Julie and Scott got out of the convenience store just in time! After calling an ambulance, they talked about Tokyo Godfathers, a meaningful Christmas movie from an unlikely source.
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More stuff:
- The Hobbit - Behind the Scenes Production Video #4 - about 3D, with bonus comments from Scott
- Julia McCarthy on Japanese Attitudes Toward Abortion
- Japanese Christmas customs
- The Right to Be Wrong
- Patriotic Grace
I watched this movie yesterday via my iPad. Sony has an app named Crackle that allows you to watch their licensed content via this app and I had noticed previously that Tokyo Godfathers was one of them. They had the subtitled version like much or their Anime content.
ReplyDeleteI quite enjoyed it. Quite quirky and the number of coincidences would have even made Dickens blush. Though the coincidences were the theme of the movie and not the result of lazy writing. Though the first five minutes or so leave you wondering what the heck. I lived in Japan for a couple of years and saw first hand the interesting blending in their culture involving Japan and the West. The first time I walked out into Yokohama it seemed quite an alien environment until I ran across a six foot Plastic colonel Sanders statue in front a local KFC - which was even more disconcerting. They have a way of blending things that at times is nonsensical. For example Christian style weddings are very popular there, just not Christianity. This movie though is the most blatant example of Christianity I have seen in Anime. Sometimes they will have some element of it, but usually grafted on in some odd way.
In some ways the plot of the film is reminiscent to John Ford's "3 Godfathers" with a slight comedy days of "3 Men and a baby." Though this one is the best of this theme. I liked the combination of comedy and seriousness. Not exactly a family Christmas film because of this, but much better than the majority of the so-called Holiday Films.
As for Scott's comment on anime style on SF I think this a very good one. A Ringworld anime would be pretty awesome. I seen some Anime with SF themes and the format works quite well. I can totally imagine some of my favorite books being done this way. The semi-realisim of 3 Godfathers style anime would work quite well.
I also loved the closing credits and the whimsy of the dancing buildings to the closing music. Nice touch
I meant to mention that somewhere right around the time it came out the director said it was his take on Ford's 3 Godfathers. I have always meant to watch that movie because it inspired this one.
ReplyDeleteI've heard there is that strange mash-up of cultures which you mention. How lucky to get to live in Japan ... I'd love to visit it. You don't see lots of the Japanese culture mash-up in Lost in Translation, but there is just enough that it fired my imagination and made me want to visit.
Now that Scott got me to thinking about anime and SF, I am quite disappointed that directors don't attempt it. We came up with a select list of favorite books that would translate well ...
Finally saw this the other day myself, also on Crackle on the XBox One. And it will be a regular part of our Christmastime viewing in the future. I also saw Millennium Actress recently and love it!
ReplyDeleteI have become an anime fan in the last couple of years, and am just blown away sometimes by just how much great storytelling there is to be found.
There's one particular SF anime film I recommend called Patema Inverted, available on VOD, and on Hulu. I won't say more than that it feels like a great SF short story to me. I'm confident that y'all would like it. http://imdb.to/1TY1Bn4
Great episode!
So glad you liked this movie! I need to rewatch it myself. Thanks for that recommendation. I'll look it up!
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