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Crowdfunding Begins for 10th Anniversary Tekkonkinkreet Storyboard Book
posted on by Amanda Whalen
In order to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the anime film Tekkonkinkreet, STUDIO4℃ has launched a crowdfunding campaign to create a new Tekkonkinkreet Film Storyboard Book, tentatively slated for release on September 6 ("Kuro's day"—a pun on the Japanese pronunciation of the date). The book will include all 12 volumes of the storyboards for the film and will feature cover art drawn by character designer and supervising animation director Shōjirō Nishimi.
Crowdfunding began July 13 on STUDIO4℃'s website and will run until August 12 at 9:00 p.m. JST. If the funding goal of 800,000 yen (about US$7,590) is reached before the cut-off time, the storyboard book will be produced, along with a 10th anniversary T-shirt and folder. Those who contribute 2,500 yen (about US$23.72) will receive the storybook and folder, while those who contribute 4,000 yen (about US$38.75) will receive the storybook, folder, and T-shirt.
Also, a special Tekkonkinkreet 10th anniversary exhibit opened at the Fukushima Sakura Yugakusha museum on April 6 ("Shiro's day"—another pun) and will be open until July 31. It includes a variety of production items, such as key frames, image boards, character designs, and background art. STUDIO4℃ also has plans for a September 6 event in the Kansai region of Japan, but has not yet revealed any details.
Animatrix producer Michael Arias directed Tekkonkinkreet, and it premiered in Japan in 2006. Based on Taiyo Matsumoto's original manga, it follows two orphans, Shiro and Kuro, as they try to protect their home, the fictional city of Treasure Town. It has won multiple awards, including the Japanese Academy Prize for Feature Animation of the Year and awards at film festivals in Belgium, Italy, Spain, and Canada.
