Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we\u2019re swerving into the second half of Yasuomi Umetsu\u2019s Mezzo Forte, a stylish slice of exuberant sex and violence from one of anime\u2019s premiere grindhouse titans. The first episode of this OVA featured dynamic action scenes aplenty, from a negotiation prematurely ended by an exploding sex robot to an eight-lane gunfight at a local bowling alley. Along the way, our so-called heroes kidnapped corrupt baseball team owner Momikichi Momoi, only to discover they\u2019d somehow killed him along the way.<\/span><\/p>\n I imagine that won\u2019t sit well with Momokichi\u2019s psychotic daughter Momomi, meaning we\u2019re likely in for a Terminator-style manhunt, as Mikura and her companions evade Momomi\u2019s clutches while attempting to divine the connection between them. Regardless, I\u2019m expecting a fresh slate of inventive, smartly constructed, and beautifully executed action setpieces, sequences demonstrating an understanding of cinematic action language that goes far beyond \u201cfluid motion and fight choreography.\u201d Great action scenes tell a story, using their environmental variables to create successions of challenges for their stars to overcome, and perhaps even expressing a sort of visual communication through the divergent styles and approaches of their contenders. Let\u2019s see what madness awaits as Mezzo Forte rides towards its cacophonous conclusion!<\/span><\/p>\n Episode 2<\/b><\/p>\n We open with an extremely Umetsu-style doctor examining Momomi, a man with heavily defined creases across his face in spite of his lacking much of a chin or any muscle definition. Umetsu clearly loves interesting faces; he doesn\u2019t really extend that privilege of differentiation to his female characters, but his men demonstrate the unglamorous skin folds and distinctive facial structures of lifelong character actors. Of course, this is all profoundly animation-unfriendly; the prevailing wisdom in animation is to go for simplified, iconic designs that can easily be replicated or warped for the continuous redraws inherent in animation. Umetsu is intentionally making difficult choices, but the results cannot be denied: like in the films of Oshii and Kon, his characters parse as genuine human beings, with all the expressive complexity and physical frailty that implies<\/span><\/p>\n Momomi leaps up from the examination and scolds her men, one of whom appears to either have a broken neck or an extremely lopsided head<\/span><\/p>\n Love how Momomi\u2019s hair flows as she moves, with a clear buoyancy to it that neatly imitates heavy, wiry hair<\/span><\/p>\n A held half-profile as she considers her options demonstrates Umetsu\u2019s dedication to detail and volume, with carefully etched shadows illustrating the sharpness of her cheekbones<\/span><\/p>\n She swiftly executes the subordinates who failed to prevent the kidnapping<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cGet pictures of their faces from my and Hiroka\u2019s memories.\u201d I like how this show\u2019s near-future technology is always incidental, never the focus. I tend to get more invested in foreign worlds where the characters take their unique features for granted over ones where the author is eager to fully explain every single thing they invented; worldbuilding shouldn\u2019t appear as an intrusion to the active characters, it should be assumed, allowing us to see how life would be different for people who take such inventions for granted<\/span><\/p>\n Elsewhere, our \u201cheroes\u201d are hard at work burying her father\u2019s body. Ostentatious use of a lens flare here, all in service of Umetsu\u2019s general preoccupation with traditional cinematic language, his desire to make his animation feel like a gritty Hong Kong action movie<\/span><\/p>\n Kenichi helpfully explains the threat represented by Momomi as they dig<\/span><\/p>\n Such intentionality in every composition; I like this brief cut to Mikura\u2019s feet as she hops off the car, capturing the stars in a pool of water beside her. The imagery echoes her hopeful words; they\u2019re seeking freedom, but only chasing its reflection<\/span><\/p>\n Their contractor breaks free and holds them at gunpoint, explaining he is a hitman who was once hired by Momoi<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNot even Columbo would find this.\u201d I really should embark on my own Columbo journey at this point<\/span><\/p>\n More fun work with reflections as we cut to the exterior of a diner, with rain puddles reflecting the glow of the diner\u2019s neon signs. Every scene works hard to emphasize this world\u2019s substance, the tactile physicality and cluttered urban imagery of its characters\u2019 lives. It\u2019s a priority that feels all the more stark compared to our modern era of digital background art with no sense of place or texture, which always undercuts the sense that characters occupy a real, living world<\/span><\/p>\n Their contractor references the Bloody Pennant Race Case, wherein four batters were gunned down. This was back when Kenichi was actually a cop \u2013 another incidental detail that barely plays into the plot, but which nonetheless offers Kenichi a sense of history and trajectory as a person<\/span><\/p>\n Oh my god, young Kenichi looks absurd. Like a Miami Vice cop<\/span><\/p>\n Their contractor reveals he was the killer. He retired six months ago, but Momomi refused to accept it. He planned to use Momoi as leverage as he escaped overseas, but now requests the team \u201ccarry out Haruka\u2019s plan,\u201d which is presumably violent and insane<\/span><\/p>\n God, the detail in these compositions! Love the half-translucent reflections of the diner in the window, convincingly overlaid over the city tableau beyond<\/span><\/p>\n They\u2019re then interrupted by the two thugs from the exploding sex doll fiasco. I like this intrusively close shot of Haruka\u2019s face as she glances between them, which makes her feel all the more imposing, and like these two idiots have chosen to make a scene directly in a tiger\u2019s face<\/span><\/p>\n The prominent, always-considered shading is definitely one of Mezzo Forte\u2019s most crucial scene-setting features. The world feels more substantive and coherent because we can always tell where the light is being projected from, the illumination and shadows alike merging characters and background into a cohesive whole<\/span><\/p>\n Momomi\u2019s bedroom is carpeted with smiling panda faces. Anything they can do to play up the contrast between her girlish affectation and psychotic behavior<\/span><\/p>\n She is visited by her father in a nightmare, who urges her to get along with Haruka. Haruka is referred to as \u201cOrange Girl,\u201d while Momomi is obviously Peach Girl<\/span><\/p>\n Our intrepid heroes have left a ransom note<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe psycho bitch makes the handoff. Open parenthesis, Momomi, that means you, close parenthesis.\u201d Thank you, Hiroka<\/span><\/p>\n They even include a \u201cDirected by\u201d attribution on their ransom video. Lots of fun incidental gags in the margins of this production; Umetsu\u2019s style and career track have kept him from being a particularly prolific director, and it seems he\u2019s made the most of that by ensuring every one of his productions is as detail-rich as possible<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll stall them. They won\u2019t kill Papa until they have the money.\u201d Momomi\u2019s clear-eyed analysis sadly missing the fact that her opponents are idiots<\/span><\/p>\n Haruka\u2019s trip to the grocery store offers us more lushly detailed compositions celebrating their ramshackle home and the mess of alleys that is their neighborhood. Also appreciate that Haruka has a variety of outfits that all fit into her general style \u2013 this varsity jacket\/skirt combo is quite nice, and fits her tomboyish personality well<\/span><\/p>\n She meets with their employer while Kenichi meets an old police contact. It seems they\u2019re watching a Die Hard film; Umetsu wearing his influences on his sleeve<\/span><\/p>\n Yeah, they were actually watching \u201cUltra Hard 7,\u201d complete with a Bruce Willis lookalike on the poster, which is being advertised next to Dirty Barry 8. I imagine the United States would have devolved into outright fascism a lot sooner if we had the stomach for eight goddamn Dirty Harrys<\/span><\/p>\n Kenichi is almost taken in by two of Momomi\u2019s men, but manages to fend them off. Solid, weighted combat fundamentals here, with a focus on grappling and manipulating your mass to put your opponent off-balance. A far cry from the frequently weightless, visually frenetic style of many modern action spectacles; I can imagine why such realistic character action might seem less \u201cglamorous,\u201d but it sure does a good job of making me feel Kenichi actually overpowered two violent men<\/span><\/p>\n Haruka is also ambushed by Momomi and her goons, leading to some incredible spin kicks. I see now why they put her in that skirt \u2013 it\u2019s facilitating a continuous stream of those strange, erotically inert incidental panty shots that used to be all the rage. I can understand the appeal of \u201cseeing something you\u2019re not supposed to,\u201d but these random momentary shots just seem so\u2026 perfunctory? Obligated? I\u2019m not sure who\u2019s getting anything out of this<\/span><\/p>\n Their apartment has been wrecked, and Harada is nowhere to be seen. An advantage of this short drama format: you can basically blow up every dramatic variable, as there\u2019s no need to return to neutral for the next adventure<\/span><\/p>\n The boys regroup as Haruka is interrogated by Momomi<\/span><\/p>\n Lovely color design for both the interior and exterior shots as Momomi negotiates with Kenichi. The late afternoon light drapes a peach-orange hue over the scenery, which seems appropriate for the circumstances<\/span><\/p>\n Momomi hands over Haruka to the two sex doll idiots, leading to this episode\u2019s incongruous sex sequence. No surprise that these sequences are siloed for easy removal; they\u2019re tonally out of step with the rest of the production as well, artifacts of the exploitation theater OVA days<\/span><\/p>\n The handoff takes place at the Peach Dome, a local baseball arena<\/span><\/p>\n The exchange is actually framed as a sort of running of the bases, with each side dashing to the opposite end of the arena. Unfortunately, our heroes\u2019 remote-detonated hostage fails to explode<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou guys again.\u201d The reintroduction of the sex doll idiots <\/span>here<\/span><\/i> actually makes more sense, as a last-second complication to their escape attempt. This OVA would actually be better without the explicit stuff, both in a tonal\/authorial perspective and dramatic sense, but I suppose this is a case where sex was quite literally selling the product<\/span><\/p>\n Apparently they actually replaced Haruka with an android back in the torture chamber, further partitioning the scene away from the actual narrative<\/span><\/p>\n And at last, Momomi is defeated, as Haruka dives over her android father into a standoff and successful shootout<\/span><\/p>\n We\u2019ve got time for one last reveal though, as their contractor reveals he was actually Momoi\u2019s second-in-command Hiroka<\/span><\/p>\n Then robo-Momoi explodes, the stadium explodes, Hiroka flies up and explodes down on the pitcher\u2019s mound, and their poor VW explodes last of all, landing squarely on the two sex robot idiots. All\u2019s well that ends in a fiery explosion, I suppose<\/span><\/p>\n And Done<\/b><\/p>\n Nice work, Umetsu! A shame about the incongruous sex scenes, but Mezzo Forte otherwise offered a generous apportioning of gorgeous art design and high-octane action, benefiting greatly from Yasuomi Umetsu\u2019s all-encompassing clarity of intent. Each new scene was a feast of art design details and delicate character acting, while each action sequence was conceived and executed with a studied eye for physical clarity, impact, and consequence. By intentionally abandoning conventional wisdom regarding animation-friendly designs, Umetsu was able to create an animated drama that genuinely feels like a scuzzy John Woo film, while embracing the offhand ingenuity of worldbuilding and richness of art design that makes animation special. Quite the feat!<\/span><\/p>\n This\u00a0article\u00a0was\u00a0mad<\/a><\/em>e possible by reader support<\/a>. Thank you all for\u00a0all that you do.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wrongeverytime.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/March07103902.jpg?resize=584%2C329&ssl=1\")
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<\/p>\nLike this:<\/h3>\n