Hyper cool otaku clothing brand MESSA STORE has announced the latest in their line of collaborations with iconic subversive anime properties. Starting on January 2, 2025 a new pop-up shop featuring items inspired by the works of Yasuomi Umetsu, specifically the OVAs KITE and MEZZO FORTE, will be available at Chillweeb in Harajuku. Items will also be available at the Shinjuku Disk Union location from January 28, 2025, with both pop-ups ending in February.

MESSA STORE is no stranger to paying tribute to iconic anime with darker themes having previously held long-running collaborations with Serial Experiments Lain and Ergo Proxy amongst others. The brand taps into talented designers from around Japan, this time looking like we'll be getting new pieces from NEMOBRAND and KUDAN. NEMOBRAND often utilizes anime imagery in their streetwear designs, having held pop-ups at locations like Laforet Harajuku in the past. KUDAN is a mysterious brand that often gets involved with interesting projects and has collaborated with brands like PUNK DRUNKERS in the past. It's our opinion that we're in for a treat with them involved.

It's also just refreshing to see these series getting picked up for something new despite not being regularly in the zeitgeist amongst Japanese pop-culture fans. KITE received a Hollywood film adaptation starring Samuel L. Jackson in the mid-2010s which received less-than-stellar reviews, and MEZZO FORTE hasn't had anything new since the TV anime sequel in 2004. Who knows, it just might drum up some new attention for these iconic 2000s era works.