Review of Tokyo Godfathers (2003) by Richard T — 04 Feb 2009

I believe I have seen all of Kon's work with the exception of Millennium Actress, and each and every time that I watch something from this man I am more and more impressed. Kon brings such a masterful approach to his films that it is hard not to be impressed with the animation, and this film is of course no exception, but until now I have not seen Kon deal with his characters so personally, making sure to keep most of the events in reality rather than bringing in a heavy psychological aspect to the main figures.

This results in beautifully developed characters and a trio that effectively comment on social issues, presumably in Japan but also world wide, while remaining heartwarming and humorous. The film is paced perfectly, very few moments feel wasted, and the story feels a bit too coincidental at times, but Kon establishes the world well enough that most of these events do feel believable.

Kon's direction is also incredible, probably the best I have seen in any of his work so far, and that is saying something because I do believe that he knows camera shots, or in his case the framing of scenes, just as well as any of the big name directors.

The biggest strength of the film is in its reliance upon the audience, never really spelling anything out too carefully, noticeable even in the film's conclusion, but giving enough for implications to be made while still allowing room for personal interpretation.

I still think that Paranoia Agent is likely the high point of Satoshi's career, Millennium Actress pending, but Tokyo Godfathers makes a great case to be right up there and I continue to look forward to whatever this man works on in the future.

He is the best animation director around, Japan and otherwise (though no American animation director even comes close), and likely one of the best directors currently working. 4.9234895328.