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 descent 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 complemented 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.

Believe the hype. If you see "ZOMG TEKKON KINKREET IS LIKE THE COOLEST THING EVAR!" Believe them. I had heard the hype about this anime for a long time, and I know to never take what people say about stuff like this seriously. However, I decided to go ahead and watch it, it couldn't be boring right? And I had seen a recommendation from Mind Game (another terrific anime) and so...I watched it. At first I was a little sceptical, the director is Michael Arias. This is the first thing he has directed. He produced the Animatrix, which ... for me made this film just a little sketchy, but believe me, it is definitely amazing. Arias is not Japanese, but he believes very heavily in quality.

Story: Black and White, Kuro and Shiro are orphans, and they're the "Cats." In a word they're street thugs and it's mainly Kuro (Black) who does the fighting. Shiro (White) is missing something in his head and he constantly "phones" outer space to let them know how he's doing. The main relationship is between these two and it's expertly crafted. There are two police officers who really do a great job of balancing the anime. Their presence really keeps the movie level. The antagonist is Snake, he's trying to milk Treasure Town for all it's worth, to do this his plan is to create an amusement park. Kuro doesn't want that to happen. I'm finding it very difficult to explain the story and I really don't think that I can do it any justice at all. The story is multifaceted and multilayered. There are no scrap characters and every conversation is important. There are absolutely no wasted scenes in this anime. I was getting a huge Steinbeck vibe, I was feeling that this anime was doing a great job of channeling his "Of Mice and Men." White's dream of going to the ocean is a lot like Lennie's dream of owning a farm and tending rabbits.

Art: The art is amazing. Every scene is breathtakingly beautiful. The backgrounds are detailed so well that I occasionally paused the screen just to admire their beauty. The art is probably the best I've seen in an anime and the details are beautifully rendered. The characters style is slightly minimalistic. Compared to the backgrounds the characters are very bare, but this suits the feel perfectly. The characters fit in so well with the backgrounds and interact with the world so well. The art is absolutely beautiful. Every scene of animation is beautiful. There are so many sequences that took my breath away, there is never a choppy scene, no scene feels clunky. The animation is so perfectly fluid and I cannot express how amazing it is, it has to be seen to be believed. The one thing that I thought was perfectly done was how the art and the mood of the anime clash wonderfully. The colours are very bright and vivid, and if you really weren't paying attention you'd think that this is a very bright and happy anime. But the anime is dark, it's quite dark and the art only shows that darkness at certain intervals, but for the most part the anime is bright and colourful, whereas the mood is dark.

Sound: This is one of the first anime that I've seen where I was activally paying attention to the background music. It was all perfect, it was all fast and just amazing. I'm a firm believer in that music in anime does not make or break it, it either makes a good anime better, or worse; or a bad anime better or worse. In Tekkon Kinkreet, the music makes an already excellent anime even better.

Character: Every character is incredibly, and sometimes painfully, human. With the exception of the alien assassins of course. The relationships between the characters, especially between Black and White are so beliveable and so incredibly real. I found myself caring so much about all of these characters, which is not something that I regularly do. It's amazing because every character changes and every relationship changes as well, it's rare to see how realistically each character's change is portrayed.

Enjoyment: If you haven't noticed already, I love this anime, it's completely and utterly perfect. There is not a boring or meaningless scene. There are no pointless characters, every character is unique and human. Kinkreet is very original and it really does an amazing job of everything that it does. I cannot express how enjoyable this anime is, you really need to watch it for yourself.

If this isn't at the top of your list, put it there. I believe that in order to appreciate anime you have to see both terrible and amazing anime. To me there are very, very few perfect anime, I would have a hard time listing them on my hands. However, this anime is so close to perfection that I would myself, call it perfect. Watching this anime reconfirms the reasons why I started watching anime in the first place.

Tekkon Kinkreet took me by surprise. At first I noticed the superb art and choice of colour, but then the story evolved and it completely took me of guard.

Story: It's sad and dark but not too heavy due to its more comical scenes. The only thing I could've wished for was more backstory as well as explaining more in depth of Kuro's feelings, why he did the things he did etc.

Art: Simply amazing. My eyes had several orgasms watching this. I also like how they chose to colour this, it is very colourful and happy for such a sad story, but it really works! I ... think it was intentional to do so, I think that all the details and happy colours were there to show us the false image of reality, how we see the world. The story and the art clashes, but in a way that made me think. I thought that maybe this is a cheerful story watching the first minutes; but the further I got the more I felt like something was wrong, the story didn't match, life in this city wasn't as easy as what met the eye, it wasn't pleasant or beautiful, it was ugly and full of hatred, sorrow and dysfunctional living conditions. The false image gave a pleasent rethinker and a very interesting feel to the movie, it was almost as if you were confused but understood everything. Colourful art that feel sad isn't and everyday experience.

Sound: It fits the story and didn't feel repetitive, but nothing that really stuck with you after it ended.

Character: Oh damn do I love Shiro! My heart broke when he screamed that heartclenching scream while being taken away from Kuro. Shiro has a Asberger's feel to him(but that's not confirmed), very childish for his age but also very wise, he's accurately pictured as a child but also someone who has been abandoned, living on the street and been forced to grow up too quickly. Kuro acts like the parent, taking care of Shiro and putting him above everything; without Shiro he feels no reason to live. What I like about Kuro's character-display is that we are shown that he's vulnerable as well, that he too is still a child and not always the strong tough guy saving the day.

Enjoyment: I loved it, it had me glued to the screen the whole time and not because the story was fast and you had to try and keep up with it, but because it was so utterly beautiful.

Overall: This was a fantastic ride and I'm so disappointed for not taking it upon myself to watch this earlier. The characters were so real with flaws and feelings and actions based on real thought and emotions; everything isn't perfect, sometimes you don't make the perfect decision and sometimes your feelings aren't rational but that's human. When the characters expressed feelings they expressed it in a realistic way, I could literally feel Shiro's pain in my bones. And all this while this beautiful artwork is doing it's thing, being colourful was a bold move but also the right move, I don't think the story would have been as good if it was dark through and through.

I'd recommend it to everyone, even if you aren't a sucker for sad animes this is worth your time, it's the perfect amount of sad and happy. And if that STILL doesn't float you boat, watch it for the art and visuals, so so beautiful! The art man, THE ART!

Okay, first review and first of all, to the person saying the art is bad because its out of proprotion, it an ART STYLE. You wouldn't tell edvard munch that "The Scream" is bad because it's out of proportion, or Picasso because it's "weird"

The story was good, but wouldn't have been half as good without the characters of Kuro and Shiro driving it. The tormented aspects of their relationship is the entire reason for the film. 6/10

For me, the art made this film unique and refreshing, from the detailed architecture to the stylized fight scenes. I loved the color scheme for its vibrant choices and ... the line work was intriguing. Again, it wouldn't have been as good if it had gone with more traditional or conventional styles, or would be an entirely different film. 9/10

I don't remember much about the music or sound. Not memorable, not terrible. 4/10

The characters are the heart of this movie, so if you don't like them, it just won't work for you. It's not that they're one dimensional so much as they realistically show two paths that could be taken for their upbringing in a violent world built on survival with a lack of compassion or education from anyone but each other. Don't think of them as separate, but rather the same character with clashing personalities, having to coexist in order to survive. 10/10

I wouldn't say I enjoyed as much as it created a space in me and instantly filled it. It opened my eyes a bit to an unknown aspect, as many great films have before. 6/10

Overall, I gave it a 10/10

Tekkon kinkreet should be categorized as one of those "mind fuck" movies or anime because it pretty much is that to some extent. The movie heavily depends on abstractions in art and character telling; however the story itself is not as confusing as it may seem to be.

The story is simple, Black and white are orphans that live in "treasure town", a fantasy city inspired by asian architecture, which is undergoing residential and identity changes as outsiders try to morph the city into sometime it's not. The problem I have with the plot overall is that it just does not explain enough and also ... that the themes and plot line is too simplistic and dualistic.

For one, some characters seem to have special abilities/super powers and some anomalies are never explained so I felt these points could have been fleshed out more. I also feel that the story tries to maybe appeal to children, because of the portrayal of black and white, especially white, however it is too violent be shown to kids. The story appears to be "black and white", in the sense that there is only good and evil, bad and purity throughout the movie. To me, this means that there is no gradient in the themes in the majority of story which tells me that plot is just naïve and one-dimensional most of the time. The fact that the movie is centered around children is a problem because we don't see much character development between the black and white, just them being kids, throwing tantrums and being violently rebellious; not much "mature" actions happening between them.

My favorite aspect of the story though, is not about the plot about black and white or the "snake" investor guy, but instead, of the Yakuza group that gets caught along all of this mess. I feel that their characters are the most interesting are relatable and touching, unlike the black and white which I feel are just kids with weird abilities that serve no real underlying purpose. The scene with Kimura and Suzuki was by far my favorite sequence in the movie. The scene showed the nerve-wrecking emotion of being forced into betrayal and how important to cherish love is was very saddening. After this point the movie, which was just over an hour or so in, I felt that there was no other reasonable, emotional bearing to have towards any of the other characters.

The art is something that is easily noticeable as amazing at first glance. The backgrounds are chalked full of detail, varying from all kinds of art styles from normal cell, to CGI, to colored pencil; even rivaling those backgrounds to the likes of Akira in quality. However the main and gripe I have about the art is the character models. The models are the least well animated, maybe in part as an artistic style to show how the peoples of Treasure town look shallow and artificial compared to the richness of the background. But I can't help to feel that the uneven art style of the characters compared backgrounds is attributed to lazy drawing at times. This is because I see that in most anime movies, the art director, or who ever is in charge of the art, takes the time to make it so that the art of the moving characters and the background are indistinguishable, unlike in Tekkon, where at times, the characters simply look like blobs or "Flatts" from SpongeBob. Not to mention the sound in the movie is very well done, I would recommend checking out the soundtrack as it is perfectly fitting for the tone of the movie and is excellent on itself.

Tekkon is a good movie, no doubt, I liked the ongoing themes of trying not to conform to change, and preserving treasure town as it is. The aforementioned art is eye candy and breathtaking to look at every scene, particular when black is perched up on a tower looking down on "his" treasure town. However the movie does suffer from some character irrelevances and the viewer most likely neglecting to care about the story because it's too simple and childish at times. With that said, I think this movie is not for everyone, many people will probably get turned off from the sometimes just plain bad characters models and passable plot. But if you can get pass those disjunctures, I'm certain you will appreciate this visually spectacular gem of a film.

Tekkon Kinkreet is an anime movie that takes influences from famous western movies such as "The Godfather", "City of God", "The Boondock Saints" and "Rain Man" and spices things up with some Takeshi Kitano-ish story telling. The result makes for an intricate and multilayered journey that seems to be easily overlooked as 'simple', merely because it seduces you into feeling content with having scratched only its surface.

This will not be another review of which you can find plenty and probably far better than I could do. Instead this will be my interpretation of the events – in a way a post-view analysis – to make ... an argument for Tekkon Kinkreet's complexity or simply to help you make sense of its plot. If you have not seen the movie before, beware of spoilers and the likely influence this will have on your viewing experience.

***spoilers ahead***

Tekkon Kinkreet picks up a few different themes and presents them alongside each other. Most noticeably the Yin-Yang symbolism which is portrayed with the two brothers. It is important to notice from here on out that the characters’ names are White (Shiro) and Black (Kuro).
Shiro is the innocent one who shows clear signs of autism. At several points in the movie we are witness to his vivid and colorful imagination. His interactions with others seem offbeat and his mental development is clearly delayed. Kuro often cannot understand what his brother is going on about while Shiro is cheerfully dancing to his own tune. The old man whom they are friendly with points out how surprising it is for Shiro to be completely unscathed by the city’s dark side. “No one so uncorrupted belongs here”.
The way things unfold, we are made to believe that Kuro is the one taking care of Shiro. However, once Shiro is taken into custody by the police, we realize it might have been in fact vice versa all along. Kuro (Yin) - who has lost his anchor – cannot function any longer. He becomes deranged and violent, up to the point where he even takes a puppet for a substitute of his lost counter-part (Yang). The forces tilt so far out of balance that Kuro’s inner demon materializes, the man-eating mythical ‘Minotaur’. In the meantime, Shiro’s imagery continually darkens - culminating in his extreme screaming fit, which symbolizes the battle between light and darkness within the brothers (who can be considered one at this point). Together, they overcome the imbalance and reach a blissful conclusion.

The Yin-Yang conceptualizes the interdependence of opposing forces. People are not ‘white’ or ‘black’, they are all kinds of shades of grey. Even with good things there can be a ‘too much’. Ever noticed how annoying these do-gooder anime characters can get once they start preaching about their superior morals? There are many applicable real life examples. Society rewards extraversion, but too much can turn into narcissism. Agreeableness is the core of harmony, yet if you take it too far you will be on the way to self-denial. Ambition means striving for success, its extreme will lead to obsession. Chinese philosophy has recognized this fact of life long ago – and Shiro and Kuro are here to remind us of this principle once again. Kuro wants to protect his world (“my city”) and therefore gets rid of Shiro. You have to become a beast in order to kill one. But he needs Shiro to restore his inner balance once the battle is fought. In a ‘Fight Club’-ian way this might have led to the conclusion that the two had been one all along.

Besides this struggle of ‘good’ and ‘evil’ there is also the underlying theme of coming to terms with one’s own self. The drawn out sequence between the Minotaur and Kuro seems to pay homage to NGE’s ending. The scar on Kuro’s hand will remind him of what slumbers inside him and its visibility symbolizes his acceptance of this ‘dark passenger’ (as Dexter would call it). But acceptance means also to move forward, to break out of the cycle. For most of his life he remained in self-deception of his identity (his true being and role in the world). Stuck in the misconception that he was the ruler of a city and caretaker of his brother. With the illusion shattering in a most cathartic way he could let go of these misguided notions and find himself in a much more beautiful place alongside the person he most appreciates. In the end he clearly knew what he was capable of, what he truly desires and needs to live on. The final scene shows him looking at his scar – deep in thought – and then jumping jubilantly into the water. I guess that’s what it means to live with your inner demons.

The other prevailing theme is that of changing times – portrayed with the struggling yakuza, reminiscent of the “The Godfather” and “Goodfellas”. Of course this change is brought about by the biblical “Snake”, tempting with money and power. Suzuki’s moral objections are meaningless because time moves on relentlessly. Kimura is unwillingly turned into the Harbinger of this new era of profit and greed – leading to the most intense moment of the movie (in my opinion). “The sins of the fathers…” – the never-ending spiral of violence and hate.
Besides the environmental (inter-individual) change, we also see in Kimura the intra-individual change. The news of fatherhood makes him cherish life and rethink his choices. Alas, if adapting was that simple, humanity would be rid of most of its problems. Kimura finds his somber end in yet another incredibly well directed and intense moment – almost as if mentioned in passing. And the spiral of violence continues yet again.
Not making the right choices or making the right choices too late – is that what it means to be human? While both Suzuki and Kimura are introduced as sleazy and cold-hearted yakuza, they felt genuinely human right before and in the moments of their death. The tragedy of these characters depicts the gravity of the consequences of our actions we ultimately and inevitably conjure – the causality of things. While Shiro and Kuro complemented each other to the point of merging identities – in order to overcome their crisis – Suzuki and Kimura (father and son) were not so fortunate. Maybe if the father had taught his son anything besides “how to whack someone” – and even that he couldn’t do (ironically) to his father’s satisfaction.

In the end we are left with several threads that intertwine at several points in the movie, yet end up separately. They leave a lot of room for interpretation, because after all ‘showing’ is much more fun than ‘preaching’.
I could probably go on for a while. If the meaning of all the symbols and allegories was so simple to deduce, I wouldn’t be here - writing down my thoughts – which were initially hazy at best. In fact, many more things can be said about this movie and seen differently than I have. But isn’t that what makes for great story-telling? Go (re-)watch it and find out for yourself :)

I rented this out of curiousity not really expecting much from it but I actually thought it was great. The film is strange, idiosyncratic and probably not everyone's cup of tea but the psychedelic visuals are so spectacular (and the soundtrack isn't bad either) that it's worth watching just as a feast for the senses. It's like nothing I've seen before and it's definitely worth checking out if you're looking for something "different" be it animated or live action.

Tekkon Kinkreet. I have mixed feelings about this anime. After watching it a second time, I finally feel ready to give my opinion on it. What bothers me most about this anime is that I feel as if I should like it. The style and themes are very much things that I appreciate in anime, but Tekkon Kinkreet just doesn't fully bring me over the line of enjoyment or engagement. But as I write it out, maybe I'll find out why; so let's break it down.

~STORY~
For a movie that is quite long by anime standards, there isn't much story to be had. There are two ... prominent stories in play, playing off a single scenario. The scenario is this; a rich foreign entrepreneur comes to Treasure Town, intent on turning it into an amusement park. To this end he will tear down the existing town, and remove any 'obstacles' which stand in his way of success. Such an obstacle are the two orphans called Black and White, the main characters of the movie, and the focus of the first main story. The two of them are, in a way, the strongest duo in Treasure town, even more so than any thug or yakuza. The majority of their story revolves around the foreign entrepreneur sending assassins after them, in order to make sure they don't scare away potential customers to his future amusement park.
Yup, that's kind of it. The rest of it is more or less a character study between Black and White, so I'll cover that in characters.
The second story is about the yakuza of Treasure town, and how they respond to the entrepreneur and his plans to change the town. Some clinging onto their fond memories of the past, others serving him despite his corruption in order to save themselves. And really, I find this story a lot more interesting than the one of Black and White. While Black and White's story is almost fantastical with some of the things that happen, but the story of the yakuza is much more human and believable.
At the core of both stories is that of change. How people resist it, are changed by it.

However, I have an issue with the story structure. There are big scene changes in the movie as it switches between seasons (Another indicator of the theme of change), and rather large portions of time happen between these scene changes. To me, these seem to be a lazy way to not explain some changes in character personalities, especially in Black and White's story. I won't spoil it - but between a season change, some large changes occur to both characters, which I think require more fleshing out rather than the blatant "Well it's this now" sort of way it displays this change.
It also comes dangerously close to running into the same issue that the Gantz ending has - where the creator spends a little bit too much time expounding their own ideology on the audience. While it doesn't really go to Gantz levels, there is a long scene involving Black near the end which essentially says the same thing over and over again for a little too long. At least it's animated beautifully.
The final issue I have with both stories are that they both end abruptly and in a way that's not satisfying. But obviously that's spoilers, so go watch for yourself.

~ART~
The character designs are very different from most anime. The closest comparison is ping pong the animation, which isn't surprising since they both originate from the same creator. I don't mind it, but some people do have issues with it - so to each their own. However, regardless of the designs, they are animated beautifully. Very smooth, and when the 'camera' rotates around the characters, it looks smooth and consistent - unlike most other anime.
The background art is amazing. It's some of the best I've seen. Very detailed and intricate, nicely coloured with great simulated shadows and light.

~SOUND~
The sound is quite impressive, when I noticed it. I wasn't constantly aware of it like some other anime, but when I did notice it, normally in the more atmospheric scenes, it fit well and added to the emotion that the scene is trying to convey.

~CHARACTERS~
Here's the thing. I don't think Black or White are nearly as 'deep' as the movie is making them out to be. Their names, for one, are far too indicative of their nature. Black is the one with a 'darkness' inside him, and White is the 'pure, innocent' one. By confining them both to these broad labels, I think the movie ultimately cripples them from becoming more three dimensional. Black is literally displayed as having no sort of self control of his own, that any sort of positive self control is a result of white, and I think that makes him boring. His fight with his inner darkness, not nearly as deep as the art implies. White is 'different, but all it seems to be is high-functioning autism. And while I can appreciate a solid depiction of a mental disorder, the disorder does not equal a character. I mean, White states a couple of times that he's afraid of death, but nothing comes of it. It doesn't deepen him in any way, it's a throwaway line which could reveal something deeper inside him, but it reveals nothing.
The villains, the entrepreneur and his 3 assassins are crap. They have no presence, they just exist to bring the conflict, and nothing beyond that. There are no motivations or explanations, just "I have money and am corrupt for whatever reason! I'm a bad guy!".
The two yakuza who are the focus of the second story do feel much more human and developed, though Kimura, the younger of the two, does not adequately explain his motivations for doing some of the things he does. Without spoilers, there are two distinct moments when I thought to myself: "Why did you even do this in the first place?" and "Why didn't you do this sooner?!" And it just made me remember how much I was watching a narrative, arbitrarily waiting for something to happen. And when you become aware that you're watching something, it takes you out of the experience and lessens it.

They aren't anything special, and that's what I have issue with. With an anime which is clearly supposed to be an insightful look at the characters, the characters do not hold under scrutiny. Brooding does not equal developed. Throwaway lines do not equal deep. The characters are like the movie as a whole, on the surface they give the impression of being deep and meaningful, but looking closer - I simply just don't think it is.

~ENJOYMENT~
Having finally sorted my thoughts with that last section, realizing what makes me not like this anime as much as I think I should.
It's beautiful, it sounds good, and it has great potential - but in the end it amounts to nothing. By the end of the movie, a movie which core theme is change, Black and White have not changed. ***SPOILERS I GUESS*** Black fails to stand on his own without White, succumbing to his inner darkness. By the end of the anime, he still does not have any indication of having overcome this darkness, not without White. The town being changed into an amusement park is the start of all of this, and is supposedly such a big change, but by the end there is no real indication of what the change has been. Apparently there is an old strip club which is a landmark, or so we're told. But once it is gone? Has anything changed? We don't know about the street life, the regular people. Hell, is the antagonist right? Is the amusement park the best thing to happen to the town? We don't know, we don't have a comparison. We have to just have to take the movie's word that it's bad because the main characters disagree. *** SPOILERS END***

~OVERALL~
It feels good to finally understand why I don't enjoy this anime. Writing it all out has finally put my thoughts in order.
So yeah, Tekkon Kinkreet, something that looks and sounds great, but ultimately ends up being disappointing.
HOWEVER, I would still recommend that you watch it. Different may not always mean good, but it's important to encourage different anime to one day see the different thing that is good. When you do watch it, ready the spoilers bit, it will better help explain what I felt about the movie, and why I ultimately found it disappointing.
I do apologize for the evolving tone of the review as I sorted out how I thought about it! But now I have clearly made up my mind on how I feel about the movie. Next time I'll try and have my opinion down before I start typing!

Toodles~

"What is it about fire? So calm and peaceful but… inside, all power and destruction. It’s hiding something. Just like people do. Sometimes you have to get close to find what’s inside. Sometimes you have to get burned to see the truth."

The concept of balance versus unbalance/yin and yang as an internal struggle is not a new or groundbreaking premise, but it is not necessary for an anime (or other form of entertainment media for that matter) to show you something you'd never have considered before for it to be a work of art, or even a masterpiece. Tekkon Kinkreet portrays the concept of yin ... and yang in a unique, masterfully executed way through wonderful and refreshing characters. Despite the fact that the conclusion to the story becomes predictable, this doesn't detract from the experience whatsoever in my opinion. I get the feeling that the story is not the main focus, and is instead a vessel for the characters and the experience of the viewer, and it's refreshing to watch an anime like that.

The first thing that hits you when you watch Tekkon Kinkreet is the absolutely superb art and animation. The use of colour and the attention to detail in the backgrounds took my breath away. The second thing that hit me was the flawless voice acting and equally flawless OST. Undeniably, the art and OST for TK are arguably some of the best I have encountered. Often, anime is strong in one of these suits and lacking in the other - not in this one. This double whammy makes the experience so much more immersive and evocative.

All in all, this is a remarkable, beautiful film in my opinion, and I would recommend it to anyone, even just to experience its superlative art and animation.

One question I ask myself quite often is:
"Why didn't you watch Tekkon Kinkret?" And I don't ask it to myself. I ask it to you reading this.

First of all Tekkon Kinkreet is made by Studio 4°C . The same guys that did Animatrix, Mind Game and Genius Party. If you watched any of these movies you won't need this review, because you already know that you should take a look at this movie. If you're fast, you may have opened the tab already.
In case that you don't know any of these movies... write them down. And watch them. They are one of the best ... studios out there. And certainly one of the most excentric.

Now that you continue reading, let`s start with the review.
Tekkon Kinkreet is a tale so universal, it may be told forever. Or it may have been told since the begining.
The everlasting fight of dark versus light. Good versus evil, if you speak in human terms.
It is a tale about the fight that continues within us all.
The setting is an adventurous town somewhere in the near future. The main characters are two little kids. One of them forged by the streets and willing to destroy everything that comes into their way. The other one is a dreamer, so bright and so innocent, you just have to admire.
The adventure is fast and slow, deep and at the same time only scrathing the surface. It is a story about life.

Whatever you may have read about the art style, picture it yourself. 4°C Studios never went with the common way of drawing. They give their artists freedom and the possibility to express their own taste. In Tekkom Kinkreet you have a handdrawn and warm world, which may occur hastly and unfinished, but in reality is so alive and full of details.
Seriously guys and girls. I'm drunk. Very drunk. And I love this anime. I could continue this forever. Just do us both a favour and watch this move.

I cannot tell you how many times I have seen this movie. It is both sad and happy. It shows both the beauty and ugliness of the world. It is the deepest movie I have ever seen in my life.

It is hard to express how much I love this movie. It is truly amazing. I wish more people have seen it. Hopefully, more people will watch it.

It is weird. Very weird. The style of the art, the way of thinking. But I do not see weirdness as a bad thing. Weird is beautiful. Tekkonkin Kreet changed the way I see things. It takes the ... selfishness out of you.

My favorite quote from the entire movie is "Be happy, be happy..." (White)

No matter how horrible this world can be, not matter how ruthless our society is, no matter how messed up our life is, we need to always be happy. We need to always cherish what and more importantly who we have. When that person leaves your life, you most likely won't be fortunate enough to get that person back. The person you NEED to live.

Tekkonkin Kreet also taught me that to achieve ultimate happiness, I need to be myself. Love myself for who I am, and cherish every moment of life. When the world finally collapses around you, wouldn't you rather die happy than sad?

With all my heart and soul, I ask of you to watch Tekkonkin Kreet.♥

Tekkon Kinkreet
English: Reinforced Concrete

Black and White are the boys who rule this town. They are known as the Cats, and they let NO ONE else rule their territory. Other gangs may laugh when they show up, but this witty and stylish pair are crafty enough to wipe that smile off any gang's face and break a few teeth in the process.

The world here is incredibly creative without being too twisted, yet edgy enough not to be disturbing and yet somehow interesting. If I were to wrap it up in one word, I'd call it ENTERTAINMENT.

But it's more than just two kids dodging the normal ... escapades of life and living it up on the town. There is a darkness to Black, and a naivete to White that make each interaction with each other very unique. Almost opposites, the love for one another is immense, and immense enough that they make the craziest decisions while still watching each others backs. They are incredible bros until something happens that turns their worlds upside down.

Ratings:
Story - 9 - This is the craziest slice of life I have seen, yet. The goal of the story is survival. Yet, how that is accomplished is very satisfying to partake in, and sometimes heart wrenching.
Graphics - 9 - Made in 2006, they put some serious work into these adventurous graphics. They are far from being polished, yet hold their own as a different genre of cool.
Soundtrack - 9 - Super edgy, almost groovy, sometimes bizarre, yet very fitting.
Characters personas - 9 - Black and White are pretty cool cats. Not seen as cool by anybody else in town, but man do these characters have fun. Black is more serious and goal oriented, while White is more laid back and honestly who knows what he's doing most of the time.
Voice acting - 10 - Plenty of emotion coming from the characters and the side characters did well too.

Overall - 9 - Really crazy and entertaining, plus if you look closely enough you'll discover some interesting morals.
Recommended - Now that's an interesting question. I think I would recommend it, but I have no idea how you would act.

I'll put it like this. If you like stories to be clear this isn't for you. I enjoyed the art and music of this movie but the thing I lacked is details some sense of story with a backstory and what I got is good animation of "wtf is happening" and "I don't even" moments ... It's one of those movies that is more art than a movie in my opinion. Make sure you are in the mood for not thinking 2 much or get high I guess... It has some clear metaphors that hit you a few days after watching the movie at least ... it did for me but at the time I watched it It just felt as a mess and I really thought the whole thing could have been presented more in detail. The decisions characters make aren't really explained too well and leave you confused.

I must preface this review by saying that I have never submitted a write-up for a movie before simply because I have never felt the need for my opinion. However, it appalls me that the average rating for Tekkon Kinkreet is a lousy 2.7 stars! I don't know what basis people have for this low score but it's certainly not warranted. I have seen a lot of anime in my lifetime, and I am usually easily moved by such films, but this one in particular has far more charm, emotion, meaning and beauty than the average anime. Simply put, the animation is phenomenal. This is ... evolution of anime, right before our very eyes. At first, I was hesitant about watching the movie because it appeared as though a gaijin was taking over the reigns for the production. This was needless worrying, as the entire film is 100% Japanese in both narrative and soul. I can only liken the basic feel of the movie as something akin to Grave Of The Fireflies on speed. If you are a fan of great storytelling and beautiful visuals, this movie is for you!

• Anime Title – Tekkonkinkreet | Alternative Title – Black & White | Source – Manga
• Type – Anime Movie | Genre (s) – Action, Adventure, Comedy, Psychological | Language – Japanese | Runtime – 1 hour 50 minutes 34 seconds | Date of Airing – December 23rd, 2006
• Demographic – Seinen

• Synopsis –
Black and White are two orphans who roam the streets of Treasure Town, beating down any thug or yakuza who gets in their way. When mysterious foreign entrepreneurs appear with the intention of tearing down Treasure Town and replacing it with an amusement park, Black and White face their greatest adversities yet. It is up to ... the destructive Black to save the fate of the city and up to the gentle White to save Black from his own dark nature.
Plot – 8.0/10.0

• Artwork and Animation –
The art-style in Tekkonkinkreet is rather a bit different compared to the traditional anime or manga illustration styles. The entire film is found to feature the streets of Japan – a near-slum area known as Treasure Town where a lot of spots are featured which bear the Indian touch. The animation is well-suited with the art-style as the artwork gives a life to the animation, in this anime movie and vice versa. Both are unique and compatible with each other.
Artwork – 7.0/10.0 | Animation – 7.0/10.0

• Voice Casting –
The voice casting is done in an authentic manner, undoubtedly. Especially the dialogues of the character – White (Shiro) – reflect innocence and chastity and this is well featured by the quality of emotions conveyed by the voice casting. Apart from White’s, a few other characters’ voices are seen to be vibrant, too, in a few scenes – Suzuki (Rat); Sawada; Choco, etc. The voice casting overall, is worthy of receiving an applause.
Rating – 6.5/10.0

• Personal Analysis –
Since the original source of the story of the movie is the Manga which goes by the same name, it shall be taken into a consideration. The original year of the airing of the manga was 1993, which involved 3 volumes – each arc with a different set of incidents; whereas in the movie, mixtures of these varying story lines have been compiled up to form one single plot of the movie. In my opinion, a set of OVA series pertaining to the unabridged plot of the manga series would have been more preferable as by excluding a number of scenes from the original story line, we remain alien to a lot of incidents which might have taken place according to the manga.
Rating – 5.5/10

• Trivia –
At the 2006 Mainichi Film Awards, the film won the Best Film Award. At the 2008 Tokyo International Anime Fair it won the Best Original Story and best Art Direction awards. It also won the 2008 Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the year.

Sentimental dreams these brothers have in the streets. Though they might be brothers, they have been through times ups and downs that led them known as "Kuro" and "Shiro". The plot twists with the legend and other characters aiming for their positions. Truthfully, it was like a nightmare Kuro was living while Shiro was living in a dream. Sure, both brothers are separated through gangsters while they clean the streets, they can find each other through their mind. One can always share a strong bond with another. The music and soundtrack are quite the match to the plot, especially the fighting scenes. The story was ... quite different than what I expected, but it was better than any other romance anime movies I've seen. Unexpectedly, there were some surprising events but even though, it made the plot seem interesting. Honestly, the ending was pretty simple itself.

Tekkonkinkreet is definitely one of the best anime movies I have ever seen. The characters were wonderful. Black being very rough for a young boy of his age and White has this "Boo-like" (that little girl from Monsters Inc.) innocence about him that makes him just an awesome character. The movie is so inventive and from start to climactic finish I was stunned at how amazing of a film this is. The music beautifully accompanies the movie and really reels you along with the characters. I recommend this movie to anyone and EVERYONE that says they are a fan of anime...while there are no mechs..it ... definitely has something for everyone.

You know that feeling when you start watching something and when it starts, in just the first few seconds you get the feeling that "Yes, this is gonna be something good. I am going to have so much fun watching this.". Thats the kind of feeling that i got when i just started watching Tekkon Kinkreet.

The animation is stunning and unlike any you will ever see. Every scene has so many details filled in it that even if you pause it at every second, you will find something new to look at everytime. The color pallete is also noteworthy because it makes the main characters ... stand out by showing them in bright colors and keeps the rest of the scenery and other characters have dull, almost pastel shades(at least in some scenes).

The sound suits the scenes and though it's not extraordinary, it does its job perfectly.

The story is pretty dark, showing the rough life of the two orphans in a corrupted town. It has its fair share of violence and bloodshed. Its almost painful to watch them grow up. The emotional and tragic character development is stunning. The story takes us on an unforgettable journey.

All in all, Tekkon Kinkreet is a very enjoyable story which will take you on a rollercoaster of emotions.

Tekkonkinkreet was a visual pleasure to see. Directed by Michael Arias, this dynamically animated film featured themes of loyalty, industrialization, and inner conflict. The audience is immediately introduced to an immersive pan of an intricately rendered city as the two main protagonists, simply named “Black” and “White”, literally fly through the landscape. Black, the emotionally-aloof and “mature” elder brother who fights off gangs and thugs within the city, overlooks White, his younger, more innocent and optimistic sibling. Together, they form the “Stray Cats,” who contribute to most of the violent underpinnings of Treasure Town, grabbing the attention of both delinquents and authorities figures alike.

The main ... crux of the story revolves around a plan to carve out the city in place of a casino/amusement park complex. However, this plot is equally overshadowed by the eventual strained relationship between the two brothers. Black, whose increasing sadist appetite for violence and protection against change, becomes more distant with White, who simply seeks sanctuary outside Treasure Town. Among others seeking refuge is an ex-police figure who longs for his and his pregnant girlfriend’s future outside the violent city. This sense of hope is perhaps what Black needed the most, but throughout much of the film, his tunnel vision of justice gets in the way of seeking more important things, including his relationship to White and himself. This distance can be seen after White is taken away from his brother to be hospitalized, his cries for Black’s help ignored. Black’s self-destruction is also apparent in how he deals with enemy forces; because he cannot step outside of himself to see the power of these alien figures sent to destroy the Strayed Cats gang, and because he is unable to let go of his entitlement to Treasure Town, he nearly battles to his death. He only truly evaluates what’s most important when the Minotaur figure, whom I figuratively interpreted to be Black’s brutal animalistic side, appears. This sequence, set in an abstracted representation of Hell, represents Black’s wicked descent, and his ultimate choice to pursue salvation, which manifests in a sparkling tropical beach. This newly discovered context allows Black to put aside his supposed possession over the city and spend time unwinding with White.

While certain questions seem to go unanswered, including the purpose of the gang and its rise to prominence, and the origins of the Minotaur character, the messages of pursuing peace and brotherhood are satisfyingly clear.

I enjoyed Tekkonkinkreet from start to finish, even though if it wasn't for the reasons I was expecting. The art is gorgeous as expected and really helps bring a unique feel to Treasure Town. The story of Black and White is a wonderful story about the balance of sin and peace, yin and yang. The action is wonderful but for me it is upstaged by the immersion of the film. I felt myself captured by every second of this movie. The psychological turn that the film takes played out extremely well and I would recommend this anime experience to anyone.