Between The Concrete And The Blue, Blue Sky

I just can’t really get myself to care about the royal wedding. I generally don’t even care much for weddings, let alone 2 people I don’t even know are getting married, so… my original plan for tonight was to watch Tekkon Kinkreet, as I just finished the graphic novel on Wednesday. Despite being a hefty 614 pages, Black and White was a fairly quick read, though a bit difficult to stomach all at once–er, broken down into 2 days. I tend to marathon my graphic novel reading…

Image via precur.files.wordpress.com

I did very little research prior to picking up this novel. Half the time I pick up anything to read is from walking into the comic book store or my local independent bookstore (in this case, I went to Skylight on Vermont) and checking out the staff recommendations. Truth be told I can never find the graphic novels I want whenever I go to Barnes & Noble or Borders, and everyone knows I don’t read books, so why bother.

Tekkon Kinkreet is not a new title. I had seen a movie poster for the animated film a while back but forgot to put it into my personal/mental anime queue, and seeing this title at the bookstore with the staff recommendation note posted underneath, piqued my interest. There was only a short and vague summary about the story on the back cover, but it didn’t seem like the usual manga I read. There was a shiny Eisner award certification stamped on the front cover, and rarely are Eisner awards given to manga.

Scenes from the movie. Image via amazon.com

It was important for me to mention that I did zero research on this novel before diving into it. As I flipped onto the final page, I looked at the back insert, to see that this novel had been completed in 1994. The art style was in no way “dated-looking” (avid manga readers you know exactly what I’m talking about), the story transcending time and space–Treasure Town could have been anyplace, Black and White could have lived in anytime.

The story is based on a simple premise–two orphan boys running wild in a town they call their own, until one day the yakuza finally decide to step in to “take over” the town. Black and White–it’s never clarified whether or not they are brothers but they are of the same blood.

In the graphic novel, most of the emotions are conveyed through the stark contrast in the images and the little life occurrences our two protagonists must face. The “symbolism” is not as obvious as it is in the movie, which is a visual and cerebral delight. Though the movie was made in 2006, the animation is stunningly beautiful, even in spite of how raw the character design is. Each vignette is lush with archetypes and important details to be noticed during a second viewing. The music, composed all by Plaid, helps to set the audience in this make-believe, but completely real, world. It sets the pace of Black and White’s world; the soundtrack actually amplifies the emotions from the characters, who seem to only understand violence. Sure, there are a FEW holes in the movie but this is only because I read the manga just a day before.

"Hello, this is Agent White...." Image via pingmag.jp

The movie doesn’t try to match the novel word-for-word, frame-for-frame–but it still successfully pulls key scenes and enhances them. This is the true beauty of the movie–we can become truly immersed into Treasure Town–its beauty and its beast, our protagonist and antagonist.

I suppose everyone would draw different conclusions from their own readings and viewing of Tekkon Kinkreet. There are comparisons to the Lost Boys and Peter Pan, but Tekkon Kinkreet is a whole new vehicle that should be considered a great piece of literature, and the movie, a distinct accomplishment in anime films. (By the way I am glad this was not made into a live-action film.)

Yes, that is also music from AKFG!!

I apologize for not having anything particularly funny to say in this blog post, but it is almost 4am and I was pretty moved by the movie (or maybe it’s just that time of the month and I’m super emotional… er…). I watched the movie in Blu-Ray, so I highly suggest it. Other than that…Happy Friday, everyone!