Ranked #189

Tekkon Kinkreet

Coming from the dream combination of the emphatically cool Studio 4C and much admired manga-ka Taiyou “Ping Pong” Matsumoto, Tekkonkinkreet is a movie I’ve long waited to see. Based on those two names alone, you should expect several things - let’s start with moody and stylish visuals; almost-surreal art that gleefully shuns fan-pandering anime conventions and embraces the meaning of creative freedom, and then there is Matsumoto’s dazzling talent for empathetic story telling; his subtle use of natural dialogue and eccentric body language that’s clearly intent on plumbing the darkest depths of the human soul.

Tekkonkinkreet is also known as “Black and White”, and so named are the two main characters; both being delinquent street kids who live out of a rusty old used car in the concrete city-scape “Treasure Town”. Despite being mere children, their gang, the (stray) “Cats”, dominate the violent underbelly of Treasure Town’s yuppie society, their attentions feared by thugs, police and yakuza alike. As is immediately clear, Black and White aren’t normal kids at all; for a start, they can fly, but mostly, they are defined by their emotional eccentricities.

Black is just that; a black-hearted, blood thirsty thug who is constantly looking for a fight; his attraction to violence borders on sadism and often he can be seen with a giant crow perched on his shoulder, the meat-eating birds that feed off of human garbage aptly symbolizing his pessimistic views on life. His snot-nosed buddy White is the exact opposite; optimistic, innocent and constantly laughing, he has dreams of a future outside of Treasure Town; a vision of rolling blue seas and sparkling golden sand. Black and White live for each other; Black protects White from the city’s violent undercurrents, while White’s very existence anchors Black’s true departure into darkness.

The plot is simply a means to that end, and quite frankly, isn’t so important. Treasure Town is being steam-rollered by an unscrupulous theme park franchise and hence, they need to get rid of the tourist-scaring delinquent kids. Unfortunately for them, Black sees the city as his town too, and his unrelenting intent on causing trouble begins what is a gradual decent into violent madness. The heart-rending characterisation extends to an entire cast of misfits, not least of all a scar-faced ex-yakuza struggling against the tide of violence to forge a better future for his pregnant girlfriend. Early in the movie, this same yakuza shows his professional streak when he gleefully removes the ears from one unlucky fellow.

The tragic and emotionally intense characterisation is well balanced by extended sequences of brutal and kinetic action, not least of all an Akira style opening scene that sees Black and White chasing a group of rival punks across colourful roof-tops and moving traffic. The gravity defying jumps, flips and kicks are well complimented by an emotive electronica score courtesy of British dance group Plaid. Of special note is that the music really captures the beautiful and surreal elements of Tekkonkinkreet, whimsical dreams of a flower-laden future totally at odds with Treasure Town’s overflowing urban metropolis.

A truly three dimensional effort; the excellent Tekkonkinkreet is a rewarding and exciting movie that offers bitter-sweet moments of friendship and family, morals and loyalty, set in an unrelentingly violent and cruel world dominated by industry and capitalism. Animated with beautiful perfection and stylized to the point of surrealism, it’s a great looking film that both exploits and cherishes the inherent contradictions of the human spirit. read more

Tekkon Kinkreet or Black and White is a movie about balance.

In the surreal, beautiful slum-like city known as Treasure Town, two brothers run a street gang known as the Cats. They are feared by other mafia and crime syndicates due to Kuro's (his name translates to 'Black') vicious and reckless ruling of the streets he roams with his younger brother Shiro (or 'White'). Tekkon Kinkreet is about the order of Treasure Town being thrown into a disarray as the mafia group, the Rats, make a move back into the city. Then there are the police who try to keep the mafia and gangs at bay. If that wasn't enough, foreigners who want to tear down a large part of Treasure Town come to create an amusement park come into the city trying to fight off both the Rats and the Cats.

Now, do not misinterpret that this anime is some simple adventure in which Kuro and Shiro try to restore order to Treasure Town, take out the "bad guys" and live on carelessly. There is more to this story than that. Firstly, the definition of a "bad guy" is so severely skewered in this anime. Nobody can be considered to be truly good or truly evil. Every character in this anime is marred with a criminal lifestyle, however your sympathies will follow some of their stories. Also, Tekkon Kinkreet is a dark, violent anime. There is no real adventure. There is only survival. It blends elements of crime drama, fantasy and slice of life into one film. Most of this anime is spent watching these people, some who live no better than beasts, try to keep things balanced in Treasure Town.

Pervading throughout Tekkon Kinkreet is also the story about brotherhood, whether it's real sibling relationships or between two men who have been close like family to one another or amongst a group of people who have nothing but one another in a harsh, brutal city.

Tekkon Kinkreet is a gorgeous film. Its beauty defies words. There is so much intricate detail within this anime. The animation is astounding. There are scenes in which the fights look vividly realistic, even if they are jumping far higher than humans should and defying the laws of physics. Art direction for Tekkon Kinkreet is amazing. The camera moves as though it's part of what is taking place onscreen. We are given scenes in which the camera sweeps down streets, scales to the tallest of buildings, soars through the air providing excellent bird's eye views. The artwork is magnificent. From the droplets of rain on a car windshield, the grime and grout dirtying the tiles of a bathroom, from the stains of dirt on a window to the rusting of old pipes and iron, the folds of a shirt collar as it blows in the wind, a swollen black eye--every detail seemed to have been carefully rendered.

The character design is extremely unique. Drawn simplistically, they have faces that are closer to being realistic than "anime-like". They have small eyes, in some cases, broken or missing teeth, scars. The character design is not pretty, so if you prefer your anime characters to be easy on the eyes, then Tekkon Kinkreet will sorely disappoint. The colours used in this anime are bright and exuberant, and manage to turn an awful slum into one of the most magnificent settings ever used as a city-scape for film. There is a more definitively artistic style used for Shiro's imaginings. It looks as though his crayon world that exists in his mind becomes alive and we see life through his eyes. The art changes style again for Kuro's inner musings about the world, becoming more experimental and surreal.

The music for this movie is very good. The sound effects especially are spectacular. They are well-timed and manage to affect the audience. Take for instance a scene where a gun is fired. The strained silences that appear before the actual shot have a listener anticipating when it will be fired, but through careful planning of the effect, it releases the sound when we least expect. The seiyuu work is possibly the most memorable thing about this anime. Despite not being veterans in the voice-acting world, the voice actors for Kuro and Shiro provide energy and personality to their characters. Shiro especially has a voice that is most memorable. He is loud, his enunciation is strange, but it sounds like him. I couldn't imagine him having another sort of voice. The sound that escapes his mouth are unusual, and so is he.

Shiro is a great character. He is a beautiful existence within an ugly world. There is something rather wonderful about this little boy. Some viewers may find him to be a burden or a nuisance, and perhaps he is, but he is undeniably the only remnant of true goodness left in Tekkon Kinkreet. He is curiously in tune with nature and the emotions surrounding him. But he is more complex than just being oblivious. There are consequences to his carefree nature. He is dangerously unaware of his propensity for violence. He is an innocent, but this purity that exists within him is marred by his lifestyle. If he hurts someone, he does not realise it, and that is considerably a more dangerous thing than to hurt with intention. His brain, while active within his own imaginings, only allows his to think figuratively and literally in 'black and white'. There is no grey for Shiro. He only comprehends the way things ought to be as he sees it, and not the way things are truly.

Shiro is also much wiser than his naiveté lets on. He understands, in his black and white way, that God has made both him and Kuro with missing parts, and that he, Shiro, has the parts that Kuro needs to work. He takes his simplistic comprehension of his personality and his brother's personality and makes a judgement about their relationship that someone thrice his age has trouble understanding. His deep bond with Kuro defies the conventions and criteria of interpersonal relationships. He is so strongly linked to his brother that he pines away whenever they are apart.

Kuro iis also an excellent character. He is extremely ruthless, destructive to others and himself, is borderline psychotic and has the tendencies of a sociopath, but he has a more level-headed and clearer view of the real world than Shiroi. He is his brother's antithesis. While Shiro can only dream of wonderful things and a peaceful future, Kuro's dreams and thoughts are filled with darkness. Despite his brother's complaints about hating the city they live in, Kuro has become a part of it. He may not love Treasure Town, but it is his and nothing shall take that away from him.

He is also rather reckless, risking his life in many fights, but he is adamant in his responsibilities for his younger brother. While older, wiser men warn him about the life they live, and even Shiro points out that he does not want to live that way anymore, Kuro is determined, set in his ways to continue, seeing only in black and white as his brother does. He won't leave until he takes back what he believes belongs to him, and does not realise that trying to keep one thing can consequentially cause him to lose another. The brothers weigh one another out; they are each others' balance. Black absorbs light while white reflects it; Kuro needs Shiroi's light, and Shiroi gives Kuro light. They cannot survive without one another. Their relationship with one another is skilfully woven throughout the movie.

There are several other characters who Tekkon Kinkreet turns attention to. One of the better, more complex characters is a yakuza whose loyalties shift and who tries to find a way out of the hell hole his life has turned into. His girlfriend is pregnant for him, and this revelation causes him to stop and think about the direction of his life. But being part of the underworld means that he has sold his soul and body in some way or another to his lifestyle. There can be no way out, but he strives to look for one. Then there are the policemen who are surprisingly not a menace or worthless in an anime about criminals. In fact, they provide an anchor and stability while knowing that the problems in the dirty streets are spiralling beyond their control. Plus, there is the true villain of this anime: the man who wants to turn Treasure Town into a giant expansion of his Kiddie Kastle franchise. He is possibly one of the more sinister villains not because of what he does, but because of what he makes other people do. With simple words and presence, he can cause the downfall of men and the death of others without having to lift a finger himself to do anything.

Tekkon Kinkreet manages to have an equilibrium between being a fantasy and being strongly realistic. There are scenes where the character fall out buildings and manage to get back up and run again. Fantasy. But then as they get up, they limp and are covered with blood. Reality. They are bound by the physics of their world and are unable to break them.

This movie is absorbing. The dark fascination surrounding Kuro and Shiro's lives is one thing that will draw you further into the movie. Its stunning beauty alone is another reason to watch this anime. A movie that provides fantastical realism, strong psychological and social themes and adult philosophies spoken through the voice of children. I don't think I've quite seen an anime quite like Tekkon Kinkreet. Strongly recommended to anyone who enjoys artistic but brutally gritty films.

Tekkon Kinkreet reveals that grey areas do, in fact, exist. It's what happens when the blacks and whites of life come together. read more