Tekkonkinkreet (2006) Tekkon kinkurîto (original title)

Director:

Michael Arias

Writers:

Taiyo Matsumoto (comic)
Anthony Weintraub

Release Date:

23 December 2006 (Japan)

Genre:

Animation | Action | Adventure | Crime

Plot:

In Treasure Town, life can be both peaceful and violent. This is never truer than for our heroes, Black and White...

Plot Keywords:

City | Yakuza | Street Child | Police | Save The Neighborhood

Awards:

3 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Kazunari Ninomiya	...	Kuro / Itachi (voice)
Yû Aoi	...	Shiro (voice)
Yûsuke Iseya	...	Kimura (voice)
Kankurô Kudô	...	Sawada (voice)
Min Tanaka	...	Suzuki (voice)
Rokurô Naya	...	Jiccha (voice)
Tomomichi Nishimura	...	Fujimura (voice)
Mugihito	...	Kumicho (voice)
Nao Ohmori	...	Chocola (voice)
Yoshinori Okada	...	Vanilla (voice)
Kazuko Kurosawa	...	Kozo (voice)
Tomoko Murakami	...	Kozo (voice)
Miyuki Ôshima	...	Kozo (voice)
Yuki Tamaki	...	Asa (voice) (as Yukiko Tamaki)
Mayumi Yamaguchi	...	Yoru (voice)
Harumi Asai	...	Akutsu (voice)
Atsushi Imaizumi	...	Yasuda (voice)
Bryan Burton Lewis	...	Goshima (voice)
Tôru Nara	...	Chinpira (voice)
Shunsuke Mizutani	...	Abacchi 3 (voice)
Tatsuhiro Fukiage	...	Abacchi 4 (voice)
Hiroto Nakajima	...	Suzuki's Button Man 1 (voice)
Hiroshi Shibata	...	Suzuki's Button Man 2 (voice)
Seiichi Yomioka	...	Kodomo no Shiro Kakariin (voice)
Yuji Matsumaru	...	Ota (voice)
Masayuki Furuya	...	Nasty Boyfriend (voice)
Toshiya Matsushita	...	Eki no Announce (voice)
Mai Ito	...	(voice)
Yuki Chiba	...	(voice)
Masanori Kaneko	...	(voice)
Yukari Minegishi	...	(voice)
Kazuma Horie	...	(voice)
Marina Inoue	...	(voice)
Yuriko Togashi	...	(voice)
Kana Asumi	...	(voice)
Yuriko Yamada	...	(voice)
Emiko Yamada	...	(voice)
Eiichi Kamagata	...	(voice)
Yoshinori Toba	...	(voice)
Yoko Ogawa	...	(voice)
Noriko Honma	...	(voice)
Mikio Ono	...	(voice)
Fumie Takeuchi	...	(voice)
Nami Sekitani	...	(voice)
Ryohei Okubo	...	(voice)
Takumi Fujimori	...	(voice)
Eiko Tanaka	...	(voice)
Michael Arias	...	(voice)
Nene Abe	...	(voice)
Koi Abe	...	(voice)
Aki Katafuchi	...	(voice)
Machiko Kawakatsu	...	(voice)
Osamu Kobayashi	...	(voice)
Masahiro Motoki	...	Hebi (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Mori San Chû	...	Kozo (voice)
John DiMaggio	...	The Boss (voice: English version)
Alex Fernandez	...	Choco (voice: English version)
Crispin Freeman	...	Assassin 1 (voice: English version)
Rick Gomez	...	Kimura (voice: English version)
Kate Higgins	...	Kimura's Wife (voice: English version)
Tom Kenny	...	Sawada (voice: English version)
Maurice LaMarche	...	Fujimura (voice: English version)
Phil LaMarr	...	Dusk (voice: English version)
Yuri Lowenthal	...	Dawn (voice: English version)
Matt McKenzie	...	Assassin 3 (voice: English version)
Scott Menville	...	Black / Kuro (voice: English version)
Kamali Minter	...	Shiro (voice: English version)
Dwight Schultz	...	Snake (voice: English version)
Dave Wittenberg	...	Assassin 2 (voice: English version)

Directed by
Michael Arias		(as Maikeru Ariasu)

Writing credits
Taiyo Matsumoto		(comic)
Anthony Weintraub

Produced by
Eiichi Kamagata	....	producer
Mikio Ono	....	associate producer
Eiko Tanaka	....	producer
Masarou Toyoshima	....	producer
Fumio Ueda	....	producer
Ryo Ôyama	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Plaid

Film Editing by
Mutsumi Takemiya

Art Direction by
Shinji Kimura

Art Department
Hiroaki Ando	....	storyboard artist
Michael Arias	....	storyboard artist
Chie Uratani	....	storyboard artist

Sound Department
Masahiko Kubo	....	foley artist
Matt Naiman	....	foley artist
Mitch Osias	....	sound designer
Mitch Osias	....	sound re-recording mixer
Mitch Osias	....	supervising sound editor

Animation Department
Naoto Abe	....	inbetween animator
Masahiro Emoto	....	key animator
Rie Ino	....	inbetween animator
Yasuhiro Irie	....	key animator
Tomoko Isobe	....	inbetween animator
Hirotaka Kikuchi	....	inbetween animator
Asuka Kojima	....	inbetween animator
Masahiko Kubo	....	animation director
Tomoyo Masuda	....	inbetween animator
Yumi Masuda	....	key animator
Shoujirou Nishimi	....	character designer
Shoujirou Nishimi	....	overall animation director
Kazuya Nomura	....	key animator
Akira Ono	....	inbetween animator
Masahiko Ozawa	....	inbetween animator
Masako Sakai	....	inbetween animator
Kanako Sato	....	inbetween animator
Kanako Sekii	....	inbetween animator
Eriko Shibata	....	inbetween animator
Eiichi Tominaga	....	inbetween animator
Mika Ueda	....	inbetween animator
Chie Uratani	....	animation director
Tamami Watanabe	....	inbetween animator
Tôru Yoshida	....	key animator
Shin'ya Ôhira	....	key animator

Production Companies

• Aniplex
• Asmik Ace Entertainment
• Beyond C.
• Shogakukan
• Studio 4°C
• Tekkon Kinkreet Seisaku Iinkai
• Tokyo MX TV

Distributors

• Asmik Ace Entertainment (2006) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Destination Films (2007) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Rézo Films (2007) (France) (theatrical)
• Aniplex (2007) (Japan) (DVD)
• Asia Video Publishing Co. Ltd. (2007) (Hong Kong) (all media)
• Columbia TriStar Films de Argentina (2007) (Argentina) (all media)
• LK-TEL (2007) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures (2007) (Sweden) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Universal Pictures Finland Oy (2007) (Finland) (DVD)

Other Companies

• A-Line  inbetween animation
• A.Z.E.T.A. Pictures  inbetween animation
• Ai  digital ink and paint
• Anime Torotoro  inbetween animation
• Anime-R  inbetween animation
• Animespot  inbetween animation
• Aniplex  music production
• Asunaro Studio  inbetween animation
• Axis & Cats  inbetween animation
• Bones  inbetween animation
• Brains Base  inbetween animation
• D-Colors  digital ink and paint
• Dangun Pictures  inbetween animation
• Digicrafts  inbetween animation
• Digital Arts  effect sound studio
• Digital Network Animation  inbetween animation
• Dogakobo  inbetween animation
• Fan Out  inbetween animation
• Feel  inbetween animation
• Gainax  inbetween animation
• Gonzo  inbetween animation
• Imagica  film & digital lab
• Ingres  digital ink and paint
• Ingres  inbetween animation
• Kagura  inbetween animation
• Last House  inbetween animation
• Nakamura Production  inbetween animation
• P.A. Works  inbetween animation
• Radical Party  inbetween animation
• Rikuentai  inbetween animation
• Sakura Create  inbetween animation
• Shin Ei Animation  inbetween animation
• Snow Light Staff  inbetween animation
• Soundtrack  DVD commentary
• Studio Babel  inbetween animation
• Studio Cats  inbetween animation
• Studio Cockpit  inbetween animation
• Studio DEEN  inbetween animation
• Studio Easter  digital ink and paint
• Studio Ghibli  art
• Studio Gimlet  inbetween animation
• Studio Lagoon  digital ink and paint
• Studio Line  inbetween animation
• Studio Live  inbetween animation
• Studio Moo  inbetween animation
• Studio One Pack  inbetween animation
• Studio Pinewood  art
• Studio Step  digital ink and paint
• Studio T&T  ar studio
• Studio Takuranke  inbetween animation
• Sunshine Digital  digital ink and paint
• T2 Studio  cgi
• T2 Studio  digital ink and paint
• Tatsunoko Productions Company  inbetween animation
• Tokyo TV Center  recording studio
• Yumeta Company  inbetween animation

Also Known As:

"Tekkon kinkurîto" - Japan (original title)

MPAA:

Rated R for some violent and disturbing images, and brief sexuality

Runtime:

103 min (without end titles)

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Hong Kong:IIB | France:U | USA:R | Argentina:16 | Netherlands:12 | UK:12 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Finland:K-13 | New Zealand:R13 | Singapore:NC-16 | Taiwan:R-12 | Italy:T | Australia:M | Denmark:7

Company:

Aniplex

Goofs:

Continuity: In the scene where Black gives money to "grandpa" the yin-yang symbol changes from white on top, black on top and then again white on top.

Quotes:

Suzuki:Unfortunately, your luck is waning. This is not a time to be greedy. Maintain the status quo.
Kimura:What's that, Mr. Suzuki?
Suzuki:Kimura, you believe in astrology?
Kimura:I believe in nothing.
Suzuki:Nothing, huh? At least believe in love, Kimura. Love is all you need.

Movie Connections:

References Godzilla (1954)

Solid As Concrete? No, It's A Bit More Than That...

"Tekkonkinkreet", literally translated as reinforced concrete, is an hypnotic experience set upon the kaleidoscopic drop of some truly gorgeous drawings which tells the tale of two street urchins as they do battle with an array of colourful characters in order to defend their city from being taken over. Adapted from the three volume manga series by Taiyo Matsumoto, the film doesn't usually carry the infuriating hallmarks of a manga-to-anime switch over, which can often make the film an unenjoyable experience as the viewer struggles to come to terms with the story and characters and in the process miss the film. In this instance, any preconceptions are staved as "Tekkonkinkreet" absorbs the viewer all but instantly in a cacophony of animation, sound and, perhaps surprisingly, emotion.

Tekkonkinkreets original manga form is what is known as a "seinen" manga, which is a subset of the animated genre which targets males, usually, from between the ages of eighteen and thirty, and as a twenty-four year old male myself, I perhaps enjoyed it more than others outside my demographic bracket. Ostensibly, it is a boys film as the premise bases itself on gangster films as our two street urchin protagonists, the aptly named "Black" and "White" find themselves coming into contact with an ever escalating array of Yakuza as they try to take over the ridiculously sublime "Treasure Town". There is a great deal of violence within the film (which while in my eyes completely justifies the progression of the film is incredibly misleading when you look at the UK Film Certificate Branding of a mere 12) as the battles waged become more intense, more bloody and more important to the survival of our two heroes. Tekkonkinkreet also utilises a much more avant-garde style of animation which we are currently beginning to see more of in the western world as an increasing acceptance of things which are outside of the "norm" are filtering through, and it is certainly befitting of the style. Tekkonkinkreet successfully delivers on appeasing any and all who are looking for high quality hand drawn animation which surpasses the eternally vapid conveyor belt of repetitiveness that is Pixar, but it also delivers on being more than just a "fighting" film.

The intrinsic parts of Tekkonkinkreet prove in being the messages the director and original creator are wishing to convey to their audiences, of which there are two major points. Firstly, we have the ying and yang nature of Black and White, how their coexistence is precisely that, how they are mirror images of each other, how in essence they are two parts of the same hole and that you could be forgiven for thinking someone spliced a singular entity at birth to form two. "Black" is the streetwise member of the "Cats", as they are known within the city, as he has a savvy and cunning which has enabled he and white to be high on the Treasure Town food chain. As expected for being orphaned children, each have their issues, and with Black it is the impression that he is only one bad day away from total insanity and mental breakdown, while with "White" the issue is if he were to have a mental breakdown it wouldn't have much to break. White is stated as being eleven within the film yet quite clearly finds it difficult keeping a grasp on reality and his surroundings as his mental age is quite obviously, less than that. However, it is not merely how much White relies on Black for survival with the treacherous confines, but it is also how much Black relies on White, as the director twists the uses of Black and White and indeed Good and Evil as roles interchange in all quarters. Secondly, we have yet again another confrontation, another coming together of two forces yet this time it is more theory based. Treasure Town is a gloriously colourful island sitting sedately in the centre of a river yet its buildings and inhabitants for all their grandeur seem incredibly outdated. Treasure Town isn't exactly a time warp but you could be forgiven for thinking so, it is a place contented in its own time, but for the Yakuza this is not acceptable as they wish to bring Treasure Town forward into the 21st Century, to update the scenery, to turn it into a money making venture of epic proportions . This second theme resonates with a fear of old replacing new, yet the new not being perhaps as grand as everyone believes it to be, it is a fear of traditions being eradicated by a machine which has no need for sentiment, and this feeling, from both points of view, is embedded within characters on all sides of the battle.

Tekkonkinkreet is a highly charged emotional film, which looks at characters interactions and dependence on each other the yings and yangs within the city itself, the coming together of old and new and more evidently, people's desire for power. The phrase "my city" is uttered on numerous occasions as individuals all attempt to lay claim to the treasured turf, yet none truly understanding what the phrase means or why they are saying it. Tekkonkinkreet is a highly successful anime, which blends together elements of crime, violence, humour and fantasy creating a cerebral journey for the senses as director Michael Arias superbly transcribes this moralistic tale with an energetic style of directing which perhaps possesses some of the best and "coolest" "reveal" shots in recent times. Tekkkonkinkreet is an absorbing adventure which transcends genres and blurs styles in a hot pot of beautiful angst and proves itself to be worth a watch for any who allows themselves to be enveloped by a world which is never told in black and white.