Kite and Mezzo Forte - violent action classics

[kabuki]

I grabbed the Director's uncut versions of Kite and Mezzo Forte last week (damn was it hard to find a store online that had both in stock at a reasonable price!). I watched Kite first, but it was late at night so I was kind of out of it when watching it... so I'll save comments on that until I re-watch it this week.

Mezzo Forte, on the other hand, I watched with a few of my friends when I was fully awake I gotta say, I absolutely loved this movie (well, two part OVA). The scene in the bowling alley was worth the $23 alone !! The extreme violence, the guns and kicks and all kinds of crazy shit that went on was just plain cool. If you like action anime, you have to see Mezzo Forte.

A note on the Mezzo Forte Director's cut - The first sex scene didn't add anything at all to the story. The second sex scene didn't add much to the story except to make you really really pissed off at the bad guys, so I guess it works... but I'd say research it and see if the sex scenes were all that was cut from the show, if hentai isn't your thing (it isn't my thing, but I don't want to buy edited anime either).

So yeah, go buy Mezzo Forte !!!!!

Anyone else like to share their thoughts ??
- Kabuki

[Freeter]

The sex scenes added nothing to Mezzo. IMO it was better off without them(they felt really out of place).

I have yet to see the Director's Cut of Kite, but I read a list of what got cut(some of it I understand why it was necessary). Regular Kite was fine with me though.

[lee vicious]

Yasuomi Umetsu is The current God of all things action. Too bad we have to wait 2 to 3 years for every new project of his too emerge. Rumormill says he might be workin on Kite 2, hopefully with the (lee shudders violently) word of a (shudders again) live action version of Kite (wasnt that called "The Professional"??) being worked on...this will help him get the true follow up completed. I also wouldnt mind a Mezzo series..but that wont happen.

lee

Yasuomi love reminds me of Jog...whered he run off to??

[Station]

Yeah, I was wondering if the sex scenes at all changed the face of the plot/story in Mezzo-forte. If it doesn't I'd rather just go with the regular version.

[Lordmrw]

Uh, you realize you could have went to newbury Comics in the Providence Place Mall and gotten Mezzo Forte Director's Cut for $20? I think the Kite Director's Cut was the same price.

[CynicalSphere]

I haven't seen Mezzo Forte, but Kite was an overdone, gratuitous, senseless pile of shit. I don't care if it was violent and intense, it was stupid and managed to constantly destroy any suspension of disbelief that I managed to muster in the first place.

But hey, I guess bigger explosions will make some people pop a woody, so that must be why it's so popular. It's sure not anything having to do with telling a story.

[lee vicious]

Sometimes you just need some mindlessly violent, beautifully choreographed and sexily animated action in your diet. And believe you me...no one does it better than Umetsu. Course maybe its just not your thing Cynic...or are you just fitting into character....sometimes its hard to tell.

lee

[2D4EVER]

Haven't seen Mezzo but it looks good. I'd get it but it's pretty low on my list of anime DVDs to get now. I have been out of the loop for a while. Anyway I know where Jog went to. He's over at the horror forum. You like horror movies? Go there and post. And they have a good review or two also. If you don't know the site.

Later all...

[CynicalSphere]

Originally posted by lee vicious
Sometimes you just need some mindlessly violent, beautifully choreographed and sexily animated action in your diet. And believe you me...no one does it better than Umetsu. Course maybe its just not your thing Cynic...or are you just fitting into character....sometimes its hard to tell.

Lee, there is no "character" for me. I'm admittedly not the most tactful person you'll ever meet and I can be abrasive and brash, but I don't ever put on an act.

I don't really know what I would call Kite, other than an "exercise in mindless excess." I mean, there's a a point where onscreen action goes from "Wow, cool!" to "Was THAT necessary?" to "Oh, give me a fucking break!" Maybe it is personal preference, but I've always preferred Riding Bean or the original Vampire Hunter D or other action anime that at least know when to say "OK, that's going a bit too far." Kite goes so far with the violence and action that it starts getting into unintentional humor at times, and that's what I despise about it so much. Sometimes less is more in an action show.

I will give you kudos, though, at least you're telling me that Kite is mindless action (and I can see why people like it in that respect, my teasing aside). I can't count the number of people who have told me that I "don't understand Kite's underlying themes." (Give me a break, there's nothing to not understand.)

And as a side note, I can't find Umetsu's films sexy. His characters look stark, even freakish to me. Personal preference here, but I don't find his characters sexy at all. If it's even possible, I find his characters almost as freakish than Masami Obarii's...

[alan_fatima]

And as a side note, I can't find Umetsu's films sexy. His characters look stark, even freakish to me. Personal preference here, but I don't find his characters sexy at all. If it's even possible, I find his characters almost as freakish than Masami Obarii's...

Uhmm...I'm thinking Verbal didn't mean "sexy animation" as in it gets him all hot and bothered. Sexy is often used as slang for "pleasing to the eyes" or just all around neat. So what Verbal is saying here (in stick-in-the-mud talk) is "Indubitably, this animation is quite fluid, and most pleasing to my visual receivers. More tea and crumpets?"