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TEKKONKINKREET
Directed by: Michael Arias.
Produced by: Eiko Tanaka, Eiichi Kamagata, Masao Teshima & Ayao Ueda.
Written by: Anthony Weintraub. based on the manga by Taiyo Matsumoto.
Music by: Plaid.
Released by: Destination Films.
Language: Japanese with English subtitles.
Country of Origin: Japan. 100 min. Rated R.

Director Michael Arias states in the press notes that he was given the original comic of Tekkonkinkreet by a friend and told it was a tearjerker. Really? In this anime, getting a real emotional connection to the characters is a pretty daunting feat. I suppose it’s not without trying; the story follows an emotional tale of adolescence in a dangerous and fantastical urban sprawl, Treasure Town. White and Black, two street urchins, get by taking care of one another, living in the shadows. The older Black is more fearless and up for a fight, the quasi-older brother to White, who is possibly autistic and not totally aware of his own potential super powers.

They’re surrounded by an underworld of criminals and a nefarious businessman, Snake, who wants to wipe out a huge chunk of Treasure Town as well as its more meddlesome inhabitants (White and Black) to build an amusement park. To do so, he sends out evil robot-type men to eliminate the children.

Besides lacking in subtlety, the film’s simply ingratiating – White, who should be the wisest character, sounds shrill and hyperactive. And there’s what one might consider extra fat to the story, like a subplot with a gangster and his pregnant girlfriend. The music by Plaid (yes, Plaid is the name) also lays it on thick like in a video game. And in the final section, when a downtrodden and insane Black faces assassins, the film enters incomprehensible territory.

On the other hand, what Tekkonkinkreet lacks in a powerful narrative it makes up for in visual splendor. Treasure Town is a unique place in the world of anime. Sections of the city are fully imaginative landscapes, with colors all mixed and matched like from a Crayola box. In fact, this might be one of those rare animated films where the backgrounds are even better than the actual characters, which look like strange variations on typical anime types, leaning towards a goofy Nickelodeon cartoon. What makes the film at least eye-catching are the abstractions: White’s dreams and visions, or most spectacularly, scenes as stark as the harshest nightmare. Tekkonkinkreet is definitely a lesser anime effort, particularly on substance. But as a technical exercise, it’s got a lot of flair and bravado. Jack Gattanella
July 13, 2007