Wescotta's review

Tekkon Kinkreet: Black & White: Black & White (Black and White)
by Elisabeth Kawasaki

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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/776175.Tekkon_Kinkreet_Black_White_Black_White?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=blog_review" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="Tekkon Kinkreet: Black &amp; White: Black &amp; White (Black and White)" border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1189990458m/776175.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/776175.Tekkon_Kinkreet_Black_White_Black_White?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">Tekkon Kinkreet: Black & White: Black & White</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/408328.Elisabeth_Kawasaki">Elisabeth Kawasaki</a> 
 <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/9941354?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review"><h3>My review</h3></a>
 rating: 5 of 5 stars White is an eleven-year-old orphan, perpetually innocent but a bit dim. Black is a thirteen-year-old orphan, street-smart but extremely violent and slightly off his rocker. The two boys live in an old beat-up car in the worn-down district of Treasure Town, Osaka, and spend their days flying (yes, you heard that right, flying) from roof to roof, protecting what Black calls "their" city from any gang members, yakuza and alien assassins (alien assassins, right) who are unfortunate enough to cross onto their turf. But when an old yakuza called the Rat comes to town, bringing decay and corruption in his wake, it will take all of White's mysterious powers and Black's waning sanity to come out on top...
 
 The first thing that hits you about Tekkonkinkreet is the art--no angles, big-eyed protaganists or giant swords here. Although it may look really unappealing at first--it was to me, anyway--the art eventually grows on you, and as time goes on you begin to realize that there's a heck of a lot of content in each panel. You can literally read the words on signs from miles away, Treasure Town reaches towards the sky like a crazy Lego castle and the sun and moon change their expression depending on how the characters are feeling. Then there's the violence to consider, as there is a LOT of violence in Tekkon Kinkreet. While this book isn't as bloody as say, Lone Wolf and Cub, it's still kind of disturbing to see Black smashing in the heads of Yakuza, grinning like a demon and spitting out broken teeth. There's also a bit of nudity (although again, nothing as serious as, say, Watchmen) and a couple of really bad swear words. While the book may not fully deserve its "M" rating by Viz, it's still not exactly appropriate reading for, say, ten year olds, despite the fact that the protagonists are children.
 
 The violence isn't the point, though; rather, the focus of the story is the relationship between Black and White, which is developed really, really well throughout the series. At first glance, White needs Black the most; heck, he can't even tie his shoes properly without black helping him. As the series goes on, though, the story continuously forces you to rethink this, and that's part of the fun. 
 
 Highly reccomended.
 <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/659602?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">View all my reviews.</a>

Wescotta's review
rating:

recommended for: manga-lovers who want something different; older teenagers
status: Read in December, 2007

White is an eleven-year-old orphan, perpetually innocent but a bit dim. Black is a thirteen-year-old orphan, street-smart but extremely violent and slightly off his rocker. The two boys live in an old beat-up car in the worn-down district of Treasure Town, Osaka, and spend their days flying (yes, you heard that right, flying) from roof to roof, protecting what Black calls "their" city from any gang members, yakuza and alien assassins (alien assassins, right) who are unfortunate enough to cross onto their turf. But when an old yakuza called the Rat comes to town, bringing decay and corruption in his wake, it will take all of White's mysterious powers and Black's waning sanity to come out on top...

The first thing that hits you about Tekkonkinkreet is the art--no angles, big-eyed protaganists or giant swords here. Although it may look really unappealing at first--it was to me, anyway--the art eventually grows on you, and as time goes on you begin to realize that there's a...more White is an eleven-year-old orphan, perpetually innocent but a bit dim. Black is a thirteen-year-old orphan, street-smart but extremely violent and slightly off his rocker. The two boys live in an old beat-up car in the worn-down district of Treasure Town, Osaka, and spend their days flying (yes, you heard that right, flying) from roof to roof, protecting what Black calls "their" city from any gang members, yakuza and alien assassins (alien assassins, right) who are unfortunate enough to cross onto their turf. But when an old yakuza called the Rat comes to town, bringing decay and corruption in his wake, it will take all of White's mysterious powers and Black's waning sanity to come out on top...

The first thing that hits you about Tekkonkinkreet is the art--no angles, big-eyed protaganists or giant swords here. Although it may look really unappealing at first--it was to me, anyway--the art eventually grows on you, and as time goes on you begin to realize that there's a heck of a lot of content in each panel. You can literally read the words on signs from miles away, Treasure Town reaches towards the sky like a crazy Lego castle and the sun and moon change their expression depending on how the characters are feeling. Then there's the violence to consider, as there is a LOT of violence in Tekkon Kinkreet. While this book isn't as bloody as say, Lone Wolf and Cub, it's still kind of disturbing to see Black smashing in the heads of Yakuza, grinning like a demon and spitting out broken teeth. There's also a bit of nudity (although again, nothing as serious as, say, Watchmen) and a couple of really bad swear words. While the book may not fully deserve its "M" rating by Viz, it's still not exactly appropriate reading for, say, ten year olds, despite the fact that the protagonists are children.

The violence isn't the point, though; rather, the focus of the story is the relationship between Black and White, which is developed really, really well throughout the series. At first glance, White needs Black the most; heck, he can't even tie his shoes properly without black helping him. As the series goes on, though, the story continuously forces you to rethink this, and that's part of the fun.

Highly reccomended....less

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