Kite (film)
Encyclopedia
, also known as A Kite, is a highly controversial Japan
ese anime
OVA
written and directed by Yasuomi Umetsu
.
The original Japanese
release ran for two 30 minute episodes. However, subsequent releases, including the first two releases in the United States
, have edited the OVA into one hour-long "movie".
ed in her early teens. Her parents are the victims of a gory double murder
. The detective
s investigating the crime, Akai あかい ("red") and Kanie, take her in as guardians. Akai begins a sexual relationship with Sawa, forcing her to become his sex slave for the duration of his guardianship. Akai also gives her a pair of crystal earrings, each one containing the blood of one of her parents.
Sawa becomes an assassin
after the corrupt detectives make her kill an alleged rapist of young girls. Subsequently over the years, she kills whomever she is ordered to, including corrupt police officers and corporate fat cats. Sawa's assassinations are famous among the police for her use of special bullets that explode inside the body after piercing the skin.
Eventually, Sawa meets a fellow assassin named Oburi, who is of a similar age, and a bond quickly forms between them. Due to their relationship, Sawa slowly gains the emotional strength to escape from her guardians to set out on her own. Oburi is leaving Akai and Kanie's service after killing three more targets, but Akai orders Sawa to kill Oburi instead of letting him go. Realizing that Sawa has the drop on him, Oburi tells her that Akai and Kanie were the ones who murdered her parents, but Sawa reveals that she has known that for years. She lets Oburi live and goes to take out her next target, a movie star whose bodyguards nearly kill her. In the struggle, she loses one of her earrings and sustains several minor injuries. When Oburi shows up alive, Kanie sends him after a corrupt district attorney, but the man is actually a SWAT
officer, who nearly kills Oburi before Sawa arrives and saves him. Oburi confronts Akai and tells him that he and Sawa are both leaving, but Akai overpowers and savagely beats him. Sawa comes to Oburi's rescue again but is captured by Akai and Kanie. Akai appears to decide that just killing Oburi isn't enough, and he and Kanie force Oburi to watch Akai rape
Sawa. When Kanie drags Oburi off afterward, Akai tells Sawa he's impressed with the depth of her plan to kill Oburi, saying that he almost believed her act. He tells her where Kanie is going to kill Oburi and that he is looking forward to finding Oburi's body. Sawa then leaves, saying she has an exam the next day.
The next morning, Akai arrives at a murder scene. He draws back the covering over the body and flinches when he sees it is Kanie. One of the crime scene investigators reminds him that the body's location is where a double murder occurred several years prior, when the parents of a teenage girl were killed. Akai then goes to where Kanie had been taking Oburi to confront him, but instead finds Sawa, who shoots him in the right hand and groin before emptying the magazines of both her and Oburi's guns into the rest of his body. She tosses both guns into the sewer, then removes her remaining earring and discards it as well.
Before Oburi and Sawa can reunite, Oburi is shot by another presumed child assassin - perhaps coincidentally a girl whose basketball he had destroyed near the beginning of the movie in response to an insult - and most likely the assassin Akai was talking about after raping Sawa for the last time. The scene changes to Sawa at Oburi's loft in an abandoned building, waiting patiently for his return. There is the sound of a footstep and a creaking floorboard, and Sawa turns her head to look at the source of the noise before the screen goes black.
in its depiction of extreme gory violence
and explicit sex and nudity, including graphic rape scenes involving a very young Sawa. The DVD description states: "College student by day, vigilante by night, Sawa protects the innocent and mercilessly kills criminals in this intense Japanese anime."
Subsequently, the OVA has been released three times in the United States, each with less censorship
than the last (with the most recent release being reputedly uncensored).
Kite was also banned in many countries. Kite has sometimes been called ultra violent child pornography
, with elements of the lolicon
genre. However, it is considered an anime
cult classic
by some fans.
Two versions were initially released: a "General Release" version (rated 16-Up) and a "Director's Cut" version (rated 18-Up), which contains nearly 10 minutes of explicit footage. This Director's Cut version, however, is missing some scenes found in the original Japanese release. A third release, labeled "Special Edition", contains Kite in its original, uncut form. All contain all of the violent aspects of the film, but the general release only contains a scene featuring a mature Sawa naked. The other two contain sex scenes.
, Norway
(uncut version), and Sweden
.
entitled Kite Liberator
(カイト リベレイター Kaito Ribereitaa) features a new character named Noguchi Monaka. It was released on March 21, 2008 in the United States
. The film is licensed by Media Blasters
.
adaptation of Kite has been reported to be in various stages of pre-production
for a number of years now, with American film director Rob Cohen
attached as either director or producer. The content of the live action film is expected to be toned down from the original OVA. On September 2, 2011, David R. Ellis
took the helm for the remake.
writer and director Quentin Tarantino
recommended Kite as part of actress Chiaki Kuriyama
preparations for her role as Gogo Yubari in the first film. A scene in the music video for the song "Ex-Girlfriend
" by No Doubt
is based on Kite.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
OVA
Original video animation
, abbreviated as media , are animated films and series made specially for release in home-video formats. The term originated in relation to Japanese animation...
written and directed by Yasuomi Umetsu
Yasuomi Umetsu
Yasuomi Umetsu, also credited by his alternate name Yasuomi Umezu, is known for his directorial debut for the anime cult classic A Kite.-Filmography:*Megazone 23 Part II character designer/animation director...
.
The original Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
release ran for two 30 minute episodes. However, subsequent releases, including the first two releases in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, have edited the OVA into one hour-long "movie".
Plot
Kite revolves around a schoolgirl named Sawa (さわ) who is orphanOrphan
An orphan is a child permanently bereaved of or abandoned by his or her parents. In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents is called an orphan...
ed in her early teens. Her parents are the victims of a gory double murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
. The detective
Detective
A detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"...
s investigating the crime, Akai あかい ("red") and Kanie, take her in as guardians. Akai begins a sexual relationship with Sawa, forcing her to become his sex slave for the duration of his guardianship. Akai also gives her a pair of crystal earrings, each one containing the blood of one of her parents.
Sawa becomes an assassin
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
after the corrupt detectives make her kill an alleged rapist of young girls. Subsequently over the years, she kills whomever she is ordered to, including corrupt police officers and corporate fat cats. Sawa's assassinations are famous among the police for her use of special bullets that explode inside the body after piercing the skin.
Eventually, Sawa meets a fellow assassin named Oburi, who is of a similar age, and a bond quickly forms between them. Due to their relationship, Sawa slowly gains the emotional strength to escape from her guardians to set out on her own. Oburi is leaving Akai and Kanie's service after killing three more targets, but Akai orders Sawa to kill Oburi instead of letting him go. Realizing that Sawa has the drop on him, Oburi tells her that Akai and Kanie were the ones who murdered her parents, but Sawa reveals that she has known that for years. She lets Oburi live and goes to take out her next target, a movie star whose bodyguards nearly kill her. In the struggle, she loses one of her earrings and sustains several minor injuries. When Oburi shows up alive, Kanie sends him after a corrupt district attorney, but the man is actually a SWAT
SWAT
A SWAT team is an elite tactical unit in various national law enforcement departments. They are trained to perform high-risk operations that fall outside of the abilities of regular officers...
officer, who nearly kills Oburi before Sawa arrives and saves him. Oburi confronts Akai and tells him that he and Sawa are both leaving, but Akai overpowers and savagely beats him. Sawa comes to Oburi's rescue again but is captured by Akai and Kanie. Akai appears to decide that just killing Oburi isn't enough, and he and Kanie force Oburi to watch Akai rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
Sawa. When Kanie drags Oburi off afterward, Akai tells Sawa he's impressed with the depth of her plan to kill Oburi, saying that he almost believed her act. He tells her where Kanie is going to kill Oburi and that he is looking forward to finding Oburi's body. Sawa then leaves, saying she has an exam the next day.
The next morning, Akai arrives at a murder scene. He draws back the covering over the body and flinches when he sees it is Kanie. One of the crime scene investigators reminds him that the body's location is where a double murder occurred several years prior, when the parents of a teenage girl were killed. Akai then goes to where Kanie had been taking Oburi to confront him, but instead finds Sawa, who shoots him in the right hand and groin before emptying the magazines of both her and Oburi's guns into the rest of his body. She tosses both guns into the sewer, then removes her remaining earring and discards it as well.
Before Oburi and Sawa can reunite, Oburi is shot by another presumed child assassin - perhaps coincidentally a girl whose basketball he had destroyed near the beginning of the movie in response to an insult - and most likely the assassin Akai was talking about after raping Sawa for the last time. The scene changes to Sawa at Oburi's loft in an abandoned building, waiting patiently for his return. There is the sound of a footstep and a creaking floorboard, and Sawa turns her head to look at the source of the noise before the screen goes black.
Cast
| Character | Japanese version | English version |
|---|---|---|
| Sawa | Konami Yoshida Konami Yoshida is a Japanese voice actress.-Anime:*Princess Sheila in Bastard!!*Shimarisu-kun in Bonobono*Azusa Kanzaki in Devil Hunter Yohko*Seiko Taniguchi in Futari wa Pretty Cure*Natsume in Generator Gawl*Hana Hatsuno and others in King of Braves GaoGaiGar... |
Charlie Watson |
| Akai | Goro Shibusawa | Dave Underwood |
| Oburi | Shingo Oyamada | Shane Callahan |
| Kanie | Tatsuo Matoba | Charles Denson, Jr. |
Release history
Kite is controversialControversy
Controversy is a state of prolonged public dispute or debate, usually concerning a matter of opinion. The word was coined from the Latin controversia, as a composite of controversus – "turned in an opposite direction," from contra – "against" – and vertere – to turn, or versus , hence, "to turn...
in its depiction of extreme gory violence
Violence
Violence is the use of physical force to apply a state to others contrary to their wishes. violence, while often a stand-alone issue, is often the culmination of other kinds of conflict, e.g...
and explicit sex and nudity, including graphic rape scenes involving a very young Sawa. The DVD description states: "College student by day, vigilante by night, Sawa protects the innocent and mercilessly kills criminals in this intense Japanese anime."
Subsequently, the OVA has been released three times in the United States, each with less censorship
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
than the last (with the most recent release being reputedly uncensored).
Kite was also banned in many countries. Kite has sometimes been called ultra violent child pornography
Child pornography
Child pornography refers to images or films and, in some cases, writings depicting sexually explicit activities involving a child...
, with elements of the lolicon
Lolicon
, also romanised as lolikon or rorikon, is a Japanese portmanteau of the phrase "Lolita complex". In Japan, the term describes an attraction to underage girls or an individual with such an attraction...
genre. However, it is considered an anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
cult classic
Cult Classic
Cult Classic is a Blue Öyster Cult studio recording released in 1994, containing remakes of many of the band's previous hits.-Track listing:# " The Reaper" - 5:05# "E.T.I...
by some fans.
Two versions were initially released: a "General Release" version (rated 16-Up) and a "Director's Cut" version (rated 18-Up), which contains nearly 10 minutes of explicit footage. This Director's Cut version, however, is missing some scenes found in the original Japanese release. A third release, labeled "Special Edition", contains Kite in its original, uncut form. All contain all of the violent aspects of the film, but the general release only contains a scene featuring a mature Sawa naked. The other two contain sex scenes.
Rating
- USAUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
: (ratings issued by the distributor, Media BlastersMedia BlastersMedia Blasters is an entertainment corporation founded by John Sirabella and Sam Liebowitz, based in New York City. They are in the business of licensing, translating, and releasing to the North American market manga compilations and anime and live-action movies and television series to home-video...
)- General Release: 16-up
- Director's Cut and Special Edition: 18-up
- JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
R-18 - ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
18 (uncut/uncensored) - South KoreaSouth KoreaThe Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
18 (censored version) - AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
R18+ (censored version) - NorwayNorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
18 (censored version) - FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
18 (cut)- released as Domination NaKite
- GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
18 (uncut/uncensored) - New ZealandNew ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
R16 (censored version)
Countries banned
Kite has been banned in ChinaChina
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
(uncut version), and Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
.
Sequel
A sequelSequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
entitled Kite Liberator
Kite Liberator
is a Japanese original video animation series and sequel to Kite. It was also adapted as a manga serialzed in Comic Valkyrie magazine.-Synopsis:...
(カイト リベレイター Kaito Ribereitaa) features a new character named Noguchi Monaka. It was released on March 21, 2008 in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The film is licensed by Media Blasters
Media Blasters
Media Blasters is an entertainment corporation founded by John Sirabella and Sam Liebowitz, based in New York City. They are in the business of licensing, translating, and releasing to the North American market manga compilations and anime and live-action movies and television series to home-video...
.
Live-action film
A live actionLive action
In filmmaking, video production, and other media, the term live action refers to cinematography, videography not produced using animation...
adaptation of Kite has been reported to be in various stages of pre-production
Pre-production
Pre-production or In Production is the process of preparing all the elements involved in a film, play, or other performance.- In film :...
for a number of years now, with American film director Rob Cohen
Rob Cohen
Robert "Rob" Cohen is an American film director, producer and writer.-Early life:Cohen was born in Cornwall, New York. He was raised and spent his childhood in the Town of Newburgh and graduated from Newburgh Free Academy in 1967...
attached as either director or producer. The content of the live action film is expected to be toned down from the original OVA. On September 2, 2011, David R. Ellis
David R. Ellis
David Richard Ellis is an American film director and former stuntman.-Life and career:Ellis was born in Hollywood, California. He began his career in the film industry as a supporting actor in juvenile roles; his big screen debut was in the 1975 Kurt Russell film The Strongest Man in the World...
took the helm for the remake.
In popular culture
Kill BillKill Bill
Kill Bill Volume 1 is a 2003 action thriller film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It is the first of two volumes that were theatrically released several months apart, the second volume being Kill Bill Volume 2....
writer and director Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with films employing nonlinear storylines and the aestheticization of violence...
recommended Kite as part of actress Chiaki Kuriyama
Chiaki Kuriyama
is a Japanese actress, singer and model. She is best known in the West for her roles in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill, Volume 1 and the Japanese film Battle Royale .- Biography :...
preparations for her role as Gogo Yubari in the first film. A scene in the music video for the song "Ex-Girlfriend
Ex-Girlfriend (song)
"Ex-Girlfriend" is a song written by Tom Dumont, Tony Kanal and Gwen Stefani for No Doubt's fourth studio album Return of Saturn . The song was released as the album's first official single in mid-2000 and it was moderately successful, reaching the top 40 in most countries.-Background and...
" by No Doubt
No Doubt
No Doubt is an American rock band from Anaheim, California that formed in 1986. The ska-pop sound of their first album No Doubt , failed to make an impact...
is based on Kite.
See also
- Mezzo ForteMezzo Forte (anime)is a 1998 original video animation directed by Yasuomi Umetsu.The OVA, which concerns a young woman, Mikura Suzuki, and her mercenary business, the Danger Service Agency, is the spiritual sequel to Umetsu's Kite, as both feature the continuing elements of a highly trained female protagonist,...
, Umetsu's unofficial follow up to Kite, which also concerns a young woman working as an assassin, and a cameo by Sawa.- Mezzo DSAMezzo DSAMezzo DSA is a 13-episode anime series created by Yasuomi Umetsu. It is a follow up to the 1998 OVA Mezzo Forte.-Synopsis:Mikura, Kurokawa, and Harada are the 3 members of the Danger Service Agency . Mikura is the brawn of the group, Harada is the brains, and Kurokawa is just a bitter ex-cop who...
- television series based on Mezzo Forte.
- Mezzo DSA
- Cool Devices: Yellow Star, previously directed by Umetsu, features "prototype" character designs and similar subject matter.
External links
for Kite Liberator- Comparison of the three U.S. releases of Kite
- Animerica review
- Kite Information at Arms Company Website