News and Hearsay

Aside from a tongue twister of a tittle, Tekkonkinkreet has to be one of the most relaxing anime, I have seen in a while. Actually all Hayao Miyazaki anime have that effect for me too. But Tekkonkinkreet takes this endorphin releasing effect to a whole new level.

Let me start off by saying that if you watch enough anime, you notice that not only are they subdivided into genres, but they are also divided even further based on the drawing styles. In fact, I am willing to bet that there anime fans that are really partial to shows like Denno Coil, Tekkonkinkreet, Cowboy bebop and most of Hayao Miyazaki's works, while on the other hand there are those interested in anything by Clamp.

I don't know what proper term for shows like Tekkonkinkreet can accurately group them. Shows where there is an almost sickening attention to detail when it comes to the environment. In Tekkonkinkreet one can tell there is more time and talent invested in the environment than character design. And I don't think that would bother anyone once they are immersed in the glorious world of Tekkonkinkreet.

Calling it an attention to detail is really an insulting understatement, when you consider that in a certain scene you notice pointless details like rust on a tank of propane. Or you see the tell-tale signs of hard water on toilet drains. All these microscopic details all add up to paint a contradictory mixture of rusticity and sophistication.

What I find ironic, is that I drool at the sight of the environment, while I loathe dirty public areas in the real world. The environment from Tekkonkinkreet was inspired by real locations. Oddly enough photographs of these places don't compare to their 2-dimensional renditions nor are they relaxing.