The portrayal of Hana is beginning to feel somewhat dated; for 2003, having a transgender character in film at all was groundbreaking just for sheer lack of representation up until that point, but in 2018, the narrative often feels like it's using Hana as comedic relief. However, credit where it's due; clearly Kon created Hana to be a real, breathing, living, feeling person, as he did so often with so many characters, and that is not without merit. His heart was in the right place. And so Hana, whatever his original intention with her was, is beloved to me, as a human woman; she, like so many characters in fiction, now exists beyond Kon, as herself.I don't think the importance of this film's depiction of Tokyo's homeless can be overstated, especially as Japanese society still places a heavy stigma on the less fortunate. It's a side of a society that takes pride in their industriousness and professionalism that we rarely, if ever, get to see. And Kon's portrayal of these people is so deeply empathetic; warm, sad, kind, and humanistic.In such a harsh world / I am grateful for this film / Forgiveness, at last
