Movie Review: Tekkon Kinkreet
I've been on a bit of an anime kick lately - perhaps more than usual. So when I was at the public library recently, this movie caught my eye by sheer chance. Really, I don't even know why I took it home, especially since the style of character drawing is not the sort I usually take to - the faces are round bubbles with tiny eyes and huge mouths, the bodies look like sacks of potatoes with kind of spindly, point sticks for arms and legs. The main characters' names - Black and White - caught my eye however, and I decided it was worth a quick look. I could put it on, get some work done, and let it slide into the background if it sucked.
What ended up happening, of course, is that by the time the movie got going, I was actually pretty drawn into it. Though it played haphazardly with my sense of disbelief (as anime will tend to do - nature of the beast), I found the abstract departures of reality to masterfully add depth and perspective to the storytelling, which is what drives this piece.
Two young orphans, Black and White, are one set of vying rulers of the debauched, ruinous Treasure Town. As a troublesome duo, they have become as much an accepted institution in the city as the local cops and Yakuza. While these institutions go about their sibling spars, they are all forced to explore themselves and each other as the city is besieged by Change. Beyond the obvious asian/Zen Yin-Yang theme is a very human portrayal, a shamanic view of a difficult world. There is no absolute black-and-white dichotomy, per se, but an adventure into the heart by way of fire.
Along with Tokyo Godfathers, this is probably one of the greatest movies you will never hear of unless you are either tuned into the anime scene, or you happened to stumble upon it as I did. I beseech you to give this movie a chance - it's worth your time and your dollar.
(Taiyo Matsumoto, Michael Arias)
What ended up happening, of course, is that by the time the movie got going, I was actually pretty drawn into it. Though it played haphazardly with my sense of disbelief (as anime will tend to do - nature of the beast), I found the abstract departures of reality to masterfully add depth and perspective to the storytelling, which is what drives this piece.
Two young orphans, Black and White, are one set of vying rulers of the debauched, ruinous Treasure Town. As a troublesome duo, they have become as much an accepted institution in the city as the local cops and Yakuza. While these institutions go about their sibling spars, they are all forced to explore themselves and each other as the city is besieged by Change. Beyond the obvious asian/Zen Yin-Yang theme is a very human portrayal, a shamanic view of a difficult world. There is no absolute black-and-white dichotomy, per se, but an adventure into the heart by way of fire.
Along with Tokyo Godfathers, this is probably one of the greatest movies you will never hear of unless you are either tuned into the anime scene, or you happened to stumble upon it as I did. I beseech you to give this movie a chance - it's worth your time and your dollar.
(Taiyo Matsumoto, Michael Arias)