Quarantine Control #195: Stone of Infinite Godfathers

DC Staff | December 28, 2023 | Animation, Movies, Reviews, Television, Videogames | No Comments

Christmas 2023 has now come and gone, with the year 2023 itself set to depart soon. It’s been a tumultuous year, with the sadly expected number of wars, political inanity, and celebrity deaths. But hopefully you’re having a good Christmas holiday and, perhaps, had a solid overall year on a personal level. That is, as good of a year that you could make it, with life consistently straining the wallet thanks to inflation (which — remember — is driven by corporate greed), the overall lack of people making more money at their current jobs, and layoffs.

Don’t worry, though. All signs point to 2024 being a wild ride in the worst and dumbest ways, and that’s putting it lightly.

Geoffrey Barnes

I was considering not providing a big contribution for this week’s Quarantine Control earlier this week, because the last week has been so busy that I’ve barely had time to finish anything I started. But then it came to me via a tweet from GKids, about a movie I watched for the first time earlier in the month. It’s not too late to discuss a Christmas-themed movie, especially when it’s only one part of the backdrop.

Tokyo Godfathers (2003)
Source: Tubi (It’s also on Pluto, the Roku Channel, and YouTube)
Episodes: 1 movie

I’ve made no effort to hide how I’ve been making my way through Studio Ghibli’s library again this year, a timely effort with the theatrical release of Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron/How Do You Live? around the world. (I’ll pick the series back up around the time the movie releases on Blu-ray.) But this all had me wondering about the other big anime movie director who released a string of superlative films once upon a time in Japan: Satoshi Kon. That’s “once upon a time” because he sadly passed away from pancreatic cancer at the too-young age of 46 in 2010. He released four superlative movies, one excellent short as part of the Memories compilation (Magnetic Rose, specifically), and a TV series. One recent and topical one has remained in my memory since watching it: Tokyo Godfathers.

Tokyo Godfathers immediately establishes itself as a Christmas film. The three main characters, middle-aged alcoholic Gin (extremely fitting name), drag queen Hana, and teenage runaway Miyuki, start the movie off as part of a church congregation observing children reenact the Nativity and watching a choir sing Silent Night. The three subsequently stumble upon an abandoned baby left in the garbage. It’s a fun little bit of irony considering the Japanese name of “Silent Night” can also be translated as “pure child,” precisely what the trio finds, alongside the tragedy. The three spend the movie trying to figure out why the child was thrown out and if they can reunite them with their mother, alongside their own drama.

A remarkable aspect about Tokyo Godfathers is the way it tells its story. The trio’s quest to reunite the child and mother is one matter, one rife with plenty of comedy and drama while the story unwraps. But there’s no way this movie could have ended without answering why the trio are homeless. Kon and co-writer (and fellow dearly departed) Keiko Nobumoto knew how to delve into this without relying on occasional flashbacks.

The trio, in their quest, occasionally stumble upon individuals and events that remind them of their past, and occasionally run into actual people from their past. They could be considered Christmas Miracles through how coincidental some meetings and reunions are, given how they all happen so quickly throughout Christmastime in the movie. But they all make for so many touching moments that you’re not going to find me complaining about them.

The film is also so well paced that it gets through quite a bit of character development within the hair-over-90 minutes allotted to it. It’s a testament to the strong storytelling techniques from Kon (with, again, assistance from Nobumoto), in a film highlighting what it means to be kindhearted and to give in the giving season. Every part of this movie is satisfying; there isn’t a single aspect of it that I’d consider unnecessary, or any other stories that feel as if they’re missing for needed context. Kon had no intention of adding anything else too it, and the film didn’t need them.

The only small issue I had with the movie is the light homophobia and transphobia. Hana is portrayed well enough for a drag queen, but she’s on the receiving end of some vile homophobic and transphobic slurs, especially from Gin. I know why this happened; Gin himself is hardly a role model, and this was acceptable at the time this movie was produced and released in the early 2000s. But it’s tough to hear these days. It doesn’t help when Hana is by far the most kindhearted and goodwilled person in the movie, someone with an incredibly optimistic view on life despite fate dealing them a horrible hand in their homelessness. I’m not listing this as a flaw per se, because I’m well aware of the time in which it was revealed. It’s also a huge positive that Hana is pretty good for a drag queen portrayal in anime from 20 years ago. But those slurs are a bit uncomfortable.

If you can tolerate them, you’ll find that Tokyo Godfathers is one of the finest anime films around. It’s also not too late to watch it, if you’re reading this at the time it was posted after Christmas 2023. This movie certainly qualifies as a Christmas film, but that works as a backdrop to help its story along rather than being being totally integral to the movie’s dramatic sequences. It’s the best kind of Christmas movie, and my favorite kind. Feel free to save a watch, or a rewatch, for next Christmas if this matters to you. Heck, maybe Shout! Factory/GKids will get around to a 4K Blu-ray release by then.

Angela Moseley

Dr. Stone: New World, Part 2 (2023)
Source: Crunchyroll
Episodes: 11

A lot of anime aired during the fall season and Dr. Stone was the only show I tuned in to watch each week. Part 1 of New World’s ending was so enjoyable that I had to catch the second half. The reveal of what the petrification device is launches this series into sci-fi territory. Then again, the mysterious beam of light that petrified the whole of humanity was already the stuff of sci-fi nightmares. So revealing the actual mechanism isn’t that shocking. The implications of the origin of the device are intriguing, and it sets up next year’s final season quite nicely.

After getting the needed rare materials from Treasure Island, Senku and the team now have the means to revive their petrified friends. Only a limited number of people from the exploration team can be revived, otherwise they risk detection from Ibara and his guards. The inner-palace infiltration team learns of a terrible secret about the island’s master, the petrification device, and who really holds power. Unfortunately, learning that secret comes at a devastating price. At the same time, one member of Ibara’s inner-circle has their own desires for power, and he strikes a temporary alliance with Senku and the team.

The second part of Dr. Stone: New World was a nice continuation and completion of the Treasure Island story arc. Though if I have to be honest, I wasn’t expecting the petrification device to be revealed so early, nor the means of activating it to be so simple. Also, the device itself combined with the revival fluid means that immediately healing any wound is quite possible, as long as said wound is not instantly fatal. The petrification device and revival fluid combination means that characters who were put ice can be brought back into the picture. It’s an overpowered set-up in a show otherwise grounded in realistic science. Even so, I’m willing to suspend my disbelief for the sake of a fun story. And the petrification/revival possibility was established a full season ago even if it was only conjecture from Senku.

Which leads me to the ultimate reason for this arc. Its purpose was to provide the origins of the petrification device, reveal there are multiple communities of people (not just Ishimagi village), and resolve some problems introduced in season 2. Initially, I was disappointed by the detour to Treasure Island because I was hoping Senku and the gang would sail around the world. That’s still happening, as Treasure Island was a longer than expected detour that ended up explaining a lot. In addition to clearing up past events, this part also sets up future events. Namely, the journey around the world, and the eventual creation of a means to go to space. Watching Senku pull off his biggest feat yet is a fantastic hook for season 4. I’m looking forward to this wild journey. I’m also glad the season has already been confirmed, as the manga wrapped up a while ago.

If you haven’t watched Dr. Stone yet, I’d say now is a good time as any to jump in. Senku comes off as a lighter, more selfless version of the asshole Rick from Rick and Morty. However, this show is not only about how intelligent one young man can be and the feats he can achieve. It is a series about friendship, teamwork, and what humans can do when they really put their trust in each other.

Joseph Daniels

It’s that time of year again, when I concentrate on saving New York City from a being known as Eve. I’ve been playing Parasite Eve in EX Mode these last few years, and I’ve accumulated stronger and stronger weapons and armour as a result.

There comes a point when your gun is strong enough that the main game is a joke, and your vest is strong enough that nothing can do any damage to you, but I’m thoroughly enjoying just breezing through the game. Last year I tried the Chrysler Building on day five and it was taking so long that I gave up on it so I could finish the day and save the game. This year, I wanted to see how broken I’ve made my gun and vest, as well as seeing if I can make it through the game relatively quickly, and so far I’ve pretty much mowed down nearly every boss in just one turn.

I think the way I should tackle the Chrysler Building is to work my way through it a little every day. Day one is pretty self-contained, so Aya has to wait until day two of EX Mode to gain access to the Chrysler Building. It shouldn’t be that difficult to work my way through it if I work on it a little every day with a goal of 20 floors per day.

I noticed that this year, the hospital didn’t give me a lot of trouble, and I made it through day four in record time. Day five is when an optional dungeon in the warehouse district opens up alongside several story dungeons, so trying to work my way through the Chrysler Building on one single day last year was pretty much doomed to fail, but who knows? Maybe this year should’ve been my year to tackle Chrysler, but I’m also working on posting a short series of articles about Final Fantasy: Legend of the Crystals, an anime that I’m actually not hating. It’s not very remarkable and has as much to do with Final Fantasy V as Final Fantasy XIV does, but at least it’s not terrible. Next year, I’ll make time for the Chrysler Building. Wish me luck, everyone.

Anyway, I’d better finish this so I can get back to Parasite Eve, but first I need to address some unfinished business from Quarantine Control #190.

SK8 the Infinity (2021)
Source: Crunchyroll
Episodes: 12; second season announced

I was right. The skateboarding scenes are definitely animated better than the ones in Scott Pilgrim Takes Off.

This Week’s Short Film
The Hunt (2023)

There are far too many ways for the next year to go horribly wrong, but here’s hoping we all get through it. Hopes may not be enough to avert the biggest disasters, but hopefully (sorry) your year is good on a personal level. Farewell 2023. Happy New Year. Let’s try to put on a brave face for now.

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