 | | ▪ | RELEASED BY: | | VIZ MEDIA | | | ▪ | AUTHOR / ART: | | TAIYO MATSUMOTO | | | ▪ | FORMAT: | | ENGLISH / B&W | | | ▪ | PAGES: | | 186 | | | ▪ | RATING: | | T | | | ▪ | RELEASE DATE: | | 08/04/2008 | | | ▪ | REVIEW DATE: | | 07/28/2008 | | | ▪ | REVIEWED BY: | | SANDRA SCHOLES |
Black and White are two street kids with plenty of time on their hands in Treasure Town, they see everything in it and something worse in that place where anything can happen and usually does. The both of them terrorise the people there, the local cops, Yakuza and folk are all afraid of them, but they are past caring. All they wanted to do is have a little fun in their dreary day-to-day lives, and that is never easy in Treasure Town. The story reads like a documentary of all the people in it who are around at the time Black & White are, as the tale is not just about them - it is concerning the whole of the town. Among the drama, thrills, sex and violence there is a hidden message that people can make their town anything they want to and outside influences do not matter to those who live there and do not adhere to the rules laid down by society. No matter what occurs, Black & White make the place their own despite all the crooks, cops, thieves and corporate types who want to take over and make their mark too. The art is rough and rugged, much like the character's personalities, but there is room for fun in this huge epic novel of life in neo-punk Japan, its sprawling place, urban people and slightly dodgy nightlife make it what it is - a one off masterpiece. Taiyo Matsumoto, manga-ka of hit Ping Pong which has now been made into a movie by Viz Pictures, has created his own genre of manga with Tekkon Kinkreet, his take on the concrete structures and how man defies the place where he lives by living on his own terms. Also the one who did Zero, Hanao, Blue Spring and No 5, he made the genre his own, his art style is very reminiscent of 60's US legend Crumb where every character has a tale to tell. There is extra bonus Black & White art and a couple of colour plates for the fans.
IN SUMMARY:
It is easy to see why this novel was made into an anime from the sheer size of it, the gritty reality of the characters, the Crumb style art and the lives of all the other characters who see the violence, evil and insanity everyday. Tekkon Kinkreet is special in that the town is shown as it truly is and does not try to be anything else. What you see is what you get in this manga and nothing more. The story tells of a life in Japan, which is rarely seen in manga outside of the glitz and glamour of most every novel out there. This is one that will stand the test of time for fans. |
