Mezzo Complete Collection

The original Mezzos (and Kite) were dark crime noir and almost sickening to watch, despite the excellent animation.

This is really neat storytelling in that they re-cast the characters as different people in a similar world. It's something done a lot in Japanese manga, I forgot the name, but it's equivalent to using the same actor in different fictions, like Harrison Ford going from Han Solo to Indiana Jones. The pink haired gun bunny is the central character, a backup thug is now a tech guy, a crime boss is now the head of the agency... Oh, and even minor characters have their parts. One girl who showed up for what, 3 seconds?, as a sicko's rape victim in "Kite" is now the 'shy girl learning to be tough' growth story sidekick.

And, yeah, it's a "TV Series" to get some bucks. So what? Neat show and a lot of fun. I ordinarily don't like 'crime/action' stuff that much, but make an exception here.

I'll start by saying that this anime is too long. There are way too many episodes in this series. I know what you're thinking. Thirteen is the absolute lowest an anime can go without becoming an OVA. And that's exactly my point. The last few episodes is where the gold is in this anime, and really a lot of the episodes never followed any real story line. This would have been a great OVA, had they done some episode editing.

Case in point, the first episode is about ghosts (with another episode later on also being about a ghost), the second is about aliens, the third about biological disasters, another episode deals with androids, and another with virtual reality. Though it all follows in line with the concept of the anime, it doesn't progress the story line in any way. In fact, two of the episodes, the last two on the first disc, goes back to the much more dangerous and adult Mezzo Forte in the form of flashbacks. You'd think this a good thing, but the obvious difference between the two makes the Mezzo series look terrible beside its prologue, Mezzo Forte. The animation quality in Mezzo Forte was just too good.

That's not to say that this anime was all bad. The characters, for one, are hilarious. Mikura is the gunslinger/beautiful-chick that is common in this genre who gets a certain amount of pleasure out of the violence she dishes out. Kurokawa is an ex-cop who knows the darker side of his former job, and who also loves to eat noodles, and Harada is the brains of the bunch, who seems to have a crush on Mikura that never comes through in the story. Also, there are the weird Black Scissors, a gang of assassins and underworld thugs; little Asami, the protege; a mysterious assassin that was seemingly hired to kill Kurokawa, but by who?; and a cat-faced police chief who supplies the DSA with their ammunition.

The story also isn't that bad, when it finally kicks in. Without spoiling much, the last five episodes involves a look into the underworld as well as a peak into the world of crooked cops. The story itself is driven by action packed scenes--gun fights, fist fights, explosions, car chases, and the like--along with a lot of comedy, even when it starts to get serious. The common theme in every episode, however, is that the DSA (Danger Service Agency) will accept any dangerous job given them, for a price.

I can't recommend this anime for the casual fan. Even the value of the box set wouldn't make it worth someone who has only watched the anime on Adult Swim. I also can't recommend it to anyone who enjoyed Mezzo Forte, as the face-lift this series had to go through to make it more "watch-able" seems to alienate it from its much more violent and sex-filled prologue. However, if you enjoyed the cut version of Forte, and you're curious about the characters left behind, then I can recommend this. I can also recommend this for anyone who like solid action with little nonsense.

Mikura, Kurokawa, and Harada are the 3 members of a business called The Danger Service Agency. They take on all kinds of jobs no matter how hard, as long as it will buy them dinner. They get requests like guard duty, evictions, "package" transport, and some even more dangerous jobs. Every now and then they get in over their heads. Fortunately, Mikura is a bad chick. When the going gets tough she employs her karate, and her signature kick to the junk maneuver.

After several of these high profile jobs, The DSA is on the mafia's hit list, and even on the bad side of some powerful and corrupt cops. Things get pretty dangerous and very scary for DSA, but they're tough; and everyone knows that the good guys always win.

This anime started off kind of unimpressive. I just sort of tolerated it for about 4 or 5 episodes. After that, the characters get developed back stories and some drama in their lives. The characters are pretty likable, and the story is fun. As it moves toward the end, the mood gets darker. While the first part of the series is light hearted and fun, the 2nd half is dark and very cloak and dagger. It's not one of the better animes out there, but it is an enjoyable watch.

The production end of Mezzo is pretty good as well. The animation, and voice actors are above average. The soundtrack is just kinda there. It's obvious that the production wasn't rushed. Even if half the episodes were pretty superfluous.

Overall, I enjoyed Mezzo. It was actually better than I expected. It has a little in common with Armitage. In the animation, and story department. I was also reminded of the A.D. Police Anime at times. This series was a little more accommodating to younger viewers. It's definitely not for children. There is some language, violence, and a partial nude shot of a non-functional android. I think it could pass for PG 13, but not lower. I think that this is one of those that is better to watch before you buy. It's definitely not for everyone. I can see many thinking that it's a waste of time, but I got into the 2nd half of it. I think that if you like stuff along the lines of Armitage, Aika, or A.D. Police, you'll probably enjoy. Mezzo.