Appleseed

This movie astonished me in two ways. First the visuals and sounds are more than breathtaking, but on the other hand I wondered how they can tell the story in such a confusing way. Maybe it was the subtitles, but it just didn't feel right. The storytelling never minded to explain the background a bit more.

The movie reminded me of the Korean anime "Wonderful Days", which also had great visuals but the story just didn't fit seamless.

That said, if you like last generation visual animation, good sound and a lot of action this is *the* movie for you. And the story is not bad, but missing pieces.

Animation: 10/10 Story: 6/10

rating - 10/10 (saw it subbed). I would give it an 11 if I could. After reading a 5.6/10 and watching, the movie far exceeded any expectation I had, that I could have dreamed of. Having read all of the manga and data books, this movie not only captures but adds to them. The 3D style looks better in motion than in screen shots, validating its place in Anime's future (for characters, Ghost in the Shell already displayed the awesome extent to which environments can benefit). The mechanical engineering (just wait until you see the cannons) of EVERYTHING is superlative. The complexity and detail of the city is awe inspiring. Every scene has this attention to detail. And the action? Just watch the beginning of the movie to understand how cool the ride is going to be, because I assure you, it does not let up. Well worth any price of admission.

This is a work of love, a commitment to total quality. I see the score increasing rapidly in the near future.

Thank you Shinji Aramaki, Masamune Shirow (comic)

Haruka Handa (screenplay) & Tsutomu Kamishiro (screenplay)

I went to this movie with very high expectations, and after about 30 mins I knew this movie had already delivered.

I won't talk about the story (do a search on google if you want it spoiled) but I can say that the plot is interesting enough to keep the viewers attention. The pace of the movie feels very right, action scenes and slower character building scenes are vow en into each other without any of them feeling forced. Although the movie is not without cliché's, especially in some sentimental parts, they do not ruin the overall experience. I have not read the manga so I cannot comment on if it stays true to the source material.

Technically it's in a league of it's own. The 3d visuals were amazing, even on the low quality cinema I watched it in. The camera swoops in and out of the action and you end up just staring in awe at the screen. Designs and the attention to detail is incredible. What takes getting used to is the cell shading of the characters. Done to mimic 2d animation, the characters are not able to deliver the same amount of personality and emotions as the handrawn ones are. I wonder if it would look better with pure 3d characters ala Squares Advent Children. Sound effects were also excellent, and I thought the industrial techno soundtrack was very fitting.

All in all the most impressive anime movie I have seen so far, that is if it could be seen as an anime? The director was actually present at the screening I attended and he raised this question as well. Seeing as Appleseed was not made and does not look like any traditional anime at all why should it be considered as one? Maybe we are looking at a new genre in animated movies. If so the Appleseed has certainly set the new standards as to how it should be done.

First of all, this piece is brilliantly animated. Combining the visual effects with the sound effects this way makes me think of The Matrix, with fast cuts, some slow-motion sessions and of course a lot of doppler effects. I thought the plot was quite OK, not too original but not too hasty either. It has a good development I thought, and I have to admit that I were a bit worried for a while if it'd be able to sum things up in a good way, which I think it did quite well. Here's a bit of everything, violence and fighting scenes, hi-tech armory, some love and some conspiracy as well. I'll give this a 7/10. I can't say how much in fact the plot has earned these points, but if you like visual effects and fast-paced fighting scenes you're probably going to like this.

Appleseed simultaneously suffers from the worst Anime has to offer and benefits from the best animation and production a modern production can have. If you are a hardcore Manga fan (or just occasionally fond of it like me) you'll be aware of the most typical clichés, most of which make up the bulk of the Appleseed story.

So...we have a world set after WWIII, in which a Utopian Society has finally found peace. But there are still some people who cannot help but let their anger and bigotry take hold. Android/Clones with suppressed emotions help balance out Utopia and some even want to be fully-fledged humans. There are humans who hate these Androids and wish them to all die out. And there are some Android who hate humans and wish them to all die out. And finally, there is a big computer who runs everything.

Nothing there you haven't seen before huh? It also takes a while to build up momentum. Though when it does, the plot twists and turns and action scenes are truly exhilarating. The animation quality is breath-taking with seamless blending of hand-drawn, motion capture, CGI and 3D images. Style and plot-wise it is very, very similar to Sky Blue/Wonderful Days. But since they were in production at the same time one cannot accuse the other of plagiarism.

The sheer amount of technology and hardware in the movie will make you drool. There are loads of cool devices, futuristic inventions and awesome weaponry. There is also loads of atmosphere with gorgeous, gorgeous sunsets, storm-lashed oil rigs and wonderfully blue-sky-ed cityscapes with an environmentally friendly amount of trees everywhere.

The Matrix 'inspired' action can be a bit annoying sometimes. We've seen people diving through the air in slow motion will taking out supposedly highly-trained soldiers? And the music is kinda uninspiring. With contributions from Basement Jaxx and Paul Oakenfold one expected it to be a lot better.

When you take the good with the bad, Appleseed still comes out as worthwhile and enjoyable. If your new to Anime then you can forgive the clichés, if your a big fan then you'll be awe-struck by the impressive production values.