It's a good thing when a movie's credits have finished rolling, the screen cuts to black, and you immediately want to hit 'play' and watch it again.  Tekkonkinkreet is that kind of movie, even if it did leave me scratching my head saying, "Eh?"  Surreal is the word that comes to mind after that primary viewing.  The movie jumps between scenes and characters, leaves reality to enter the realm of imagination, and seamlessly melds back into the present, rejoining us with our heroes, Black and White.

Based on the manga by Taiyo Matsumoto, the film follows two orphans, Black and White, as they scrape by in a run-down section of the city called Treasure Town.  Like any decent place that's on the wrong side of the tracks, Treasure Town is ruled by yakuza and boasts all manner of unsavory sorts, from street thugs to the ladies at the local strip joint.  Black and White do well enough for themselves, picking pockets and scaring off the competition.

Black, the elder of the duo, is tough, streetwise, and convinced that Treasure Town belongs to him.  He's fiercely protective of White, whose sweetness and purity is very rare indeed in such a dark place.  White lives inside his own imagination, clinging to the hope that one day they'll build a house by the sea.  While Black looks after White, White's optimism and cheerfulness protect Black from succumbing to the hopelessness and rage of living a life with no options and no real future.  Black and white, yin and yang, the two balance each other out, and one can hardly exist without the other.

After an indeterminate absence, yakuza reassert their presence in Treasure Town, and strike a deal with a developer to raze the district to make way for an enormous amusement park.  The developer, who is very shady and more than a little disturbing, uses the yakuza to eliminate any elements who might object to the plan.  This includes Black, who makes his objections known when he attacks the yakuza offices after learning about the impending demise of his home.  Soon, the boys find themselves hunted by assassins, leading to a game of cat and mouse that ultimately tests the boys' dependence on each other.  

Artistically, I loved the look of this movie.  Soft colors, a ridiculous amount of detail, and beautiful animation.  Traditional animation blends well with the CGI.  Mostly.  The CGI isn't unnoticeable, but it's not too jarring, either, and is used appropriately to give a sense of motion, like running through the streets, for instance.

Directed by Michael Arias of The Animatrix, the animation is similar to that of Kid's Story, which shares the same production company, 4°C.  The character designs aren't exactly attractive, no bishies here, but each is unique and interesting.  One detail that bothered me, and it's purely personal, is that every character had very tiny feet.  Some of the characters are large men--how do they get around on such small foundations?  Truly, that's neither here nor there, but I thought I'd mention it.

The dream and fantasy sequences are particularly lovely.  Odd, bizarre, beautiful images flow and swirl across the screen.  It made me wish I could have seen this in a theater.  These surrealist touches help increase our understanding of both White and Black.  Instead of just gratuitous flights of fancy, animated for the sake of being pretty--and they are beautiful--the sequences highlight the characters' hopes, memories, and touch on the darker places of the mind.  

The English dub is decent and well-acted.  The translation is close to the original, with only a few changes that still manage to preserve the meaning.  Speaking of sound, PLAID's music fits the action and the mood, and compliments the film very well.

Extras on the DVD include a filmmakers' commentary, interviews with director Michael Arias and members of the British rock duo PLAID, and a 'making of' featurette.  

Tekkonkinkreet is definitely worth renting, maybe even buying.  At the very least, I very much want to check out Matsumoto's manga series.  The strength of Black and White's friendship in such a harsh reality is touching, and something that will stick with me for a long while to come.  Now, pardon me while I locate a copy of the manga!