Product Details

• Actors: Kazunari Ninomiya, Yű Aoi, Yűsuke Iseya, Kankurô Kudô, Min Tanaka
• Directors: Michael Arias
• Writers: Anthony Weintraub, Taiyo Matsumoto
• Producers: Eiichi Kamagata, Eiko Tanaka, Fumio Ueda, Masarou Toyoshima, Mikio Ono
• Format: AC-3, Animated, Color, Dubbed
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), Japanese (Dolby Digital 5.1), Japanese (PCM)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish, French, Portuguese
• Dubbed: English
• Subtitles for the Hearing Impaired: English
• Region: Region A/1 (Read more about DVD/Blu-ray formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: September 25, 2007
• Run Time: 111 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (83 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000TGCR3S
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #21,617 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "Tekkon Kinkreet [Blu-ray]" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Tekkonkinkreet (2006) is a landmark in the increasing cross-pollination between Japanese and American animation: Based on a manga by Taiyo Matsumoto, the film was made in Japan at Studio 4C, but directed by American Michael Arrias. The story unfolds in Treasure Town, a scabrous metropolitan slum so gritty it makes the viewer want to clean under his fingernails. Orphans White and Black share an existence at the fringes of an already marginalized subculture. White seems naive, if not learning disabled: at 11, he can't tie his shoes or dress himself. But he has an uncanny sixth sense about what's happening in Treasure Town. Older, streetwise Black looks after White and receives the emotional support he needs in return: They're two halves of a damaged whole. The arrival of a murderous yakuza boss who wants to demolish Treasure Town and build an amusement park draws Black and White into an escalating spiral of physical and emotional violence. Although the ending of Tekkonkinkreet feels needlessly obscure, it's a striking and often powerful film from a first-time director. (Rated R: violence, grotesque imagery, brief nudity, alcohol and tobacco use) --Charles Solomon

Product Description

From the creators of Animatrix comes this visually-stunning new anime film based on a popular Japanese manga written by Taiyo Matsumoto. In Treasure Town, where the moon smiles and young boys can fly, life can be both gentle and brutal. This is never truer than for our heroes, Black and White, two street urchins who watch over the city, doing battle with an array of old-world Yakuza and alien assassins vying to rule the decaying metropolis. Tekkon Kinkreet is a dynamic tale of brotherhood that addresses the faults of present day society, true love lost, and the kindness of the human heart.

A brutal elegy for our changing times as well as a tour-de-force of visual artistry, Tekkon Kinkreet is a deeply resonant story with a heart. The title Tekkon Kinkreet is a play on the Japanese words for ‘concrete,’ ‘iron,’ and ‘muscle,’ and it suggests the warring images of steel and concrete cities amassing against the powers of the imagination. Until now, at least in imports abroad, anime style has almost entirely been characterized by wide-eyed heroes, big robots, and uninspired plotting. Tekkon Kinkreet jettisons these stereotypes in favor of a more realistic, European ethos, successfully incorporating engaging child characters and a complex action plot into a poetic, engaging story.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 47 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best anime films I`ve seen in years. September 22, 2007

By Luca Vitale

Format:DVD

This is the film adaptation of what might be the best graphic novel I`ve ever read. There are no words to describe how much I love the original comic book so I attended the North American premiere of Tekkon Kinkreet at the Moma in NY with high expectations.
Not only did the movie not fail to meet them but in fact added exciting and unexpected layers to the story. I am an animator; I`m rarely satisfied with the technical aspects of most animated features but the production on Tekkon is flawless. The animation, character design, backgrounds and camera work are all top notch. The two main characters are rendered in all their complexity and the movie doesn't shy away from the deep implications that the original story holds within its pages.
The movie is faithful to the comic book and the storyline is basically the same. However, Michael Arias and studio 4C were sometimes inventive, albeit in appropriate and creative ways. The new uniforms of the three warriors that Snake sends to kill Black and White are beautiful and reminiscent of a Moebius illustration- the final confrontation between Black and the two remaining warriors is held in the amusement park instead of the car-shelter site (which makes room for new dynamic shots) - but my favorite shift from the original material has to be the minotaur sequence. A lot of people complained that the movie is not as daring as Mind Game (studio 4C`s previous adventure into full length features) but I disagree - the animation gets very experimental during the minotaur scene showing the thin line between reality and Black's violence saturated subconscious. I loved the way they communicated the internal struggle by using the graphic language of animation alone.
Overall, Mind Game's pastiche of animation styles is probably more audacious but Tekkon more than compensates for it's more rigorous style with incredibly strong characters (MG characters came off as a little wacky at times) and a story that is so good that it hurts. If your eyes are not wet by the time Black and White get separated you are a soul-less fiend and you may want to consider a career in advertising.
I haven't been so excited about an anime since Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence hit the theaters; it's a shame that while it was one of the most important movies of the year in Japan, Tekkon Kinkreet got very limited distribution in Europe and in the US - so do yourself a favor and buy this DVD!

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A True Anime October 7, 2007

By Antonio D. Paolucci

Format:DVD

If you like Akira (Special Edition) or Ghost in the Shell, and thought they were true masterpieces despite their ambiguous style of storytelling, then you'll love Tekkon Kinkreet. It's as true an anime as there ever was: it follows its own style of storytelling, it has interesting, even endearing characters, and the art is just beautiful. It sits comfortably next to some of the best anime ever to come to the States.

Tekkon Kinkreet follows two young boys, known around the city as the Cats, but to each other they are Black and White. Black is a brooding, violent youngster with a gift for taking pain and dishing it out. White is, simply, special; he's empathic, enjoys life, and has a deep sense of when things aren't right. He also seems to be magically gifted. That gift, however, has left White an innocent boy, incapable of growing up and acting his age; that's why Black feels obligated to protect the young boy, and the that means eliminating any possible threat to him and White, as well as the city in which they live. Thus, these two have a few enemies, including the Yakuza, some strange and powerful alien assassins, and a mysterious creature known by the youth in the city as the "Minotaur." All the while, the two are continually robbing and mugging those within their city so that they can achieve White's dream of living in a house on a beach....

Yeah, interesting, I know. But what makes the story of Tekkon Kinkreet that much better is the surreality of the whole thing. It doesn't try to explain much; it doesn't have to. White and Black can run at tremendous speeds and leap ten feet into the air; aliens exist; and a boy has the power to link himself mentally to his best friend. Why? Because they do.... And all the while, it's as fantastically believable as a well told fantasy novel.

Outside of that, the art and characters of Tekkon Kinkreet helps to drive the story along. The settings contains so much detail that it's impossible to find anything. If this was a "Where's Waldo" drawing, you'd never find him. The character art is also beautiful, reminiscent of the short sequence in Kill Bill, Volume 1.

Now, for the one drawback (which many older anime fans wouldn't even consider as a drawback): this will be a very difficult anime for a new-comer to get into. The story isn't difficult to follow, but it can be confusing and the ending leaves a lot unanswered, as is the wont of anime. Still, though, if you have some experience with anime, then you won't be disappointed. The art is beautiful, the story is engaging, and the characters are endearing. I'd rate it higher if it were possible. Tekkon Kinkreet is definitely one of the best anime ever.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Film with a Thought Provoking Story October 18, 2007

By J. A Carty

Format:DVD

I was not familiar with the story behind this anime before watching it, but now I want to locate the manga and delve even more into the story because the world of Tekkon Kinkreet is amazing.

The animators used a combination of digital and hand drawn art to create this wonderful anime. I won't do a plot summary, but the story is engaging. There are portions of the film that are quite slow, but why the story at these parts may be developing there is still so much visually to look at.

This is a beautiful film with a great story. The extras are worth a watch and some are subtitled for those of us who only understand words like "Thank you" in Japanese.

Well worth a view for anyone who is a fan of more thinking anime such as the Ghibli films and Akira. I would caution parents as there are some mature themes dealing with violence and the reality of good and evil. I would suggest for about 14 and above.