The three homeless men try to save a baby, and their fast-paced development and witty gags invite laughter, making this an entertaining film that can be watched without hesitation. The psychological portrayal of the characters is also excellent.

The story may seem to be a fictional expedient romp, but in fact, it is a “series of meaningful coincidences” that are foreshadowed well until the very end. The climax is well-collected, leaving the viewer with a sense of satisfaction.

A Miracle Blooming in a Corner of Tokyo, directed by Satoshi Kon

This film is directed by Satoshi Kon. Kon studied under animation master Manabu Oshii and left behind masterpieces such as Millennium Actress and Perfect Blue.

From the beginning of this film, the atmosphere at the time of its release in 2003 is nostalgic, with the Shinjuku Chuo Park, where you can see the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building where homeless people live, and Tokyo Tower visible when running with a baby in your arms, all of which still have the atmosphere of the Showa period.

The film is depicted in a manner that mirrors the actual place, a method shared by Makoto Shinkai’s works. Director Satoshi Kon used this technique long before the popularity of pilgrimages to sacred places in anime. The streets of Tokyo, as seen from a homeless person’s perspective, are viewed a little differently.

However, through the pictures, the artist depicts the feeling of resignation that “homeless people have no choice but to stay here.” The famous actor Toru Emori plays the role of Gin-chan, a homeless man who gives a convincing performance despite being an anime voice actor. Hanachan, a gay man who wants to have a child, embraces Miyuki, a runaway girl, and Kiyoko, an abandoned child, and sets off on a journey to find the child’s parents.

The various people they meet along the way are not homeless, but all struggle to live each day in Tokyo with some problems. With the help of these people, the search for Kiyoko’s abandoned parents is the essence of a road movie.

The interaction between the homeless man, who is as strong as a weed, struggling with his daily life, and the people associated with him, though not as straightforward as such a road movie, is a similar road movie to Makoto Shinkai’s “Suzume no tozume” (Suzume’s doorstep), which will be released in 2022. The interaction between the homeless man, who is struggling with his daily life and is vital in the weeds, and the people he meets daily is similar to that in Makoto Shinkai’s “Suzume no Tobiraki,” which will be released in 2022.

Communication and empathy beyond words

Tokyo Godfathers was highly acclaimed overseas and can be seen as a prototype for the Japanese anime that would later become a big hit.

One of the scenes that left a strong impression on me was the woman from South America whom Miyuki met when she was separated from Gin-chan and her friends. The woman, probably an illegal immigrant, feeds Kiyoko milk and treats Miyuki and Kiyoko, who seem to have some reason to be there, kindly.

The woman only understands Spanish and a little English, but when Miyuki recalls her past and the sad look on her face, the woman comforts her.

Both Ging-chan and Hana-chan are homeless, but they are living their current lives for various reasons. Instead, they have a past that allows them to say that they are homeless now because they are not evil people.

Miyuki’s cause for running away from home is that she is also homeless because she regrets what she has done to her family. All three of them are homeless in a way that they regret what they have done to themselves.

We meet each of them about each other on the journey, and they all verbally urge us to return to where we came from, saying that it’s already done.

Sadly, being homeless has become a life due to guilt. While many people angrily go about their daily lives without worrying about such things, these three people are susceptible. The journey is full of coincidences and miraculous reunions. To say this is opportunistic would be an understatement.

However, as we learn more about the three people’s personalities as they travel together, we wish the film would somehow end happily.

Tears and emotions! An unforgettable family story! The emotion of a timeless masterpiece!

When I heard about Gin-chan’s story in the work and heard that her daughter, who had survived the divorce, was working as a nurse at the hospital where Hana-chan collapsed and was brought in, at first, I thought, “What a convenient turn of events. However, as I learned about Gin-chan’s personality as the story progressed, I felt we had finally met.

I think this is also due to director Satoshi Kon’s ability to direct and the voice actors’ acting. Director Satoshi Kon passed away in 2010 at the young age of 46 due to pancreatic cancer. If he had lived, he would have been on the same level as Makoto Shinkai and Mamoru Hosoda, two of Japan’s leading young animation film directors.

In honor of such an honor, Tokyo Godfathers has been remade into a stage version and other works and is still loved by many people.

It is a work that gently touches those who, for various reasons, have strayed from the sun’s path but still support each other to live in Tokyo despite the constant hardships. This film is not sad throughout the first part, and the gentle atmosphere that envelops the viewer makes one feel very good while watching it.

With the theme of family, the three people who met as homeless become like a father, a mother, and a daughter, which is both funny and sad but also shows the strength of a vital life. However, the frustration of being unable to see the family members and benefactors that all three want to see but can’t face each other is also a stylish touch.

This film once again reminds us of the warmth of family and the importance of bonds. I hope you will watch it with your whole family.