Mezzo forte (1998) (V)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Yasuomi Umetsu

Release Date:

1998 (Japan)

Genre:

Animation | Crime | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

Double the Girls, Double the Guns!! For Mikura, danger is routine and killing is just like breathing...

Plot Keywords:

Gun | Bodyguard | Vicious | Danger | Underworld

Cast

Tomoko Kotani	...	Mikura Suzuki
Takumi Yamazaki	...	Tomohisa Harada
Taichirô Hirokawa	...	Kenichi Kurokawa
Shôzô Îzuka	...	Momokichi Momoi
Akemi Okamura	...	Momomi Momoi
Norio Wakamoto	...	Hirooka
Shinichirô Miki
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Bob Bobson	...	Guy In The Toilet Stall, Bodyguards (voice: English version)
Ivan Buckley	...	Kurokawa (voice: English version) (as Felix Cooper)
Marie Court	...	Mikura (during love scene) (voice: English version)
Melissa Fahn	...	Mikura (voice: English version) (as Tina Dixon)
Lynn Fischer	...	Momomi (voice: English version)
Melvin Katt	...	Detective (voice: English version)
William Knight	...	Emoto (voice: English version) (as William Frederick Knight)
Lex Lang	...	Bodyguard (voice: English version)
Sean Mitchell	...	Harada (voice: English version)
Bob Papenbrook	...	Momokichi Momoi (voice: English version) (as John Smallberries)
Tony Pope	...	Bob / Announcer / Bodyguard (voice: English version) (as Anthony Mozdy)
Jamieson Price	...	Hirooka, Bodyguard B (voice: English version) (as James Lyon)
Michelle Ruff	...	Sex Robot, Little Girl, Waitress (voice: English version)
Herman Schurman	...	Bodyguards (voice: English version)
Peter Spellos	...	Rob, Bodyguards (voice: English version) (as G. Gordon Baer)
Doug Stone	...	Tagami, Bodyguards, Urinal Guy (voice: English version) (as David Orosco)

Directed by
Yasuomi Umetsu

Original Music by
Tooru Shura

Art Department
Kôichirô Nagano	....	color key

Animation Department
Tatsuya Abe	....	animator
Masaji Andoo	....	animator
Takayuki Gorai	....	animator
Takehiro Hamatsu	....	animator
Nobuo Horii	....	animator
Kunihiko Inoue	....	animator
Shinji Ishihama	....	animator
Shuichi Kaneko	....	animator
Yoshitaka Katô	....	animator
Kazuya Komai	....	animator
Masahiro Kôyama	....	animator
Hiroshi Kyouai	....	animator
Hideo Maru	....	animator
Aguri Matsumoto	....	animator
Tsutomu Miyazawa	....	animator
Takaharu Moriyama	....	animator
Minoru Murao	....	animator
Mitsunori Murata	....	animator
Kazuto Nakazawa	....	animator
Takahiro Nishioka	....	animator
Hiroshi Ogawa	....	animator
Masakazu Okada	....	animator
Toyohiro Okada	....	animator
Akira Ôtsuka	....	animator
Fumihide Sai	....	animator
Jersey Sawa	....	animator
Masahiro Sekiguchi	....	animator
Rin Shin	....	animator
Yuji Takahashi	....	animator
Masae Tanabe	....	animator
Takahiro Tanaka	....	animator
Yasuomi Umetsu	....	animator
Yasuomi Umetsu	....	character design/animation director
Mayumi Watanabe	....	animator
Motoyoshi Yagi	....	animator

Editorial Department
Kimiko Kitazawa	....	color coordinator
Ryôta Tanaka	....	color coordinator

Production Companies

• Green Bunny

Distributors

• Central Park Media Corporation (I) (II) (????) (USA) (DVD)
• Kitty Media (2001) (USA) (VHS)
• Media Blasters (2001) (USA) (DVD)

Runtime:

60 min (2 parts)

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Certification:

New Zealand:R16 | Chile:18 | Spain:18 | UK:18 | Argentina:16 | Peru:18 | USA:Not Rated | Australia:MA

Company:

Green Bunny

Movie Connections:

Followed by "Mezzo DSA" (2003)

An adult tale with a sci-fi touch – 60 minutes of non-stop medley

"Kite" is a much darker tale, of course. This one is done to make fun.

The official DVD (that we have here, in Russia) has an interview with Mr Yasuomi Umetsu who tells that "Mezzo Forte" was supposed to be a serial with the elements of horror, sci-fi, comedy, action, etc. He also acknowledges that it has drawbacks (he points out that he had to make quite a number of drawings himself, which was exhausting). So, this anime has it all actually (drawbacks included). It lacks substantial character and story development, but it has some cute action scenes. What we have is, in my rumble opinion, a medley. The shootout in the bowling club is a messy funky dance. The adult scenes are adult indeed. Instead of this, though, more crazy gunfights would be better. The robotic theme has its futuristic sense. One more thing: the anime has some pleasant screen shots (a red-haired girl with a bowling ball in her hand, the same girl with a shotgun pointed on the viewer, etc.) and the DVD has some extras (plus a good Russian soundtrack). Not much more to mention. By the way, in Russia the DVD cover has a small notice typed: "not recommended to persons under 18" (while there is absolutely no obstacle for a child to buy this official offensive release).

It is 6 out of 10, while, though it is fun to some extent, it lacks rewatchability potential. Thanks for attention.