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[Kite Directors Cut box art]
AKA: N/A
Genre: Hentai / action
Length: OAV series, 2 episodes, 30 minutes each
Distributor: R1 DVD from Kitty Film
Content Rating: NC-17 (extremely graphic depictions of sex and rape, fan service, gratuitous violence, profanity, nudity, and everything else)
Related Series: Kite (edit), Mezzo Forte, Mezzo Forte TV
Also Recommended: Mezzo Forte
Notes: The original edited release of this title is discussed in a separate review.
Rating:

Kite: Director's Cut

Synopsis

Sawa has had a very traumatic childhood. At a very young age, her parents were assassinated, leaving Sawa an orphan.

A few years later, she is taken in Akai, a corrupt cop/investigator, and his partner Kanie. Sawa has now been fully trained as a female assassin and does Akai dirty work behind the backs of the police. For her next few jobs, she is teamed up with Oburi. As they get to know each other, they find out that they are much similar than they thought. Will Sawa and Oburi finally be able to break away from the controlling Akai and Kanie?


Review

Hentai is a rather taboo genre in America and even in anime fandom at times. This is the first hentai I have ever watched, and if all hentai were like Kite, I would be watching more hentai, more often. Kite was directed by Umetsu Yasuomi, who was known for directing Robot Carnival's "Presence" along with the highly infamous Cool Devices' "Yellow Star" scene.

People will complain that the sex goes above and beyond everything else and is completely unnecessary. I disagree. The numerous sex scenes in Kite (there are four) are forms of visual storytelling. Each scene shows a portion of Sawa personality, from the submissive Sawa in the beginning to the more independent Sawa towards the end. The symbolism in Sawa's earrings is powerful, as it shows the emotional baggage that Sawa carries deep within her heart, and they are also used as a memento to her family as well. The loss of one of her earrings during a fighting is an excellent form of symbolism as well.

Kite has excellent animation. The action scenes are completely unrealistic though. Seriously, Sawa falls off the top of a building with her target, through an overpass, a road, a tunnel, and then causes the explosion of a tanker to kill the wrong person! Through all of this, Sawa escapes with no injuries what so ever. Even the *ahem* more "animated" scenes are done well, though. Kite does not censor too much in terms of sex. Everything from groping to the actual sex act is shown in full detail.

The character designs leave a lot to be desired. Pretty much everyone but Sawa (possibly Oburi) is monstrously ugly. Kanie looks as if someone shoved his face into a blender when he was younger and Akai looks like a total pimp.

The character development and growth is rather strong in Kite. Sawa's character development is strong, as she goes from a dependent, innocent girl to a woman on a mission, a mission that will solve the mysteries of her past. Akai is the dominant force in Sawa's life and will do anything to maintain that while Oburi and Sawa try to strike up a friendship. The unfortunate downfall in this area is that they don't focus enough on the relationship between Oburi and Sawa.

Now the question arises, what is the difference between the edited version of Kite and the Director's Cut. Answer: Not that much. The sex scenes that are edited out of the cut version are not necessary, but add potency to the plot by further showing Sawa's reliance on Akai. I would recommend the Director's Cut for those of age to watch it..

Kite is an action-packed OAV that is a great start for those who wish to get into the hentai genre.

The squeamish and conservative can remove two stars from this rating.[Redacted]

Recommended Audience: Kite: Director's Cut is a hentai title, and an extremely graphic one at that. This anime pulls no punches what so ever when it comes to the sexual content. Not only is the sex graphic, but also so is the violence. The weapon of choice is a gun that shoots bullets that enter the body and explode from within the body! NOT FOR CHILDREN!!!!



Version(s) Viewed: R1 DVD, bilingual
Review Status: Full (2/2)
Kite: Director's Cut © 1998 Umetsu Yasuomi / Green Bunny
 
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