EDIT: So I've finally come to peace with this picture. At first the cell shady parts drove me nuts, but then I remembered, you know, that's kind of what I was going for all along. I prefer the paintier interior, but I was trying to maintain the theme from the movie of superflat physical landscapes with the dark, pregnant colors of the emotional realm.
So ya, while the cartoony parts still strike me as weak, I did, none the less, accomplish what I set out to create.

Meh....I guess it's ok. People seem to like it, but I don't pretend that it's not because Tekkon is a damn masterpiece...






In a Disney Princess lunchbox world, Tekkon Kinkreet is the proof that, somewhere, somehow, animation is still alive and well.

Just when you think you've seen absolutely every anime, even the most obscure tentacle porn on the movie store shelf, you accidentally stumble onto a gem. I. LOVE. THIS. MOVIE. I cannot praise it enough.

This is anime at it's very best; Let go of Pokemon, watch Tekkon Kinkreet. For me, this movie is perfection, incorporating all of my personal faves! Japanese folklore, yakuza in their crisp whites, visually luscious Osakan urban decay, and rapturous introspective climaxes. The lovely soundtrack is full of heart, the animation is full of love.

You could call me a bit of a purist in terms of anime, I like a very strict line drawn between Eastern and Western animation. This is not because I don't deem North American anime as real or legitimate, but rather it's because I fell this distinction helps to one to appreciate the fascinating ebb and flow of Oriental/Occidental inspiration. Since the dawn of time, we've inspired them, they inspire us. Impressionist art was inspired by the art of the floating world. Japanese school uniforms, to this very day, date back to a emulation of Western ways.
This has always fascinated me, and is another way I find Tekkon to be so exquisite. Tekkon Kinkreet was the first "anime" to be directed by an American. This movie represents a coming together of rival creative forces.

This is my tribute to Black, White, and the phantasmagoria of Treasure Town. Thank you, Michael Arias, thank you Taiyo Matsumoto.

In terms of vision and execution, this isn't what I had in mind. I was going for a kind of ying-yang thing, which I'm not quite sure entirely comes across, and the technique I was using kind of deteriorated at the end... oh well.

Also, thanks everybody for the 35,000 pageviews!! YAAAAA! WOOHOOO!! I'M ON TOP OF A MOUNTAIN! I'M THE KING OF THE WOOOOORLD!!! Now, if only I could get rid of his rash life would be perfect.