• Mezzo

    2004

    published in Empire No.80, Sydney
    Complete Collection

    2008

    Mikura, Kurokawa, and Harada comprise the DSA - Danger Service Agency – whose contracted jobs pepper Mezzo with gusto. A hyper-stylish series with distinctive visual design, inventive animation techniques and a cinematic approach to storyboarding action, Mezzo maintains a feisty punky momentum which typifies the alt.consumer trend in contemporary anime.

    The MTV tone of the series is exemplified by the spunky hot-head Mikura who will let rip with gunfire at the drop of anything. Combined with Mezzo’s hall-of-mirrors narrative cut-ups, the shoot-ups generate centrifugal adrenaline to churn the anarchic raging tone of this comedic bounty hunter series. Kurokawa with his weird spiky hair is a punk mechanic ready back-up Mikura when special engineering is required, while ex-cop Harada provides grumpy fatherly balance to this unlikely bounty family.

    I feel compelled to bemoan – yet again – the lame American dubbing which seems to believe that it is hipper than the series it is dubbing. Two-bit wannabe-stand-up comedic quips – none of which are in the original version – are accessible by pressing the special Loser menu option. Mezzo does not need such forced hipness so please choose the subtitled version for a more appropriate Japanese experience.