TOM AND MOMO

In this Japanese import, two youngsters move through the city on parallel paths.

Tom (a bear) and Momo (a rabbit) have both recently relocated to an urban environment distinctly reminiscent of New York. It’s cold, the trees are bare, and snow falls quietly on broad open park land as the protagonists bustle between subway trains, diners, and outdoor markets in their parents’ company. They cross paths but never meet. Neither has siblings, and they can both be found gazing out backlit apartment windows into the dark night, dreaming of a playmate. One night, by coincidence or fate, both are in line for Christmas cake with their mothers. Tom notices Momo’s yellow poncho. Later, at the grocery store, Momo notices Tom’s yellow snowsuit. Heading home, the children realize they are following the same path, and to their happy surprise, they arrive in the same apartment lobby. Finally, Momo and Tom find the gift of a playmate and jump joyfully into imaginary play together. Miyakoshi’s signature style is on full display here. Anthropomorphic animals bustle about busy streets, each image displaying deep appreciation for city life’s quotidian rhythms while capturing the ineffable melancholy of feeling alone amid a crowd. Miyakoshi’s aesthetic celebration of light and shadow is perfectly suited to Tom and Momo’s winter world, especially when inky-dark evenings are charmingly dotted with the twinkling lights of Christmas trees.

An urban dream of solitude and friendship.