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A Kite (Anime) add (All reviews)
Aug 16, 2015
Mixed Feelings
I remember first seeing this when I was 12. My mom let me rent it from blockbuster without checking the rating, and I watched it that weekend. At the time I didn't understand much of it, so I never put it on my completed list. I did like it a lot (probably because it was gory and had fight scenes) back then though. So how do I feel about it 9 years later?

First off, the story isn't anything new. Even for its time, the concept of an assassin group raising teenagers/kids into killers was far from novel. I do feel that this OVA was a contribution towards the better anime of the genre that would follow in later years (Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom and Gunslinger Girl to name a couple). There were many scenes that had me in disbelief, and one scene in particular involving twins was not thought out at all. The ending fit the OVA, but the execution of it and the open end left much to be desired.

The characters are barely passable, and don't have any development. At times their actions are downright unbelievable. I had a hard time understanding if the protagonists were trained assassins or not, as they made a lot of questionable choices when going after their targets. The antagonists fare slightly better only because they are meant to be seen as rotten to the core, so they do evil things like you would expect.

The art quality hasn't stood the test of time. It's not necessarily ugly, but unpolished. The animation has stood it's ground much better, and I was surprised at how well the characters moved and how convincingly the flesh... ripped. This OVA is definitely gory.

On a side note, this OVA is classified as a hentai. This is literally true, as there are a handful of sex scenes sprinkled throughout the total runtime of 50 something minutes. Yet, it doesn't feel like one. It is uncensored and graphic, but the scenes only last a minute at most. Despite what some people say, most of the sex scenes weren't necessary. Still, as long as you are mature enough to handle these scenes they shouldn't detract from the show. Just don't come here to get your jollies off, because it ain't happenin buddy (If it is happening with minute long sex scenes, you might want to get that checked out...). Surprisingly, the only scene of this I remember from seeing this as a kid was the guy shooting the basketball. You would think as a child with barely any exposure to sex that the sex would have stuck with me, huh?

Before I wrap this up, I'd like to talk about the sound. Perhaps it is a bias of mine, but I felt that the jazz BGM was a great fit for such a dreary OVA. I am a big fan of jazz music, but it has always seemed to suit dreary fiction set in cities. Meh, maybe it's just me. Either way, I don't see much wrong with the BGMs and think they were the best thing to come out of this.

All things considered this is worth a watch solely if you like gritty and violent stories. Of course I'm including fans of the assassin genre in that category, as this is a kick to watch if you want to see one of the bricks that helped build the genre to be capable of producing some original, quality entertainment. Unfortunately, this is neither original nor quality, but it still manages to entertain most of the way through.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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