About A Tofu Boy
I chuckled when I first read the synopsis of The Little Ghostly Adventures of Tofu Boy. The 3D Japanese animation film’s protagonist Tofu Boy was described as a yokai (spirit, demon or monster) who must always keep a cube of tofu balanced on a plate he holds or he will fade into oblivion. Such an unusual and ludicrous premise perhaps can only come from the Japanese.
Powerless and meek, Tofu Boy is unlike others of his own kind capable of extending their necks, expanding their heads or distorting their faces. He is ridiculed, looked down upon and a constant embarrassment to his mighty and respected father, leader of the yokai. When Tofu Boy strays from the forest, where the yokai reside, into urban contemporary Tokyo, he embarks on an adventure that uncovers his bravery, big heart and beautiful soul beneath his shy and plain exterior. Not only does he finally win the approval of his father, our soft wobbly protagonist also becomes a celebrated hero in the end.
The film offers neither animation wizardry nor a compelling plot. At times, it is predictable and some turns of events come as no surprise. What appealed to me were the themes explored, such as courage, strength and hope. Although these are themes that countless films have dealt with, they can’t be more relevant to me than now. When Tofu Boy chose to give it all for his friend, he displayed extraordinary courage. As he looked down and smiled at his friends, my tears fell with his friends’. In the face of constant mockery and belittling, Tofu Boy, who was frequently called ‘beancurd brain’, was often dejected but never broken in spirit. It was strength he showed. As for his fervent wish to find and meet his mother, it eventually came true, albeit in a way he probably didn’t expect. He never lost hope.
In some ways, Tofu Boy and I are so similar. In other ways, he and I can’t be more different. I somehow believe there’s a Tofu Boy in us all, in the sense that we will have important and valuable things we hold on to that may be delicate and precarious, like a cube of tofu we take with us everywhere that we’re always striving to keep balanced. Along the way, we may stumble, trip and fall, and even come dangerously close to losing it. One day, if we find our cube of tofu no longer in our hands, perhaps a part of us or the person that we are will fade into oblivion. Should that happen, may the Tofu Boy in us come to the fore with his winning qualities to help us pick up the pieces and triumph in the end.