Only a small number of dedicated anime fans will remember the 2001 OVA "Mezzo Forte," a action-comedy-porn film by director and writer Yasuomi Umetsu, best known for a similar OVA called "Kite." The use of sex and rape would understandably limit "Forte"'s appeal, but the director's choreography and style in fight scenes (and to some extent, comedy) were unique and confident, entertaining and individual enough to make it worth the effort to seek it out. While Umetsu has directed many shows in some capacity, there are few opportunities where he also wrote the script and storyboards. Surely, he should be given the chance to branch out with an entire television series distinctly his own?While "Kite" would only get a sequel film, "Mezzo Forte" did get a spin-off series in 2004 called "Mezzo DSA," where DSA stands for "Danger Service Agency." It follows the same trio of guns for hire: Mikura, the spunky and trigger-happy femme-fatale, Harada, the tech-specialist, and Harada, the leader, an ex-cop with friends and enemies still in high places. Like the original OVA, the episodes follow individual cases that often end in over-the-top shoot-outs. It's a fun action romp with a core cast built for snarky one-liners, and doesn't strive to be much more than that.The episodes are episodic, meaning they are mostly stand-alone adventures. There is a plot thread involving a young girl being bullied and striving to be stronger like Mikura, and another thread about a dirty police chief who has it out for the DSA, but both either have issues with their build-up or with their payoff. While most people won't care for the story in "Mezzo DSA," I do want to give some credit to the variety in its individual stories, which keep the show watchable. In many ways, the show builds on the universe "Mezzo Forte" had introduced, with the presence of rival security gangs and a better sense of place. On the other hand, some things aren't touched on at all: things like Mikura's sixth-sense to foresee danger days in advance is used, but very rarely, and never explained in any capacity, such that viewers not familiar with "Mezzo Forte" might be scratching their heads. The writing is more than a little sloppy, although I highly recommend watching the English dub, for while the actors don't always care so much to even match lip-movement, it is filled with bad jokes and puns (mostly from Harada's character) that it improves the experience.Fun is the key goal. Few other action shows would put comedy at an equal or higher importance to the violence, but "Mezzo DSA"'s ability to do that is what makes enjoyable even today. Umetsu from "Mezzo Forte" did get to direct the series, and while he doesn't have writing credits, one can tell his personal style contributed a lot to everything, even the repeated catchphrase "you won't live long enough to eat dinner!" from Mikura. Even the animation from the first few minutes of episode one is on par with the original OVA, which is nothing to scoff at. However, it's clear there must have been issues with time or budget, for several episodes in the middle of the series don't look nearly as good (one even gives a blank episode preview, when all the others give some shots of animation), not picking up until the end at episode thirteen. One middle episode even ties into the OVA, not because the plot was important to the series as a whole, but to allow them to use black-and-white cuts from the OVA to save time in animating the episode. Overall, the series looks about ten years older than it really is (despite glimmers of good animation), and the odd character designs for the main characters, distinct as they are, don't hold well. 
And is there any pornography content? Since it was made for television, no nudity or sex is included for the series. There aren't many fan-service elements, save for Mikura dressing as a nurse or massage assistant, making it even tamer than most anime airing at the time. Which is strange, since there are clearly several moments when a sex-scene actually felt appropriate... it wouldn't be surprising to discover a "director's cut" with a five-minute X-rated scene for each and every episode. It's rare to think that any show would be better with such explicit content, but there it is. In its absence, there is plenty of violence and foul language to keep this mature, but it would only require some minor edits to make it suitable as a Saturday-morning cartoon."Mezzo DSA" is rarely remembered, and by those who have seen it, those memories are usually not kind. I was impressed by how much I enjoyed it. It isn't particularly good, but energetic enough to be worth a watch to anime fans looking for an older show, or looking for an example of Umetsu's style that could be shown to friends without hesitation.