Mezzo DSA Volume 1

Meet the Danger Service Agency. Consisting of gun-toting femme fatale Mikura, punky gadget expert Harada and pasta-obsessed ex-cop Kurokawa, they take on the jobs that many would consider too foolhardy or dangerous. Whether it’s tracking down wanted murderers, delivering suspect packages or carrying out a daring rescue, the DSA will get the job done”¦simply to put food on the table.

Mezzo DSA makes no secret of what it aims to achieve: action, action and more action. And to its credit, it succeeds. Every episode is jam-packed with well-animated fight scenes and once the kicks and bullets start flying it never lets up. Don’t expect much in the way of deep philosophy or character development here though: the emphasis is very much on chasing down the bad guys and looking damned cool into the bargain.

Those who might have been put off by the rather adult themes of the prequel, Mezzo Forte, will be glad to know that DSA has only harmless fan service, with the 15 certificate no doubt being attributed to the levels of violence. Mikura obviously doesn’t have to wear a skin-tight orange outfit and carry out martial arts moves during a fight, but the show wouldn’t be half as entertaining if she didn’t. The DSA team work well together on screen as well, with the combination of the cute girl, technical geek and father-figure making for some really comical moments. The episodes are pretty stand-alone and self-contained with only the two-part “Shell of Lies’ being in a specific order. As the conclusion to the disc, it has an interesting approach to telling the story, with the same series of events being told from two different angles: Harada and Kurokawa carrying out a mission while Mikura sets out separately to meet an old friend. After viewing both, it is interesting to see how the two versions fit together and they are both interesting as separate stories to start with.

The other three episodes are varied if not outstanding, although the supernatural elements to the first two are a bit of a surprise for such a straightforward kind of show. The inclusion of five complete episodes (or “shells’ as they are called) makes for a good value-for-money purchase as well. Sadly, the soundtrack is a disappointment: the incidental music is in a fitting energetic rock style, but the opening and ending themes are delivered with a high-pitched vocal style which is quite frankly annoying. It is vaguely reminiscent of the Japanese band Melt-Banana in its frantic shrillness but unfortunately not in a good way.

In Summary

For a fast-paced “girls with guns’ action-adventure with an undemanding storyline and plenty of style, Mezzo DSA is surprisingly entertaining for those who are into that sort of series. It doesn’t exactly break new ground in its themes and ideas, but that would be missing the point. Just press “play’, switch off your brain and enjoy.