There are three things that the director of this movie, Yasuomi Umetsu, is good at: character designs, action sequences, and doggystyle. A keen observer would notice that coherent storytelling is not among these three things. Nevertheless, Kite Liberator should be watched by everyone.
In order to get the full Kite Liberator experience it’s important that you have seen the original Kite. For those who have not, allow me to get you up to speed. Kite is what I like to call a “brainwashed assassin” movie. It was only an hour long, but due to its [multiple] graphic [loli] rape scenes the American release was cut down to 45 minutes. However, it can be argued that this version is the true Director’s Cut because Umetsu was allegedly forced to add the sex scenes because the only ones willing to fund his project was the porn company, Green Bunny.
Kite is a force to be reckoned with. A good portion of the flick is Sawa killing dudes with exploding bullets, which is an easy sell for me. The production values are lower than most indie slashers, but the cool jazz soundtrack and the bathroom scene easily make this one of my favorite OVAs. So it’s no surprise that when I first heard about Kite Liberator I was very excited.
A few years later I rented Liberator from Netflix. I popped the DVD in with a smile on my face and my fingers crossed that it would be just as good as its predecessor. And it was, but for completely different reasons; in fact, nothing short of a point-for-point plot synopsis could have prepared me for what I was about to behold.
MONAKA-CHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!
Kite Liberator is about some jerks in a space station that eat some bad space-curry that turns them into bone golems. I was so shocked by what I was seeing that I actually took out the DVD to make sure that Netflix sent the right one. They did, but I was still unconvinced. Even after having watched this movie twice, once with a friend, I’m still not sure.
The only similarities between the two movies is that the main characters kind of look the same and they both kick major ass. It’s more of a spiritual sequel, but even that might be a stretch. Despite how jarring the transition is, this movie is still enjoyable. The fact that it’s the sequel to Kite makes it’s so much better.
Our main characters name is Monaka this time. Her dad works on a space station doing…I don’t know. She’s misses him terribly, but luckily her grief doesn’t prevent her from SPIN KICKING people in the face. In the first movie, Sawa killed people because she was forced to by her captors. In Liberator, Monaka kills people just because. She is technically killing only bad guys, but her motivation to do so is never brought up. It’s also important to note that Liberator doesn’t contain any sex scenes whatsoever, rape or otherwise. Some of the characters are creepers, but considering that this is an Umetsu film, it’s super toned down.
What I love about this movie is how nonsensical it is. From the scene where the cop pulls a gun out of his microwave during a shootout, to the part where the “Food FBI” tries to cover up the space-curry incident, this movie is absolutely ridiculous. They also had an animation budget higher than $20 this time, so things move, and that’s always nice.
At the end of the day, this is the type of movie that you watch with a couple friend and a case of beer. It’s not meant to be taken seriously (at least I hope not), so don’t go in expecting a Miyazaki masterpiece. It’s easy to find and the Kite/Kite Liberator DVD is cheap as hell. So what are you waiting for? Go get Liberated!
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