In the anime Tekkonkinkreet, two orphans of life's storms sail through the air like birds, like superheroes, like Jackie Chan.

Borrowing in equal measures from innocuous child fantasies and Street Fighter, the colorfully imaginative world of Tekkonkinkreet has its fair share of marvels.

Somewhat resembles Paprika, another recent piece of Japanimation. But director Michael Arias, a Tokyo-based American, doesn't fuse his striking graphics to a story anywhere near as satisfying.

Tekkonkinreet is of a piece with other anime efforts set in urban areas, even as its visual style offers some separation from the rest of the pack.