Tekkonkinkreet (2006)

While I was looking in blockbuster one Friday night for Pineapple Express, my girlfriend chose Tekkonkinkreet as her movie for the night. I have no idea why I was so enthusiastic about watching an Apatow related stoner comedy (but I was.) Perhaps it was because I saw a commercial for Pinnaple Express only a few hours before and trudged my way to blockbuster just to rent it. Tekkonkinkreet is an Japanese animated movie from Studio 4C (The Animatrix).Studio 4c prides itself on straddeling the gap between mainstream animation and independent credibility. The story written by Taiyō Matsumoto revolves around two orphans who protect a decaying metropolis from professional gangsters, street thugs and aliens. While the plot is simple, the charm of Tekkonkinkreet lies in its depiction of dense urban lifestyle and magical action from each of the characters. Additionally, the inner dialogue between all of the characters (side and major) is astounding to the point of poetic. This film ranks in the upper echelons of anime which did not make me fall asleep drooling on the floor. I watched Tekkonkinkreet immediatly following Pinnaple Express. Some of you few readers maybe wondering how the Apatow related stoner comedy faired with his other movies (or even against the broader scope of buddy comedy action). Let me just say everything works out in the end with the majority of laughs front-loaded against a ungodly long climax. Maybe next time Apatow.