A tribute to one of my favourite animated film Tekkonkinkreet, based on the manga by Taiyo Matsumoto. Featured here is Black with a dead look in his eyes and a static pose as he goes from being a child and starting to grow up and realise that the world is not just black and white. The scratches in the Kanji 'black' behind him represents the hardships and rough times he experienced.

I was very stunned by the film's sublime visuals and characters. But most importantly the film reminded me of growing up.

 While growing up I started to see and understand things I haven't noticed or seen before. I started to lose the childlike wonder I once had and the rose tinted glasses shattered into a million pieces and punctured my eyes . Let loose on to the 'real world' I realised that the world is not just black and white, exposed to the extremes I became conflicted, saw both good and evil and I was put in the unfamiliar territory of the grey time and again.

Growing up can be both disillusioning and discouraging. I can soldier on and outgrow the shock and pain or fall into despair and be swallowed whole.

 I choose the former, or at least I think I did.