Mezzo Forte

Mezzo Forte is my favorite non-arthouse hentai anime of all time. That's not exactly a category most people hold in high esteem, but I'm saying this anime is damn good for what it is. Despite being a porno, Mezzo actually has one of my favorite action scenes in all of anime. I won't spoil everything, but it takes place at a bowling alley and involves bowling balls filled with plastic explosives. This hentai is insane!

I get a lot of unusual comments on my MAL profile. It takes a lot to really get a rise out of me. However, the other week somebody left a comment ... saying how cruel and unfair I've been in my reviews towards Studio Arms. At first I was utterly baffled by this statement. My favorite anime of all time is an Arms anime and I'm not exactly subtle about my affection for it. I don't think they made good anime on average, but I love Arms in the same way that I love Troma. They made shit that absolutely nobody else would make and didn't care what people thought. Then I realized that back in 2014 I wrote a review that was very unfair to Mezzo! I was probably just in a really bad mood because med school tends to do that. So to apologize to Mezzo and that random Arms fanboy, I'm writing this revaluation.

Mezzo shares a lot of DNA with director Yasuomi Umetsu's other hentai Kite. However, Mezzo is far more tonally consistent and commits fully to cheesy action rather than tragic drama. I definitely think this fits Umetsu better given his directorial style and visual aesthetic. Mr. Umetsu is not exactly the most subtle animator in anime history. He tends to love massive explosions, impossible amounts of ketchup blood, and very wild expressions. Most younger MAL users probably haven't seen Kite or Mezzo. Those 2 Ovas aren't exactly viewed as essential classics. However, everyone has seen the first episode of Elfen Lied. Or at least you've seen some Youtube AMV set to "Animal" by 3 Days Grace. Well, that's Umetsu! That is his style in a nutshell. While Umetsu's style makes for unusual drama, it makes for absolutely hilarious comedy. Mezzo is 2 episodes of boobs, blood, and the most over the top ass kicking possible. Every second you will either be laughing or thinking "that was fucking awesome!"

The story of Mezzo isn't going to win any awards, but this is a porno. I would be pretty stupid to spend time complaining that the plot of a porno isn't perfect. Still, it does have some bizarre moments that are pretty funny. For example, the main assassin girl realizes halfway through the OVA that her target is her twin sister. However, she doesn't figure it out in a normal way. Instead, she suddenly has a flash of unexplained psychic powers and telepathy that are never brought up again. Also, sentient sex robots exist in this universe, so the film grinds to a screeching halt to explain in excruciating detail how to clean out the sex robots and remove old semen. Umetsu definitely takes some heavy drugs when he writes. There's no getting around that. However, none of this stops Mezzo from being the most amusing action hentai around!

Should you watch Mezzo Forte! YES! It's on Youtube right now with the 2 brief sex scenes cut out. Trust me, you really aren't missing anything. Neither of the sex scenes have any impact on the plot. One scene is just a dream sequence and the other involves a robot and 2 random henchmen. Amazingly, none of the main characters actually have sex in this entire hentai! If you're feeling bored and want some schlock entertainment, this is a must watch OVA and it's only 2 episodes!

Hey this short, 2 episode OVA isn't bad at all. It's a bit like "Kite", except it's just BETTER. Slicker, funnier, more exciting action sequences... and just generally... better!

"Mezzo Forte" is a stylish gangster anime, kind of reminiscent of a retro 70/80's TV series, containing guns, explosions... more guns, more explosions etc etc. The action is somewhat over the top, - these people seem to be harder than the walls judging from the way the walls collapse when they fly into them, but still... it's all good fun.

Like I said, there are striking similarities between "Mezzo Forte" and "Kite". Since the came studio is ... behind both, I guess this isn't really so much of a surprise. The art style between the two is very similar for one thing, and in fact, in an early scene, one of the background characters looks just like Sawa from "Kite". They are so similar that I wonder whether it's meant to be Sawa making a cameo. The style of the over the top action is also similar, but "Mezzo Forte" falls more on the "stylish" side of the fence rather than the "absurd" like "Kite" does. I was given quite a shock when "Mezzo Forte" turned into a pr0n show half way through, which I really wasn't expecting, and I guess this is something else shared between "Kite" and "Mezzo Forte". But "Kite" has a dark tone throughout, whereas "Mezzo Forte" is much more light and upbeat, so those scenes feel much more out of place in the latter. I gathered that there's a cut version for this anime, but I guess that isn't the version I managed to get my hands on :P

The story of "Mezzo Forte" isn't bad, but parts of it could have been better as it sets the viewer up to expect bigger plot point than it actually has. Overall, it's a show that is style over substance, brawn over brains, but hey, it's clearly not trying to be anything else. It does succeed mostly on what it's trying to achieve, and if you're looking for an entertaining action flick, this might be right up your street.

Gunna be honest here; I only watched it for the hentai. :x It's infamous for it's hentai scenes (only 2 in the whole movie) and they're probably the most detailed and extravagant animated porn I've seen.
Story was ok. Wasn't great...wasn't bad either. Animation all around was great.

Mezzo Forte is a whole lot different from A Kite, as it deals with a special group called the Danger Service Agency. It’s used to stop criminals from causing havoc on the streets and in this case, they need to stop a mob boss by the name of Momokichi Momoi, who is a mob boss that owns a baseball team. Only thing that stops in the way of this is the daughter, Momomi Momoi. The DSA, on the other hand, is led by Kenichi Kurokawa. He used to be an ex-cop that loves noodles, but is now joined by the likes of Mikura Suzuki (who ... almost looks like Sawa from Kite) and the technical expert, Tomohisa Harada.

Throughout the likes of pure action, violence and sex, this movie differs from Kite in some ways. Most of the lead character’s interaction in Forte is with Kenichi and Momomi, whereas an old man that we do not know seems to know more about Momokichi than the DSA itself. The storyline gets good in the beginning of the first episode with most of the action and occasional dream sequences taking place in the first half hour. Yet when the second episode arrives, it does start to slow down and in the third of the episode, it does make you ask more questions about what goes on between Kenichi, Momomi and Mikura.

Either way, in the future, I’ll have to watch Mezzo DSA to see if anything has changed up from Mezzo Forte. This still is a good anime, but it does lack in some parts, as far as the second half’s storytelling go.