Ask John: Is There a Sequel to Kite?

Question:
I know that Yasuomi Umetsu’s next work is Mezzo Forte. I have no idea what it’s about, and I would just like some background information on it. It looks pretty cool, but I have no idea what it’s about or anything like that.

Answer:
Mezzo Forte is a 2 episode OAV series side-story to Kite. It occurs in the same city, during the same time period as Kite, and even features a brief cameo appearance from Sawa (the main character of Kite), but is not directly related to Kite in any way. Without giving away any spoilers, the story revolves around a small team of “jack of all trade” professionals- a former cop, a mechanically inclined young man, and a young female weapons and martial arts specialist, who find themselves in over their heads when they’re hired to kidnap the ruthless boss of a local crime family. The tone of Mezzo Forte is much lighter than that of Kite, featuring some very sharp humor and wit, and also a brighter “look” to the animation and settings. On the other hand, Mezzo Forte is arguably more brutal and hard boiled than Kite in the regard that everyone and everything in Mezzo Forte seems teetered on the verge of sudden death or sudden, explosive violence performed with casual ease and virtual apathy. While the violence of Kite was shocking because of its dramatic impact, violence in Mezzo Forte makes an impact exactly because it seems to be so totally normal and routine. Also in the style of Kite, although secondary to character and story development, Mezzo Forte does contain two extended and very graphic sex scenes. As though creator/director Yasuomi Umetsu had learned from his experience with the American edits performed on Kite, the first of the two sex scenes in Mezzo Forte is a dream sequence having no direct impact on the story or character development. Seemingly Umetsu intentionally created the sequence in such a way as to allow it to be easily edited out of the American general release version.

In virtually every respect, Mezzo Forte seems to be a thematically exaggerated and more sophisticated version of Kite. While there’s not quite as much gunplay in Mezzo Forte as there is in Kite, the action in Mezzo Forte is more highly stylized and choreographed (to excellent effect); Mezzo Forte is funnier, and faster paced than Kite; and Mezzo Forte seems to take the world-weary attitude of Kite and expand it until it seems almost like a character itself rather than an atmosphere. Mezzo Forte may not have the shock value of Kite’s moral decrepitude, but is overall a stronger, more deliberate and more cinematic work than Kite. If you’re a fan of Kite, expect to see a different but equally if not more entertaining film in Mezzo Forte.

Media Blasters has announced that Mezzo Forte will be released in America on VHS and DVD in an uncut adults-only version and in a general release version shortened by 5 minutes.