto, and produced by Sunrise. Its 26 episodes comprise a complete storyline: set in 2071, the series follows the adventures, misadventures and tragedies of five bounty...
, co-wrote the script with Kon.
Tokyo Godfathers received an Excellence Prize at the 2003 Japan Media Arts Festival
Japan Media Arts Festival
The Japan Media Arts Festival is an annual festival held by Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs since 1997. The festival for a nominal year was usually held during February or March next year, rather than at the end of the nominal year. For instance, the 2010 Japan Media Arts Festival, where...
.
Themes=
The movie puts an emphasis on the theme of "coincidences". Movie critic George Peluranee notes that "Tokyo Godfather is a film that shows
the small yet significant ties that each of us have with supposed strangers, and tells well the story of miracles, family, love, and forgiveness"
Plot
One Christmas EveChristmas Eve
Christmas Eve refers to the evening or entire day preceding Christmas Day, a widely celebrated festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth that takes place on December 25...
in present day Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, three homeless
Homelessness
Homelessness describes the condition of people without a regular dwelling. People who are homeless are unable or unwilling to acquire and maintain regular, safe, and adequate housing, or lack "fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence." The legal definition of "homeless" varies from country...
people — , a middle-aged alcoholic, , an okama and former drag queen
Drag queen
A drag queen is a man who dresses, and usually acts, like a caricature woman often for the purpose of entertaining. There are many kinds of drag artists and they vary greatly, from professionals who have starred in films to people who just try it once. Drag queens also vary by class and culture and...
, and , a runaway girl — discover an abandoned newborn while searching in some trash. Deposited with the unnamed baby is a note asking the finder to take good care of her and a bag containing clues to the parent's identity. The trio sets out to find the baby's parents. The baby is named Kiyoko, "pure child" as she is born on Christmas Eve.
Outside a cemetery, the group encounters a high-ranking yakuza
Yakuza
, also known as , are members of traditional organized crime syndicates in Japan. The Japanese police, and media by request of the police, call them bōryokudan , literally "violence group", while the yakuza call themselves "ninkyō dantai" , "chivalrous organizations". The yakuza are notoriously...
man trapped under his car. The man happens to know the owner of the club Kiyoko's mother used to visit; he is getting married to the man's daughter. At the wedding, the groom tells them that the baby's mother is a formal club member named Sachiko. He gives them Sachiko's address, but the party is interrupted when a maid is revealed to be a Hispanic hit man in disguise, attempting to shoot the bride's father with a Tokarev TT-33, the hit man kidnaps Miyuki and the baby and takes them back to his home. There, Miyuki befriends the hit man's wife and shows her some pictures of her family.
Hana searches for Miyuki and Kiyoko while Gin takes care of an old homeless man whom he finds dying in the street. The old man dies after giving Gin a little red bag. Some teenagers show up to beat Gin and the deceased old man. Meanwhile, Hana finds the girls and they go off to find a place to stay.
Hana takes them to a club he used to work at. Gin, who was found by another member of the club, is also there. The trio sets out to find Sachiko's house. They're informed of the unhappy marriage Sachiko shares with her husband. The group rests at a store until they are told to leave by the shopkeeper. Hana collapses and is taken to a hospital. At the hospital, Gin finds his daughter who works as a nurse. Hana humiliates Gin in front of his daughter and storms out of the hospital. Miyuki follows with Kiyoko.
Hana and Miyuki find Sachiko about to jump off a bridge
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
. Sachiko insists that her husband got rid of the baby without her knowledge, and they return it to her. Meanwhile, Gin finds Sachiko's husband, who reveals that Kiyoko is actually a baby that Sachiko stole from the hospital. The chase for Sachiko and the baby begins. After an intense car chase through the city, Miyuki follows Sachiko as she escapes to the top of a building. Sachiko tries to jump off the building, but her husband comes out of his apartment (just across the street) and encourages her to start a new life. Sachiko jumps off nevertheless and accidentally drops the baby off of the building. Hana jumps after Kiyoko. He catches the baby and miraculously lands safely.
Hana, Miyuki, and Gin are taken to the hospital. Miyuki hands Gin his cigarettes and drops the old man's small red bag on the floor, revealing a winning lottery ticket. Kiyoko's real parents want to ask the trio to become her godparents. When a police inspector introduce them to the trio, the inspector is revealed to be Miyuki's father.
Cast
- Tōru Emori as Gin, a homeless bicycle shop owner who claims to be a professional cyclist. He left behind his wife and daughter when his gambling debts became too large, and claimed they were dead to gain sympathy. His daughter, Kiyoko, shares the same name as the baby he and the others find.
- Yoshiaki Umegaki as Hana, a homeless drag queenDrag queenA drag queen is a man who dresses, and usually acts, like a caricature woman often for the purpose of entertaining. There are many kinds of drag artists and they vary greatly, from professionals who have starred in films to people who just try it once. Drag queens also vary by class and culture and...
. He never knew his actual parents, and thus feels the most sympathy for "Kiyoko", the baby he finds and names. Because of his upbringing, he is the kindest out of the three main characters, but is also severely ill, a fact which he hides from the others. - Aya OkamotoAya Okamotois an actress and seiyū born on December 9, 1982 in Tokyo.-Filmography:* Metro ni notte Karube Michiko* Metasequoia no ki no shita de Okamoto Sachiko* Munraito jierifisshu Minamida Keiko* Azumi Yae* Ogyā Hana-TV Drama:...
as Miyuki, a runaway senior high school student. During a family dispute concerning what seems to be her missing cat named 'angel', Miyuki stabbed her father (believing him to be responsible for the disappearance), and has stayed away from her home since, losing a substantial amount of weight. She found a personals ad in an old newspaper in the course of the film that hints that her father wasn't responsible for the disappearance of her cat, and that the cat seems to have come back. That ad is the reason why she decided to call her father again. - Satomi Kōrogi as Kiyoko, a newborn infant that was deserted in a dump. She is found by the three main characters on Christmas Eve, and is named after the Japanese title of the traditional Christmas song "Silent NightSilent Night"Silent Night" is a popular Christmas carol. The original lyrics of the song "Stille Nacht" were written in Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria, by the priest Father Joseph Mohr and the melody was composed by the Austrian headmaster Franz Xaver Gruber...
" by Hana. - Shōzō IizukaShozo Iizukais a male Japanese voice actor from Fukushima Prefecture who is affiliated with Sigma Seven. He graduated from the fine arts department of Nihon University....
as Ōta, a YakuzaYakuza, also known as , are members of traditional organized crime syndicates in Japan. The Japanese police, and media by request of the police, call them bōryokudan , literally "violence group", while the yakuza call themselves "ninkyō dantai" , "chivalrous organizations". The yakuza are notoriously...
boss who is found and saved by the three main characters when he becomes trapped under his car. As thanks, he invites them to his daughter's wedding, which leads to Miyuki's and Kiyoko's kidnapping at the hands of a Hispanic hitman. He is the stepfather of Gin's daughter, Kiyoko. - Seizō Katō as Mother, the proprietor of a gay barGay barA gay bar is a drinking establishment that caters to an exclusively or predominantly gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender clientele; the term gay is used as a broadly inclusive concept for LGBT and queer communities...
that Hana used to work at. - Hiroya IshimaruHiroya Ishimaruis a Japanese voice actor most famous for performing the role of Kouji Kabuto in the 1972 series Mazinger Z and its sequels. He also gave voice to Tutty from Bosco Adventure and recently voiced Ultraman Taro in Ultraman Story, Ultraman Mebius, and Ultraman Mebius and Ultra Brothers He is also the...
as Yasuo, Sachiko's husband and the one who left behind Kiyoko. - Ryūji SaikachiRyuji Saikachiis a Japanese voice actor. most known for the roles of Prof. Pat Pending , Rerere no Ojisan , and Grandfather Otonashi .-Filmography:*3x3 Eyes Seima Densetsu as Tinzin...
as The Old Man, a fellow homeless. He is discovered lying on the ground by Gin, and gives Gin a mysterious red bag before dying. - Yūsaku YaraYusaku Yarais a Japanese actor and voice actor from Tokyo. He is currently affiliated with Vi-Vo. His real name is ', and his former stage name was .He is best known for his roles in Chibi Maruko-chan as Hiroshi Sakura, Kiteretsu Daihyakka as Kiteretsu's Papa, the 1989 version of Sally, the Witch as Sally's...
as Miyuki's father, a police officerPolice officerA police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
. He unexpectedly finds Miyuki, his daughter, at the very end of the film. - Kyōko TeraseKyoko Teraseis a Japanese voice actress currently employed by Aoni Production. She currently resides in Tokyo. In the past, she has been credited under the stage name .-TV anime:* Pokémon: Advanced Generation - Yoshie...
as Sachiko, the self-proclaimed mother of Kiyoko. When Kiyoko is abandoned by her father, Sachiko falls into despair and prepares to commit suicide before Kiyoko is returned to her. In a strange turn of events, it is revealed that Kiyoko is not Sachiko's biological daughter. - Mamiko NotoMamiko Notois a Japanese voice actress working under Office Osawa. She was born in the city of Kanazawa, Ishikawa, and graduated from Hokuriku Gakuen Senior High School.-Voice:...
as Gin's daughter, a nurse. She is on the verge of being married to the Doctor by the time she is rediscovered by Gin, her father. Her name is also Kiyoko. - Akio Ōtsuka as The Doctor, a doctor who takes care of Hana when he collapses.
- Rikiya KoyamaRikiya Koyama' is a Japanese actor and voice actor who is a member of Haiyuza Theatre Company.He has done popular voicing roles in Hajime no Ippo, Utawarerumono and Kamen no Maid Guy.He is also known by the nicknames "Rikki" and "Riki-chan".- Biography :...
as The Groom, the son-in-law of Ōta, and the man marrying Kiyoko. - Inuko Inuyama as Kurumizawa
- Kanako Yahara as Yamanōchi
- Rie Shibata as Nekobaba, a person who lives in Sachiko's neighborhood.
- Kōichi YamaderaKoichi Yamaderais a Japanese voice actor, actor, tarento, narrator, master of ceremonies and impressionist from Shiogama, Miyagi Prefecture. He graduated from Tohoku Gakuin University's economics school, and is currently affiliated with Across Entertainment. Before that, he was affiliated with the Tokyo Actor's...
as The Taxi Driver, a chauffeur who aids Miyuki and Hana during the climatic car chase.
Additional voices by Hidenari Umezu, Mitsuru Ogata
Mitsuru Ogata
is a Japanese voice actor from Aomori Prefecture affiliated with Mausu Promotion.-Television animation:*Agatha Christie's Great Detectives Poirot and Marple *Astro Boy *Azuki-chan...
, Eriko Kawasaki, Chiyako Shibahara
Chiyako Shibahara
is a Japanese voice actress she affiliated with 81 Produce.-Anime:*Akuei to Gacchinpo *Bakkyuu HIT! Crash Bedaman *Bakusou Kyoudai Let's & Go WGP *Cardcaptor Sakura: The Movie...
, Akiko Takeguchi, Kazuaki Itō, Nobuyuki Furuta, Atsuko Yuya
Atsuko Yuya
is a Japanese voice actress who works for Gekidan Subaru. Atsuko Yuya is originally from Nagasaki. She is the official Japanese voice dub-over artist for actresses: Angelina Jolie and Natasha Henstridge.-TV anime:*Angel Heart ...
, Toshitaka Shimizu
Toshitaka Shimizu
' was a male seiyū from Saitama Prefecture, affiliated with Mausu Promotion. He committed suicide on November 1, 2003 at the age of 34.He was best known for dubbing over the voice of Eddy in the Cartoon Network program Ed, Edd n Eddy...
, Bin Horikawa, Yūto Kazama, Masao Harada
Masao Harada
was a Japanese athlete who competed mainly in the triple jump.He competed for Japan in the 1936 Summer Olympics held in Berlin, Germany in the triple jump where he won the silver medal.-References:*...
, Tsuguo Mogami, Yoshinori Sonobe, and Akiko Kawase
Akiko Kawase
is a Japanese voice actor.She was born in Tokyo.-Notable voice roles:*Aoi Mishina in Ryusei Sentai Musumet*July in Coyote Ragtime Show*Mai Moritaka in Dear Boys*Mamapatchi in Tamagotchi: The Movie*Maya Matsumoto in Working!!...