"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.
