Kite Anime Review

Quick Review

• Reviewer: Marc
• Review Date: 2005-12-02 (updated 2011-04-05)
• 3 stars out of 5 (?)

Kite is probably the best-known production by Yasuomi Umetsu, known for his stunning artwork and dark hentai stories. Borrowing heavily from stylized modern assassin films like La Femme Nikita, Kite plays the hard-boiled, neo-noir game well. It almost succeeds as a grim assassin psychodrama, but in the end the characterization and short length end up dragging it down to the point of being little more than a plot-heavy action movie. Or, in the case of the uncut version, a plot-heavy action movie flirting with pornography thanks to gratuitous XXX-grade sex and rape-as-erotica scenes. On the bright side, the art is every bit as beautiful as you'd expect in an Umetsu work, and the over-the-top action is downright spectacular.

Kite might be worth watching for the remarkable visuals and extreme action, but unless you're very into psychological neo-noir or a disturbing-sex-and-violence shock cinema fan, it probably won't cut it otherwise.

Read the full-length review...

Full Review

• Reviewer: Marc
• Review Date: 2005-12-02 (updated 2011-04-05)
• 3 stars out of 5 (?)

Kite is a slick looking little flick by Yasuomi Umetsu, better known as a talented animator and character designer. Borrowing heavily from stylized modern assassin films like La Femme Nikita and The Professional (the live-action one, not the Golgo 13 movie), Kite plays the hard-boiled, neo-noir game well, but in the end the characterization and short length end up dragging it down to the point of being little more than a plot-heavy action movie. Or, in the case of the uncut version, shock cinema disguised as a plot-heavy action movie flirting with pornography.

The concept of the story, while simple, has the potential to bring out a wealth of detail and depth in the characters, but its cramped 45 minute length simply isn't enough time to really explore them. The lead, for example, has all sorts of potential for inner turmoil between her own desires and her sense of duty to her "protector," or the conflicting parent/possessor role that he holds, but only the surface of this is scratched. Most of the other characters are even less developed. To Kite's credit, every scene in the edited version furthers the story, but there simply aren't enough of them--it's too focused for its own good.

Some of the major plot twists seem forced for the same reason--without enough insight into the characters, I'm left assuming their only motivation is to supply kinks for the plot. There's also a wicked little O. Henry ending that, while perhaps intended as a nihilistic statement, bugged me--it seemed to be a twist for the sake of itself. Admittedly, some may like it, but I get annoyed by that sort of thing.

That said, here's the question I'm left asking about Kite: Is it a psychological thriller that failed due to the abridged plot, or is it just a dandied-up, testosterone-driven shock flick trying to look like something more?

Properly explored, the dysfunctional relationships could have been believable and intriguing. As is, the characters are too shallow for me to see more than simple shock value. The violence similarly loses its impact without any meaning to back it; graphic violence can be used as a tool, but Kite is unnecessarily bloody to no apparent end. Worse, the action is well out of the realm of the realistic--I don't think there's a single punch that doesn't drive someone three inches into a wall. As a result, Kite degrades into little more than an (admittedly dazzling) action movie in several parts, making it all the more difficult to take the rest of the story seriously. The grim plot in turn robs the action of some of its fun.

Actually, my question above is answered by the uncut version: The addition of XXX-grade sex and rape scenes make it all too clear that Kite is a very well made hentai/action combo with a nasty misogynistic undercurrent. Again, explicit sexual content isn't reason enough to write a film off, but Kite's scenes are so unnecessarily graphic and intentionally lurid (rape filmed as erotica) that it destroys the illusion that the rest of the movie is intended as anything but shock cinema. This is one of those rare cases where the edited version is the better one. (Unless, of course, you're watching for the adult content.)

If, however, you leave all that aside, Kite is certainly one heck of an action movie. I'm a fan of over-the-top action, and it includes one of the most spectacular action sequences I've ever seen, with the uncommonly realistic visuals making it seem all the wilder. The art, characteristic of Umetsu's works, is slick and unique: angular, more-realistic-than-average character designs, interesting clothing and hardware, and detailed, refined linework. The frame rate in the animation may be a bit low for something so attractive, but it is more than sufficient to make the fluent character animation work. Top marks go to the action choreography, and the explosions are second to none.

The only flaw is that the characters' action doesn't seem quite as solid as it should--some of the interaction with the backgrounds and other characters is a little soft. This is a very minor gripe, but the rest looks so spectacular it's a pity it's not perfect. My other complaint about the visuals is a few out-of-place backgrounds; most are rich and cinematic (an apartment that has real-world crime scene photographs hung on a wall, for example), but a few are overly simple and colored with too many pastels to fit the otherwise moody noir look.

The music in Kite is a good match for most of the visuals, enhancing the neo-noir flavor. Generally understated (little of it is in the action sequences), the music alternates between lonely piano work and a loose, jazzy mix of sax and percussion. Out of the ordinary for anime, and quite effective.

The acting in the dub is mostly solid; Kite and her companion sound as good as you could ask for, and the two older men are also well acted, if a little overblown at times. Unfortunately, there are a few very weak minor characters that drag my overall impression of the acting down a notch.

Kite apparently wants to be either an over-the-top action movie or a grim assassin psychodrama, but by nature of its length and success at the former, it doesn't do well at the latter. The adults-only unedited version changes the options: Either very involved, very well-made, action-riffic hentai anime or slick, uncommonly graphic, Kawajiri-style shock-flick. Kite might be worth watching for the remarkable visuals and extreme action, but unless you're very into psychological neo-noir or a disturbing-sex-and-violence shock cinema fan, it probably won't cut it otherwise.

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Kite has the most in common with La Femme Nikita, actually. In anime terms, it bears some resemblance to AD Police Files (only the OAV), at least in feel. Kite: Liberator is theoretically a sequel, albeit one rather different in setting, and Mezzo Forte, though not exactly a sequel, has a very similar story and the same creator.