Tekkon Kinkreet

2006, Japan

Starring: Kazunari Ninomiya, Yu Aoi, Min Tanako, Yusuke Iseya

Director: Michael Arias

Writer: Anthony Weimtraub, Taiyo Matsumoto (Manga)

Producer: Jiko Tanaka, Naoki Kitajawa, Yasushi Shiina, Osamu Teshima

Genre: Animation, Drama, Action, Sci-fi

Rating: Unrated as of yet

Distributors: Sony Pictures

Running Time: 100 minutes

Website: www.tekkon.net/index.html

The opening film at Montreal’s Fantasia film festival, Tekkon Kinkreet may not have all the elements some might expect from anime. There are no giant robots, for example, and very few schoolgirl upskirt angles. However, it more than makes up for it with the anime standbys of heart, cuteness, and a lengthy psychedelic sequence that transforms the last third of the film into a dream you might have if you fell asleep using modeling glue in a windowless room. Tekkon Kinkreet takes place in Treasure City, a cluttered, colourful slum that looks like someone melted a box of crayons over a wrecked Lego play set. Two orphans, Black and his brother White, rule the streets of the City, flipping around fantastically through the air while defending the neighborhood from interlopers. Trouble starts when Rat, a yakuza originally from the slum, moves back to Treasure City. But it quickly becomes apparent that he’s not the real enemy. A mysterious criminal named Snake has big plans for the city, and only Black and White can stand in his way.

Tekkon Kinkreet is a nearly flawless film. Based on the Manga by Taiyo Matsumoto , the anime benefits from a great look, and a narrative flow that’s disjointed and dreamlike without being too surreal. But it’s the characters that really bring the film to life. Black, the leader of the two brothers, has lived the violent street life so long he’s teetering on the edge of violent psychosis, and White has the kind of simple-minded cuteness that’s adorable for the first two hours, but quickly turns into the sort of thing you would drown in a river if you had to put up with it for more than a day. Thankfully, the movie is short enough that White stays bearable, and joins the rest of the characters in creating a rich, believable and consistent world for the film. Director Michael Arias, who was present at the Fantasia screening, brings a unique look to the film. The animation style strays from more traditional anime, avoiding swollen, big-eyed side kicks that look like Kirby from Super Smash Bros. with elephantiasis, and instead presenting the characters as top-heavy, angular creations that bring to mind Guy Arcudi’s work for BPRD. And to liven things up, dream sequences and the like are visually distinct, with influences ranging from French Impressionism to the stuff that happens when you finger paint directly on celluloid. Adult while maintaining child-like sense of wonder, Tekkon Kinkreet is, lack of schoolgirl underwear aside, likely to please both film and anime fans alike.

Rating: 9 on 10

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