“At least believe in love, Kimura. Love is all you need.”
– Suzuki in Tekkonkinkreet
The bonds we make in life have a tendency to follow us everywhere. We don’t always know what they mean to us, either, until we’ve lost them. Sometimes we mourn the absence, sometimes we celebrate it, but we never know what it can mean until it’s gone. This is but one piece of the surprising Tekkonkinkreet (鉄コン筋クリート), the Michael Arias-directed (Sturgill Simpson Presents Sound & Fury) manga adaptation of Taiyō Matsumoto’s original three volume series published between July 1993 and March 1994. Taking place in a fictious town, it centers two children who battle against forces external and internal as they try to survive and thrive with really only themselves to rely on. Produced by the extraordinary STUDIO4℃ (Mind Game; The Animatrix; All You Need Is Kill) and utilizing a variety of artistic styles as a means of crafting a layered world and psychological states, Tekkonkinkreet is a story of youth in revolt, the ties that bind, and the cruelty that comes from clinging too tightly to a vision of the truth. After a theatrical release at the end of May/start of June, GKIDS Films offers Arias’s Tekkonkinkreet to own on 4K UHD Blu-ray combo with a small collection of supplemental materials to extend the watch and dive into the world of Treasure Town.
A scene from the film TEKKONKINKREET. Photo courtesy of GKIDS Films. © 2006 Taiyo Matsumoto/Shogakukan, Aniplex, Asmik Ace, Beyond C., dentsu, TOKYO MX.
Known more commonly as Treasure Town, the area of Takaramachi is watched over by orphan street kids Black and White (voiced by Kazunari Ninomiya and Yu Aoi, respectively). They ensure that the residents are protected and that trouble is rebuffed. Known by other street kids, ruffians, local yakuza, and cops, the two patrol day and night, though, their efforts are often not taken seriously by many of the adults, a choice which may just be their peril as Black is one to delight in the violence of conflict. Things begin to change in a way neither Black nor White expect for when someone new starts to move in on Treasure Town promising prosperity for the area while using a greater show of violence than anyone is prepared for.
The following home release review is based on a 4K UHD Blu-ray retail copy provided by GKIDS Films via Radial Entertainment. As this is a home release for a 4K UHD remaster, we’re going to start with the packaging and physical materials before moving on to the on-disc presentation.
Currently, the only physical version of Tekkonkinkreet GKIDS is offering for purchase is the 4K UHD Blu-ray combo edition, though you may be able to find a lone Blu-ray as an import. This version includes a protective horizontal shell; a 28-page booklet with examples of sketches, workflow, and character designs from members of the design team; and a slim clear-plastic two-disc case. The protective shell is primarily yellow (like caution tape) with the front featuring Black and White drawn in a style similar to the original manga with the back all text (press quote, film description, credits, and supplemental features listing). The shell itself is standard cardboard, so it’s more cosmetic than offering any real shielding from damage, though it’s worth noting that the review copy arrived with the shell dented and the contents were perfectly fine. So, while it’s not as sturdy as the BELLE collector’s edition, it’s at least capable of some protection. The booklet is primarily white, featuring the name of the film and Black and White (in the animation style) on the front (them alone on the back) with the image samples inside. The booklet is minimalist in design with text identifying the source of the images (ex. Nisihimi’s Work, Uratani’s Work, Workflow, etc.) followed by the image samples. Without text to explain, this is a nice extra element for those who enjoy the animation style to have as a keepsake, but does little to inform or educate on the process of development. However, in conjunction with the archival featurette, “The Making of Tekkonkinkreet: Director Michael Arias’ 300 Day Diary,” one is able to take in the greater meaning of the images and better appreciation the process of artwork creation and intention. The front of the liner for the disc case is the same as the art on the protective shell, but with the yellow replaced by an off-white/tan color, evoking a more natural look for Black and White. The same goes for the back as it features the same information as the back of the shell (slightly reformatted) with the yellow removed. Inside the case are the two discs — white Blu-ray on the left, black 4K UHD on the right — with the reverse of the liner visible depicting the under-highway home of the “the Cats.”
If physical media isn’t your thing, a digital edition is coming available via Apple TV and Prime Video. There’s no indication on the GKIDS site as to whether or not the digital edition will include any of the special features and, as many are learning, purchasing the digital edition is not owning, it’s just buying a license to stream. Plus, you’re not going to get as strong an experience digitally as on-disc due to streaming requirements (should this be an element which matters to you). But it’s always good to know your options.
Packshot of the 4K UHD edition of TEKKONKINKREET. Photo courtesy of GKIDS Films. © 2006 Taiyo Matsumoto/Shogakukan, Aniplex, Asmik Ace, Beyond C., dentsu, TOKYO MX.
Speaking of the on-disc presentation, there’s nothing to claim about here. Smartly, the 4K UHD disc only contains the audio options and the filmmaker commentary track with Arias. This allows for the video and audio elements of Tekkonkinkreet to be as strong as possible, permitting the most space on-disc so that compression is as minimal as possible. While one can make allowances for a new release having an iffy bit of compression, that Tekkonkinkreet was sold theatrically as a remaster and is now coming to home video, the intention is not to be ignored and GKIDS meets it. This translates to an on-disc presentation with a high bitrate that holds primarily in the 80 Mbps range with few dips or raises signifying a quality transfer that will deliver a premium experience for home viewers with a setup that will enable them to make the most of it. In this case, it means that the more colorful (literally) elements of the film pop while the details don’t get lost in the chaotic shuffle that is Treasure Town. For instance, bruising after an altercation appears as a soft black/purple (distinct and individual), while blood is red without being blindingly crimson (an aspect that keeps the violence grounded amid the more fanciful elements of the film). Likewise, the scoring by music group Plaid is enveloping, marvelously balanced in the 5.1 mix so one feels like they’re as immersed in the action of the city as Black, White, and any of the other characters presented. If you’re one to prefer watching a film in its original language, the subtitles here are a warm yellow (like the film shell), never blending fully into the animation design and always easy to read.
Black voiced by Kazunari Ninomiya in TEKKONKINKREET. Photo courtesy of GKIDS Films. © 2006 Taiyo Matsumoto/Shogakukan, Aniplex, Asmik Ace, Beyond C., dentsu, TOKYO MX.
The on-disc features are small in number, but in-depth. As mentioned, the 4K UHD disc only contains the filmmaker commentary track, meaning to access the remainder, you need to head to the Blu-ray. There you will find the same audio options (languages, subtitles, commentary) as the 4K UHD disc, as well as two trailers (original U.S. and original Japanese), the director’s diary, and an interview with Arias and British music group Plaid, who scores the film. Both featurettes are archival, meaning that they were included with the previously-released Blu-rays. While important to note for folks who already own Tekkonkinkreet (as this reduces their need to own this edition down to the 4K UHD presentation and booklet), this is beneficial to individuals who’ve yet to buy a copy as this means that all of the available supplemental materials have been preserved for this edition. This isn’t always the case with new editions as sometimes bonus features are cut from different regions or formats (for a variety of reasons), which makes this 4K UHD edition a bit of a treat for new buyers. In particular, the tidbits that are offered about the making of the film either from listening to Arias talk in the director’s diary or from a different member of the STUDIO4℃ production team who discuss the development, logistics, and creation of the animated world of Treasure Town, or from Plaid discussing their approach to scoring, expand one’s appreciation for the images in the booklet, as well as the film itself. But that’s the beauty of supplemental materials and why those of us still hunting down physical editions long for them. We don’t want to just own a film, we want to explore it.
Having not read the manga or seen the film, I went into Tekkonkinkreet fairly unaware of what the film is about. Even the trailer for the theatrical re-release is pretty opaque regarding its narrative. What one realizes quickly is that Tekkonkinkreet is a dark tale of friendship and love with underpinnings of the dangers of nostalgia and progress. Whatever Never Land presumptions one might possess after the initial stunt sequence of the film featuring Black and White taking on two would-be aggressors of similar age is quickly removed with the introduction of the yakuza and the subsequent violence that follows when even the yakuza are reduced to proxies. Black and White are children — the older with violent tendencies (a Matt Murdock-type whose conscience is White, to use an analogy from modern superhero stories), while the younger is more imaginative and naïve — but are never to be discounted; a choice done by those who wish to end up in the hospital. Repeatedly we’re shown Black in combat, his ferocity matched only by White’s anchoring gentleness, which is why the proverbial leash comes off whenever Black goes off on his own. The metaphor of their names becomes most apparent as the story progresses, not just because Black often wears clothes with inverted symbols akin to a yin yang design, but how Black loses himself to the violence in the absence of White. Likewise, White loses themself without Black, but instead of going deeper into tranquility or a twisted version of naiveté, White’s separation from Black creates a deeper psychic connection that enables them to see just how far Black is going to go toward the violence within. To that end, Tekkonkinkreet shares more in common with Akira (1988) in its narrative and storytelling approach than Goodbye, Don Glees! (2022) in the way it takes an honest look at hard choices and the repercussions that follow.
Snake voiced by Masahiro Motoki in TEKKONKINKREET. Photo courtesy of GKIDS Films. © 2006 Taiyo Matsumoto/Shogakukan, Aniplex, Asmik Ace, Beyond C., dentsu, TOKYO MX.
For Black and White, this is less represented by the fact that they are orphans and more by the nature of their relationship to each other. They are grounding forces for each other, tethers to the natural realm, so that the hardships they experience don’t overtake them. We’re meant to think that just because the local police and yakuza are aware of them, that older gangs respect them, that these two are heroes. In truth, they are merely clinging to the only thing they have with Black specifically using the trouble that occurs as an outlet for his internal darkness. As the narrative expands and starts to include the yakuza and then the enigmatic Snake (voiced by Masahiro Motoki), we begin to see that the film is less about children being children and more about the cruelty of the world when it finds a new use for a person, place, or thing. Tekkonkinkreet transforms rather quickly from a tale of two kids into an exploration of the way modernity steamrolls and destroys anything deemed antiquated or no longer able to be profitable. This is, of course, the primary justification for the violence that occurs — to either protect what is or to transform into what could be. And justification is only ever a thing that a self-perception creates. Whereas other tales might try to position the protagonists and antagonists as opposites, here, they are the same, just from a different perspective. It doesn’t make Snake any more likeable or understandable, but it does help ensure that the audience doesn’t blind themselves to who Black could be if he and White continue on their path, especially when the Minotaur, a warped version of Black’s self-perception, arrives and the chance of true ruination arises — the real threat to Black and White.
Black voiced by Kazunari Ninomiya in TEKKONKINKREET. Photo courtesy of GKIDS Films. © 2006 Taiyo Matsumoto/Shogakukan, Aniplex, Asmik Ace, Beyond C., dentsu, TOKYO MX.
Tekkonkinkreet is a startling, moving, thrilling, and surprising experience. What one initially thinks is going to be a simple tale of Lost Boys running amok transforms rather quickly into a rumination of the value of relationships and the ways that society falls when we forget this. This is a story made more poignant by the medium used, the animation affording Arias the ability to blend reality and imagination so that Black and White seem like superheroes or, at the very least, transcendent children in the way they leap across roof tops, fly across the sky, or otherwise bend reality to their needs. You can’t do this in live action in a way that wouldn’t reduce who they are or the severity of the comedown when reality is all they have left. Tekkonkinkreet holds the potential to break your heart and mend it, so be careful before you watch in whichever format you choose.
Tekkonkinkreet Special Features:
- The Making of Tekkonkinkreet: Director Michael Arias’ 300 Day Diary
- A Conversation with Director Michael Arias and British Music Duo PLAID
- Filmmaker Commentary with Director Michael Arias
- Original Japanese Trailer
- Original U.S. Trailer
Available on 4K UHD and Blu-ray September 1st, 2026.
For more information, head to the official GKIDS Films Tekkonkinkreet webpage.
To purchase, head to the official GKIDS Store Tekkonkinkreet webpage.
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Categories: Home Release, Home Video, Recommendation, Reviews
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