Viz Media Announces Release Of Edgy Manga Tekkonkinkreet: Black & White By Taiyo Matsumoto
VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced the highly anticipated release of an omnibus edition compiling the edgy and controversial manga series TEKKONKINKREET: BLACK & WHITE, by acclaimed creator Taiyo Matsumoto, on September 25. The manga, which is being offered by VIZ Media’s Signature imprint, is also the inspiration behind the new TEKKONKINKREET anime feature film from Sony Pictures directed by noted visual effects artist and producer Michael Arias (The Abyss, Princess Mononoke, The Animatrix).
TEKKONKINKREET: BLACK & WHITE bundles all three volumes of the original series along with a color poster insert and 12 special full-color manga pages - the first time these pages will be published in the U.S. An insightful interview with Michael Arias and screenwriter Anthony Weintraub is also featured in the foreword. TEKKONKINKREET: BLACK & WHITE is rated ‘M’ for Mature Audiences and will retail for $29.95.
TEKKONKINKREET: BLACK & WHITE presents a gritty depiction of urban and social decay surrounding a pair of outcasts who somehow find hope and redemption. Orphaned on the mean streets of Treasure Town, street kids Black and White must mug, steal and fight to survive but are fiercely loyal to each other. Black is especially quick to avenge any slight against his dim-witted pal White. The result? The citizens of Treasure Town are afraid of them, the police are afraid of them, and even the local yakuza gangsters are afraid of them! But when a crime boss known as the “Rat” returns to Treasure Town, a confrontation is destined to occur!
Taiyo Matsumoto has won international critical acclaim for his rough and often-unflinching depictions of disaffected youth drawn in an unconventional and surrealist art style he developed after a visit to France and exposure to artists like Moebius. His manga works, including BLUE SPRING and NO. 5 (both published by VIZ Media), offer a unique art style that reflects both Japanese and European influences. Another of Matsumoto’s manga, PING PONG, was made into an award-winning live action film that is being released domestically by VIZ Pictures.
‘Taiyo Matsumoto is one of the most important of a new generation of manga artists that have emerged in the last decade and TEKKONKINKREET: BLACK & WHITE is one of his most powerful works,’ states Elizabeth Kawasaki, Editorial Director, VIZ Media. ‘Matsumoto is unique in his ability to seamlessly blend Japanese and Western art styles and storytelling techniques in such a compelling and visceral manner. We are excited and privileged to offer a gorgeous omnibus presentation of BLACK & WHITE with never before seen color manga pages. The volume also serves as a wonderful complement to the new TEKKONKINKREET anime feature from Sony. This manga is definitely not a title to miss!’