Tekkon Kinkreet

2008-02-27T23:36:00.019Z

I don't watch that many anime movies. Apart from a few of Miyazaki's films, I've only experienced a handful of other feature-length anime. I tend to find them a bit drawn-out and self-indulgent, most of the times. However, while these may still apply to Tekkon Kinkreet, it has become my favorite animated movie. I never read the manga it was based on, and I think that might have helped my overall experience since I had no preconceptions about it. Well, maybe at first -Kuro and Shiro (the main characters) seemed like the kind of characters you would find in children's movie. That certainly wasn't an advantage while considering watching it when I first I read about it. But the art style sure was, and even though I initially was captivated only by its looks, Tekkon Kinkreet (a pun on the japanese term for reinforced concrete and a metaphor for deep relationships) introduced me to a cast of great characters that would end up being the core of the experience.

Kuro (Black) and Shiro (White) are two street kids that live in Takara Machi (Treasure Town) and rule the city as their playground. They steal in order to survive, and take care of anyone that imposes a threat to their streets. The beginning of the movie sees the return of a Yakuza group to Treasure Town that starts causing some trouble for the boys. Tekkon Kinkreet is a story with a lot of layers and depth. It is as much about friendship as it is about violence and spiritual corruption. The characters all have some degree of ambiguity to them, making the plot feel human and real.

Treasure Town is presented with a level of detail and complexity that makes it stand out, when compared with pretty much any other anime movie out there. The architecture, the colors, the camera angles used to present it all - everything makes for a breathtaking visual experience.

Visual aren't everything, however, and Tekkon's sound is also top notch. Particularly worthy of mention is the music. I pay a lot of attention to music. Most studios seem to focus too much in developing a different sense of graphical style when creating anime, and as such, animated japanese movies tend to sound all the same with generic orchestral musical scores. This is certainly not the case with Tekkon Kinkreet, and Michael Arias (the director) made sure to leave the score for this movie in very capable hands. Plaid - a british electronic duo formed in 1991 - were very much new to me, but upon watching this movie I instantly became a fan. They created music that fits the world of Tekkon Kinkreet as a glove and is as diverse and layered as the visuals.

This movie is a landmark in animation, and the fact that it is the first anime movie that wasn't directed by a japanese no doubt gives it a different kind of feel. I highly recommend it even to people who don't particularly like anime. This conceptual melting pot is sure to provide a variety of elements that will enable anyone to take something out of the experience. I'm already looking for the manga by Taiyo Matsumoto.

Knytt

2008-02-21T16:55:00.006Z

I came across this game quite sometime ago, but for some reason I didn't end up playing it right away. Looking back, I wish I had though, since this game can really teach you a lot about game design. Simplicity is its biggest strength and it has certainly inspired me to start my own 2D project.

You play a small creature who, after being abducted by an alien in a spaceship, is forced to look for the pieces that will help repair the vessel after it was hit by a meteor.

The knytt (which apparently means something like "tiny creature" in Swedish) can jump, climb walls and has a sort of sixth sense that enables it to know exactly the direction where the closest piece might be. This works much like a compass in that it tells you your relative position to the nearest ship part. If you played Shadow of the Colossus you'll know that, despite being aware of where the next colossus is, you still have to explore the area in order to find it. The same goes for Knytt, and just like in SotC the world you traverse is both strange and beautiful.

The landscapes are varied and feature some non-playable characters that, while not very active, add to the atmosphere. There is also no dialogue in Knytt. Even so, sound ends up being one of the game’s most important aspects. The music always makes sure the mood is set appropriately and, along with the backgrounds, gives life to a world that in its simplicity manages to feel fresh and original.

Knytt is freeware and you can download it here. Unfortunately it’s only for Windows, but I still think every Mac/Linux user should give it a try.

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Tekkon Kinkreet

Knytt