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| Overall | Art | Animation | Character Design | Music | Series Story | Episode Story | Reviewer | |
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| Rent | 9 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 8 |
 Dreamer
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[series:136#2279] |
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As Ggultra2764 had mentioned, I myself have never seen any hentai either. So this would be my first one. I mean, afterall, how much do you expect a hentai to have much in plot? Since I've kept hearing about this series and coming across it numerous times, I figured I'd give it a shot. So what's my reaction? Mmmm, not bad really. Art, Animation & Character Design The art was excellent! The character designs were even better. They were definitely unique... not mere copies of each with slight physical tweaks. The animation I didn't think was that smooth and at times seemed choppy. There's plenty of graphic scenes.... both sexual and gore..... and of course, lots of blood. Music Wasn't even noticeable. There were some light jazz pieces here and there but that's it. Series and Episode Stories Here's where Kite shines. The plot was very well done and the story believable... almost. There's plenty of action... in more ways than one if you know what I mean and both OVAs kept the story on track every minute. However, here is the one gripe. At first, I didn't want to accept the fact that Sawa didn't do "anything" to escape all those years under her "adoptive" parent's abusive control. At least, I would hope to believe that someone of her age (college age), would have enough sense to seek help... even incognito. At the same time, I can understand that she had a traumatic past and maybe "dead" to herself. This idea "does" make sense since later, it seems she "comes alive" when she meets Oburi, thus allowing her to end her "control". In the end, you feel good that she was able to get revenge, yet..... it's a bitter sweet one at that. Overall for my first hentai series? Not bad. Even if you're not into hentai, as I, you can avoid the uncut version that I watched and go with the edited one. Last updated Saturday, December 06 2008. Created Saturday, December 06 2008. | ||||||||
| Rent | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 |
 Ggultra2764
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[series:136#1552] | |
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Kite has been the only hentai anime I've seen to date. I normally avoid hentai since everything set up in such titles is an excuse to feature attractive, heavily-endowed girls in various graphic sexual activities. But after hearing Kite had a solid foundation for plot and characters, I decided to see if such things were possible in a hentai title. And though not perfect thanks to the level of content it has, Kite does a solid job with its presentation. Kite did a decent job of giving enough depth to Sawa's character where you get to understand what led her to her questionable lifestyle as an assassin with corrupt cop Akai and her desire to break free of it. The OAV sets up a dark, merciless environment where Sawa and Oburi risk their lives each day killing off child molesters despite the fact the hypocrites they work for do the same thing as the people they kill. The sex, despite how gratuitous it is, provides symbolism to the hypocrisy of Akai's character and the stages of which Sawa's character develops as she breaks away from Akai's submissive grasp. The artwork for this OAV is bright and crisp with a good amount of visual detail to take in from the city environments that the series goes through. The action scenes are very fluid and smooth as Sana and Oburi clash with the criminals they have to kill in great detail. As I said though, the level of content in Kite is my biggest issue for this OAV which kept me from giving it a Buy rating. This OAV could have made for a good, mainstream mature title alongside Perfect Blue if the graphic detail of its sex scenes were toned down. As it is, Kite's reputation as a hentai title will keep away some anime fans who don't wish to venture into the murky hentai waters. Last updated Sunday, March 09 2008. Created Sunday, March 09 2008. | ||||||||
| Buy | 8 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 9 |
 KBanger1
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[series:136#1694] |
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Kite is one of those animes that you can't imagine how it turns out in the end but then smacks you in the face when it comes. The animation is pretty slick and the story is very dark. Two things that make a good anime (to me at least). Although, it may tend to cross the line in certain scenes, it all ties into the story and brings meaning to it. Overall, a nice title to add to your collection.
Last updated Monday, April 25 2005. Created Monday, April 25 2005. | ||||||||
| Buy | 9 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 7 |
 AtasteAnime
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[series:136#1051] | |
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Over all Kite is very well made, but the series does have some very touchy subject matter. First of all, the animation is superb! The eyes of Sawa simply draws you into her inner most world. Like other titles from Yasuomi Umetsu, Kite contains plenty of graphic violence, gun fights, and things getting blown all over the place. The Director's Cut is about an hour in length and contains about 15 minutes of edited hentai footage that was removed otherwise. If you are into girls with guns, and don't mind explicit sex with very graphic violence, then this is definately something you should check out. Here is a link for you to check out some of the Kite</span>.html">screen shots from the Director's Cut
Last updated Wednesday, January 26 2005. Created Wednesday, January 26 2005. | ||||||||
| Rent |
 Stretch
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[series:136#628] | ||||||
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Even though I can hardly wait to see what the expert critics had to say about this title, I think I'll wait and read their reviews *after* I write my own. Kite didn't exactly get an outstanding average grade, and I don't want other people's complaints to drag the rating I give it down. Because, for some reason, I liked it! Maybe it was Sawa's enigmatic personality, which had me wondering if she was just a mindless killing machine and hoping she'd become something more. I couldn't help liking her, even though I had a feeling that Akai's claims that the people she was assasinating deserved to die was BS. The action was exciting, though somewhat unrealistic--you could easily conclude that Sawa and Oburi are androids as, without a second thought, they absorb tremendous punishment that would kill an ordinary person several times over. I had hastily ordered the cheapest version of Kite that I could find on Amazon.com, and was dismayed to find myself with the edited English dub edition. Fortunately I didn't notice any problems with the voice acting (aside from some vulgar language). Apparently, the Director's Cut edition, which features graphic sex and rape, is a full hour long whereas my copy lasted only 45 minutes--something tells me I was actually better off with the edited edition. The lengthy edition might have made it easier to understand a certain scene near the end--I had to rewind the tape and rewatch the sequence, as I asked myself "did Sawa just do what I think she did?". Don't ask me to explain the moral of the story (maybe the moral is that there is no moral), but I will say that all things considered, I liked it and will probably be watching it again before too long. Catch Sawa's montage at the Cute Girls with Guns page! Last updated Wednesday, December 08 2010. Created Tuesday, September 28 2004. | ||||||||
| Buy | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 8 |
 Anonymous #1532
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[series:136#1532] |
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Kite was recommended to me from a friend of mine. Its references to child pornography, heavy editing, and high praise stirred my curiosity. The art in Kite is well done. I myself am an artist and I've drawn the main character on occasion. I love the way Yasuomi Umetsu draws girl's eyes. The animation is above average, and looks fluent. The Characters designs are interesting and dark. The music is like an alternative Jazz, it fits the anime like a glove. Its deep and dark, so they line up quite nicely. The twisted plot consists of assassinations, graphic sex, and some intense fighting scenes. Over all it does draw you in. At times its like witnessing a car accident and not being able to look away. I purchased a vhs of the Directors Cut 12/23/03. The beautiful artwork really seems to turn heads. Although the story does have its drawbacks at times, I still enjoy each viewing. Over all its worthy movie even if your just slightly interested. Give it a shot. Nash Last updated Wednesday, August 11 2004. Created Wednesday, August 11 2004. | ||||||||
| Avoid |
 Devil Doll
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[series:136#752] | ||||||
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I guess I ought to have an entry here as well, and be it only to state that this one was too much for me in both respects, hentai as well as violence. Of which I consider the violence the main problem as the whole movie is focussed on this issue, while the hentai scenes aren't much more disturbing than those from Dragon Knight 4-ever, so they might possibly be skipped without effectively changing this "mindless action movie"
Last updated Thursday, December 09 2004. Created Wednesday, April 14 2004. | ||||||||
| Buy | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 8 |
 Zarathustra
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[series:136#1035] | |
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This one is really awesome! (don't consider it "hentai", refer to it as "action including slight *cough*cough* erotical elements" instead because Kite does focus on combat-scenes) The action is just neat (and yeah it IS bloody - excuse me, I will make myself perfectly clear: I don't mean bloody like "Akira-bloody". What I mean is "Rurouni Kenshin OAV-bloody" - blood splashing all over the floor, walls and ceiling - that's what it's like) which leads to the point of realism - well...as you might've already figured, the amount of realism applied is medium at best...I think it is appropriate. Expect the main characters surviving almost(!)impossible stunts - but hey, at least the characters can't avoid mediocre in-action-injury. The story is kind of sad but does make sense and is not completely inane (like the one of most hentais - including the sequel to this: Mezzo Forte). Last but not(/and) least(?) the Hentai scenes - are just pointless (ok - what would one expect in a hentai production). WHY did they turn this OVA into a hentai? These scenes could be left out and no one would even notice(OKOK - a few scenes actually ARE helpful for the storyline ^_^) What the h*ll were they thinking? I got the SLIGHT suspicion that they included these scenes only because they were actually able to do so. This deserves a "buy" IMHO - the animation and style is just too good and is more than compensation for the (fairly) unrealistic and pointless hentai elements Last updated Tuesday, October 21 2003. Created Monday, October 20 2003. | ||||||||
| Watch | 9 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 10 |
 Pierrot_leFou
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[series:136#980] |
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This is one of the best anime movies I ever watched, it has a good story that shows how ends the criminal life of Sawa, I liked the characters, making an exception with Kanie that too deformed, the rest is fine. What I also liked was the ending, not alot of anime companies have the guts to kill one of the principal character, I only saw that with SUNRISE and GAINAX, now GREEN BUNNY has joinde to my list, even that there are thing that only exist in the imagination, like the guns, and the lucky that Sawa has, it is still being one of my favorite anime series Last updated Friday, September 19 2003. Created Friday, September 19 2003. | ||||||||
| Buy | 10 | 9 | 7 | 6 |
 Greg Bread
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[series:136#763] | ||
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If your the kind of person that blushes at violence and nudity and/or you prefer an epic story, stay away from this movie. Kite is full of violence, action and sex. I found it very entertaining from beginning to end. The main character isn't exactly the most likable person, being as she is sadistic and entirely emotionless. Although It really doesn't matter. The over the top action sequences are absolutely amazing complimented with the great animation. Dare I mention the hentai scenes, well let's just they're great. With oustanding visuals and high production value kite is a must see movie. Last updated Thursday, August 07 2003. Created Thursday, August 07 2003. | ||||||||
| Rent | 10 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 6 |
 Tsunami
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[series:136#323] | |
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I found the ultra violent, ultra dramatic, and ultra sadistic Kite to be, well, tramatic actually. As odd as this sounds in a world filled with imaginary and real life violence, this was the first ever adult anime i had ever seen. I was about 13 when I rented it, *claps for the hard working clerks at the movie store that rented a restiricted veiwing film to a minor* the opening scene of the movie stunned me, both in good and not so good ways and I exspected from this increadable beginning an increadable story to unfold. But I was nothing but dissapointed. The story not only lacked in intregue but also gave you no time to really get to know the characters let alone like them. The animation however was wonderful as well as the character designs. The action sequences were really cool, but the buck stopped there. Besides a hooking beginning and a super sad slam-you-in-the-wall end, all I had to look at was a girl being molested, her parents being killed and her life stopping before it really even began. I think Kite could have been good, but 40 some-odd mintues running time is no were near long enough to create a deep, seductive and impactful film like kite so badly wanted to be. But because of the animation, I still think it's worth seeing. But wait until you're 16 at least (trust me on that one.) Last updated Wednesday, February 05 2003. Created Wednesday, February 05 2003. | ||||||||
| Avoid | 9 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
 AerosolWriter
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[series:136#525] |
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A girl who lost her parents and is doing hit man work for a cop, and wants revenge That might sound horrible in description, but thats how the movie was. Horrible. The whole anime had only two aspects that would make it at least likable, and that was the action, and art style. The scenes of action were neat. The train scene was good, but it also had some crazy, impossible, superhuman form (falling from a skyscraper through a street to an underground subway, than getting blown out in to another building because of a gas truck explosion). Maybe its just me, but some action should be realistic in some form (making it a serious anime wasnt a good idea either). The story never seemed to have an ending, and no explanation except dead people. This anime isnt good, to see better work from the director Yasuomi Umetsu, I would suggest watching Mezzo Forte, same Art, Same Action, its got a little humor and a supporting plot. Last updated Tuesday, February 04 2003. Created Tuesday, February 04 2003. | ||||||||
| Watch | 7 | 7 | 9 | 2 | 8 | 9 |
 Ðå kïÐ
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[series:136#464] |
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Well....theres not much to say for this anime its worth a watch i will give it that.I just started watching anime regularly so its up to you to take my word for it. It begin pretty well in my opinion but it needed alot more things to make it a good anime like the story usually a story about searching for your parents who have been killed a long time ago would be more like a hour movie/anime, the hentai scenes were all messed up the put the hentai in the wrong places for instance after sawa fell out the bathroom she past this guy and this girl in a hotel getting naughty(what are they tring to do put in a bit of comedy)the only hentai scene that was truly fitting was at the ending when the evil cop(akai) did sawa(sexed) in front of Oburi while kanie beated him that gave the anime a classical action movie touch to it or something of the sort, that scene ,the bathroom, and the subway was the only fitting scene for the anime even tho the subway scene had some impossible stuff in it like when that SWAT cop guy shot after Oburi when he was on the floor and Oburi shot at him come on you would expect a assasin and a SWAT cop to have better aim than that(that i found really wierd) i thought Oburi was dead for sure. Well you like all others here probably going to get the edited version but i rated this as unedited because thats what i watched,without the hentai i'd probably give it an avoid the last hentai gave it the watch and the bathroom scene.
Last updated Sunday, December 22 2002. Created Sunday, December 22 2002. | ||||||||
| Buy | 10 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 6 |
 Chibisj
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[series:136#451] |
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Definitely better than I expected. I thought this at first was a mindless piece of garbage full of sex and gore. No... I was wrong. (Well, it does have those things, but there's more to it.) It was a really neat story. Sorta like a dark Cowboy Bebop with more violence. (In my opinion. I guess it's the jazzy feel to it.) The art rocks and so does the animation. I constantly felt sorry for Sawa, and how Akai was to her. But anyway, yeah. It IS good. One of the best anime movies I've ever seen. It was nice to take a break from super powers, magic and stuff. Those things are all nice... but it's time for a change once in a while. Last updated Tuesday, December 10 2002. Created Tuesday, December 10 2002. | ||||||||
| Buy | 10 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 7 |
 Phoenix
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[series:136#268] | |
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Though Kite appears to hold only a shallow plot at first, I feel that one can really read into it a bit more than many watchers admit. The underlying tones of hypocrisy from Sawa and Oburi's employer and a self-indulgent, violent world (contributing to the show's wrenching ending) make this show worth pondering over several times. The artwork and animation are excellent - detailed in every part of every scene, not merely a focus upon major characters. Overall, the music adds flavor to the film (especially the jazzy feel used with flashbacks), but I recall several silent scenes that seemed to need some sort of music in them to better set the tone. Last updated Tuesday, November 26 2002. Created Tuesday, November 26 2002. | ||||||||
| Rent | 10 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 5 |
 BigPants
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[series:136#243] | |
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You would think the teen assassin thing could only be done so many times, but this one really kicks ass. Kite is the story of a young female assassin, named Sawa, sent out to murder despicable people, like child molesters, etc. Sawa was adopted by the police chief right after her parents had been killed and has been an assassin-in-training since. The art and animation from this series is absolutely gorgeous. It's one of the most visually stunning shows I have seen. The character design is some of the best I have seen too. The music is really nothing to write home about, but the little piano solo song around the end is very nice and fits in with the feel of the show. The ending, in my mind, was well done. Not only is everything unexpected, but very fitting with the overall mood and theme of the show. Kite is also filled with a few memorable action sequences. Most notable is the "bathroom scene", which consists of an excellent gunfight, the bathroom being blown to bits, and then a freefall which ends up taking two people into the subway system. Awesome. If you're looking for a quick action-filled romp to pass the time and to be visually stunned, check out Kite! 12/01/01 Last updated Saturday, December 01 2001. Created Saturday, December 01 2001. | ||||||||
| Watch | 7 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
 Courtney
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[series:136#80] | |
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KITE is completely, 100% not for childrenhell Im 19 and I think Im too young for this flick! Im still trying to figure out if there was more sex or more violence in this movie. Anyway, I really wasnt overall impressed by KITE since it tried at an interesting premise but chose to be predictable rather than actually interesting. The only good thing I can say about the movie without some backhanded comment to it is that the action sequence in the bathroom was legendary. One of the BEST combat sense ever. I just think its unfortunate it had to be hidden in the movie. Oh well. The only reason I watched KITE was because the Bathroom fight was recommended to me and thats the sole reason Im recommending it now. Last updated Saturday, October 13 2001. Created Saturday, October 13 2001. | ||||||||
| Buy | 10 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 4 |
 Lickylick
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[series:136#133] | |
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One night when I went to my local Video Update, I was in the mood to try watching a new anime (instead of re-renting Iria, Record of Lodoss War OAV, or the humorously bad Grappler Baki: The Ultimate Fighter). I noticed Kite on the shelves and was amazed by the artwork, it was fantastic. I had heard a little about it so I decided to give it a whirl. It was more than I expected it to be, and I had fairly high expectations. Sure, many people bash Kite for having a really crappy story (I disagree, I mean, what story is there, I didn't notice much), but it is what America so enjoys cranking out of the machine known as Hollywood, a high-production, completely-plotless action thriller. And that is where Kite excells. The action sequences are outstanding. Human blood and vomit fly around in an inhuman fashion, and it looks so f***ing cool. From the shootout in the subway to the assassination in the restroom turned plummet from a building, everything just looks so good. The character designs are all fantastic. Sawa is a hotty (my fanboy side showing through) and the other characters look cool. Oh, and speaking about Sawa, you do see her topless in the edit, and I hear you see a good deal of sex in the unedited version (must... track... down... copy... for... Sawa... being... boinked). The jazz background music is superb. I found myself, not much of a jazz fan, really getting into the songs and even rewinding parts to listen to them again. All in all, Kite is one hell of a anime. It is good if you want senseless violence and will amuse you greatly. Also watch out for the unexpected ending. My exact words upon viewing it were, "What the hell just happened!? How did they come up with that?!" A must-see. Last updated Monday, February 05 2001. Created Monday, February 05 2001. | ||||||||
| Buy | 10 | 8 | 10 | 5 | 5 |
 Midnighter
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[series:136#94] | |
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Kite was pretty damn good for a mindless action thriller. Those of you who complain about the paper-thin plot: think about it...how many mindless action thrillers does the American film industry crank out and jam down our throats? And Kite was better written than most American crap. Anyway, the action sequences were just jaw-dropping! And thats what this film is about, nothing more, nothing less. The animation was some of the best traditional cel animation I've seen, and I'm impressed at how well the super-detailed character designs were animated consistantly. The famous bathroom shootout never ceases to amaze me. Note must be made of it, as it is truly spectacular. I was left out of breath after watching it! The character designs by Yasuomi Umezu (Mezzo Forte, Gatchaman '94) were some of my favorite in any anime. Sawa looked sad, vulnerable, world-weary one moment & cold and emotionless the next. In honestly, the character designs prompted me to buy Kite. I saw an ad in a magazine and went in cold. Yasuomi Umezu's art is unique and detailed, managing to stand out in a sea of like-faced anime characters. The dead, almost doll-like beauty of his characters fits the tone of Kite perfectly. The music suffices, but is nothing special. The anime ran a bit short at only 45 minutes (that really stung after shelling out 30 bucks for it on VHS. Luckily the DVD is available at Best Buy for $19.99 now) but I loved the nihlistic ending. It was unexpected and artful, retaining the tone of senseless violence and futility of the show. Overall, this one is worth checking out. Stunning character designs, excellent animation, and action scenes that will take your breath away make Kite worth the money. NEWS: Rumor has it that Yasuomi Umezu is currently working on a sequal for Kite. Last updated Friday, January 04 2002. Created Tuesday, January 16 2001. | ||||||||
| Rent | 8 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 |
 Jack Hawksmoor
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[series:136#114] |
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Kite was a good anime. It's not the best I've seen, but it certainly had it's moments. It contains the ultra-violence of the slack-jawed Akira, but with an edgy, artsy feel to it. The jazzy music that makes itself evident at opportune moments is exceptional. It just creeps in there effortlessly and natural, almost without notice. This anime is definitely not about the story line, but it still holds itself as a good tale. I would like to make a note of how everybody's bodies in Kite are made simply of blood and tissue and so effortlessly melt away as if there's nothing holding them together (reminiscent of Rei's arm simply falling off at the elbow in End of Evangelion) whenever Sawa or Oburi's bullets grace the presence of a finger, wrist, or head. The ending of the film is the part that grabs my attention. It's shocking, slightly depressing, and hardly expected... makes for a wonderful end to an average show. Last updated Sunday, January 14 2001. Created Sunday, January 14 2001. | ||||||||
| Watch | 8 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 5 |
 Bryan
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[series:136#14] |
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I wrote a little note to myself a few minutes into Kite, which went "they better explain how these kids are jumping off buildings and making 100 foot jump shots". Radioactive milk, for example, might be an interesting plot device. Well, it turns out they never did explain, which is really the problem with this show. It is all mood and no substance. A friend of mine from college used to say (he was mass comm, poor dolt) that if a director used a shot of ceiling fans in a movie, this was A) an attempt at some kind of symbolism by B) a guy who basically had no clue. And sure enough, we have ceiling fans! Kite is a violent OAV (though a paper on the parallels between limb removal in this show vs Sazan Eyes might really go somewhere!) with lots of exploding heads and close-ups of people losing their lunch. This is not my average fair, but I was in a funky mood and rented it from the local anime proprietor. The show is around 45 minutes long, so there isn't a lot of time for character development. As I could care less for the teen-age-assassin-protagonist, Sawa, (though she is a hottie, yum!) that didn't leave much. The story line is so inane it is almost difficult to recount, but here goes. She has been raised for about ten years by a masochistic cop who trains her to be an assassin. She is used to execute sick but untouchable members of society (the rich, the famous). How you raise a kid for 10 years without anyone knowing is a mystery to me. Then she meets Oburi, another youthful assassin. I guess "youthful assassins" are about as ubiquitous as raman stands in Japan. Who knew? They decide to run off together, maybe they want move to Kobe and cap criminals while studying for their entrance exams. However, things go awry as Sawa exacts revenge on those who killed her folks (about ten years too late, but why should it even try to make sense) and that's about it. Really, I suppose you have look to the action sequences to measure the show's worth. There are about 4 of them, the show-stopper being a tumble from a building (after a generous supply of exploding heads and recycled sushi) which makes no sense. Don't any of these people have a fear of heights, or tendons for that matter? That said, the animation quality was very high, with great and detailed backgrounds. The character designs were interesting, a little more filled-out than usual, with real noses and bumpy bits. The sight of an emotionless Sawa with a gun is disturbing, but only in an isolated sort of way. Its almost like they built an OAV around one image. The music made no impression on me whatsoever, I guess this means it wasn't very good. I give this a "watch" but I think annyone who likes high production value should rent it. Last updated Saturday, January 15 2000. Created Saturday, January 15 2000. | ||||||||
