Kite...
Sometime ago, I picked up the VHS version of Kite...
In Animerica Volume 7; Number 6 (July 1999), ISSN 1067-0831 (page 12), Director Yasuomi Umetsu in mentioned in an article...
In Kite, we've got blood and gore (exploding limbs and heads), guns, and lots of action. There are lots of nice visuals. Assassinations are up-close and very personal and you'll want to check out the stunning (almost unbelievable) bathroom fight sequence. I used to have the subtitled VHS version and I enjoyed this title so much that I repurchased it on DVD three times. I gave Kite a 4 out of 5. By the way, the live-action version of Kite, while certainly violent and bloody does not, in my humble opinion, compare favorably to the anime.
Anime
She may be cute, she may be young. She may seem innocent and naive, but don't be fooled. She's a cold-blooded killer, and if you're on the wrong side of the law, you may be her next target.
After being orphaned at a young age, her parents victims of a brutal double murder, Sawa was taken in by the detective assigned to her case. Not content to just watch as the imperfect justice system lets more and more criminals go loose every day, he's decided to train her to be his instrument of justice. After all, who'd suspect a pretty college student of being a deadly vigilante!
Now she must decide between her allegiance to her guardian and her loyalty to her one and only friend, a fellow sword of justice.
Watch as this brutal story unfolds with stunning animation from the lethal mind of Yasuomi Umetsu, the character designer of such anime classics as MegaZone 23 Part 2, Robot Carnival (Presence) and the New Gatchaman (Battle of the Planets/G-Force).
In Animerica Volume 7; Number 6 (July 1999), ISSN 1067-0831 (page 12), Director Yasuomi Umetsu in mentioned in an article...
In his "Animerica" interview, Umetsu speaks of admiration for the films of Martin Scorsese (Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Goodfellas). If Kite resembles any film from Scorsese, it is Taxi Driver. Akia and Sawa's relationship, one of master and puppet, tenderness and terrible exploitation, recalls Harvey Keitel and Jodie Foster's scenes together in the 1976 film. There is also disturbing small-scale mayhem, familiar to Taxi Driver's final scenes.John, a contributor to the AnimeNation blog, describes the differences between the three releases of the Kite anime...
The original American DVD release of Kite (DVD SKU number AWDVD-0082) excises all of the sex from the original hour long Japanese release and combines the remaining footage into a single 45 minute long episode.At some point in time more recently, I picked up the live-action version of Kite...
The so-called "director’s cut" (DVD SKU number KVDVD-0202) contains edits to six scenes from the two episodes, totaling about 20 seconds of footage cut from the original Japanese release. 20 seconds of missing footage may not sound like much, but when you count to twenty out loud you’ll realize precisely how long 20 seconds is. When it comes to anime, a lot can happen in 20 seconds!
Kite Uncut (DVD SKU number KVDVD-0416), also commonly known as the "Kite Special Edition" is the only fully unedited and uncensored version of Kite available on American DVD...
Live-Action
Sawa is a young woman living in a corrupt society where crime and gangs terrorize the streets. When Sawa's mother and policeman father are found victims of a grisly double homicide, she begins a ruthless pursuit for the man who murdered them. With the help of her father's ex-partner, Karl Aker, and a mysterious friend from her past, she becomes a merciless teen assassin, blasting her way through the dark world of human trafficking only to uncover a devastating truth.
In Kite, we've got blood and gore (exploding limbs and heads), guns, and lots of action. There are lots of nice visuals. Assassinations are up-close and very personal and you'll want to check out the stunning (almost unbelievable) bathroom fight sequence. I used to have the subtitled VHS version and I enjoyed this title so much that I repurchased it on DVD three times. I gave Kite a 4 out of 5. By the way, the live-action version of Kite, while certainly violent and bloody does not, in my humble opinion, compare favorably to the anime.
