Animatrix Director to Produce Animated Movie Based on "Black and White" manga

[ChaoofNee]

According to an article in Big Comic Spirits Magazine (on the same page as the previously mentioned article about Maison Ikkoku), a Black & White animated movie, based on Taiyo Matsumoto's manga, is planned for release in 2007. It is directed by Animatrix producer Michael Arias and animated by Studio 4C. The manga was serialised in Pulp and is available from Viz.

In a short interview, Matsumoto says that 10 Years ago he received a 30-second Black & White animation by Michael Arias. He was really impressed, moved to tears even, so he has high expectations for the upcoming movie.

I've always wanted to read this manga... has anyone?

[BEBOPlover]

I've read all three volumes and enjoyed them enough to hold on to them permanently. It was a few months back, but I'll give the best synopsis possible.

Black and White are the protagonists who "guard" a city of Tokyo. They are well-known and feared, even though their age together does not add up to 21 (White, I think, is seven-years-old). Black is the tormented of the two. He seeks out violent confrontations on a daily basis and seems disgusted with society as a whole. Black and White--the Yin to one another's Yang.

The minor characters do entertain and raise the three-volume set above a mediocre, typical tale of "young boys run rampant causing pointless violence." There is compassion from the undercover cops. They wish to help Black and White, and rid the streets of the Yakuza. The Yakuza characters are not there as fodder for Black and White to pick on. The one named Rat in particualar has extraordinary changes in his character throughout the trilogy.

The third book is so well-done it actually makes the first two books better then they initially seem (have no fear, they're awesome).

I highly recommend you track all three books down, but don't read them out of order. Also, look for his other works Blue Spring and NO. 5.