Mezzo Forte

For some individuals, baseball is more than just a game. Momokitchi Momoi, an underworld boss and the owner of a professional team known as the "Peach Twisters," seems to be the perfect example. There is only one punishment for players who have let him down: death. Terrible as he may sound, there is someone even more wicked than him—his daughter, Momomi.

The three members of the Danger Service Agency—Mikura Suzuki, Tomohisa Harada, and Kenichi Kurokawa—are tasked with kidnapping Momokitchi and taking down his criminal empire. Surrounded by armed bodyguards, he is bound to be a risky target. However, born with a gun in hand, Mikura is used to dancing with danger. The only unknown quantity is Momomi, reputed to be a cold-blooded killer with a twisted mind. Should she stand in the DSA's way, Suzuki might finally find herself a worthy opponent.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Suzuki, Mikura Main

Kotani, Tomoko Japanese

Momoi, Momomi Main

Okamura, Akemi Japanese

Kurokawa, Kenichi Main

Hirokawa, Taichirou Japanese

Harada, Tomohisa Main

Yamazaki, Takumi Japanese

Sawa Supporting

Yoshida, Konami Japanese

Emoto Supporting

Tagami Supporting

Hirooka Supporting

Wakamoto, Norio Japanese

Momoi, Momokitchi Supporting

Iizuka, Shouzou Japanese

Umetsu, Yasuomi Director, Screenplay, Key Animation, Character Design, Animation Director

Ishihama, Masashi 2nd Key Animation, Key Animation

Nakazawa, Kazuto Key Animation

Komai, Kazuya Key Animation

Reviews

Apr 1, 2009

Skadi

Recommended

Mezzo Forte is one of the few hentai titles I have seen and overall it was a solid series. It’s a borderline hentai series, there are only a couple of sex scenes which are not all that long, though very explicit. At its heart it’s an action show with a pretty good story and characters.

The plot revolves around a trio that I guess could be called mercenaries or private investigators. They don’t really say for sure what it is exactly they do beside the obscure and silly sounding Danger Service Agency name for their group. They are hired by a mysterious ... figure to kidnap someone only to have the job go bad and find that their target is actually a powerful underworld boss. I found this part a bit of a stretch to believe. For an organization that is portrayed to be so good at what they do and also being in the same city as the crime boss I found it difficult to believe that they wouldn’t know who this guy was. Despite this the action is good and there are a few surprising plot twists that kept me interested.

A few words on the hentai portion of this series are also in order. This show reminds me of Kite, because it too had a non-hentai version and focused more on its story and action than sex. The same is true of Mezzo, though in Kite the sex scenes felt like that had some place in the story. I didn’t feel that way with this show as they mostly just felt like fan service and the show wouldn’t have been any better or worse by not having them.

The main lead Mikura is your typical anime gun totting martial arts hot girl. While she isn’t going to win points for originality I found her to be an interesting character. Not much depth or background is given to her, though we are shown flashbacks of some kind of relationship she may or may not have with the main villain Momomi. This is never really resolved which was a bit disappointing. She also has a mysterious ability that shows her things that are about to happen sometimes, again this is not developed and makes little sense. Of the rest of the DSA, Harada and Kurokawa, Kurokawa's background is the most in depth. Momomi is wonderfully coldblooded and ruthless as the daughter of the kidnapped crime boss Momokichi.

The animation is fairly typical of this era so it feels a bit dated. This is mostly because of the color palette used. It’s still pretty good though and the action in particular is well done. The acting is solid as well, there isn’t a lot in the way of music to comment on.

Overall Mezzo Forte is a solid though unspectacular series. Those who are looking for hentai will probably be disappointed because there isn’t a lot here.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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Oct 1, 2021

literaturenerd

Mixed Feelings

Mezzo Forte is my favorite non-arthouse hentai anime of all time. That's not exactly a category most people hold in high esteem, but I'm saying this anime is damn good for what it is. Despite being a porno, Mezzo actually has one of my favorite action scenes in all of anime. I won't spoil everything, but it takes place at a bowling alley and involves bowling balls filled with plastic explosives. This hentai is insane!

I get a lot of unusual comments on my MAL profile. It takes a lot to really get a rise out of me. However, the other week somebody left a comment ... saying how cruel and unfair I've been in my reviews towards Studio Arms. At first I was utterly baffled by this statement. My favorite anime of all time is an Arms anime and I'm not exactly subtle about my affection for it. I don't think they made good anime on average, but I love Arms in the same way that I love Troma. They made shit that absolutely nobody else would make and didn't care what people thought. Then I realized that back in 2014 I wrote a review that was very unfair to Mezzo! I was probably just in a really bad mood because med school tends to do that. So to apologize to Mezzo and that random Arms fanboy, I'm writing this revaluation.

Mezzo shares a lot of DNA with director Yasuomi Umetsu's other hentai Kite. However, Mezzo is far more tonally consistent and commits fully to cheesy action rather than tragic drama. I definitely think this fits Umetsu better given his directorial style and visual aesthetic. Mr. Umetsu is not exactly the most subtle animator in anime history. He tends to love massive explosions, impossible amounts of ketchup blood, and very wild expressions. Most younger MAL users probably haven't seen Kite or Mezzo. Those 2 Ovas aren't exactly viewed as essential classics. However, everyone has seen the first episode of Elfen Lied. Or at least you've seen some Youtube AMV set to "Animal" by 3 Days Grace. Well, that's Umetsu! That is his style in a nutshell. While Umetsu's style makes for unusual drama, it makes for absolutely hilarious comedy. Mezzo is 2 episodes of boobs, blood, and the most over the top ass kicking possible. Every second you will either be laughing or thinking "that was fucking awesome!"

The story of Mezzo isn't going to win any awards, but this is a porno. I would be pretty stupid to spend time complaining that the plot of a porno isn't perfect. Still, it does have some bizarre moments that are pretty funny. For example, the main assassin girl realizes halfway through the OVA that her target is her twin sister. However, she doesn't figure it out in a normal way. Instead, she suddenly has a flash of unexplained psychic powers and telepathy that are never brought up again. Also, sentient sex robots exist in this universe, so the film grinds to a screeching halt to explain in excruciating detail how to clean out the sex robots and remove old semen. Umetsu definitely takes some heavy drugs when he writes. There's no getting around that. However, none of this stops Mezzo from being the most amusing action hentai around!

Should you watch Mezzo Forte! YES! It's on Youtube right now with the 2 brief sex scenes cut out. Trust me, you really aren't missing anything. Neither of the sex scenes have any impact on the plot. One scene is just a dream sequence and the other involves a robot and 2 random henchmen. Amazingly, none of the main characters actually have sex in this entire hentai! If you're feeling bored and want some schlock entertainment, this is a must watch OVA and it's only 2 episodes!

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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May 4, 2023

rpgromero

Not Recommended

PT - BR

A animação é competente, notável(as cenas de ação são muito bem feitas, levemente exageradas...), diga-se de passagem...a história(enredo) é simplório(tem até um leve plot twist no fim) e a fama desse anime é com certeza fomentada por páginas que glamurizam "um certo conteúdo" maldito presente na obra(triste apologia(mesmo sendo vindo de um robô). Não recomendo!

EN - US(from Google Translator

The animation is competent, notable (the action scenes are very well done, slightly exaggerated...), by the way... the story (plot) is simple (it even has a slight plot twist at the end) and the This anime's fame is certainly fostered by pages that glamorize "a ... certain content" cursed present in the work (sad apology (even though it comes from a robot). I don't recommend it

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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	About the manga RealCheeze - Jun 14, 2023	0 replies	by RealCheeze »» Jun 14, 2023 5:40 AM
	General discussion Kisaku-sama - Jun 12, 2011	10 replies	by PxHC »» Apr 20, 2023 7:31 AM
	Poll: Mezzo Forte Episode 1 Discussion enkil - Aug 22, 2009	11 replies	by magatetus »» Mar 22, 2023 9:23 AM
	Poll: Mezzo Forte Episode 2 Discussion enkil - Aug 22, 2009	17 replies	by RealCheeze »» Jan 18, 2023 11:14 AM
	Peak Hentai RealCheeze - Dec 3, 2022	0 replies	by RealCheeze »» Dec 3, 2022 9:08 AM