Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

I absolutely loved the aesthetics, it's as rich as looking at some Bruegel the Elder's paints. In fact it's even so rich it would need a life watching it to see everything. And it's sometimes so realistic you wonder if they used inlaying of photos. As for the story I was about to say it is a bit too Manichean to my taste but in fact I am a bit harsh here. As highlighted a friend, some characters are not. It's just that one of the two principal characters is shifting from his dark side to a better one, without giving you the feeling the reality is more complex than this. And above all this kind of story where the hero is fighting himself to become better has something of religiously moral annoying me. Though here he managed to do it thanks to brotherhood, which is a nice reminder that the self and ethics are both something highly socially constructed.

Well, well, a a refreshing piece of animation. Up until now I've enjoyed everything coming out of Studio 4C I've seen, and thats a lot. Starting with the well aged Memories, over Arete up to Mind Game (Now that was a genius movie.) Also of course their shorter works (Genius Party and Matrix' Beyond).They always deliver Stories (granted, not necessarily written by them) that are simply original, animations that are top-notch and an overall styling of their movies that blows my mind every single time. (Do watch the Genius party episode called Dimension Bomb and you will know exactly what I mean.)To not turn this into a glorification of a studio, let me say, that Tekkonkinkreet has all the above.The animation and setting are simply gorgeous. Treasure city is so full of details in every single shot, over the top, over stylized, but still believable. See to believe. best example for me would be the home of Black and White. The sun setting on the car just at noon, the props strewn all around just speaking: "I'm a messed up boys tree-house, but a car, under a bridge and also beautiful."3D elements are also nice to behold. I think GitS: Innocence did it this way first. This way meaning actually painting the texture on the models (and I mean painting). This just integrates everything so much better into the rest of the picture, that you stop to notice it. This works especially well in the action pieces. Under bridges, over rooftops, on the train.The only smudge on this glorious movie is the overall story. While original, entertaining and interesting throughout, there are some parts in which its lacking. The minotaur, while always hinted at, DID sort of come out of nowhere at the end. You do see it coming somehow, but I didn't expect the movie to turn that metaphysical all of a sudden. Another hole is the character Snake. His motivation or the origins of his organization never become very clear. The whole Yakuza plot, linking all of the fragments also doesn't lead anywhere really. Well it does, but I expected a little more then a headshot. Its like the whole point of the movie is just to give a cross section of the town and its inhabitants. While this is nice to watch, the movie itself seemed to build up to a grand finale, which didn't really happen. More like two and a half separate main story lines (there are also a lot of sub-plots) that just happen to overlap a few times and end on their own. I can't quite put my finger on it why this rubs me the wrong way but it does. On the other hand, maybe thats just me.Still, to finally come to an end, I can only recommend this movie to anyone interested in something you don't see every day. Be it animation, story or movie-watching in general. Well worth your time.

What is fascinating about Japanese anime is that it's something even adults can enjoy. Among them, Tekkon kinkurîto is a high-quality film with a well polished finish in terms of philosophical and inner psychological depth.Tekkon kinkurîto was originally serialised by Taiyo Matsumoto in Shogakukan's Big Comic Spirits between 1993 and 1994, and was made into a film in 2006 by Michael Arias, the same producer of "The Animatrix" (2003). The title, Tekkon kinkurîto, is derived from the author's personal experience of not being able to pronounce "Tekkin konkurito" (reinforce concrete) as a child but he said "Tekkon kinkurito" instead.An orphan as well as a street kid, Black (Kuro), lives almost like a homeless person, using violence as one of his means for livelihood. He also lives together with a younger, brother-like kid, White (Shiro), in a broken car as their home. White always wears funny clothes, and looks a little mentally retarded, but he is also a good fighting supporter for Black. The two, together known as "Neko (Cat)", Black and White can fly around like a cat in a town called "Treasure Town (Takaramachi)".Black is smart, physically strong, and good in fights, but shows his mental weakness occasionally, and he can only live as his true self, attaining hope using violence and protecting his buddy, White. White is innocent, strong, and sometimes shows a grown-up face. It looks like he portrays himself as a sensitive child who sees the world through a lens called "innocence". The two are anchored together, missing the pieces of each other down by protecting one another, connected like a shadow and light.Treasure land is an imaginary town, modelled after Osaka, Japan, where it is portrayed as a nostalgic old town with heart-warming people. However, this retrospective town is being corrupted by local yakuza joining up with a new entrant corporation, scheming to open up a new leisure town by demolishing Treasure Town, and with these emotionless killers, a restlessness envelops the town.Each one calls Treasure Town "My town", where Black struggles to save the town through his violence and his unique viewpoint whilst leaving White behind for his own safety.Black and White, people who love the good old days and who want to create a new era, darkness and light, and quietness and violence. Through various two-sided lenses, audience will see each characters' value. Anime also exists to take you back to a half-remembered mind you are missing as an adult. Wonderful!

"Tekkon Kinkreet" is a sporadically engaging, though frequently confusing, anime gangster film from director Michael Arias. The story, based on the comic book by Taiyo Matsumoto, focuses on two homeless orphans, one named Black and the other White, who live on the streets of Treasure Town, a seething cauldron of criminality, vice and corruption. Black fancies himself a superhero crime-fighter, while White, who is given to extrasensory knowledge and visions, dreams of one day moving away from the city and getting a home of their own on the beach. Thanks to Black's insistence on taking on the bad guys, both youngsters get caught up in a turf war between the Yakuza and some robot-like killers who are duking it out for ownership of the city.Fans of anime will find much to enjoy in this film, which is marked by beautifully detailed urban landscapes, exciting action and chase sequences, occasional lyrical flights into fantasy, and a sometimes touching tale about commitment and friendship centered on the two young boys. On the other hand, the plethora of characters and occasional narrative incoherence can make it difficult at times to understand what exactly is going on, particularly when the story takes a decidedly metaphysical turn (with imagery taken straight out of "Contact") in the final half hour. Still, the visuals alone make it worth a gander.