Customer Reviews

Black & White, Vol 3

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a landmark manga/bande dessinee that should be read by anyone interested in the comics medium.
Tekkonkinkreet is the English reworking of the Japanese words TEKKON and KINKURITO - flesh and concrete - and this opposition is at work throughout the novel (the characters' names are Black and White, cops vs. criminals, kids vs. adults, innocence vs. harsh reality, money and power vs. love and compassion, etc, etc.). The story takes place in a fictional 1990's Tokyo, immediately after the fall and 20 year recession of the Japanese economy, and traces the misery and delight that two homeless children living on the streets experience together and individually.
The most striking feature of this work is the style; Matsumoto's blend of European and Japanese comics is remarkable.
Unfortunately, previous reviewers on Amazon.com have misappropriated the use of the term "stereotypical" in reference to the characters. What they intend is that the characters are "typical" in that they are good/bad, happy/sad, naive/aware, etc. Yes, there are some very clear distinctions of social groups that may lead one to conclude that the characters are banal, recycled, and unoriginal. However, all the personages in Tekkon Kinkreet experience acute physical and emotional changes that at once confirm their typicality and rearrange the composition of their characters.

Dear Reviewers,
Help those perusers of manga/bande dessinee/comics by writing 'helpful' reviews that give insight into some underlying content of the works you review. "This is the best graphic novel ever!" does not cut it, unless you want to write for The New York Times or The Chicago Tribune.

This is the culmination of a fantastic and underated title that has gone under the radar of much of today's western manga readers. Fools!

The city has gone to hell and the division of Black and White at the end of book two has acted as a herald of woe for not only the city but the rest of the cast as well. Without wanting to give too much away I will say that the fate of characters was met swiftly but intelligently and in a way that was in line with the whole concept of a world grounded in a corrupt and degenerating urban landscape.

Black and White remain the heart and soul of the story despite being apart for much of it, allowing the reader to feel the separation and distance experieced by the characters, albeit in their different ways.

The art is one that is a great and unusual blend of Eastern and continental underground styles that is able also to communicate a great sense of sound. This is hard to do in comics and gives credit to Matsumoto.

I cannot recommend this manga enough. It is outrageous that the first volume is out of print. It is really worth the effort to get hold of.

An "existential urban punk" that you won't forget.

This might be the best graphic novel ever made, and I don`t say that lightly. It`s a shame that it doesn`t have a wide circulation in Europe and US. It`s pretty much impossible to compare to anything else, Black and White it`s the most lyrical and at at the same time the most punk comic you`ll ever read. Think Miyazaki, Tank Girl and Takeshi Kitano all wrapped up in one story that is so good it hurts. Just get it, if you like indie comics chances are this is your new favorite one.