More than two decades ago, director Satoshi Kon created a touching Christmas anime. Next month, the streaming service Tubi will start offering the film to viewers in the U.S., giving anime fans a chance to watch this hidden holiday treasure without paying a fee.
Tubi has announced that the Japanese version of Tokyo Godfathers will be available to stream with English subtitles starting November 1, 2025. The film is directed by Satoshi Kon, who is famous for his 1997 psychological thriller Perfect Blue, as well as other acclaimed works like Millennium Actress (2001), Paranoia Agent (2004), and Paprika (2006). Tokyo Godfathers is unique in Kon’s filmography as it’s often considered a holiday anime, and its script was co-written by Keiko Nobumoto, known for her work on Cowboy Bebop.
Tokyo Godfathers Comes to Tubi for Free Streaming Release in November
Tokyo Godfathers tells the story of three people experiencing homelessness in Tokyo. The group – Gin, a middle-aged man struggling with alcohol, Hana, a drag queen, and Miyuki, a teenage runaway – find an abandoned baby girl while searching through trash on Christmas Eve. Along with the baby, they discover a key and a note asking the finder to care for her. Though Hana wants to keep the child, Gin and Miyuki decide to search for the baby’s parents. As they look for clues, each member of the group is forced to face their own difficult pasts and the people they’ve hurt.
On November 1st, Tubi will add the 2020 anime film Shirobako – a continuation of the popular series – to its collection. The film offers a behind-the-scenes look at the anime industry, focusing on the fictional Musashino Animation studio. The studio is struggling financially after their TV show, Time Hippopotamus, was cancelled and several employees left. A new president, Shun Watanabe, steps in and proposes a solution: creating a feature-length film based on an existing series. The team faces a tight deadline – they have just 10 months to finish the project, with protagonist Aoi Miyamori leading the charge.
Tsutomu Mizushima directed both the Shirobako movie and TV show; he’s also known for his work on xxxHolic. Fans can also stream Millennium Actress, a highly-rated 2001 drama by Satoshi Kon (who also directed Tokyo Godfathers), on Tubi.
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2025-10-27 01:39