Tekkonkinkreet is known as Black & White in Japan, and there’s no way you will forget that. Buckle up and expect to hear both colours an awful lot while being introduced into a world where some things are clearly black or white.

Tekkonkinkreet is violent, gritty, surreal and all this while being oddly wholesome.

There might even be aliens. I’m not sure.

Look and feel

Based on the Shogakukan manga published by Taiyo Matsumoto, Tekkonkinkreet is set in a near future dystopia of a weirdly clean and bright inner city sprawl. It’s like a Japanese version of Mega City One.

Black and White are two tough kids who rule their local suburb. White is quirky, and Black is as hard as nails. 

The art direction is unusual, not the clean-cut lines and heroic figures of contemporary action anime but rougher, with slightly oddly shaped people and sometimes edges that threaten to flicker. It’s a contrast!

It sometimes feels brutal, despite the relationship between Black and White and the whole anime reminding us that life is cruel. Successful people are likely mean, and crime is everywhere. All you can do is look after yourself, and you’re unusual if you look after anyone else.

Plot

Black and White don’t get caught up in Yakuza trouble; they get in the faces of the Yakuza and take them on. Mind you, that’s more Black; White would probably instead plant seeds and play with hats.

That drama escalates when a character called Snake edges the Yakuza called Rat aside and sets about tearing down the two orphan’s territory, so put in a theme park instead. 

The drama escalates again when Snake brings in three alien-like, or perhaps supervillain, assassins to do his dirty work.

However, the shilt only hits the fan when the cops decide to separate Black and White. Pave a road with good intentions, and look where it gets you.

The plot gets surreal as the mental health of both Black and White takes a nose dive. I could follow what was happening and why it was happening, but I was getting flashbacks to the disappointing “we’re out of budget” ending of Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Overall

I enjoyed and would recommend Tekkonkinkreet to other experienced anime fans. Tekkonkinkreet is not one for people who are uncertain about the genre or are uncomfortable with violence. 

Tekkonkinkreet is an English teacher’s delight. There are so many characters, motivations, and subtexts to discuss and dig into. No wonder the boys got buried. 

I think the city itself might be my favourite character, and the opening scene is hard to beat.