Customer Reviews
Marvellous artwork but a sketchy storyline - By: Rusty, 03 Nov 2008 
Although I enjoyed reading this book very much, ultimately I was left feeling disappointed. As the tale moved on & on, less & less actually seemed to be happening. Black & White would pick another fight with another undesirable from Treasure Town, we'd witness another long action sequence with Black smashing people over the head with his jagged metal pipe - ostensibly to protect White, although White seems perfectly capable of beating up people on his own - & most scenes would typically end with Black gazing dejectedly over the skyline as White babbles on about fish, apples & aliens.
Even though we have the whole subplot with the yakuza thugs, the rivalry between "The Rat" & "The Snake", the indecisions of Kimura & the investigations of the two local police officers...I felt that no central plot really existed. Black & White are orphans who are the self-appointed guardians of Treasure Town (who are they? why are they alone? why do they feel protective of the city?). Black gets depressed sometimes (why? because he "thinks about death & stuff"?). White is mentally disabled (naturally or because of violence? it's never discussed). The pair of them want to leave Treasure Town (a visually pleasing but shallow backdrop that is never given any history) & eventually manage to escape it (albeitin a dream-world). That really is about the sum of the tale, spread thinly over 625 pages. It's full of holes & lacks narrative muscle.
And it's a shame because I felt like there was something really powerful here, trying to speak out...but the concept never really came together, until Matsumoto made the mistake of all frustrated writers who have laboured long & hard for their cherished brainchild: one final explosion of abject fantasy. The Minotaur, although dramatically brilliant as a standalone idea, came out of nowhere. He was mentioned just once, very early onin the text, as a mythical figure by two random boys who chase White...and is never again even hinted at until the final pages, when he suddenly bursts into the storyline as the repressed inner rage of Black's soul?
This finale really was too much. It hadn't been built up properly & so imploded upon itself, sending Black & White to an imaginary "happy place" far away from Treasure Town...even though they were supposed to love their city & had sworn to protect it. Some would say it's a good thing for a piece of art to throw up questions...but Tekkonkinkreet is almost self-reliant on this, at the risk of losing the reader. Too much is unexplained, perhapsin an effort to appear mystical (witness the threadbare philosophies of the "wise" old man who sometimes hangs around with Black & White)...but because there's not enough narrative underpinning, this mystical slant simply becomes nonsensical at times.
I fully understand the whole yin/yang metaphor, the concept that these two boys are wild cats/animals prowling the city (quite probably not even humans?), the idea that industrialism & corporate greed are destroying the human spirit, etc, etc - but these are merely abstract notions that float through the novel. They are never brought to the fore & leave this book feeling peculiarly empty, as though part of it is missing. In fact, I felt this way on many occasions. Turning a page, I would often feel as though a sheet of paper was literally missing from the book...such was the bizarre flow of the content,in parts.
Having said all of this, the artwork is beautiful & unprecedented. Every page is a joy to absorb & Matsumoto's technical skill & experimental style is amazing to behold. He has clearly invested a great deal of time & carein his drawings...I only wish he had given as much care to his story. Here, perhaps, is evidence that not all artists are writers (and vice versa). The author's premise could have been as good, if not better, than Akira - with penetrating psychological themes & a life-changing comment on human nature. But it falls short...and it will enter the history of graphic novels as a very good piece of manga rather than a real landmarkin the genre.
If anyone cares to help me out, I have some further questions that continue to baffle me:
- Why does Black suddenly become Suzuki's friend when he dies, having hated him up to that point?
- Why do animals like dogs & lizards sometimes walk past saying random words like "Desperation" & "Solitude"?
- On page 124, can anyone explain the sudden panel where someone (White?)in a dream landscape is shouting: "Don't worry, be happy"?!
- Why does White deliberately fall off a building halfway through Skirmish 8? It's never followed up or explained.
A modern classic! - By: Yossarian, 04 Aug 2008 
I have just read this collection by Taiyo Matsumoto (I have not seen the anime based on the series) & i loved every bit of it. His style of drawing is a weird mix of European & Japanese, very much like Atsushi Kaneko (Bambi & her Pink Gun - shamefully only two editions translated into English by digital manga) which has a more organic `wobbly' feel unlike the usual pin-sharp lines of most manga.
If i had to describe his drawing style i would say it is very similar to early Robert Crumb (Fritz the Cat era) & early Moebius (Jean Giraudin a looser- more freestyle mood). At first glance it looks simple & almost child-like, but the more you look the more detail & background character there is. I especially love the way he plays with perspective.
I really loved the characters of Black & White & wanted more of them after the 600+ pages were finished. The cityin the story is masterfully portrayed & adds a wonderful sense of mood to the piece. Like the artwork the story is a mix of dark, violent & cute! On the strength of this book i will be checking out the animated version. A+
Black and White in black-and-white - By: N. Megahey, 21 Jan 2008 Taiyo Matsumoto's wonderful underground manga is a much darker prospect than its flowing, full-colour movie adaptation by Michael Arias. Matsumoto keeps his vision of Treasure Town closer to the perspective its guardians Black & White, two young boys collectively known as The Cats who protect their district from rival gangs that threaten destroy its characterin their competition for influence there. Matsumoto's artwork appears unconventional & almost hallucinatoryin places, but the development of the story, the whole pace & perspective, is a familiar onein Japanese manga. Black & White obviously represent the yin & yang, the delicate ecological & psychological balance that is under threat from the ways of the modern world. Once that relationship is altered, events rapidly escalate & inevitably there are violent consequences. This all-in-one phone-book size edition, released to coincide with the release of the film adaptation on DVD, is beautiful, providing a wonderful opportunity to read one of the best manga booksin recent yearsin its entirety.
