‘Tis the season for all things holly and jolly, so in honor of that, praise for Tokyo Godfathers is in order.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, I’m about to educate you on one of the greatest Christmas movies known to man: Tokyo Godfathers!!

Like A Christmas Carol or It’s a Wonderful Life, it’s earned its place as a Christmas tradition.

I absolutely adore this movie!

No matter how many times I watch it, it never gets old.

Tokyo Godfathers takes place in Tokyo during Christmas, when the Church remembers its role in society and extends its hand to those we ordinarily pass by in good faith.

The film begins with the Nativity story, when Jesus Christ, born in a manger, was visited by the Magi bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

During the pageant, we first meet Hana and Gin, two of the three homeless Magi sent to protect baby Kiyoko. The pair sit through the final sermon of the year in exchange for food.

Upon returning to base with their loot, we meet the final Stooge, Miyuki, a teenage runaway and the light of Gin’s world.

A Character Analysis

Miyuki, in my opinion, represents every person who has ever made a mistake and felt they could never be forgiven.

But similar to the father in the story of the Prodigal Son, her father stands with his arms open, waiting for his child to return, fully intending to forgive.

We learn that she stabbed her father after a fight because her beloved cat, Angel, disappeared. In fear, she fled and has been living with Gin and Hana ever since.

Gin is the Japanese Ebenezer Scrooge in all his stubborn and cynical glory.

It took me a while, but I finally caught on around the third or fourth viewing. Lol.

The ghost of Future Gin manifests as the white-haired old man.

After losing Miyuki and baby Kiyoko, Hana and Gin exchange strong words, during which Hana dubs him “Human Trash.”

Like Gin, the old man drinks heavily, gambles, and refers to himself as human trash.

Cut to his final hours: the old man lies on his deathbed in a drunken stupor before passing his winning lottery ticket on to Gin.

Finally, the spirit of Gin Past appears in the form of Sachiko’s husband, Mr. Nishizawa.

He too has a drinking problem and gambles, but Hana isn’t there to call him human trash. Instead, the man literally lives in filth. His entire apartment is covered wall to wall in garbage.

Gin recognizes himself in the man and reprimands him for being a deadbeat husband.

We never get to see Gin’s wife, but I believe she would’ve looked a lot like Sachiko had we seen a younger Gin.

Similar to Gin’s wife, who was left to run the bicycle shop alone, Sachiko was a hostess working to pay off her husband’s debts.

After her miscarriage, she snaps and decides to end it all, but baby Kiyoko’s smile saves her.

Sanity check: while they were hanging off the side of the building, Kiyoko spoke to her, right?

Hana represents the voice of reason, or perhaps hope.

Being born on the streets, he’s no stranger to harsh treatment, but he refuses to let his experiences color his worldview.

He doesn’t want Kiyoko to experience the life he did, so he makes it his mission to take her home.

I genuinely believe that if it weren’t for Hana, baby Kiyoko would’ve died.

Tokyo Godfathers is a beautiful comedy where it feels like more than coincidence. Fate meets the miraculous.

Anypoops, a freshly cut rose straight out of Queen Mirai’s private garden.